WATER SUPPLY

To The Editor Of The Statesman SIR, – Within the past week, and without any previous warning, the water supply of McLeod Street has on two occasions been entirely cut off, so much so, that those living on the ground floors have had to be satisfied with just a dribble, while the unfortunates who, like myself, live on the upper floors cannot get a drop at any time. The street hydrants are similarly affected. Will the Corporation offer some explanation with regard to this state of affairs? Needless to say we are entirely at the mercy of the bhisti, who is always on the look out for such opportunities of which he takes full advantage, and when asked to fetch up a skinful of water assumes the attitude of “take it at my price or do without.”

RESIDENT.

Calcutta.

THE PEACE CELEBRATIONS

To The Editor Of The Statesman

SIR, – I have read with the deepest concern of the movements, commencing from Delhi, taken up here and there by some of the political leaders of the Moslem, Hindu, and other communities with the avowed object of threatening Government on the Khalifate question. I am unable to find any connection between the happy Peace Celebrations – due to the liberation of the world from the despotic cruelty and abominable crimes of the Huns – and the Khalifate question as raised by these leaders. I can hardly understand why political leaders should thus combine and threaten Government, like a child threatening his parents. Let us pause here and watch over the further movements of these short-sighted leaders to see if they will yet take the right path.

A MUSALMAN.

Calcutta.

THE CHEMIST’S SHOP

To The Editor Of The Statesman

SIR, – On behalf of the retail chemists and chemists’ assistants of Calcutta, may we draw your attention to the injustice of penalising the chemist because he has, by a long arduous and expensive training, made himself more useful to the public than the majority of his fellow tradesmen? The working day of the chemist at present is, roughly from 9 or 9-30 A.M. to 5-30 or 6 P.M., with an extension every second or third night to 8 or 8-30 P.M. He works from 9 A.M. to 8 P.M. every second or third Sunday and loses half or one third, as the case may be, of the regular holidays during the year. Compare these hours with those of assistants in any other business, either trade or mercantile, and consider the exacting nature of the work which requires a mental capacity considerably exceeding that of a bank or invoice clerk. It is now suggested that in the interests of “the public” the chemist’s burden should be still further increased.

CALCUTTA CHEMISTS’ ASSISTANTS.

Calcutta.