What Readers Think Letters to the Editor

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIX, Issue 21970, 23 May 1941, Page 7

What Readers Think Letters to the Editor

TIMARU RADIO STATION

Sir,—lt is gratifying to note that the South Canterbury Chamber of Commerce has deejded to review the proposal for a local radio .transmitting station. It is to be hoped that this will give a lead to various other bodies the Borough Council, the Returned Soldiers’ Association, Rugby Union, Rotary Club, Cricket Association and Ministers’ Association. Apart from the obvious benefits to the town in normal times, a local station becomes doubly desirable in these days of Possible emergency. May I appeal to the public to give active practical support to the proposal? Merely desiring a local station will not get us anywhere; we must press the matter with the author!-ties.-I am, etc., r ANDERSON. Timaru, May 22.

Sir,—What a pathetic picture Mr M. B. Richards painted of himself to the South Canterbury Chamber of Commerce. There he was sitting at home waiting for the results of the South Canterbury elections to be broadcast. If he had been as interested as he pretends to have been he could have gone down town and Joined the 100 who were waiting for results at the Borough Council Chambers. Failing that, the Chamber of Commerce could have arranged to spend a couple of bob on toll calls and rung up the results to 3YA. That would have been a bit more economical than advocating the expenditure of thousands of pounds on a superfluous radio station in Timaru. New Zealand is already the most over-stationed country in the world. But I suppose the poor old Chamber of Commerce has got to have something to chatter about. If it called itself the Bawbees Debating Society it would be getting somewhere near the mark. —I am. etc., DOWN TOWN. Tlmaru, May 22. COSTLESS CREDIT Sir,—lt was with some perplexity that I read the article “Costless Credit” taken from a Sydney publication and reprinted in the "Timaru Herald." I am inclined to believe that this outpouring of numbo-jumbo is a worthy effort at humour in these troubled times. But should it by chance be a serious contribution to the money question may I be permitted to protest at the inference that I as one of the “we” quoted in the following extract, ever Inflated or had the slightest say in the inflation of the currency. No people have, even through the Government. To quote the writer of the article, “If ‘we’ had never Inflated ‘we’ would have escaped many of the effects of the last depression. There are faults in the way ‘we’ manage our monetary affairs.” May I, without fear of contradiction, correct the above quotation to: “If those financiers responsible for banking policy had never inflated we would have escaped some of the effects of the last depression. There are faults in the way these private bankers manage our monetary affairs.” Banking the world over is a private profit-making business, and the sorry financial mess we are in is sign enough that banking is not conducted in the interests of the people. Speed the day when ‘we’ do manage our monetary affairs. Leaving the remainder of this outstanding article to some other perplexed reader with more time than the writer to comment on it.—l am, etc., H. L. YOUNG. Timaru, May 21.

RETURNED SOLDIER’S FUNERAL

Sir, —I wish to lodge a complaint concerning the burial of returned soldiers. The case I have in mind was put to the proper quarters and was duly turned down. The man was a returned soldier who had served faithfully as an employee of the Borough Council for manv years, who worked on tar-sealing to. the detriment of his,health. A death notice was inserted by the Returned Soldiers’ Association for returned men to attend the funeral of their late comrade. A request was made for 30 returned men working on Scheme 13 at Maori Park to have time off to attend the funeral, as the late returned soldier was known well to most of them. A representative was sent to approach the Curator, who said as the case concerned came under the Engineer’s Department we could go to the funeral but our time would be stopped. This was a particularly sad case, the late soldier having had a bereavement in his family the previous week, and his mother had that day the painful news that yet another son had made -the supreme sacrifice on active service. I was one of two men who represented the returned men from Maori Park and was astounded to see at the graveside Council employees in their working clothes. They were not even allowed enough time off to change. This, in my opinion, was a disgrace to the Borough Council and an insult to the community. God grant, said the officiating clergyman, that these men get the righteousness that they surely deserve. Yet those 30 returned men were refused time off to pay a final tribute and last rites to their dead comrade who gave the best of his life for his country in the days of his youth. I hope that the new Councillors will see to it that a request such as this will get the consideration that it truly merits.—l am, A. MACDONALD. Timaru, May 20. (When this letter was referred to the Borough Engineer (Mr H. J. Comrle) he stated that every opportunity was given to the men to attend the funeral. No men In his department who attended the funeral lost any time thereby. Editor, “Tlmaru Herald.”)

TO CORRESPONDENTS

Letters intended tor publication must be reasonably brief and written legibly tn ink on one side of the paper. Correspondents must also attach their name and address to all letters submitted, even though a pen-name is being used. The Editor does not undertake to enter into correspondence concerning lettert which are refused publics' ion tor sufficient reason