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LETTERS
To The Editor.
THE SHORTAGE
OF NURSES.
The suggestion that girls be
compelled to train as nurses is
an indication of the inconsider-
ate treatment trainees have re-
ceived in the past. Since the war
their conditions have deteriorated
more and more. During their
probation they are overworked
and undernourished, due to the
poor quality meals served. At
some of the public hospitals
trainees prefer to go hungry or
to wait until they are off duty,
when they can purchase food
outside. This is a serious state
of affairs when it is remembered
that these trainees are often
nursing dangerous and infectious
cases.
Another cause for dissatisfac-
tlon is the interchange system.
When several Melbourne Hospi-
tal trainees were recently trans-
ferred to another hospital for
additional experience they were
treated by the staff at that hospi-
tal as intruders. Instead of their
previous training being utilised
they were placed in positions in
which they were restricted to
such work as scrubbing, &c.
Their time was wasted, and they
learned practically nothing by
their transfer. The Manpower
authorities and the Nurses' Board
should collaborate and supply
maids or abolish the interchange
system. If the hospital author-
ties treat trainees decently by
giving them reasonably good
meals and conditions, there will
be no necessity to conscript girls
for the nursing profession. -
TRAINEE (Moonee Ponds).
Mr. Menzies' Record.
Mr. Jenkin's letter (18th inst.)
in defence of Mr. Menzies will, I
am sure, meet with the approval
of all fair - minded people in
the face of the greatest difficul-
ties - disunion and disloyalty in
his own party, hostility by his
opponents to almost every step
towards preparing this country
for the conflict in which it is en-
gaged, a bitter campaign against
him by a large section of the
press (from which "The Age"
very properly abstained), and the
malicious whisperings of self-
interested persons - he succeeded
in his term of office in raising
and sending abroad a large and
efficient army, and in providing
an equally large one for home
defence, organised and built up
the necessary machinery for their
equipment in every respect, se-
lected and appointed the ablest
men available to supervise the
growth and development of es-
sential departments and invested
those men with the necessary
powers.
In consequence, the country is
at least in a reasonable position
to defend itself. In return, he
has received jibes and sneers and
black ingratitude. - R. L. WIN-
GROVE (Queen - street).
Our Fuel Resources.
Some years ago Mr. H. S. Lyne,
petroleum geologist of Stanford
university, California, stated that
the Lakes Entrance oil field had
been proved to cover over 2000
acres, on which one well could be
drilled to each ten acres. There
were at the time two wells wide-
ly separated on the field, each
capable of producing 140 gallons
of oil daily. The oil is a high-
class lubricating one, containing
24 per cent. bitumen, 57 per cent.
lubricating oils, 5 per cent. petrol
and kerosene, and some light gas
oils. The oil is more valuable
for lubricants than for petrol,
but by the hydrogenation process
it may be cracked and 80 per
cent. petrol obtained.
There are other places in the
300 square miles of tertiary for-
mation in Gippsland, and in
parts of the Western District of
Victoria, which show favorable
indications, of the presence of
crude oil. That the Federal and
Victorian Governments should
evince such slight interest in the
exploration and development of
these areas is inexplicable ; that
we, the people of Australia,
should allow it to continue is
inexcusable. - P. V. FREEMAN.
(Yarraville).
Opinions About Russia.
Mr. Slater, our Minister to
Russia, extols the Russian sys-
tern, saying it is the best. We
should like Mr. Slater to tell us
how he formed this, for an Aus-
tralian, rather surprising opinion.
Does he speak and read Russian
well ? Did he, during his stay
iIn Russia, mix freely with the
people, visiting them in their
homes, in the factories and on
the farms, without any guide
leading the way ?
This information is necessary,
because many people who have
spent much longer in Russia than
Mr. Slater, who know the Rus-
sian language as well as they
know their own, who have lived
with the Russians in their homes
have given us quite a different
idea of the Russian system. They
have demonstrated that the dis-
tinction between Communism
and Nazism is a distinction in
name rather than in essence -
that the proper title for the Rus-
sian system is Red Fascism and,
as such, to be repudiated by all
liberty - loving peoples. - M. S.
MINOGUE (Collins - street).
Psychic Science.
The leading article, Tried in
the Fire, in "The Age" of 19th
inst., stated very fairly the
grounds for an open discussion
on the matter of the New World
Order. Free - thinkers maintain
that religion cannot demonstrate
a future state of life, whilst
Christianity proclaims the exist-
ence of a Supreme Being, but
does not prove the fact to the
senses, nor does it answer the
age - long question, "If a man die,
shall he live again ?" This seem-
ingly interminable quarrel could
be settled provided reason and
good will were shown, and the
answer would have an important
bearing on the kind of the New
Order to be introduced.
Modern research into the mat-
ter of life after death proves
conclusively that survival is a
demonstrable fact, but it would
seem that neither secularists nor
religionists wish to avail them-
selves of the knowledge gained by
psychic scientists. Christians are
losing considerably more than
they are gaining by rejecting evi--
dence very similar to that upon
which they found their faith and
teaching. - W. H. WALLIS (El-
sternwick.)
War Insurance.
Many will agree with Alfred
Hart (18-6) that the matter of
war insurance needs a little illu-
mination. At March, 1943,
£7,227,000 had been contributed,
and administration had cost
something over £168,000, leaving
about £7,000,000 Invested in Go-
vernment loans or Treasury bills,
and "so far as private pro-
perty was concerned, the damage
was not extensive." What is go-
ing to happen to the inevitable
£7,000,000, or perhaps more, this
year ? - HENRY LUCAS (South
Yarra .
Unused Petrol Tins.
It may interest the authorities
concerned to know that while
A.R.P. personnel find it difficult
to obtain four - gallon tins for use
in their exercises there is a stack
20 feet high and twice as wide
rusting away at an army depot.
- H. McNeill (West Coburg).
More Milk and Butter
If sufficient food were given to
the cow at this time of the year
when in most districts hand feed-
ing is inevitable, more butter and
milk would be produced. There-
fore why not reduce the price of
crushed grain, which is grown in
our own State ? This would en-
able the farmer to feed more
liberally and produce more milk
or butter. - T. O'NEILL (Maccles-
field).
$