Citizens Say—

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 347, 7 May 1928, Page 8

Citizens Say —

(To the Editor.)

MAGNIFIED CROWDS

Sir,—■ We have reams of audited statistics about public activities, but what I should like to see audited is the claims made by various football codes about the crowds their games attract each Saturday Some of our worthy football scribes muse have a very poor capacity for judging crowds, or must be supplied with figures that are palpably inaccurate. For instance, it was estimated” that there were 6 000 peo p le at Carlaw Park on Saturday. What I say is that there Is no need an es t>mate. The gate returns and the number of “deadhead” tickets issued should supply a figure unassailable in its veracity. We don't get that at present. FACTS FIRST. SAILORS AT EDEN PARK Sir, — “Me and my mate off a ship went to see the football at Eden Park on Sattnf ay ' Ut We eould n °t understand S oril i S rules ' The F°nsonby team scored a try and got three points and ““ "T for Putting it over the bar. 1 hen they got three more for again as we S an ° Ver bar ‘ The next «me. as we ail saw, they put it under th 4 efeven 111 w* U *f 0t three ' maki "E them eleven. We always thought the ball must O o over the bar to score. The people near us all said the ball went thc bar. Then we had enough and went away to see -ninttioi. bar before the ship sidled.” another SAILOR BOY. OPTIMISM WANTED Stf ?h U eVo e n. T d B f ° r M^ e eof ate- ?- ted ir \, The S un on Saturday tlial too much political capital is hpi,?i made of the depleted population o/ off at ar, 1 lands has decade ra , te over the last men have L ? y a large number of l IJ} ba ' e been compelled to walk off t evs mS du nng the past five years knk the reasons have been natural ones and under present economic conditions kT v 6, A ® ain ' statistics m£y a bis decrease in the number of farm employees. The explanation dek- S i 1S that > with the greater part of c °mpleted, the men ?; r ® . not wanted. On the smaller holdings, too. machinery is replacing men to a large extent. What is wanted morc healthy spirit of optimism vhich would do much to restore the iaith of investors in rural securities and help considerably to make cheaper money available to the man on the land. economic. UNLIMITED ENERGY Sir,— Speculating on “the unsolved riddle of social justice,” and the admitted shortcoming of the present industrial system, one wonders whether exceedingly cheap or even quite free energy would make industrial organisation less complex and more easily managed At any rate, what are the possibilities of achieving this worthwhile thing? First we have the academic professor’s “atomic energy,” about which I know nothing and they, apparently, very

little, except that it might prove to be anything but free energy. Far more promising than this, there is wireless power. In my opinion the receiving end m the simple function of picking + t s e / nergy has not been perfected, for are we not in an ocean of radio . Then, with apparatus of impracticable dimensions, of course, we should be able to pick up as much energy as we like, apart from any local amplifying we do afterwards. No one has yet demonstrated this! Has anyone ever tried making the aerial, ground and aerial leads the same diameter as the ground conductor, which is driv n mto the ground at least 6ft or better still is a 20ft length of conductor, buried about 3ft? I feel confident that picked up energy will increase as this diameter increases! Then there is the free electricitv of the atmosphere. Even about five vears ago it was reported that an Austrian student had obtained “electric light from the air without the least expense. ’ And recently Mr. C. Francis Jenkins, of America, has freely given to the public details of a little motor driven by the static electricity of the air. Undoubtedly some genius will shortly show us how to apply practically this form of potential power. Volta’s grand fundamental discovery —the primary battery—is simply waiting for someone with wit enough to apply it. These are all possibilities of free or at least very cheap energy. Who can say which will prove to he the best? Let us hope one or the other will soon become a commonplace. A.H.C, A MATTER OF SALESMANSHIP Sir, The criticisms of your correspondents “C.T.” and “Fed Up” regarding railway management apply to any Government department, and particularly to the post office. If you go into a Queen Street shop, or any large mercantile house to spend your money you can do your business in clean, spacious premises. The attendants are neatly dressed, eager to attend to you. Quickness, courtesy and friendly service appears to be the chief aim of the staff, because the proprietor knows that if you don’t get these attentions you will transfer your patronage to some place where they are forthcoming. In short, the customer is as welcome as the flowers in spring, and from the floor manager to the humblest assistant behind the counter, the whole policy of the shop is to satisfy your requirements and induce you to come back again. The Government of this countrv is committed to all kinds of trading, but Government officials are destitute of the first elements of salesmanship. In many cases the office accommodation is unworthy of a second-hand dealer. The official as often as not is an untidv person who has neglected to shave and does not appear to own either a nail or a tooth brush. He wears a collar for a week, and an ancient office coat spattered with ink and frayed at the cuffs His general appearance is that of an ill-nourished roan trying to maintain a ho„km n Ji : Eamily while helping to keep a bookmaker or a moneylender on £4 ich v, .has no interest in his beyond his pay, his annual leave and his superannuation. From his point of view the customer xv ho comes in to do business with the merely makes extra work and interferes with a routine laid down in about 400 Public Service rcgulatfons none of which gives the slightest in-f-matmn on the subject of salesman-

•It I L an J'. " ondf r that doing business with the Government is invariably at-

tended by discomfort, loss of time *** ] temper and general dissa iiafactkfll* j Most men in business know to tIK~ : cost that for three months out of 12 they are working for the clovers* ment. That is to say, taxation the whole of the net profits ayw 3l ’* from the operation of a plant or large business organisation for onefourth of each year. This heavy burden could be aljy lightened if the trading departments of the State were efficiently ganised on the lines a merchant or tributor has to adopt to attract cuit** and do business against liis compe»* tors. „ citizes REFORM ADMINISTRATION Sir,— _ Another fai ure is admitted of Reform Government. The tally mounting. This latest admiMUC . the Prime Ministers that the members of the Board are voluntarily retiring on annuation, and that Mr. H. Hling, a former member, will assur^ il % position of general manager. Ti* polite way of explaining the of a vaunted administrative collective control. Then there is the naive explsjj* as to why the former Minister ** ternal Affairs, the Hon. w. worthy, has been taken out oSamoan picture. His super sess the Prime Minister has been incidental to a readjustment of . mental control, and in no way sents a reflection on Mr. Noswo* service. Indeed, the change was gested by the lesser to one another is a delightful . among politicians, but T 'or:unatei. even Government by regulation* prevent the public from having • j at the political gramJxti.rEFOß* NOTICES TO CORRESPONDED “Absolutely Disgusted.* ’ ***s* l^,. theatre proprietors have plained that the only way s difficulties about seats is to re. j# seat in good time firemen are permitting over”? p on stairs, your protest 9 bou made to the proper authoring The Sun.