IS AUCKLAND A SUBURB OF WELLINGTON?

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2352, 7 January 1915, Page 3

IS AUCKLAND A SUBURB OF WELLINGTON?

Sir,—ln to-da.vV issue, under the heading "Our . Military System,"' appears the following. .. "Without the faintest • suspicion of fuss, without any beating of drums and waving .of flags,, the military authorities quietly announced that, they desired to enrol a force of 2000 men for service beyond -New Zealand. Wellington city and suburbs supplied, the men at once, and very shortly two passenger .steamers which had been convertled into'army transports, failed out of Port Nicholson in the grey morning— whither, no one knew." I do not wish to. detract from Wellington's patriotism in the present crisis, but if-Auckland is not one of Wellington's suburbs, then I would like to ask you was I dreaming when standing in Queen Street, Auckland, when for nearly the whole length of the street it was packed , with the citizens watching a train-load of soldiers off •to somewhere, and sweethearts broke down the barriers into the railway station to see their boys away. If I remember right, in my dream I saw and heard four or five bands playing them off. Was I dreaming" when a proud father showed me a photo in an illustrated .paper of his son, an Auckland-born boy, a commissioned officer in front of some building at Samoa? Possibly it was a fake—he must have been a Wellington hoy, as Wellington and suburbs supplied the 2000 men. Now, I ask,' Mr. Editor, is not this on a par with the total exports of Wellington £as - a few years ago) included the butter and other products of the Province of Auckland' and Taranaki shipped up here for transhipment to tho Old Country? But I am thankful to, say that this state of affairs is rapidly disappearing. I hgre known wool to be shipped, from Lower Waikato to Wellington' to oatch an early London sole. Auckland is now spending a quarter of a million on buildings' and 1 extension of her freezing. works' to | pope with its increasing productions, and until this is completed - Wellington will be credited with producing beef which to my knowledge is coming from Waikato and even Raglan County, to be frozen in Wellington this season. An old Wellington resident informs me that your wharves are new and up-to-date. It is significant that just before the late strike : ; .the Auckland wharf labourers issued a manifesto that on and after 'a certain date they would not handle aiiy more carp) on the Hobson Street Wharf, wbioh was constructed after the same style of decking as Wellington. I see that a noted visitor has stated that they now contemplate constructions same as Auckland in Sydney. Comment-is i nnecessary.—l am, etc., - < AN AUCKLAND VISITOR. [Our correspondent, of course, is quite correct—an Auckland contingent did go to Samoa. As to the question of the exports of Wellington and Auckland and the wharf accommodation of the two ports, we. are sure that the people of Wellington will rejoice with tho citizens of Auckland in such added prosperity as may fall to theii lot.]