LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2533, 6 August 1915, Page 6

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

TECHNICAL EDUCATION AND ITS COST. Sir,—There is a letter in your issue of this' morninc concerning technical' education that should not bo allowed to pass unquestioned. The writer complains of tho amount of money spent 011 ordinary. school classes, aud says this expenditure is money wasted on a "frill." Your, correspondent, and thoso who think with him, may rest assured that the subject is not a "frill," but a real valuable part of education, and the money for' carrying it on has to be found,.and is nothing wasted. Opinions differ as to the best moans of employing'tho funds, but among thoso who know there is 110 difforenco of opinion as to tho value of the manual phaso of education, and any proposal to drop it school work would meet with the unanimous; opposition of educationists. The manual side'of education is destined to. take .a still higher place than it has yet done in the curriculum of tho schools of the nation. —I am, etc.. , H. A. I'ARKIXSON. Newtown School, August 4, 1915. WAR TAXATION.; Sir,—At a time, when the attention of everyone is riveted on the form tho new war tax is to take, L beg to draw your readers' attention to ,'a few of tho facts revealed by the New Zealand, Year Book, and referred to in the manifesto of tho Land Values League. The unimproved value of land has now reached nearly ,£22Bi million. During the tenyetfr period it lias, increased over £105£ million sterling, and during the last five years over 51J million sterling, half of which enormous sum' was appropriated by ouly 6148 landowners, or an average of over £8344 each 1 One hundred and seventy-one landowners monopolise among thorn upwards of 3J- million acres of a total unimproved, value of £7,168,398! The league points out that a tax of only Id. in the £ for war purposes upon the total of unimproved Value would produce nearly one million sterling! ' And yet our politicians are •'wondering where the war tax is to come from! When will we New Zealanders wake up and learn sense P—l am, etc., X. ALIEN ENEMIES. Sir,—l notice,a letter signed "Inquirer" in your issuo of last Saturday, and your footnote thereto, containing a reply from the Hon. A. L. Herdman. What I and a number of other Britishers would like to know is "Does the' gazetted definition of an alien enemy prohibit those possessing a- double nationality (being natural-born British subjects, because of birth in Now Zealand,'and also German subjects by reason of doscent) from exercising the franchise; .and also from the protection of our civil Courts? It appears that this extended definition subjects them to tho provisions of aliens. Thanking you in anticipation.—l am, etc., BRITISHER. • Mastorton, August 4, 1914. [Persons' born in New Zealand of any parents are British subjects during their continuous residence here.. They are not of "double" nationality. Any such person may, like any other perj son, lose British nationality by becomI ing naturalised in some foreign country. • The restrictions imposed under tho War Regulations Act upon enoiny aliens do not apply to British subjects even of foreign race, but any person, of whatsoever race, who is guilty of treasonable utterances or practices may be apprehended. The reply to "Britisher's" question regarding the exercise of tho franchise by persons properly described 'as British subjocts is "No."] THE NATIONAL MINISTRY. Sir,—l hear rumours to the effect that Di-. Robert M'Nab will not be included in the National Cabinet, and I sincerely tmst this is not true. A man of Dr. M'Nab's great abilities should be one of the.first chosen. Look at tho groat work lie has done for this Dominion in connection with Defence and Maori history. Surely at such a time when the greatest brains available in the Dominion are necessary, a ■man of his capabilities should undoubtedly be included in the National Cabinet. Tho country expects, and must'have the best brains in tho' community, irrespective of any other consideration, to guide its affairs during tho present crisis.—l am, etc., R. J3. SINCLAIR, THE JAPANESE POLITICAL CRISIS By Telegraph—ProM Association— Copyright (Rec. August 5, 11.40 p.m.) . • Tokio, August 5. Prince Yamagata and Prince Oyania visited the Premier, Count Okuma, but failed to induce him to reconsider his