WE FARMERS AND THE GOVERNMENT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23953, 31 October 1939, Page 5

WE FARMERS AND THE GOVERNMENT

y. TO THE EDITOR . , Sir,—l" have recently read two letters signed by Mr J. D. Curtis—the .first an attempt, to, justify loafing on public works, the second to convey an announcement that he 'has, enlisted.: is with the first subject that I am Interested. 5 Objection is made to a statement in letter by “Arator” that “compared with the broken promises of this Gov-ernment,-Hitler runs a bad second.” .Comparisons of this sort are odious, he says; an<! I agree that they are irrtost unfair, to Hitler. We have it from this scribe that the whole world is disgusted with Hitler. But the whole pf, New Zealand—that portion of it that is worth its salt—is utterly 1 disgusted with the broken promises of the Savage, . Scrimgeour, Sullivan, Semple clique which has been masquerading as a Government in New Zealand during the last few years. He does, not know of a single instance of any Government keeping its promises ftd the letter, but I could give him an instance of one that broke them from A to Z. He continues that he Still thinks New Zealand a grand country in which to live. It is. for the public works loafer, the speiler the dead-beat, the ne’er-db.-well,, the harpies and thugs, and “ Tired Tims.’ and "Weary WilliesVwho are deliberately encouraged by the Socialists to sponge on the decent, upright, honest, self-respecting residents of this Dominion, the farmers and industrious business men who are taxed almost out of existence in order to perpetrate this deplorable and disgusting state of affairs. - This attitude by those in authority was further exemplified a few days ago by the decision to make an additional’ grant of 5s and 10s oer week to thatvast army that is being, molly Coddled and spoon fed by the Public Works ■ Department. The Government, according to your correspondent, assisted by “a generous rich mother earth.” is helping'; the farmers, but where is it helping: them to? To bankruptcy, desnCratiom- destitution and the workhouse. he cannot understand a representative of the farmers complaining of their lot. This is only further evidence of the inability of the idle . and the shiftless to appreci-ate-the. trials . and tribulations of those who. hot only have to do the work but;..:h|ve ‘to do ,th,e. paying for those who toil not, neither do they spin The idea ’of asking a farmer to change plaCk with a public works employee is too - almost for words, for the meanest farmer the writer eVer met; would have more respect for himself than to add to the multitude ofthose whom the , farmers are already carrying on th eir backs This would be the natural result of adopting the suggestion, for the ex-loafer Would soon oe back' with his fellows with the farm gone to perdition, and we would then have two loafers where before we only had one. He bemoans th? fact that the loafer has to pay for the increased cost of living the same as the farmer, but is not this poetic justice, ior it ..is. the loafers'and the drones who are mainly responsible" for increased costs? To quote him again, “I admire the men who fought to preserve us from the rule -of' p, Hohenzollern.” This writer also', adihires the mea who m this country at prelent, both m Pa, r .b a ' 3 'and outside' 1 it, ere fighting and organising to preserve us from me present Socialist dictatorship, .which is as repugnant .to the true British citizen. as any; Hohenzollern ■or Hitter could be; •• Your correspondent states that he was tod young to go to me last war. I congratulate him on the steps he has taken in regard to the pfesent one, but if one may indge by the sentiments he egresses. I doubt whether he is yet Sufficiently matured to take part in it.-I am.