Citizens Say —

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 474, 2 October 1928, Page 8

Citizens Say

(To the Editor.)

WHICH IS THE WETTEST CITY? Sir, — It ought to be placed prominently on record, with a special request to British newspapers to copy, that Auckland has had three rainless days in succession with the promise of a fourth. Also that two of the three certain dry days were nearly perfect as regards springtime weather. Climate has a great influence on immigration, and in fairness to intending British emigrants, they should be advised by the High Commissioner’s Office that to emigrate to Auckland need not necessarily mean better weather conditions for a Greenock man—Greenock being the only town at Home which rivals Auckland for rain. It is true, however, that the Clydeside port occasionally breaks the monotony by changing over from rain to snow and sleet. Personally, I have learned from experience in many countries that Auckland is the wettest city in the British Empire. IMMIGRANT. A “SHIMMY-SHAKE” TO SAFETY Sir,— As a visitor to Auckland I write to tell you how extraordinary I consider the discrepancy in the by-law which prohibits a motor-car from passing a stationary tramcar and yet allows cardrivers to fly past safety zones. If it is held necessary for motorists to have a free run the length of Queen Street on account of trafhc congestion, surely soma notice should be placed on the zones warning strangers that they are liable to be “juggernauted.” I stepped blithely from a “safety” zone yesterday, in my ignorance, thinking that. I had a safe-conduct to the footpath, iviy subsequent performance would have made Miss Gilda Gray who, I believe, is the talented creator of that poetic dance, the shimmy-shake, green with envy. I can laugh about it now, but I would have been arrested had anyone been able to read my thoughts about the City Council. DRAT IT. “IF I WERE PRIME MINISTER—” Sir. Your correspondent. Mr. J. Fenton, points out that I used over 1.000 words in my essay on the above subject, but my other critic, “F.E.A.,” makes it plain that I could have used 3 0.000. He protests that the workers of New Zealand are not an uneducated brutal class. Sir. I never said they were. It is my habit to use words carefully. I spoke of the “stunted. uneducated, brutalised lowest class.” To brutalise means to make into a beast or an animal, and the working hours and conditions of the labouring classes are such that they do brutalise and stunt human beings. In the ups and downs of my career it has been my lot to consort with the “downs” of humanity

more than with the “ups.” I have lived among miners and truckers, for instance, who do the hardest physical drudjgery shut away from the sun. When such men have finished their day’s work they are too exhausted to study political economy or the finer nuances of foreign diplomacy. All they want is rest and fresh air. The farm labourer who rises at 4 a.m. and finishes work at 8 p.m. cannot be expected to burn the midnight oil in order to train himself in the arts of government, and surely no one wiil contend that an elementary school education is such a training. All that can be done for such people at present is to govern them wisely. I hope to see the day when the years of education will be considerably extended and the hours of labour considerably shortened. Then direct government by the workers will be feasible. I did not write my essay, I would point out. on what I would do if I were Prime Minister with years of office definitely ahead of me, but on what I would do now with an election pending. And I assure you. sir. that I did not wilfully overstep the 1,000 words. I did not count them but estimated them by lineal average as journalists do. MARGARET MACPHERSON. THINKING MONEY Sir,— One of the most fascinating interviews The Sun has published in its bright columns was that last Saturday with an American occultist concerning the establishment of a monastery for mystics at Glenorchy, at the head of Lake Wakatipu. The prospect is an alluring one, but I should like to know, sir, something about the details of membership. For example, will a fee be required for admittance to the monastery where one might get away completely from politics, jazz and screaming radio valves? I noticed with special interest that Dr. C. S. Bone told The Sun interviewer that money was not any bar to esoteric students. It was only necessary, he said, simply to affirm finance; to think, indeed, of £IOO as a green gift which was sure to come to the silent thinker. He added that nothing could stop it from arriving—and spoke from experience. Sir, it seems to me that this esoteric cult means to make a lot of money out of “green” New Zealanders. HIGHER THOUGHT. MR. FLETCHER AND THE DRINK TRAFFIC Sir, Never In the history of New Zealand has a more intemperate statement been made than that of the Rev. L. B. Fletcher, quoted by you as saying: “God will damn and curse every man and woman that has anything (Continued in next eolumn.)

ESPERANTO Sir. — It is related that a certain barrister was once handed a brief with the terse injunction, “Xo case—abuse plaintiff's counsel.” "Torre de Babel seems to be in the same predicament, judging by his last letter. X asked him in what way Spanish was superior to Esperanto. Evidently he knows none. In fact he can find one fault only with the structure of Esperanto—the use of “j” in many words. I wonder if he familiar with that ugly language spoken by the unimaginative Greeks. I suppose he would pardon their prevalent use of “oi” (“oj” in Esp.) on the grounds of their antiquity? Certainly I quoted leading men m favour of Esperanto. Bo it noted, though, that they were linguists and educationists. The expert is to be respected within his own province- But I don’t ask “Torre de Babel” anyone else to take their word. anto stands or falls on its merits, ana no one yet has detracted from There is a splendid opportunity for “T. de 8.,” if he can find any other objection to it than his own and other people’s ignorance of it. “T. de B.’s” attitude toward Franc© is on a par with his narrow views g©nerally. I wonder does his historical knowledge date back to the time of Napoleon? Perhaps his great grand- : father wrote to the local paper suggesting a graceful act to Prussia! Heaven protect us when we have indulge in such “graceful acts” toward Russia or China. I confess to being a Briton and not ashamed of the fact, but I am very pleased to find Esperanto preferred to my own language for international purposes. If some people would risk a pidginised English for the sake of the illusive honour to the nation. I value the language sufficiently to wish to preserve it as an exclusive possession of the Anglo-Saxon race. In any case, English is not well adapted to be an international language, although it* the best of the national tongues. friend would not attempt to sail in hi car although it is very efficient on OP concrete roads. But I would like ' inform “Torre de Babel” that the preference of “Mittel Europa” for Esperanto is not because of its inventor wno happened to be a Jew. (By the way* I hope no reader has gathered the impression that “Mittel Europa” is a specimen of what he will find in Esperanto books-) The preference arises because there the need is so great Esperanto fills the bill, especially *°* the “man in the street,” who preciate Esperanto when he has tn opportunity of finding what it is. Finally, my friend should remember that the Almighty does not favour ing, as witness our lack of There is some God-given quality h* men, though, which makes them aspire to new things such as flight and temational language. We shall rea v ise both. And speaking of aviation i ! is of interest to note that the FarmftI Aviation lines have decided to tee** I Esperanto to their pilots. C. J. ADCOCK, Esperanto Const**