Citizens Say—

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 125, 17 August 1927, Page 8

Citizens Say —

(To tlie Editor.)

AN IMPUDENT FELLOW Sir.— A canvasser on the North Shore side of the harbour has been a source of great annoyance by his use of abusive and insulting language to housewives who have refused to buy his wares. After being refused by one woman and subjecting her to a torrent of abuse he banged the gate, in his wrath, and broke the latch. What protection is offered to housewives from such scoundrels as these? i Do such men have a licence and how is it obtained? W.H. Auckland. MONKEYS—AND MEN Sir, — They are building a monkey house in the zoo—a huge concrete affair that must be costing a pile of money. It looks solid enough to enclose safely a herd of infuriated elephants. While the City Council is being so kind to the monkeys, who, we are told, “will have much more freedom of movement than at present,” whole families are herded in ramshackle tenements in the city without room to turn comfortably and the only “freedom of movement” for the children of men is in a back yard the size of a sheet—or out on the streets, where they are in momentary danger of being killed by motors. Our administrators provide comfort for monkeys and deny if to men. Let the City Council stop providing luxurious quarters for dirty little beasts, pull down the slums which disgrace the city and erect dwellings fit for human beings to live NO TAIL. JEKYLL AND HYDE Sir,— Jekyll and ITyde, though the same person, represented two diverse characters, and one must be forgiven if thoughts of the above remarkable combination pass before the mind when the present council deprecates the mistakes of the preceding council. In last night’s paper the council flamboyantly announces that the tramway finances for the past quarter are buoyant, but is there anything to boast about in this matter when Auckland fares are about the highest in New Zealand, when citizens are packed like sheep in their lumbering cars, when the council charges 7d cash for a trip which community buses could do on 2d a head average? Any school child could make trams pay if he could charge any fare he pleased. The tram system, with its monopoly and excessive fares prevents suburbanites shopping in the metropolitan area, hence the slump. The law now permits the council to tax residents of boroughs outside the city area, by granting it a monopoly in transport and the right to charge any excessive fares it pleases. As dairy control proved evil in effect, so will our tram monopoly produce nothing but evil until repealed by the State. HAROLD SCHMIDT PARNELL TENNIS COURTS Sir, — I quite agree with your correspondent, “Volley.” It would be a big mistake for the City Council to out down the Parnell Park courts in grass. Apart altogether from winter play, for which there is a big and increasing demand, our climatic conditions favour hard courts, as a heavy shower renders a grass court unplayable for the whole day. The tendency of recent years has been for both private individuals and clubs to put down their courts in hard material. Instances of this may be found at Campbell Park and Northcote (the two most recently formed clubs), the former having put down nine hard courts and the latter twelve. Furthermore, a syndicate controlled by some of our leading tennis enthusiasts when putting down

several courts in Mountain Road saw fit to put them down in hard material. There can be no doubt that the majority (if not all) tennis players are strongly in favour of hard courts at Parnell Park.

