READERS CONSIDER

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 15, Issue 96, 15 September 1950, Page 4

READERS CONSIDER

IS IT A FOOD? Sir, —Your correspondent “Facts First” has proved conclusively that beer is neither a food nor a human necessity. In fact he has completely disposed of the problem. All we have to do now it to find out why the moderate drinker\is such a cheerful fellow,-why he lives long, remains healthy, works hard, and never tries to interfere v. ith the simple pleasures enjoyed by other people. Rsearch is needed here, if possible by an adult. None but a total abstainer would give the task to a 13-year-old girl because the poor child could only copy propaganda prepared by a prejudiced parent. Yours etc., GROWN UP. Sir, —“Facts First” has told only half the story. He has written much of alcohol but there is only a small quantity of alcohol in beer. Beer also contains sugar, malt, and yeast all of which have food value. In any case beer is a beverage, not a food and as a thirst quencher it has a- history that goes back into antiquity. Yours etc., FULL FACTS FIRST.

THE HARBOUR AGAIN Sir, —You seem to give more space in your paper to propaganda in favour of Tauranga than to hardhitting boost for Whakatane as the Bay of Plenty harbour. I think I could make a better case myself between milkings if I ran the Beacon.

In your issue of September 6 you headline what the chairman of the Tauranga Harbour*Board says about no fight with Whakatane, the inference being that Tauranga is the only horse in the race. He says that Tauranga can put through 20 million feet of timber a year, without spending a penny, against the cost of over one million pounds to build a harbour at Whakatane. But this is only a small part of the case. If Tauranga gets the harbour, it means spending about £2O millions of taxpayers’ money to build a town at Murupara.

I don’t think you will get private enterprise to risk this huge sum on a possible ghost town as I .stated in a previous letter. But, no doubt, private enterprise would quickly supply the money to add 10,000 extra people to Whakatane’s present population with its balanced economy.

Another hostile to Whakatane statement you let pass was the remark of Mr Gault of the Opotiki County Council that a railway from Edgecumbe to Whakatane would have to be built and paid for. Perhaps I am wrong but I thought there has been a railway operating between these towns for many years past. In fact it runs right into the present paper mills where new mills would probably be built. If Tauranga is made the port it would not be long before the demand would be made for a railway over the hills to Rotorua, with umpteen tunnels in it. To sum up, if Tauranga gets the harbour it saves about £1 million on a harbour at Whakatane. Against this saving place a debit of £2O million for the town at Murupara or say £ls million because it may take £5 million to build the pulp mills wherever they go. To Whakatane’s credit account put the whole of the £ls million of taxpayers’ money saved building a new town at Murupara and the fact that the State forests can be worked from Whakatane via Murupara, whereas this would be out of the question for Tauranga. In fact the logging trains from Murupara to Whakatane would have to have an engine on to stop them from running away and jumping into the harbour.

At Whakatane Muruparaites can give no kick up till November 30 last they had, the town etc. home and dried. The majority of them deliberately voted against the Government which was handing them the whole thing on a gold diamondstudded platter costing £2O million. Yours etc., OLD TIMER. Galatea, September 10.