2 MELBOURNE , TUESDAY NOV . 18 , 1952 . The Age TODAY'S ISSUE , 14 PAGES . MR . CAIN PUTS CASE FOR REFORM DEOPLE who for decades have been advocating electoral reform without avail cannot find fault with Labor policy on the subject , as vigorously expounded last night by Mr. Cain . This issue is and must remain central . What the Labor party urges is clear cut and readily grasped ; its plan is in line with the policy which was officially sponsored and advocated by the Liberals until early this year , and which is now being urged by the Hollway section of the L.C.P. The principle which Mr. Cain and others support is not framed to rob the country people of anything . It involves no intention to segregate country and city interests ; on the contrary , it refuses to recognise any clash of interest between metropolitan and country dwellers . The two - for - one basis assumes that every man or woman of adult age has equivalent civic rights , irrespective of where he or she lives , and that the people in their capacity as electors do not allow their horizons to be bounded by suburban streets , or the affairs and livelihoods of some region . Mr. Cain trenchantly describes as outrageous a voting system which in the last election required an average of 22,780 votes to elect a Labor candidate , 20,477 to elect a Liberal and only 10,051 to elect a Country party candidate . Whereas the two - for - one plan would end this glaring injustice , the L.C.P. and Country party policy proposes that 60 country electors should have the same voting power as 100 metropolitan , thus preserving a gross disparity . There are many things in Mr. Cain's review that can be commended , and not many that would arouse strong opposition . Some may dissent from the proposal to change the basis the liquor licensing system , for example . But the prime duty of the people in this election is to decide how Victoria's future Parliaments are to be constituted . That is why electoral reform must have precedence . One matter that cannot be wholly dissociated from the electoral issue , since it involves the future pattern in the civic sphere , is the question of metropolitan government . This gap in last night's speech should be filled . It becomes essential for Mr. Cain to indicate a policy , and to say whether or not a Labor Government would revive its grandiose one - council plan for Greater Melbourne . Everyone recalls that last year the McDonald Government , at the instance of its then Labor party supporters , sponsored a most objectionable . measure that would have killed local government as we know it . The project aroused strong opposition , and was narrowly rejected by the Legislative Council . Apart from the soundly based case for two - for - one electoral reform presented by Mr. Cain , the people are entitled to know , in view of last year's episode , what ideas Labor may now have for local government of the Melbourne metropolitan area . RIGHTS AND WRONGS IN BREWERY STRIKE LL reasonably minded and level - headed trade A unionists will agree that the right of the employer to dismiss when circumstances warrant it is a fundamental principle that must be recognised . Tha important principle is deeply involved in the present strike of a section of brewery employes . Five employes in charge of boiler - house plant , who were paid special award rates as a condition of their continuous attendance while on duty , absented themselves from their posts , and the management regarded the incident so seriously that they were dismissed . The union contention is that the dismissal was " a savage and severe penalty . " In a demonstration of a perverted sort of loyalty to their colleagues , 112 engine drivers and firemen at the brewery went out on strike , demanding the reinstatement of the original five . The effect of their action is felt by almost 800 other brewery employes who have been stood down because of the hold - up beer production . Now , the non - delivery of beer to hotels is forcing hotelkeepers to lay off barmen until supplies again come forward . In the meantime , the Chief Conciliation Commissioner refused to interfere with the disciplinary measures taken against the five men . The management , he ruled , acted within its rights -and that is the crux of the issue . In a clear - cut case of dereliction of duty , it is surely straining trade unionism too far to continue with such a worthless challenge . If dereliction of duty is to be defended by the full weight of union action , then something new has penetrated into the interpretation of the purposes and rights of trade unionism . Over the years the trade unions have been staunchly jealous of their rights , and have been quick to reply whenever they felt them challenged . But they must also recognise the rights of employers ; otherwise , in commerce and in industry the whole process of production , upon which the workers themselves depend , could become undermined nefficiency indiscipline . Loyalty of unionists to fellow members is undoubtedly a commendable principle . But if , in turn , the worker breaks his loyalty both to his union and to his employer in failing to do his duty , for which he is paid , then he forfeits any right to be defended . For that reason the present strike is ill - starred whenever it ends , and it is important that the principle involved be vindicated . AUCTION , TUESDAY , NOVEMBER 25. at 3 p.m. 636 ST . KILDA - ROAD , MELBOURNE . SUBSTANTIAL BRICK VILLA RESIDENCE In Splendid order , 12 rooms , 2 bathrms .. elect . H.W.S. , 3 garages . Land 100 ft . x 250 ft . through to Queen's - road . POSSESSION . TERMS AVAILABLE . ABERCROMBY BEATTY PTY . LTD . , 314 COLLINS - STREET , MELBOURNE . M1195 . VACANT AUCTION , THURSDAY , NOVEMBER 27. at 3 p.m. 83 CLENDON - ROAD , TOORAK . DELIGHTFUL MODERN 2 - STORY HOME 8 lovely rooms dress , r . , cloa krm .. 3 tiled bathrms . , fine kitchen . garage , E.H.W.S. Supreme situation . GENEROUS TERMS . VAC ANT POSSESSION ABERCROMBY BEATTY PTY . LTD .. 314 Collins - street , K. GARDNER LANG PTY . LTD .. 80 Swanston - st . M1195 . Cent . 6140 Auction Sale of Interest to Dance Hall Proprietors , Caterers , Investors and Others . NEXT THURSDAY , NOV . 20. At 3 p.m. On Property . No. 2-4 GOOCH - STREET . THORNBURY ( One Door High - st . ) . EXTENSIVE 2 - STORY SOLID BRICK BUILDING Comprising 2 Halis , 63 Ft x 30 Ft , and 42 Ft . : per - room 47 Ft . x 21 Ft .: Kitchen , Cloak and Storerooms and Sup and Dis Land 66 Ft . x 115 Ft . IMMEDIATE VACANT POSSESSION of Whole Except Dispensary 12 Mths . Terms : 10 P.C. Deposit . Bal . 30 Days . Full Details and Inspection See pensary . On LTD .. 20 Queen - street . MB2141 . E. M. PURDY CO . PTY . CITY SHOWROOMS AND OFFICES 3 - STORY MODERN BRICK AND CONCRETE BUILDING . Centre Motor District . Total Area 22.000 Sq . Ft . Approx . Vacant . Possession , Ground Floor . Particulars on Application . D. L. KITTO CO . , Real Estate Agents and Auctioneers . 401 Collins - st .. Melb , MU8241 . AGREEMENT WITH EGYPT New Hope in Canal Zone Dispute INCE Egypt first asked Britain for a revision of the Sang Anglo - Egyptian Treaty of 1936 , some seven years ago , public attention in both countries has centred chiefly on the military side of the treaty : that is , on the presence of British troops in the Suez Canal zone . BUT the record of the negotiations shows that the parallel question of the Sudan has been , in fact , the chief obstacle to a new agreement . It would be premature to believe that , as a result of the new Cairo agreement between General Naguib and the Sudanese independence movement , all is now plain sailing as regards either the Sudan or Middle East defence . But a serious deadlock over a question of principle -on the Egyptian claim to exclusive sovereignty over the Sudan pending its selt . determination - has been broken , and the remaining problems of detail should not prove insuperable , provided the new - found realism of the Egyptian Government is matched by equal realism in London . Two aspects of the Cairo agreement are likely to arouse most controversy . They are the proposed abolition of the GovernorGeneral's right of veto over the affairs of the more backward and non - Moslem Southern Sudan , and the implication that the entire administration of the Sudan should be in Sudanese hands in three years ' time , so as to enable self - determination to take place in " perfect freedom . " IT can and will be argued that three years is too short a period in which to hand over the entire administration of the country to the Sudanese without inviting great dislocation . But it would be impossible for the British Government , having itself proposed self - determination even earlier , to back Nev ART lovers who gathered at the Athenæum Gallery yesterday to see the Governor ( Sir Dallas Brooks ) open the Buckmaster exhibition saw a very surprised young lady receive an award for bravery . She was Shelagn Clut ter , a 17 - year - old American girl who has been a The Hermitage , pupil at Geelong , for the past two years . She was surprised because she had gone to the Royal Humane Society's rooms in the Atheneum building expecting to " pick up , " as she put it , her Silver Medal . Instead