The writer paid a visit to the site of the new courts a few days ago and found it being ploughed and evidently prepared for grass. It is up to all tennis players to do their best to prevent this and to act promptly, as there is no doubt the highly-esteemed members of our Parks Committee will «lo their best to meet the wishes of players if proper representations are made before it is too late. HALF-VOLLEY. ABOLISHING TAXATION Sir.— Some curious freaks ventilate their ideas in your correspondence columns from day to day, but the rummiest to date is surely the writer who says that apart from the war “there is and never has been in the history of New Zealand any necessity to impose taxes or rates of any kind whatever.” Apparently we stepped off with the wrong foot by parting with the land. Truly your correspondent is wise after the event! What earthly chance would there have been of getting New Zealand colonised in 1840 if the settlers had been denied the opportunity of acquiring the freehold of the land? None but a lunatic would have left England at the suggestion of Wakefield, Godley and Co., and endured the hardships of colonisation for the sake of becoming tenants of a government not then in existence. Further, had they been told that after bringing their capital to New Zealand and breaking in the land at their own expense, they would then be required to pay as rent whatever sum was required to defray the cost of public administration, they would have been quite willing to leave the Maoris in undisturbed possession. Your correspondent . wants to correct to-day the mistake! of Wakefield 80 years ago, and to abolish all taxation except the land tax, which is to be raised till it yields £22,000,000 a year! In return for this the farmer is going to save about half a crown on a pair of boots, get tax-free whisky and tobacco and do without protection on agricultural products. How very popular your correspondent will be in Farmers’ Union circles! FERGUS. COMMUNITY BUSES Sir, — Mr. Schmidt’s statement re conditions under which community bus drivers worked, also the article by the Transit and Social Club, leaves me cold. These drivers were seen on the road early morning and late at night, same bus, same driver. At times, no doubt, there were relief drivers, but generally speaking the regular drivers worked far too long hours. My statement re heavy traffic licence, insurance and free parking in the public streets has been ignored. Also no allowance seems to be made in the running costs of these buses for depreciation, repairs, tyres, etc., and what happens when one of the buses is off the road for repairs or overhaul! No spare bus is kept to take its place. The public could wait, I suppose, or else use the council’s buses or trams. I should like to know how it is possible to arrive at the number of passengers carried each week, in view of the fact that no tickets were issued and most passengers were casual cash customers. It might be possible to run a few buses under these conditions for a time, but supposing Mr. Schmidt’s fleet had increased to, say, 50 buses, then his troubles would have started. He would have had to build a garage, employ clerks and mechanics, etc., and the drivers would soon have required better conditions. Up would go his running costs and he would be compelled to increase his fares to much more than twopence a passenger. I am afraid that Mr. Schmidt has a lot to learn yet about motor transport, and if he was so successful at twopence a head for about six miles, why are all these private bus companies, whose

fares are a penny and over a mile, anxious to sell out to the council’ Mr. Schmidt and a few other disc" tented ones would only expend the energy in helping the city to whit they belong, it would be much rner to their credit, and I believe I c right in saying that they would more than pleased to see the tnr running out to the Mount Albert R* from a business point of view. F. HARVET UNEMPLOYED EX-SOLDIERS Sir. — Now that the returned soldiers this city have, by a unanimous n# at a surprisingly well-attended m* ing, rejected the Government’s proposals, their association is left *r £ 1,000 on its hands. A few wfti ago there appeared In your column* letter over the signature of Mr. E. - Kitchener with reference to a schct formulated by the newlj'-formed B Servicemen’s League. Not beins member of either body I cannotregarded as having any interesting question other than that of an employed ex-soldier. From that n*-* point I have no hesitation in syg that the ex-soldiers never n** reinforcements more badly than t» do now. Something must be and done quickly. If Messrs. FJ? and McCormack are sincere in desire to assist the returned is the time to come forward and 4 proach the association with a vw‘ . sharing in the relief of the distress. EX-TROOFE' TEN SHILLING TOTALISATOR' In an issue of THE SUN last reference was made to Sir chelson’s opposition to the 10s tor. The hon. gentleman say racing comes first now. would racing stand without port of the public, which hjj ' humble opinion entitled to nr sideration, whatever may come nw • his comments Sir Edwin ox .. Wellington, one of the few clu an increased totalisator revenue, * t 10s, £1 or £5 tickets may’be the inner, and, further, 10s also be purchased on the 5 stand (not the members’ staDa #hc ;> Did not the huge turnover on ‘ { totalisator at the recent meeting surrrise everyone con_/ r - One only has to look at the of the trots, the recent raeetJ “f Addington showing an increase £15,000 compared with the ing last year. Why? S * m Pin, er e, rthe public is catered for. * 10s, £1 and £5 totalisator > alongside each other on yt where the admittance fee that charged to enter the cat Ellerslie. The above * to show’ that the 10s tot -- we . the cause of the shnnkaga fjjjsarled to believe. If the 1 does not w*arrant the eX give access to the leger fr ot)S instead of placing all tn« 0p » possible in the way of sending them to the Hill, w shut out more often than . race is over before they “ « siisPto return. This surely remedy. PUBLIC F®*' NOTICES TO CORRESPO^^ R.R.A.—The letter to "iuE 'S 1 '*" fer was not published in ,J! Ed.