CONDENSED CORRESPONDENCE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24606, 14 May 1941, Page 10

CONDENSED CORRESPONDENCE

" Givalia Francisco " complains of the height of the steps on the tramcars, especially the newer cars. Anyone can see- the difficulty which elderly peopie experience in trying to clamber on board a tram, yet someone without any feeling whatever would make life harder for the infirm. -. V ; , "" , v "A Chartered Marine Engineer. writes to say that the use of the word " steam " is erroneous in an advertisement in which the Public Service Commissioner stipulates that applicants for the position of inspector of. machinery and engineer-inspector of ships should possess a first-class marine engineer's .' certificate (steam). . The advertisement should have required applicants to be ..corporate members of the Institute '.-of Marine -Engineers, London, in order to folio same lines of kindred institutions. For a similar position! in England, applicants would require to possess an extra firstclass certificate and to have passed, the Board of Trade surveyorship examination. ' ■ ~ ;■'''" "Free' Woman" observes that we have another dictator in New Zealand in the person; of Mr .Nordmeyer, who is full of threats because a body of honourable medical'men will not at his behest cast their well-thought-out convictions into the dust. Does he forget that these doctors, at the very first mention of the unworkable plan of medical benefits, courteously offered to have-a consultation in order to find a way to carry out the Governments scheme without injury to their patients and without neglect of any sort? "Returned Soldier's Wife does not think our country is granted a fair deal when men who have been called uo and been passed as fit should be exempted from service. If they want to win the war they should be required to go and there should be no appeals. Nor does she see why the big man s son should get off any more than the poor man's son. J. Campbell suggests that, as a considerable income has proved to be a marvellous tonic in restoration to health in a few weeks, the eftect of a similar tonic on the whole community might be tried withi the provision for every child a birthright of £3OO from infancy, for every youth (both sexes) £3 a week, and for everyone 21 years and over £6 a week for life "Mourning Mick" asserts that he is one of many persons in Oamaru upon whom a woman has imposed with plausible tales of her husbands absence or of his sickness or of the illness of a child, for whom medicine is required, and expresses the belief that she glories in the deception she practises He expresses the hope that Oamaru residents will be on their KU "Rite a^y n e S r" h declares that a tramcar which was damaged in a collision three to four months ago, has not been painted or repaired since, and thinks the trams are a disgrace to the city through the lack of a coat Of P£ " Fair Go" commends Mr Allen for not stooping to vulgar abuse and personal vilification in the course of his various addresses. His opponent is endeavouring, rather, too strenuously to win on promises that are without iustification. It required a man of courage to tell the electors that the general rate must go up Id. Against that, the hospital and general rates came down Id each, making an allround decrease of Id which is what concerns the people. "Ratepayer" says U would be interesting if the Labour Party would disclose how long its candidates for the St Kilda Borough Council have been resident in the borough and what qualifications they possess for the position to which they aspire Messrs Ruttledge, Clinch, and Carman are known; Mr Williamson has ratepayer qualification, but who is he? The other two. Messrs Bucher and Nelson, have apparently not been long enough in the borough to be on the Main Roll, and the Supplementary Roll shows them to possess only residential qualification. And why only a ticket of six? "Think British" considers that an advertisement calling for support for Dr McMillan is worthy of attention in that it is a barefaced attempt to suggest that the various efforts to collect money for Red Cross Appeal (£63,000), Queen Carnival (£60,000), the recent £7OOO radio appeal and the current "Comforts for Fighters Fund" have been fostered by the Labour Party. Some of these moneys were collected through the agencv of the local Commercial Charity Station as a coldblooded business proposition from which the Labour Government received a very substantial commission. Seeing that Dr McMillan is making use of this for advertising purposes, he and

his friends of the Left Book Club may be asked what personal efforts they have made or what efforts the Left Book Club has made to help the war cause. "No Foul Play" considers that for his restraint in refusing to stoop to personal abuse of his opponent, Mr Allen deserves the wholehearted' support of every right-thinking and fairminded citizen. He has kept his feet on the firm ground of reality and fact and has not lost his head in the clouds of distortion which are surely threatening the destruction of his opponent. Mr Allen knows that promissory notes should be issued only if the facts are there to back them.

"Breach of Promise" considers that Mr Holland's protest against the breach of the undertaking between the Government and the Opposition was very restrained in the circumstances. It will be interesting to see if Mr Nordmeyer is as courageous as his words. Let him bring out his whip into the open; not just when he is surrounded by his " simple simons." Let us see if he has courage enough to swing the whip in front of those idiotic doctors who will not recognise a vain boaster as a slave master. Intimidation is imported from Germany.

•"Fair Pop" says the Judicial Corn; mittee of the Forbury Park Trotting Club would have been much busier than it actually was on Monday afternoon if it had taken into consideration some remarkable reversals of form which it allowed to pass without comment. After citing four separate instances of reversal of form, " Fair Pop " says it was obvious also that several horse's were out for an "airing" only, and' had no intention of unduly obtruding themselves in the meantime on the notice of the judge. It seumed hard that the backers of April Direct should lose' their investment and dividend for the reason given, " unauthorised change of gear," while other more glaring breaches were allowed to pass without comment. It can also.be said that cases of "interference" were not entirely absent. Such conditions do not make for the popularity of trotting, and a.heed for much closer supervision seems to be indicated.