ACTIVE SERVICE AND, ITS PENALTIES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24297, 14 May 1940, Page 14

ACTIVE SERVICE AND, ITS PENALTIES

TO THE EDITOR Sir,—l was amazed and disgusted to read in this morning's Daily Times of the action cf the Dunedin Stock Exchange. The report states that Mr L. J. Black, a member of the Exchange, when going on active service, asked that during his absence his clerk should be permitted to occupy his seat. Such a request is quite usual and never refused without adequate reason. To be quite fair I shall deal only with the statement of Mr Harman Reeves in defence cf the action of the members of the Exchange. Mr Reeves considers that Mr Black's firm is adequately represented by Mr Smith. The reply to this is that neither Mr Smith nor Mr Black thought so. as they were both members of the Exchange for many years. If a firm should be represented only by cne member, the time to raise that point was when Mr Black became a, member of the Exchange To 'acquiesce for many years in the presence of two members of the firm and then, when one of them goes on active service, to take advantage of this to prevent the absent member's seat on the Exchange being occupied, on the plea that one representative is sufficient, is a detestable and unßritish action. Mr Reeves admits that he told Mr Black that as he was going on active service the Stock Exchange must help him. How has it done so? The enly help so far has been to prevent Mr Black's deputy acting for him. This is not only a matter of patriotism but of ordinary business decency, because the members of the Stcck Exchange can, if they wish, allow Mr Black's deputy to act for him but they decline to do so. Mr Reeves's remarks about Mr Smith are quite beside the point, Mr Smith is 'himself a member of the Stock Exchange and is not Mr Black's deputy.—l am, etc.. Fair Play. Dunedin. May 13, 1940.