OUR AUCKLAND LETTER.

Franklin Times, Volume 9, Issue 690, 6 December 1921, Page 5

OUR AUCKLAND LETTER.

DRINKS. (From Our Own Correspondent.) Auckland, Dec, 2. “I hev observed,” wrote Josh Billigs, the American humorist, on one occasion, "that the man who lain take it or leave it alone most gen’rally takqs it.’’ Bu(t I question whether, so far as Auckland and a few other places are concerned, there will be quite so many people “taking it” now that the “nip” is sold by measure and a little pewter vessel containing a quarter gill (say a tablespoonful and a half) costs tenpence, while a pint of “Colonial’’ retails at eightpence or ninepence. The new system of serving spirits has only been in operation for about a week, and already some of the Auckland hotels are reverting to the old way, and handing the bottle to the customer, so that he may help himself. Probably ift will be only a question of time when all the ht-uses tetnrn to the old way, and the little pewter measure goes out of business. I expect the bottle plan will pay (the publican best, taking one customer with another. Not every whisy-drinker is like the one of whom it is related that he called at a Christchurch hotel one day and helped h(iniself to a too generous nip. He put down a shilling in- payment (it was in the days of Gd drinks) and was rather taken back when the. proprietor handed him 9d in change, with the remark : “Wo make a reduction for taking a quantity.”

SIR JOSEPH. The question has been frequently asked in Auckland of late :■> “Do you think there is any likelihood of Sir Joseph Ward re-entering N.Z. politics ?” I am given to understand that he has no such intention. An ex-member of the Cabinet, with whom I am acquainted and 1 who is a close personal friend of Sir Joseph’s, assured me (last week that the state of the letter’s health renders it highly improbable that he will ever again take an active part in the conduct of public affairs. I was sdrny to hear it. The Liberal Party in this country is as dead as Queeh Elizabeth. If anyone could resuscitate it, Sir Joseph Wand is the man.

HIGHER CHARGES AT ROTORUA. The heavily increased scale of fees now /In force at Rotorua, whose healing waters have done so much to banish pain and disease, has been the theme of much adverse criticism in Auckland lately.. To wealthy invalids 'the raising of the fees demanded for the use of the baths by 100 per cent, and the doubling of the medical fee is probably a matter of .indifference. But to those of limited means it is another story. Travelling in this country has become like most other things, very expensive, and many who have been order'd to take a course of the baths for health reasons are hard put (to it to get to Rotorua at all. Surely some discrimination should be made between globe-trot-ter and sight-seeris, and those Avho go to the place in search of health ? The Government complains ’that the baths at Rotorua and also those at Te Aroha are not paying propositions. Whose fault is that ? If the attracions of “The N.Z. Wonderland’ were efficiently advertised they would draw like a mustard-plaster. UNWELCOME VISITORS.

There have been by far too many burglaries in Auckland of late, and there is a strong suspicion that “crooks” from Australia are beginning to invade this country to some purpose, in spite of the efforts of our police to keep them out. This being so, it is rather amusing to find the Inspector-General of Police in New South Wales complaining that NJZ. is “dumping her undesirables into Sydney withouft restriction.” Well may the officers at the Central Police Station in Auckland reply that “the boot is on the other foot.” At every- criminal session held in Auckland for some time past there has been a large percentage of Australian “bad halts” among the persons indicted. The cancelling of the regulation requiring all persons gravelling between New Zealand and Australia to have permits has unquestionably been responsibte ior the coming here of a lot of Australian criminals. MORE CONSIDERATION FOR < FRITZ WANTED. A correspondent of an Auckland daily paper, signing himself “A Christian,’’ has been urging that more considerate treatment should he extended our late enemy subjeqt.” Tney are not getting work, it seems, and are being treated unfairly. In reply to this letter another correspondent wrote to ask “would we have been treated any better! if the Germans had won the war ? I thu-iik the majority of our soldiers, (those who know the German and his brutal ways, will readily agree that we would! have been treated like dogs, Germans may consider themselves very well treated, specially in this country. They live under the same conditions as we do, and enjoy the same privileges. As a Britisher I believe in fair plav. But who can talk of fair play to a German? Ah, who, indeed! One thing is certain, and that is that these sentimentalists, who are so sorry for poor Fritz, don t kno *v, or don’t realise, the frightful atrocities of which he wais guilty during the war. Personally, I have no sympathy to spare for Fritz, and if he finds the conditions of life in New Zealand too hard 'to endure the best thing he can do is to go back to his own country. He never would be missed.