POINTS OF VIEW

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 62, Issue 4403, 17 March 1941, Page 5

POINTS OF VIEW

, OPINIONS OF OUR READERS. SWIMMING BATHS. Sir, —Hamilton Swimming Club officials must have made Te Awamutu Borough Council ears burn on Wednesday night. The officials blithely suggested bringing a team of seniors, intermediates, and juniors, and waterpolo players to visit the Te Awamutu Club some evening. They were informed that there was no lighting in the' baths and rathSr too much grass in the water. Gazing at the clear water and white walls of their own baths, with the black lane-marks showing on the clean white bottom through eight feet of water, the officials tried har<j to figure it out. One of them pursued the subject, and, after further questions, propounded the solemn opinion that any Council that regarded baths as institutions which should pay their way should be thrown to the dogs—or the Citizens’ and Ratepayers’ Association ! It is seldom that any local body has any honour in its own district, but the Hamilton officials paid a tribute to their own municipal fathers and their generous treatment in giving schools free use of well-maintained baths at all times; but they were again reduced to stunned silence when they learned that Te Awamutu schools paid £2O a year to the Council for the use of baths in school hours. The officials were probably right in their opinion that Te Awamutu is the only place in the Dominion where schools are charged in this way.

One of the Te Awamutu visitors found himself thinking, as he has many times done, of the curious effect of Council chaos. He meets the councillors, or nearly all of them,\at oad times, and finds them good, kindly, friendly fellows; and he picks up the Courier to find out they have hearts of stone and behave to little children and their baths as if King Herod were their favourite character in history.— I am, etc., SWIMMER. SUPERVISION OF ALIENS. Sir, —One reads with disgust the grounds on which various members of the community appeal against overseas service; but the appeal of a son of Italian parents residing in Wei-' lington should certainly bring to light the necessity for stricter alien supervision. One can understand the sentiments of this appellant, but would it not have been better for him to offer himself for internmnt 1 Then, again we have various religious denominations appealing on behalf of their servants. Surely, if those men are able-bodied, they are capable of serving Christianity to considerable advantage by “ doing their bit.” Is Britain allowing her men to stand aside for sentimental reasons 1 Not altogether, or would she be sure of herself to-day ? z Various members of Parliament run up and down the country raising the alarm and declaring that New Zealand must be prepared. But the present leniency lea veg a lot to be desired. Mr Semple was not satisfied until he dominated public works. Well, let him have satisfaction when he has dominated those who refuse to serve their country and put the aliens in their proper places. What a harvest these aliens reap in New Zealand while our lads have to sacrifice all in order to let them have their own way At a recent meeting I heard our Minister of Man-power emphasise that “we must not under-estimate the enemy.” Yet he allows miserable pleas for exemption from service to be adjourned. It is nauseating.—l am, etc., PLAIN JANE.

THE UPPER HOUSE

Sir,—lt happens that there will be a number of vacancies soon in the Upper House. If democracy means anything to our Labour Government might I suggest that this entirely un. democratic institution be allowed to pass into oblivion unwept, unhonoured, and unsung ? We already have our duly elected representatives in the Lower House, and it would represent a big saving to the National Exchequer if the ,f other place ” were done away with altogether. Queensland, I understand, abolished its Upper Chamber many years ago. HoWever, that, evidently, was a day when politicians stood by their promises.—-I am, etc., PRUNING KNIFE.