Citizens Say—

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 79, 24 June 1927, Page 8

Citizens Say —

(To the Editor.)

UNDENOMINATIONAL

Sir, — I wish to draw your attention to an item which appeared in THE SUN of June 21. Under the heading of Papatoetoe News appear the words “Anglican Mothers’ Union.” This is not correct. The union is undenominational, and the meeting was held in the Anglican Church Hall not because its members belong solely to that church, but because it has always been customary to hold the meetings there. HOWARD E. G. MATTHEWS. “BUY WHERE YOU SELL” Sir,— Your correspondent, “International Trade,” states “that imports and exports, ’rightly calculated,’ do and must balance.” That is a mistake. There are nations, like individuals, which fail to balance their accounts and their bad debts have to be wiped off. “So long as she (America) exports, the necessity of getting paid will compel her to take imports to equal value,” we are told. No such “necessity” exists. America may unload surplus capital on her customers and keep an economic grip upon them by not importing enough to balance her account. Against payment in gold and also in manufactures she has protested. Your correspondent accepts the slogan: “Buy where you sell,” when price and quality are the same. Other factors, such as sympathetic preference, must be considered; and fixed monetary value cannot be placed on such things, which are themselves variable. Your correspondent “talks vaguely” about countries “A” and “B,” which correspond with no reality. Instead of “A,” let us say America, and instead of “B,” New Zealand. It cannot be said New Zealand “has nothing to offer that ‘A’ (America) can profitably take.” Or, if she cannot take our dairy produce “profitably,” it is because of her high tariff. If i n self-protection we have to rear equally high tariffs against American goods they will not then be the “cheapest” to us. It is useless to talk of retaining hold on “neutral markets” in connection with American trade while the American market is anything but neutral. It is fair and economic, for return cargoes reduce freight, if you BUY WHERE YOU SELL. THE SELF-APPOINTED HERBALIST Sir, — The rather severe censure of the Look-out Man on, the conduct of the ex-school teacher at Gisborne who treated a Maori child for a severe cold may not be so well-merited as it appears. It is not generally known that the Education Department requests the teachers of native schools to prescribe for the Maoris, both children and adults, in the school district. It even supplies a well-equipped medicine chest for this purpose, and a teacher may be called on day or night to treat any ailment, from a sore finger to typhoid or diphtheria, and many are very successful in spite of fearful handicaps and setbacks. Some of these schools are situated in isolated positions, many miles from a doctor or a qualified chemist, and without the constant care of their guide, philosopher and friend—te kai-whakaiko-kura —the natives would fare sorely in times of sickness and accident. I have known a young girl in feer early

twenties with the aid of a couple of intelligent, half-trained Maori girls, quell successfully an outbreak of scarletina in a village 20 miles from the nearest doctor, while a pakeha child, close by, attended by the qualified medical man, succumbed to the disease. So there is something in common-sense and the wisdom born of that fellow-feeling which makes us wondrous kind—and skilful. The socalled “quacks”; one failure is given publicity. What of his success? I venture to say that in the 60 years of his experience with the natives he did good service among them in keeping them in health. Is the qualified medical man always successful. His failures are seldom heard of, no matter how many they may be. Let us be fair and refrain from harshly criticising one who apparently did his best and acted in gGod faith. . ZEALANDIA. CHRISTIANITY AND SCIENCE Sir,— As so courteously desired by “A.H.5.,” I have patiently examined the Scriptural list given and find all to be merely vague references to an impending want of or falling away from faith. This attitude is common to the Jeremiahs of all creeds and of all ages. Considered as prophecy, it is distinctly amateurish when compared with a nautical almanack or Jules Verne’s prevision, or even H. G. Wells’s “Anticipation.” Besides, “A.H.S.” has got his dates all wrong. The passages he quoted all refer to something impending near to the time in which they were written. It is to be regretted that your correspondent has merely a superficial knowledge of Scripture and has failed to note the clear authoritative pronouncement, “This generation shall not pass away till all be fulfilled.” (See St. Luke xxi.) This effectually cuts off his references from having any application to the people of Auckland or Bendigo or Timbuktu in this year 1927. Further, “A.H.S.” assures us that because lack of faith has been forecast, such facts as the rejection of Christianity by two-thirds of the human race “actually are to Christian people a source of comfort and confidence.” Next, please! If only “A.H.S.” will discard his conventional theological spectacles, and examine each of his sentences at the bar of reason, I am quite sure that his next letter to THE SUN will be better than his last. J.S. MR. BRADLEY TO THE FORE Sir,— I have been an interested reader of the letters about the community buses, and notice Mr. S. Bradley’s claim that it is he who is responsible for them. It really does seem a shame that Mr. Harold Schmidt should so bluntly deny that he ever had the honour of Mr. Bradley’s acquaintance. Although Mr! Bradley states he hates publicity, I am sure many of your readers would enjoy to hear further from him. They may then be able to give honour to where honour is due. JIGGS Sir,— I was reading THE SUN on Wednesday evening and noticed Mr. S. Bradley s claim as the originator of community buses in Auckland. Towards tne end of last year there were quite j dt . o£ ' lddrcsses at open-air meetISSfi IS Mount Eflqn and in the .Mount

Eden Baptist Hall. It must have cost the originator of the scheme a gf deal of money because the were advertised and thousands of l lets distributed. The speaker was tall fair man, who usually arrived big grey Austin car or a bup ' “free ride car” printed on it. ara * Mr. Bradley has at last disclosed - identity it would be only a lair foJ . if he gave club members doc J e . t 1 the priting, advertising and ban counts he paid, so that we can r him. for his unselfish sacrifice. A point that rather puzzles that when Mr. Bradley used to addresses off the steps of his rn, roU id car he pledged himself thatne never undertake anything tna • ball land the members of the Subffl-W Transit and Social Club m IUW but in his letter to-night he » cf that the club are now the the cars. As these cars are z en ger omnibuses it means that tne cannot be insured and the cl car gy bers, being the owners acCiwill be liable for damages U * dent occurs. I know Mr. B dferf perfectly frank, hut now he rQO closed his identity maybe n #># assure members that they buses but have no pLAY. t