Citizens Say

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 248, 10 January 1928, Page 8

Citizens Say

(To the Editor.)

WOMEN SMOKERS Sir, — As regards women smoking I think it is a disgusting habit. It isn’t when a woman is young that the trouble starts, but when she gets married and has children. No decent woman should let her little children see her with a cigarette between her teeth. And no woman with any decency would like to see her daughters take tc smoking. Smoking not only spoils a girl’s looks, but ruins her health too. Women should be feminine; not masculine they are nowadays. HEALTH. OUR TRAM CONDUCTORS Sir, — I cannot understand the charge of a Wellington resident that Auckland tram conductors are impolite. My experience has been that they are courteous to a degree, and most helpful on every occasion. Perhaps “Windy Wellington,” who is really as parochial as he possibly can be, does not realise that the Auckland conductors have to handle twice the travelling population of his own city. It is easy enough to sling mud at tram conductors and policemen and other faithful servants of the community. AUCKLANDER. A CENOTAPH Sir, — While I admire the design of the War Memorial Museum and think, standing in one of the most commanding positions in the city, it will be one of our proudest architectural gems, I feel that although it is an admirable memorial, something more is wanting. And that something, I think, could be supplied by a permanent cenotaph modelled on the classic lines of the London Cenotaph. This would give us some focal point, as it were, upon which our thoughts could centre on days of mourning and at the foot of which we could place floral emblems. I should like to hear if there are any other Aucklanders who share my opinion on this question. ANZAC. ARGYLE STREET Sir, — Re the frequent accidents at the Argyle Street railway crossing. From where I reside we have a good view of the trains coming in from Auckland once they come round the corner after leaving Kingsland station. Just about this point it is usual for a driver of the train to blow the whistle and I have noticed on several occasions lately that the steam leaves the whistle but not a sound reaches roe on the crossing. Why? Because the wind is blowing fresh from the south or south-west and carries the sound away from the direction the train is coming, so that anybody, driver or pedestrian, cannot possibly know that the train is coming until it is right on the crossing with results we have witnessed, and will again, if we, the residents of the district, do not take steps to alter the present conditions. JAMES TOOMATH.

IN IRELAND Sir, — I see by the Irish papers that Mr. Redmond has tabled a motion to inquire into the grievances of the Irish ex-servicemen. Nearly 300,000 Irishmen joined the British forces daring the war, and of these nearly 50,000 were killed in action. The ex-service-men who returned to Ireland after the war found a new generation had arisen which had lost sympathy with the ideals that had inspired them. The establishment of the Free State deprived Irish ex-servicemen of the advantages of overseas settlement. Although emigration to Canada, Australia and New Zealand is facilitated by the British Government, the Irish ex-servicemen have no such advantages. It is to be hoped both the Free State and the British Government will do something to ameliorate the condition of these brave Irishmen, as there are in Dublin alone over 20,000 in the unemployed ranks. CLAN-CONAL. BOYS’ BRASS BAND Sir, THE SUN is always on the qui vivo to report daily news, more especially when It Influences the home life of the community. I have not seen reference however, to the visiting junior boys’ brass band playing in Albert Park last week. The band started three years ago in a small town in the South Island. I could not help thinking what a fine example for the young generation and wish that there was more of this kind of forward movement for boys In the Dominion. As we all love music and most of us are not capable of expressing expert opinion on brass instrumental music it would be interesting to read opinions from bandsmen: How they compare with other boys’ bands and how long it wall take this visiting band to plav up to the standard set by the loca'i boys brass band. TOWN BAND. SAVE THE WATER Sir, If some of these people who so wilfully waste our depleted water supplies had only lived in Australia in time of drought they would better appreciate the value of this precious commoditv I nave lived in the Barcoo when the earth was so parched that it was nven with cracks as far as the could see, while all about lay dead and dying sheep and cattle. Even the native bears perished in the gum-trees for the lack of that which Aucklanders Wastin ®' Let us support the City Council in its heroic endeavour to conserve sufficient water to about. any emergency that may come BARCOO BILL. NOTICE TO CORRESPONDENT Qui pense.—Mais non.