Citizens Say

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 204, 17 November 1927, Page 10

Citizens Say

(To the Editor.)

CIVIC SQUARE Sir, — The failure of the City Council to dispose of the Civic Square sites will, I think,, prove a blessing. With the erection of tall buildings in Queen Street and the immediate locality of the Square, the need for a breathing space, open air meetings, etc., is more apparent. Therefore a portion of the property should be reserved for that purpose. The cities and towns of the Old World have their public squares, and there is no desire to encroach upon them, but here it seems many people would consider it good business to dispose of the Albert Park at a high figure. Personally, I am unknown to Sir James Gunson, but I admire his wisdom and forethought in providing for the welfare of humanity. COUNTRY RESIDENT. CONDUCT OF HOTELS Sir, — Your willingness to publish anything of public interest is much appreciated by the community. An incident occurred in the bar of one of the leading hotels in Queen Street on Monday afternoon. A respectable elderly man went to the bar and called for a drink. A half drunken loafer at once sidled up and demanded a “shout,” which was promptly refused. He continued to annoy, and eventually got hold of the man’s arms, pulled him away from the bar and twisted him around evidently with the idea of causing a row. The police were immediately informed, but the loafer had disappeared. And yet the man in charge of the bar appeared to take little notice of the incident. Now, why should such characters be allowed to annoy respectable citizens? OBSERVER. DIXIELAND BATHS Sir, The action of the City Council in again attempting to stop the erection of salt-water baths at Point Chevalier is an insult not only to the Dixieland management but to the tens of thousands of people who wish to see and take advantage of a well-appointed up-to-date bath at any hour of the day it may suit their convenience. No such place is available on the Auckland beaches, nor is there likely to be if the council retains the veto; but even should it decide to erect a bath within the next 15 or 20 years, what prospect is there of its being a success? Judging by some of the council’s past business ventures, none at all as instance the defunct fish business, the Civic Square burlesque, and the tragedy of the transport service. Now, Sir, though w 6 have no Fascists in Auckland, we appear to have a number of “Mussolinis” in embryo, and they have taken it upon themselves to bar private baths and Sunday concerts. So far at least they have given no reason acceptable to the general public against .private baths at Point Chevalier, On

the other hand, the promoters promise baths equal to, if not better, than anything in the Dominion, available at any state of the tide and above everything else, free to the school children of Greater Auckland on two days of every week. Why this alone means supreme joy to tens of thousands of kiddies. I would suggest to the management of Dixieland that it circulate a petition asking the public of Auckland to say whether there shall be made available a source of recreation and pleasure, long overdue on the Auckland beaches. If this were done and if I know anything of the temper of the general public, the issue would not long be left in doubt, and the baths would soon be an accomplished fact. WILL. A. CARTER. Mount Eden. A POKER PROBLEM Sir. — Will you be kind enough to answer through your correspondence columns the following query:—A party of us were playing poker, using the euchre pack only. My opponent held the 7, 8. ?, 10, together with the ace, and clairfied this as a straight, his opinion being that as there were no smaller cards than the seven the ace completed the straight. Would you be kind enough to give your ruling on this argument of ours? SPORT. Poke.r played with a short pack (unless the joker is included), does not differ in its essentials from the ordinary gam*-. We know of no book of rules to which we could refer, but our ruling is that the ace cannot be counted at the bottom end of a straight, owing to the absence of cards the seven.—Ed. THE SUN. RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE Sir,— Mr. Sim asked me: “What is the basis of theology?” In reply I stated thht theology, like science, is based on faith, reason and experience. Then “A.E.C.” takes the matter up. Finding himself unable to find a flaw in this obviously true statement, “A.E.C.” twists and turns it, and puts this garbled caricature of it into my mouth: “Both science and theology are based on faith; but science is true; therefore theology is true.” Of course I repudiate such a silly argument. Nothing I have written can justify ‘-A.E.C.” in attributing anything like it to me. When “A.E.C.” is ready to conform to the first principles of honest and intelligent controversy, I will resume the discussion with him. So much for “A.E.C.” Mr. Sim admits that theology is based on faith, and on reason “in a limited sense”; but he asks me to furnish evidence as to experience. I do not know of any writer on philosophy or psychology who denies religious experience as a fact. The matter in dispute is its explanation. A whole literature about religious experience has grown up in recent years. Mr. Sim has probably read [VYilliam

James’s “Varieties of Religious Experience.” It is possible to question the validity of religious experience; it is possible to convene that it is purely subjective: but a cannot rationally be argued that there is no such thing as religious expe n * ence. One authority tells us that, a a result of the investigations of tne psychologists, "the religious instm has been adjudged normal.” The who is without it is abnormal. * NORMAN BURTONTHE NEW TRAM STOPS A good many complaints avc made regarding the new tram 51 ■ P* • and not without cause. Right al the Ponsonby Road the stops a seven poles apart, irrespective as whether there is shelter at the s p for the public or not, but I notice t * the first stop in Karangahape ***** from the Star Hotel is only t r^ ee _ rv1 _ a-half poles away, and is right °PP~ site the business premises of members of the City Council. I* • was this stop deliberately l«f* It certainly seems like it. If " necessary to have fewer tram ** then treat everyone alike, and perca*the tram officials could speed UP service and not keep the travelling P lie waiting for the best part of minutes in a motionless car while motorman waits on the clockNewton. In this case the correspondent j* ** fault. This stop has been moved a** from the front of councillors P re ® stand the personal desires of the lors concerned were given no more sideration than were the desires oi - citizens who were concerned ,n -, j. stop changes. In the words o£ - ; A. C. Allum, chairman of the y/’ an L, rr eCommittee, the suggestions ot tne . spondent are “improper” to say tn 3 ffir „ of them. Cr. Allum states with V. ence to clocks, that the department arranging the time-tables to o', e . irksome delays, and faster se being prepared for.—Ed^