Citizens Say

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 149, 14 September 1927, Page 8

Citizens Say

(To the Editor.)

IN THE SPRING . . . Sir.— Poets tell us how, in the springtime, the youth in all ages turns to thoughts of love. It seems necessary in our day to study the physiology of the heart in order to understand its symbolic sense. The reason of this symbolism is the relation that all perceive between the movements of the heart and love. This is so evident that common instinct has always accepted it without study. A pierced heart has always been the symbol of a great love. In the Irishspeaking districts of Old Erin this symbolism is known by the peasants who address their beloved thus: “A gra gall Machree,” and an Irish bard describes it in a couplet: Ma Ros, ma Lil, ma chree gan lee, Ma colleen og dhas, ma gra is thee. —CLAN CONAL. SMOCKS Sir,— Reading with great interest the editorial article by Hr. Crane on “Smocks,” recalled to me old times, old faces, old friends. My late grandfather, an old Somerset man, died at the age of 82. Smocks were generally worn in the good old days by farmers, shepherds and men connected with agriculture, and as a lad, I saw villagers wearing them at their work. The usual clothes of the farmer-boss were boots, generally made in the village, tailor-made corduroys or breeches, and a smock-frock-—the best one kept generally for Sundays and festival days. As the knights of old wore beautifullyworked chain mail, so the best smocks had a kind of lacework, fine ornamental design on the front or chest. A -.coloured neckerchief was worn and a billy-cock hat crowned an oldfashioned worthy in the good old days. It was my grandfather’s wish that he should be burled in his best smock, and one had been carefully set aside for many years previous to his death for that purpose. With my thoughts upon the subject of smocks I recall times when, as a. lad, I saw the last of the old turnpike gates, and heard my grandfather give his experiences of the old coaching days. —GEO. JAS. SANDALL. LABOUR IN N.S.W. Sir, — Perhaps it was only natural that the Hon. J. M. Baddeley, Mr. Land’s Minister for Mines and Labour should be just a little exuberant on his arrival in Auckland, after an exceedingly interesting journey for which the taxpayers of New South Wales will part up. Mr. Baddeley declared emphatically that with “such a record" the Lang Government could not possibly be defeated, or words to that effect. With a safe seat on the coalfields, the Mines Minister probably has little to fear. He did not say, though, that to all intents and purposes responsible government ceased in New South Wales from the time Mr. Lang assumed office. Neither did he remark that Mr. Lang has done the Labour Party, not only in his own State, but throughout Australia, more harm than any other man within the last decade.

Truly a sword of Damocles is hanging over the head of this petty Australian Mussolini. Very different is the attitude of Mr. McCormack, Premier of Queensland, who stood up against a powerful section of his own supporters when he saw that law and order demanded a firm stand. It is true that Mr. Lang has a record behind him, but it is a record for blundering, incapacity, and shortsighted pigheadedness difficult to equal. W'liat does Mr. Baddeley say of the newspaper tax which his friend Mr. Lang had to refund. Must we remind him. too, that Sir Dudley de Chair, the State Governor, whose head was destined for the block, is still at Government House, Sydney? NEW SOUTH WELSHMAN. LIQUOR IN KING COUNTRY Sir, — Referring to liquor in the Ring Country, your columns of Saturday last expressed the views of one who claims 17 years’ residence in the northern parts of that district, signing himself “Old Resident.” Questioning recent remarks made by Bishop Cherrington, he advises that gentleman to “speak with the police officers and other court officials and get their experiences.” Having thus directed the Bishop to this source of authentic information, “Old Resident” might accompany lnm on the mission of inquiry and keep lii3 ears open for the answers to these questions: “How many residents of the King Country, during the last 12 months, have been subjected to prohibition orders?” “How many men, charged with drunkenness, in a similar period, appearing on the charge sheets of North Island police courts have been citizens of the King Country?” The information upon these two points may alter the colour of “Old Resident’s” ink-well. However, he strokes the feathers upon the advocacy of King Country licence by telling us that “the great mass of the people, both pakeha and Maori, live sober lives and compare more than favourably with the residents where hotels are open.” Thus showing that their claims to the full rights of a New Zealand citizen are unquestionable. Like most newspaper correspondents whose argument is on the weak side, he has strutted up his viewpoint by quoting a few statistics. He tells us that whereas the average consumption of liquor a person outside the King Country is .£3 or £4 a head, within the King Country it is only £1 a head. Now “Old Resident,” who has frequented the King Country for a matter of 17 years, must have heard of— I won’t say dealt off—sly-groggers. Very well, sly-groggers bring in—or arrange for the bringing in—of huge quantities of liquor to the King Country. Common sense tells us that they or their accomplices don’t do this as King Country citizens: neither do many dozens of other parcels of liquor brought into the King Country by travellers and friends go through the court books as King Country purchases. The distribution of “rum-running” cargoes is not, as a rule, recorded by the authorities, hence “Old Resident’s”

Entries close on Noveinre-r . jj ’ ! " >rhf * , etaW 1,1 ] very pleasing figures. in' E Gr.2 ; liquor is rile throughout , w ji i; t Country and any official fish l ' Kit: liquor is consumed in Country are no criterion tc fci f If “Old Resident will rt tra cutting of the Bishop’s find that brcad-minded ana t gentleman’s argument was ,t e f the utter absurdity of now < ' nctB »r'’. King Country as a ,i' at ion: tM owing to the change in P°P® cl pakfha tigu-e overwhelming the Maori. , „ . ,-of b f ' I. like Oid Resident, bn* n^,. cause of the weakness of no __ lions, will offer a few sta ■■ i King Country population31,460: Mao-i. 6.100 (inclu.lisS castes). , . referei’ I; King Country returns at W’t dum on Notional rrohibiden. 3,093; against, 9.788. n()HE PO TA& NOTICES TO CORRESPOND**^ A Shopkeeper.—We have baa ies mafic into the P r, ] ( *{,« you complai n and find that tl e , land City Council has ne-tMlU-to do with this business, SUN.