CORRESPONDENCE.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 16613, 10 December 1919, Page 6

CORRESPONDENCE.

We are not responsible for opinions expressed by correspondents The writer’s name, ns a guarantee of good faith, must be enclosed in the letter. THE HERALD AND POLITICS. TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —In one of your leading articles last week you asked the farmers to stand together like a stone wall and vote for Air, Massey, and warn them against voting for Sir J. Ward. Now, as one who has lived for some years in Southland, it seems strange to me that yon should consider Sir Joseph such a dangerous person to tho farmers, seeing that he represents a district all practical farmers, and almost all of them levelheaded and cannie Scotchmen at that, who almost swear by Sir Joseph. Again, Air. Editor, why did yourself and the Reform Party raise such a cry when Sir Joseph left the National Government if he is such a dangerous man? The fact is that Air Massey is ruled by the extreme wealthy class. I have property in both town and country, but I like a square deal, and I would refer tho Herald to the following words by Robert Burns: — “But och, mankind are unco weak, And little to bo trusted, When self the wavering balance shake It's rarely right adjusted.” —I am, etc., JAMES DUNCAN, Durham Road. [We have excised some paragraphs which are purely personal and have no bonring on the question at issue.—Ed., T.H.] DOAIINION HOUSE. TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —I rather had a smile to myself when reading “Truth’s” letter ro Air. Smith and tho Dominion House in London, in which lie wrote: “As a grain of sand is to a cricket ball, so is New Zealand to Canada.” The population of New Zealand is over a million. What would be the. population of Canada on the basis of a grain cf sand to a cricket ball ? And it would lie enlightening to “Truth” 10 compare the exports of both countries on the same piincipic. ■’’Also the sale,lies cf the two High Commissioners in the same way. I am afraid “Truth” lias got a bit of that same sand in his eve.—l am, etc., MORE TRUTH. FORTY TO ONE! 10 THE EDITOR. Sir,—Tho above is certainly big odds, but then it is not put forth by way of wager. If the people of this country are in the main sane (and 1 hold that they are), then it is a moral that after tho general election just about to take place Air. Alassoy will nave a following of well oyer forty. That being so, it is a question for the ratepayers and residents of tho borough of Now Plymouth to decide for tliemseivo.s, as an economic consideration, whether it will pay them better to have the sympathetic consideration and co-operative assistance of forty members of Parliament (including tho members cf the Afinistry), in tho development of their town, with its new harbour, its new railways, and its hydroelectric undertakings, or whether it will suit them better to pin their faith to the. solitary exertions of a single person, out on his own, and with his hand agaihst every other man, and every other man’s hand against him? That is the. real question as it affects the electors in and around the Borough of New Plymouth. These who believe in goodfellowship, in combined and co-operative action for the advancement of the town and district, will certainly vote for the man who will have the assistance of the other forty good men and imp, for in unity there is strength, and numbers and weight are the things that tell in a big pull. On the other hand, those who believe that a single person, out on his own, paddling his own ranoe, ignoring every combination of men in the House ns not good enough for him, a stormy petrel in iiolities. an Tshmalite whose band is against every man and every man’s band against him, a voire crying to the. clouds to send him a narty suited to his requirements,, a one-horso train too good to he hitched up alongside the very best horses that New Zealand can produce, will be their choice. In my humble opinion this one-horse business should be trotted back to tbc station yard for another twenty years or so, in order that it may ronie to some understanding ns to what it is supposed to represent.—l am, etc '’ J. 0. TAYLOR; Lepporton, December 9, 1,919. AVATERSIDERS’ WAGES. TO THE EDITOR. Sir, I was simply astounded at the. earnings ol watersiders given by you, and at first was under the impression that yon must have made a mistake. I wonder what these men would say if the bakers (who have to work all hours) asked for tho same exorbitant price for iiie.ii- labour, which meant increasing tho price of bread 3d per loaf? If all were paid at the same rate who had to do with growing and handling wheat from the start until it became bread, it could not be sold under us per 4lb. loaf; then what a howl would come from tho same men, who would shriek “Robbery, profit-earning, exploitation of the poor downtrodden worker by the cursed capitalist,” who is declared to be always ready to take advantage of any shortage to make a little extra. Not so with Labour. Oh! dear no! 1 am at a loss to understand why the Government allows one class of the community to take advantage of a shortage and not another. AVhero does the fairness come in? If one is allowed to take an advantage of a shortage, why not another? AA-hen rents went up the workers howled like a dog with a sore foot, and urged tho Government to step in and limit the amount that could be charged; resulting in tho house-owner not being able to make bare interest on Ids investment, hence the present house shortage. In many instances tho owners were poor people who wanted every penny they could get to pay their way owing to the increased cost of living brought about by men receiving exorbitant wages. A man’s labour on a water front is no more worth £l6 per week of six days of 10 hours each, than .gold is worth that amount per ounce, and 1 would far sooner buy gold at that price than some of the watersiders’ labour, I can assure you. There is money again, while there are quite, a number of public bodies anxious to borrow at a higher rate of interest than that allowed, -the Government will not let them, yet it will allow a harbour board to* pay the exorbitant sum of 5s per hour for unskilled labour which means that it must add to the cost of living of poor persons who are depending on their small savings to bring in sufficient to live on, which may be only £3 per week. Talk about justice, 1 am perfectly satisfied that such a thing never .

