LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 759, 7 March 1910, Page 4

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

THE CADETS-A DISGUSTED MOTHER. Sir,—Kindly allow me a little space iu your valuable paper, in order to give a brief' outlined the arrangements made by our esteemed Government for the review of the cadets last week. Wo are exhorted to keep the cradles full, take more care of the babies, etc., but when public display *is to bo made, everything must give way to it. The cadets were told they would have biscuits and drinks given to them on arriving at the parade grounds, they were also to have a good dinner, at mid-day, and if they took a few pence, would then bo able to buy their tea. On arriving they were given, what my boy describes, as a dog-biscuit and a drink of water, at mid-day some had about two inches of bad meat and a slice of potato, others could not even get that, then after much searching some loaves of bread and a few ponnds of butte- wero brought, 'and at ten-time there was simply nothing to buy,, and they came home starving.. The boys we're then told if they took their dinner on tho second day they should each be given sixpence. But never a Gd. did they see, and .'after drilling in the pouring rain and standing up to their ankles in water, sitting in their wet.clothos and boots all the , way home, they arrived there drenched to the skin. So much for the arrangements of our noble Government. —I am, etc., ,■ A DISGUSTEK MOTHER. GUI BONO.

Sir,—Phe present is a kind of close season- among pole-liuntors. . Lieut. Shackleton lias, come and gone. Captain Scott lias not arrived. And I rise to ask why you aud land the, rest of us should bo expected to develop paroxysms of enthusiasm about cither of them. Understand me. I yield to no man in my admiration of successful effort. 1 have done at. least my share in securing for it reward arid recognition. .And, I am , not disposed to be too. critical' about motive as long as the results aro satisfactory.' But I;/like to think that those whom we acclaim have done something for humanity,.as a .-whole./.Only the man. himself can say-whether he has been striving for the general good, or for his own fame, or for both: We may have our own.ideas, but our only safe plan is to be guided by results..,. All I want to know is'that something has been done to increase the sum of human happiness to decrease: the sum-of human , misery, to'make , life, more, tolerable..' Not only to your slatcsman,:.yciur,: ; inv<;ntor, your engineer, your fighting., man, but to fyour 'poet, painter, author, singer, actor, will I gladly tender, my individual homage, though 'his .work may be neither of initerest nor of. benefit to myself. But, to come to the point, I want someone to tell mo, in. the event of: Captain Scott getting to. the I South Pole, who but Capitain Scott will be'one whit the better for

I I don t .want to be told about heroism, 1 endurance,*, and all the rest of it. If.', ! Captain Scott gets into difficulties aud a numl>er of. men go out to rescue him, i : then I, am. with, you.' But as far as he is concerned I cannot see that he is out i 'en anything but a sporting expedition.., AH- talk enthusiastically' about the fascination of the thing, "the i call of ice" they call it, I daresay. No 1 isport is'worth'following which does not involve some hardship or danger. In a minor sense take. my. own case. The British Government will not vote rae *£20,000 and I have to find-my own sport. -Born and reared on tho plains,,! have dragged blistered 'feet and achiiig legs over tlio mountains of Central Otago. I have crawled over, stones and speargrass, waded icy creeks to my. waist, and without a' dry ( stitch, on,, nte have', crouched in a piercing wirnV for hours waiting for a shot at.:a stag, Except in degree what is the difference between myself and Captain Scott. He'.is'after game that is beyond 1113; reach. He* need not go unless he likes. , He thinks it is worth it. A short sharp burst, and, if he succeeds, fame and banquets, and a title,, and a big sale* for his book. This last may not be his'objective, but I want to know who but Captain Scott will be one jot the better for it if he does arrive, at-the Pole and plants forty flags there. It ■may be. that certain theories as to what' happened millions of years ago. may receive apparent.- confirmation,. or the reverse. Evidence may be forthcoming to suppor.t-the-.theory that-it is a-good deal colder there nowadays than it was a million years ago. But, what then? I want to-know. Because to me it ; seems that this Pole-hunting is the most shocking waste of' time, of money, and of human life that I have ever read about or could imagine.. And I repeat I don't want to be told about dauntless British pluck and all that kind of gush. Granted he will have hard work and short commons for a few weeks. Proportion these to the years of his-life, take count of the rewards, and I" assert that in this country there are. ■hundreds of men and women shepherding in the interior, of the South Island, back ■blocking in the North Island, the sum' of whose privations and . hardships iin-. measurably exceeds anything that Captain Scott will . have to put up with, yet they are doing some good, and wo don't tear'the buttons off their ' clothes ■for souvenirs when, we. meet them. This js .why, while the masses of our population were tying themselves into "knots over Shackleton, my pulses refused to tingle. I want to know why they should, In the same spirit I ivant to know tho reason of the "movement" to send Professor Biekerton to. England. Ho has, -formulated a theory that when heavenly bodies are whizzing about through' space two of tlieih occasionally collide. In their impact they each shear a, portion off the other, and these two coalescinp go whirling off on their own account in the shape of 'a new star. I shouldn't wonder. But as I don't see how we can •produce or prevent such an occurrence, nor what business it is of ours anyway, I am equally incapable of understanding why public money should be spent over euch a matter. Perhaps somebody will enlighten not only myself, but a good many others equally in need of information.—l, am, etc., , UNMOVED. MR,, BUDDO'S VETO, a,v_Ti,n T uiij!..

Sir,—The Zoo I: am building in . Aramoho is most attractive; we have great crowds of people coming all through the week and especially on Sunday. We htid four school treats in two weeks, and the children seem to take a great interest iu tho animals and are always asking 'for more. It is also making the trams and railways busy. I .intend to make it the finest Zoo in.New Zealand if I am not. prevented by the Government. I cannot make a proper Zoo without I have, a Rood variety of different kinds of animals. I do not want Mr. •Buddo to put me on the same level as i the Newtown Zoo as I want no favour, hut free hand.—l am, etc., JOHN J. BOYD. Wanganui, March 2. , •*