it was presented to her by the Governor . was The special arrangement . made because Miss Clutter is leaving Australia next week and would not be able to attend the normal investiture at Government House at the end of the year . Her award - the second highest given by the society - was for helping to rescue a member of the staff of her school in the surf at Anglesea . Go West WEST Australians are fast losing the " Cinderella State " complex . These days the identification is more likely to be with Prince Charming . Industrial expansion has been such since the war that many see the State following the footsteps of California . A prediction is made in a 30 - page industrial supplement published by the West Australia " that W.A. " will be challenging on its own terms the industrial strength of the eastern seaboard . " The " West Australian " editorial , more restrained , suggests that : " Today , W.A. offers much the same opportunities to private capital as Victoria did when more than 50 years ago , it embarked upon large - scale industrialisation . " It adds : " Taking all political , economic , geographical , social and strategic factors into account , W.A. has more to offer than any other British territory in the In dian Ocean . " Young Man WHATEVER the finer calculations on the opportunities offering in W.A. , the glowing with pride on supplement , out now on this point . That would reinforce past suspicions that the independence Britain had offered the Sudanese was merely a facade . The new Cairo agree ment , although open to some objections , does offer the first real prospect of a Sudan settlement basea on a genuine compromis .. not merely between the British and Egyptian views , but also between the Egyptians and the Sudanese and between rival Sudanese groups themselves . We must with good grace do our best to prepare the Sudan for self - government in the time available , and hope that after self - determination the Sudanese Government will realise the value of re - employing expert and experienced British officials in some positions , especially in the South . Although the British Government should , and will , seek clarification , and per haps adjustment on one or two points , especially concerning the reserved powers of the Governor - General and his relations with the international commission proposed to advise him , it should not let an anxious perfectionism on the part of its civil servants in the Sudan deter it from accepting the broad lines of the agreement . EGYPT'S refusal , hitherto , to settle the Middle East defence problem independently of the Sudan question has often obscured the fact that on military matters the British and Egyptian have in recent years , even in the days of the Wafd Government , never been hopelessly irreconcilable . views They have , however , differed on important matters of detail . Britain no longer opposes the evacuation of British troops from the Suez Canal zone , provided arrangements can be made for the maintenance of an efficient military base in that area , available for use by the democratic Powers in the defence of the Middle East . This proposition in its BRITISH occupancy of the Suez Canal zone has been a bitterly contested issue in the years since the end of World War II . The rise of Egyptian nationalism and Britain's determination to maintain inviolate this vital bottleneck in world and Commonwealh communications have , at times , seemed to present irreconcilable differences . The change wrought by patient diplomacy was News of the Day MISS SHELAGH CLUT . TER . . . medallist . every page , indicates an unmistakable trend . Here are some of the milestones since 1949 :First locally produced tractor completed , whaling resumed off Point Cloates ; Air - Beef Pty . Ltd. started operations ; Caltex to spend agreed £ 2,000,000 look ing for o'l ; first shipment Yampi of iron ore from Sound to Newcastle ; First unit of new power house opened at South Fremantle ; Anglo - Iranian . Oil Co. decided to establish a £ 40,000,000 oil refinery at Kwinana ; Broken Hill Pty . Ltd. agreed to set up a rolling mill Kwinana ; a new cement with English at company capital announced for Coogee . Pioneers PASSENGERS leaving Port Augusta for Kalgoorlie today on the first run of the Commonwealth diesel electric train will be pro vided with a ticket holder by Clyde IndusLtd. , tries of Clyde , N.S.W. , who built the locomotives . The holder has a striking metal - faced frontpiece showing the new loco motive in the desert . The inscription begins : " You who travel on this train are pioneers . " THE AGE , TUESDAY , NOVEMBER 18 , 1952 epitomised at the week end in the broadcast statement by the Egyptian Ambassador to the United States ( Mohamed Abdul Kamil Bey Abdul Raim ) that now there appeared to be no insuperable difficulties in the way of a solution . He suggested that Egypt would not be opposed to participating in a Middle East defence organisation . In this article a Middle East authority examines the issue involved . LETTERS to the EDITOR Ultimate Prosperity of From ROBERT STEPHENS in London broadest form was acceptable to previous Egyptían Governments , including the Wafd . But there was disagreement over timing , methods and other conditions . There was also disagreement over co - operation in air defence and over the circumstances -war or threat of warin which foreign forces would be allowed to use the Canal zone base . The British hoped that the last point would be overcome by Egyptian participation in an international Middle East Command . The facts that General Naguib has so far both good sense and good will in his dealings with Britain ' that he is a soldier anxious to improve his army , and that under his leadership such an improvement is a much more . practical proposition than shown it has been in the past , may help to ease coming negotiations with him on defence . forth Goldie ALL horse lovers cher ish the memory the famous show pony jumper Goldie , and his association with of an equally famous equestrienne , the late Mrs .. A. A. Laidlaw . Goldie is in the news again because twenty - one of his grandchildren , including two Palamino fillies , will be sold by ouction , on the property of Mr. and Edward Howard , Hatherleigh Farm , Nairne , near Adelaide , on November 24 . Mrs. Palamino denotes the rare golden color with offwhite mane and tail which made Goldie and his son , Golden Dawn , renowned . Goldie is still at stud while Golden Dawn belongs to Mr. and Mrs. Howard , and will be retained by them for stud purposes . None of Golden Dawn's progeny has yet been offered for sale . SYMPHONY CONCERT Goossens ' Study in Contrasts By " The Age " Music Critic WHEN Eugene Goossens , who conducted the Victorian Symphony Orchestra in the Town Hall last night , visits Melbourne , he does not send his audiences away empty . LAST night's programme was a challenge to our thought , and musical study in contrasts . A very modern first half consisted of Kabalevsky's Overture Colas Breugnon , the Third Symphony of the American Walter Piston and Three Fragments from Alban Berg's opera Wozzeck , with the Soprano Elsa Haas as soloist . It is always a doubtful policy to present from the concert platform excerpts from an opera , which the audience has neither seen nor heard . Although Wozzeck has much publicised been a work in Britain and Europe , and has achieved success there , knowledge of it in these parts is confined to the very few . At the moment it is enough to say that these fragments , which did credit to the soloist and the orchestra , were sufficient to arouse interest in the work , and to promise it an attentive hearing , if and when it reaches our theatres . The name Piston is no bad thing to be associated with a modern symphony . This technical age is producing large quantities of technical music , of which this work can be classed among the " higher ups . It appears to be a curious mixture of the new and the old . It opens with an Andantino , that , up to a point , could almost be termed old fashioned , but ends dazzlingly and closes franctically in the modern disso nant way . While the audience showed no great enthusi asm for the symphony , it must be admitted that the more one hears of this type of music , the more one finds in it , particularly if Mr. Goossens is the interpreter thereof . After the atomic first half , the sweet sanity of Mendelssohn's Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage was a welcome antidote ; and Beethoven's indestructible Fifth Symphony , came as one of those angel which we have heard long since and lost awhile . voices . A ROYAL NAVY LAUNCH patrols the Suez Canal at Port Said on watch against theft from lighters and quaysides . In background is the cruiser , H.M.S. Liverpool . THE emphasis on the British side should now be changed from the negative attitude of " How long can we hang on in the Canal zone " to the positive one of " How quickly can we and the other democratic Powers help train and equip the Egyptian Army and Air Force to take over the Canal base and provide an effective contribution to Middle East defence " If the question is properly handled - in the way , for example , that Turkey has