DAY BY DAY.

Waikato Times, Volume 92, Issue 14261, 12 January 1920, Page 4

DAY BY DAY.

There is a war of sexes in most of the big Government fl War offices in London, where of hundreds ol women and tbs Sexes, girls? who were given

employment during the war, are still being retained (slates the London correspondent of the Melbourne Age). The male staffs feel'that these women are keeping demobilised officers out of billets, and for that reason they are “boycotting” their female comrades to the extent of refusing to hold friendly converse with them, and being true to them, whenever an occasion presents itself. There arc many demobilised officers and men out of work, and some of them who have families to keep are in desperate straits. It is contended that the girls in Government offices, who belong to good middleclass families, should give up their employment, resume housework, and depend on their fathers for support, as they did before the war. But the fact is that the middle-class conditions have changed since the war, and it is a matter of necessity for the daughters to continue to earn their own living The enormous increase in the cost of living has added materially to the family budget of all classes of the community, but the additional burden lias not been met among the working classes 'by increased rate of payment to the breadwinners. Salaries have not increased in the way wages have done, and for • that reason ttie daughters of middleclass families do not see why they should give up their employment now that the war is over, and make room for demobilised olfiefers. The cost of living lias not fallen, - and their fathers are unable to support them.

All sorts of tilings are described by indignant patriots as Octopus Grip getting “their octoon pus grip” on AustraAustralia. lia. But there is one octopus which seldom attracts any notice, though its tentacles are growing in every direction. This is the Government stroke (says the Sydney Daily Telegraph.) The latest available figures show that there are now 236,092 persons permanently employed by the Federal and State services. This standing army of Government strokers represents approximately one of every ten adults in Australia. In addition, there are 130,000 drawing old-age and invalid pensions, and last year there were 52,000 claimants for the £5 baby bonus. If there is any octopus now threatening to get its grip on the country and drag it under, it is, therefore, the socialistic octopus. The voting power of the Government stroke increases with every Act of Parliament by which a new department is created. Things only have to go on as they are going when, sooner or later, this vote will take control of the situation. The State servants will be able practically to vote their own salaries, which the productive workers will have to pay. At present this privilege belongs only to the political branch of the service, but when the other branches grow and organise they will be able to draw up the log for themselves and the legislators as well. The effect will be to make State billets more and more at-, tractive, and turn people away from the productive occupations, which must multiply or the community will perish. This “octopus grip" is therefore becoming a very real thing, and illustrates the evil of over-government in its most dangerous aspect.