enters people’s heads in oar days—l am, etc, DOUBTFUL. {BOROUGH TRADING PROFITS. 10 THE EDITOR. Sir, —I am not one of the professional accountants to whom Mr. Nash appeals to confirm his contention re borough electrical profits (though they are in my opinion the result of profiteering, pure and simple), neither do I desire to run a tilt with that gentleman, but belonging to the “great unwashed’’ I do want to know many things at present wrapped in mystery, and the only way for me to get at it is to ask questions, I will therefore make bold to ask you, Sir, or Mr. Nash, if he will, when do profits begin? For instance, a baker sells so many loaves each day, for each hundred ho received (or we will assume he does) a hundred tenpenees, is he right in saying ho has made ten hundred pence profit, or should he first deduct his outlay iiv material, wages, rent and taxes, etc. before he talks about “profits” either net or gross? -again a tailor sells a number of garments in a year, does ho reckon the total amount of his receipts as profit, or does he go through his expenditure in material, wages, rent, etc., and also take stock, including his capital invested in goodwill, premises (or rent, same thing), before striking his yearly balance; or, if a company, declaring a dividend as you suggest in your footnote to Mr. Nash’s last letter?—l am, etc., AN IGNORAMUS. THE HOUSING PROBLEM. i SPECIAL TO HERALD. Sir, —I fear your political bias has somewhat obsessed your sense of justice in the question of the housing problem. If you refer to the returns for 1911,‘Sir Joseph Ward’s last year of office as Premier, you will find there were quite a number of empty houses in New Zealand, including a few in New Plymouth. Had Sir Joseph Ward foreseen the conditions that would arise in eight years’ time and provided for them by an extensive house building scheme there would have been a greater howl about it than there was about the gift of the battle cruiser, the necessity for which he recognised and lost office largely on account of his foresight The bitter party spirit displayed by the Liberal and Reform journals is indeed deplorable considering that we are faced with the greatest danger perhaps that has over arisen since New Zealand had a constitution, that of revolutionary and anarchial Socialism. Yet in the face of this imminent danger the two great parties are at one another’s throats and largely ignore it. It is high time for them to mind their ways.—-I am, etc., LIBERAL. PLUMBERS’ WAGES. TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —In Tuesday’s paper you had a local stating that the plumbers of New Plymouth downed tools demanding _ 3,s 6d per hour. So as to put the (question properly before the public of New Plymouth I should like you to tiio request (not the demand) of the plumbers was for 2s 6d per hour not 3s 6d as printed, and the _ grounds for the request were provide sufficient wages to supply family wants and also the increased price of the upkeep of a full kit to contend with their present work.—l am, etc. , E. J. KALOHERT. [A printer’s error was responsible. We are sorry.—Ed. T.H.]