been assisted by the Americans - Egypt can become a positive asset in the defence of the free world instead of a sullen appendage . The strengthening of Egypt and of the other Arab States raises the problem of their relations with Israel . The best that can be done for the time being is to minimise the risks of an Israeli - Arab " second round . " Both sides must be convinced tht the Western Powers are ready to enforce their guarantee of the existing frontiers established under the ar mistice agreements . Practical steps continued to try to reduce the obstacles to a settlement , especially the diffi must be cult problem of the Palestinian Arab refugees . In place of the Command old Middle East idea , it would probably be wiser for the time being to seek more informal arrangements by which the Arab States and Israel were linked separately for planning purposes with a Middle East Planning Organisation , and present formal bilateral treaties of alliance were replaced by more informal milltary and technical assistance agreements on the lines of America's other agree ments . THE aim should be to put the onus of seeking help and a closer association on the Middle East States themselves , instead of pressing it upon them . Only in such a setting can treaties in the Middle East be transformed from political handicaps into genuine alliances . And only then will they become reliable military assets , because for the first time they will be backed by the friendly cooperation of the peoples concerned . Latvian History AN ACHIEVEMENT IN EXILE TWO Latvian exiles , one a scholar , the other a publisher , have combined to produce a history of Latvia . Their work was possible only in exile . The author , Pro fessor Arnolds Spekke , was Dean of the faculty of arts in the university of Latvia when his country was still free . At the out break of war he was Latvian Minister to Italy . The publisher , Mikelis Goppers , was a maker of fine books at the Golden Apple Tree Press . Latvia was submerged by the tide of Russia's westward expansion and the freedom to publish books went with all other freedoms , Mr. Goppers joined the refugees who fled by fishing boat to Sweden . When Professor Spekke wnote his book in Rome . Mr. Goppers published it in Stockholm . Their joint achievement in the creation of a per record of their country's story is a reminder on this , Latvia's national day , that much that manent is valuable in the national heritage is being preserved and developed by the thousands of Latvian exiles in every part of the world . PROFESSOR SPEKKE traces the history of his people as far back as archeological research has been able to reach . The origins of this Indo - European people with its lan guage closely akin to Sanskrit are mysteri ous . Its later history is plain . It is that of a small , proud people maintaining itself as an outpost of Western culture on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea . It has had to yield , alternately to the pressure and then of Germanic , Slav expansionism . The two decades follow achievement of ing the complete independence in 1920 were the most fruitful years the Latvian people have known . World War II ended the period of free national de velopment , but the achievements of the Lat Ivian people are now enriching the cultures of many lands , Australia among them . ART NOTES Spirit of the Outback in Painter's Work WILLIAM FRATER'S exhibition of sketches of Northern Queensland landscape at the Peter Bray Gallery recalls a previous display in which Central Australia supplied the motif for large post - impressionist compositions . THE of those artists and consensus critics who know the interior is that Mr. Frater is the first painter to capture the elemental spirit of the country . Although the present exhibition is in lighter vein , he has repeated the success of his earlier performance . Again the interpretative vision of the true artist has distilled an essence lacking in the work of topographical recorders . This quality has been achieved with remarkable economy of means . A few sharp accents support harmonies in which color is juxtaposed tivity associated with the work of the late Rupert Bunny . with a sensi A hint of the artist's admiration for the structural form of Cezanne is found in Towards the Tablelands ( 20 and 21 ) . But viewed as a whole the sketches are an individual expression . Style and mood are admirably sustained , and the work is an artistic complement of the visual world . Closing November 27 . ★ IF the Frater exhibi tion has a message subtle " as ripples left on a pool the as About People