What Our Readers Are Thinking

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 14, Issue 51, 14 October 1949, Page 4

What Our Readers Are Thinking

Though their views on all subjects are freely published here because we believe it our duty to uphold the public’s right to freedom of opinion, our correspondents’ opinions are not necessarily shared by this newspaper. TELEPHONE CONNECTIONS Sir, —Yesterday I trang the Whakatane exchange for a number and just two minutes 28 seconds later I was asked by the operator for it. I mentioned it and following a noisy connection I was put through to a wrong number. I rang off and tried again. I received the same number. At my third attempt I was successful in getting what I was after.

Now, Sir, I know there is a shortage of staff and the Post Office is suffering like anyone else but could not something be done by the exchange supervisors to organise the switch board so that numbers are answered with a minimum o.f delay and the connections made without .'the usual' ear shattering roars. Yours etc., “WONDERING”

WHAKATANE HARBOUR Sir, —I feel I must congratulate the Whakatane delegates for the ex'cellent way in which they presented Whakatane’s case for a deep water harbour against what was apparently previously organised opposition at Rotorua. The delegates did right not to enters any controversy and, if what was reported in Wednesday’s Beacon is true, that the meeting had been “stacked” then I think most fair, minded people, who are really thinking of the future of the Bay of Plenty, will agree that the decision reached cannot be considered seriously. . The Whakatane scheme has been prepared by a -responsible and experienced engineer and when ordinary uninformed laymen' dismiss his plans with any airy, patronising wave of the hand then it is time for all fair thinking people to take a hand and see that the knowledge from the correct quarters is not trampled upon by stupid, selfish ignorance.

The Mayor of Tauranga may be right in his assertions that Whakatane cannot compare with Tauranga as a deep water port, but is he informed enough and has he made a full examination of the Whakatane site to allow him to back up his rather sweeping and wild statements? I think not.

At the meeting at Rotorua it was reported that the Tauranga delegates intimated that there was no doubt that Tauranga would be the port for the Bay of Plenty. If they were so sure of that fact and so certain of Tauranga’s superiority to Whakatane’s claims why would they not agree to having both schemes examined by a panel of experts? It seems to me from the press reports that Tauranga people are not sure that they will get the port, nor are they sure that the Whakatane proposal is not better than theirs.

I, for one, Sir,- will support the Whakatane port because I think it is the natural outlet for the Bay of Plenty and I have every faith in Mr Brebner’s ability as an engineer that a successful port can be established at the Heads. I know that all Whakatanians will be with the scheme and most other right thinking people. Yours etc., “CERTAIN”

WHAT’S WRONG? Sir, —What’s wrong with the world today? Has it lost its sense of humour? How often do you hear a hearty laugh today? To have a hearty laugh you must be agreeably surprised and we would not be surprised these days if we picked up the Beacon and read daiiv return trips were being made to the moon. Even a really humorous episode today would only bring to light at most a grin and be forgotten ten minutes after. Fifty years ago good humorous jokes did the rounds for 12 months after and still retained their humour. For instance how does the following true episode compare with the present day? In a pioneer district in the south 50 years ago lived an old bushwhacker nick-named “Mick the Rag.” Mick used to knock up a big cheque in the bush and bust it up in the township. After one of these sprees he was seen by the whole town to set out on his horse for the bush obviously much under the wind. About an hour afterwards a settler taking a dray load of firewood to the township met Mick’s horse heading for the bush with the saddle under its belly and well knocked about. A mile down the road the settler found poor old Mick, apparently‘in a bad'way with his inwards, like those of the saddle

on his horse, hanging out. The settler hurriedly took his horse out of the dray and galloped to the township for the doctor and police. These set off for the scene in haste with a squad of mounted school boys fol-. lowing. Arrived on the scene the doctor jumped .out to render old Mick what aid he could. The school boys saw,him feel old Mick’s stomach and mutter, “Dear! dear! quite cold” and something about “death rattle.” Just then Mick gave a shudder and groan and the policeman turned to the boys and said, “Take your hats off, boys. Poor old Mick is passing.” Mick gave another shudder and sat up swearing and plucking at his stomach, which semed to the astonished school boys to come away in yards. Yes you have guessed it. Old Mick before leaving town had stuffed about ten lbs of unwrapped sausages inside his shirt and had got off his horse to . have a sleep on the side of the road. Yours etc., x 1886. Maybe we moderns don’t drink enough? Editor.