NOTES AND COMMENTS

Patea Mail, Volume XLV, 23 February 1921, Page 2

NOTES AND COMMENTS

There would appear to be no end to the labour disputes in this well-favour-ed laud. Perhaps it is because it is such a well-favoured land that the workers can afford to turn up their noses at good wages and good times.

If it wore a case of “root hog or die,” they would not be so keen in “going slow” ami striking on every available opportunity. A few loan years would teach them to know when they are well off.

Tito paragraphs in the papers with regard to the watersidors refusing to work overtime make curious reading by the side of the reports of the unemployment in Britain. On the one hand we have men refusing to work at an exorbitant wage, and on the other a story of 540,000 registered unemployed, of whom 260,000 arc ex-service men. Surely the latter reports must suggest a way out of the difficulty to the auth-

critics. Why not arrange with tho Home Government for tho transport of a portion of these workers to country, and lot the watersidors go hang. Out of the 280,000 men (50,000 arc _ skilled building trade workers. are the very men we require just nxiVf'W and their advent would be a godsondjp Acting as the watersidors arc is playing the enemy’s game for all they arc worth. It is just what the Hun wants —more strife and less production throughout the Empire—and then he will hope to come to light, and place his heel on every British worker's neck, and they will have deserved it. The pity is that the innocent will then be made to suffer with the guilty.

The signs of the times in the town are hopeful. There is an excellent leaven of new blood doing splendid work to keep things alive that is very encouraging to those who have striven hard in the past to push the town ahead, only to be met with discouragement at the hands of the old stagers, who “pooh-poohed’ every effort in the direction of progress in the past. That the efforts of the progressive party have not been in vain is shown in the Town Hall, the water and drainage systems, and last, but by no means least in the increase in the Borough Council’s income, as witness the three acres near the English Church, which arc now bringing in nearly £l2O per annum in rates in place of 12s, as formerly.

Subscriptions are coming to hand in connection with the local War Memorial, which shoould boi an accomplished fact before long. It is to bo hoped that sufficient funds will be forthcoming to enable the Domain Board to erect a memorial worthy of the cause so that generations to come may know that Patea boys went forward ami laid down their lives in the Empire’s cause

A country resident, who is a frefluent visitur to the town, voiced a complaint recently, which wc admit is more than justified. He said: “T have two hours to wait for my train home, and I would like to go where I could sit down in comfort and read a paper and get a cup of tea later.” Wc pointed out the fact that there was a reading room, but the reply was that it afforded very little seating accommodation and was anything but attractive.” What a pity there is not another storey on the new motor garage where up-to-date tea-rooms, with a rest room for ladies and a reading room for customers, could be established. Such an establishment would go a long way towards popularising the town with country residents.