The Governor and Lady Brooks , accompanied by Colonel R. W. Spraggett and attended by Captain H. T. Kirwan - Taylor , were preat an exhibition of sent paintings by Mr. Ernest Buckmaster , which his Excellency opened at the Athenaeum Gallery yesterday afternoon . Mr. W. A. Rachinger has qualified for the Doctor of Philosophy degree of the University of Melbourne with a thesis entitled The Mechanism of Deformation . of Aluminium and its Alloys with Magnetism . " The Age " Art Critic by a swallow's wing , " this cannot be said of Ernest Buckmaster's paintings at the Athenæum Gallery . Vast panoramas , vying with opulent still life and flowerpieces , present an overwhelming spectacle . Although technically more facile , his work less artistic in substance . Caught by the glitter of brightly polished surfaces , the eye , finding few tender passages of tone and texture , glides quickly across the canvases . is This failure to woo the senses is due to exploitation of technical devices which do not suggest the infinite variety of the subtler nuances of Nature . It is as though the artist's brush is carried along by a formula . A small street scene titled Flinders Street painted in 1926 supports this contention . Herein , the mind senses that the artist's technique was dictated by the subject , and at this moment he had found his way to a reality beyond the reach of formulae . Howbelt , within the limitations of a style , Mr. Buckmaster's landscapes are imposing , his portraits are a good likeness of the subjects , and his flowerpieces should satisfy the taste of all who demand meticulous delineation detail . of In spite of the brittle textures of the vestments in a portrait of Canon St. John Wilson . it is a capable study . The finely modelled head suggests scholarship allied to asceticism . Similar characterisation has been attained in a carefully posed sketch of an old man . Closing November 29 . WATER colors and oil paintings by Margaret Gunnersen and George Arnold are exhibited at the Building Trade Sir , Mr. H. P. Higginson in his letter ( 15/11 ) . unquestionably points to the only practicable solution of present building costs , but unfortunately this solution is complicated by the fact that it can only be achieved through the co - ordination of several disunited influences . ONE OF THE FIRST difficulties in the cost and time factor of building , now that temporary shortages have the overcome , been an tiquity of much of the Uniform Building Regulations and the variable interpretations which local council are allowed to devise for them . In one specific instance we found the cost of a proincreased by because ject £ 2000 about the Uni form Building Regulations for the type of building did not recognise any external wall between a sheet of glass and 6 inches of con crete or 9 inches of brick work . With the builders must rest , but in part only , the responsibility for the failure to adopt modern techniques and procedures increas which have been ingly available since the war . In one instance , a pro posal was put to a builder that , with the latest imported materials and facilities made available , his profit rates could be increased if he would build the structural portions of a building of about eight squares per floor at the rate of one story a week , or , at worst , a fortnight . When he examined the matter , he reported that he would require about eight weeks a floor and , in fact , construction time has vastly exceeded that figure . Alternatively , whilst in Washington a few years ago I watched from my office window the construction of a two - story framed building of approximately 150 squares a floor , which was virtually structurally completed in about four weeks and occupied within two months . Now that more normal conditions have returned , like Mr. Higginson , who are building investors , can do much to help the industry and themselves by agreeing to , and financing , projects in which both they and the builder will reap the benefit from the employment of the latest fechniques and equipment . men The ultimate prosperity of the building industry and its beneficial effect on the community as a whole will finally come , not from the efforts of any single group concerned with it , but from vigorous , farsighted , open - minded cooperation between building owners , architects , builders and the whole range of trades and tradesmen that make up one of the most . intimate industries in our national welfare . Yours , c . , J. W. RIVETT , A.R.I.B.A. ( Collins - st . , Melbourne ) . The English of Announcers SIR , I ALSO AGREE with " Ariel's " comments in " The Age " Literary the need Supplement for an improvement in English as spoken in broadcasts . For instance , why broadcasters say " waiting do on " when they mean " waiting for " would go further and suggest that better pronunciation should be insisted on . I dare say many announcers would be very surprised if accused of dropNevertheless ping often omit h's . they very them in words such as when , while , where , what . c . , thus giving a totally wrong meaning . Lately announcers have constantly talked of the " wailing " season . Listeners are the ones who wail ! R. E. MAIDMENT ( South Yarra ) . To conform with the electoral law , letters on the State election must bear the full name , ad dress and street number of the writer . By Victorian Artists ' Society Gallery . The work of both artists is too immature to warrant a display of nearly 70 paintings . Judicious pruning , however , would have raised the standard considerably . Closing November 28 . PURE FULL CREAM MILK IDEAL MILK EVAPORATED UNSWEETEN NET WEID PRODU AUSTRALIA NESTLE ' S Twice as Useful ! ... but 1. You can use Ideal Milk for any purpose which calls for fresh milk ... but its usefulness doesn't end there . Because Ideal Milk is concentrated it has a much wider variety of uses . 2. Just by adding water , you can mix Ideal Milk to any degree of creaminess you fancy . Try an extra creamy mix for breakfast cereals , milk drinks , soups or milk puddings ... and taste the difference . IDEAL EVAPORATED UNSWEETENED MILK 1147 A NESTLE'S PRODUCT Pamphlets with Water Notice ENCLOSED SIR , with my water rate notice just received is a pamphlet setting out the advantages to be enjoyed in another Social ist Utopia - a blueprint for a greater Melbourne . It would be interesting to know who gave authority to Mr. Jessop to allow this type of one - sided propaganda . What is the cost of the preparation and distribution of these pamphlets Will the responsible Minister or authority inform us whether those people opposing this costly and iniquitous scheme will be afforded the same facilities and financial accommodation to present their sane and logical viewpoint Unless this is offered to them the Board of Works should confine itself to its own more urgent business . FREDERICK C. CODNER ( Wheatsheaf - road , Glen roy ) . Privileges of Office ELECTORAL reform is admittedly overdue , but is Mr. Hollway's particular plan so superior , or its adoption so urgent , anything is justified to secure its immediate introduction SIR , that almost With his attack on Glen Iris and the splitting of the Liberal party , Mr. Hollway has encouraged many with political aspirations to hasten to join the crusade . Actually , the cause of our political troubles seems to lie deeper and cannot , In fairness , be attributed to any one political party . I am one of those who incline to the view Parliamentary that rewards , and the privileges of office , are far too high and tempting and almost inevitably result in politics becoming a career with all the moves and counter moves to gain place and position . Drastic remedies . are necessary and may yet be suggested by the exponents of reform . In the meantime , could we ask former Ministers to forgo one of their many blessings by handing in their gold passes until railway finances and lower fares become a possibility K. McL . EMMERSON ( 352 Collins - st . , Melbourne ) . For Whom the Finger Writes SIR , AFFAIRS OF State tend to be dominated by astute fellows who select themselves . price themselves , prate much about the school of hard experience . and One of these astute fellows , in commenting on the recent Flinders by - election , named it " the writing on the wall . " One instructed in prophecy might reply that in its context this familiar biblical phrase something infinitely more vital than a mere interlude in the domestic politics of an adolescent nation . connotes . In late September . 1917 , I emerged from the carnage of the Ypres salient about midnight to thread my way along the fateful Menin road amid a scene which remains vivid and unforgettable . Is it fanciful to interpret this scene , typical of so many during the catastrophic years of 1914-18 . as " the writing on the wall " for a civilisation created by the dominant male , and urbanised to the pitch of collective madness 1 Here , surely , discerned the fruits of that are to be corruption of the best , in which the things of the spirit are brazenly ficed to the things of the flesh , and the prophet contemptuously suborbin sacri ated to the politician . ( Rev. ) H. C. BUSBY ( The Vicarage , Fairfield ) .