Citizens Say—

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 583, 8 February 1929, Page 8

Citizens Say —

(To the Editor.)

I TRAFFIC IN QUEEN STREET Sir, — I wish to draw your attention to the Queen Street motor traffic, and. to suggest that private cars should be stopped coming down below Wellesley {Street and above Customs Street—the street is too naifjiw and there is too much risk to run. The trams and business trolleys are quite enough. Peoples’ lives must be considered. The protection of life and property should be the first thing for the City Council to deal with. Getting to a tram zone is quite dangerous, and the way cars whisk round city corners is too awful. Then again, many motorists carry too much spirit in their make-up, and the time has arrived for the council and Transport Board to take action —no matter what other cities do. We have this city to control properly, and we must have strict rules to deal with transgressors. O. H. GORDON. MATRICULATION Sir, In order to make it easy for all youths to learn professions and the skilled trades, the Government of some years ago placed an embargo on the practice of charging premiums when learning a trade. The premiums at that time averaged anything from £2O to £IOO. It was thought that by making the skilled trades easy to enter, all our coming generation would become expert in the different occupations. Although Government action removed this barrier to progress, parents are now faced with a bigger hurdle in the shape of the matriculation entrance examination. To send a boy to school for three years, to buy school books, to feed and clothe him, costs at least £ 300—or three times as much as was imposed by the £IOO premiums. Chemists, opticians, lawyers and many other callings now make youths spend three years in passing this examination before being admitted to the ranks of the “learners.” What lawyer, chemist or optician could get 33 per cent, in a matriculation examination ? DLORAH. SCHOOL BOYS IN BUSES Sir, — Quite recently I read a letter from a correspondent suggesting that special buses should be provided for school children to avoid their crowding into the usual morning’s crush upon these vehicles.

If all the boys travelling are as unruly and rude as tile majority of those travelling on the bus route which I am forced to take. I should think special cars are sadly needed. These boys make travelling by this route a positive discomfort. They are no respecters of women or children. They rush at the bus before it stops and each evening a disgraceful scramble takes place where they enter the bus There seems to be no limit to the number carried, and they bump and push other passengers, and their shouting and foolish clatter is almost as hard to endure as the rattle of the bus. The bus driver has an unenviable task in dealing with these young fel-

lows, but I was pleased to see one take a firm stand to-day and refuse to allow them on the bus uriless their unruly behaviour ceased. Burely if the school authorities have no power to remedy such behaviour, then a special conveyance should, be provided wherein these youths may smoke, shout and indulge in their foolish pranks and remarks without causing discomfort to other passengers. TRAVELLER. February 7, 1929. POISON GAS AT DEVONPORT Sir, — We have read and heard a lot about poison gas, which is being made for the extinction of the white races when they become mad enough for another war. Is that the first sign we see in the erection of a gas-cliamber at Devonport? People would like to know if this disgraceful action is just the forerunner of similar institutions to be established by the military throughout the Dominion. I, for one, would never permit any son of mine to risk his life or permit it to be used the convenience of those responsible. Let the officers and authorities perfect weapons of war and, if they want to light and use armaments, they can have such wars on their own. I may not be intellectual, but thank God I have enough sense to know the hideousness of war and its useless evils. FREEDOM. GAS HORRORS Sir, — As one who has made family sacrifices I am interested (and horrified) to note m your paper on Wednesday an i he beading of “Poison ’’' ; * n which application was being made for permission to erect a gas? £e?t I T bei - a £, Calll °pe Dock. The sug1S tilat this Chamber is to be used for navy trainees in connection ' l k as helmets. I, and thousands of other parents in Auckland and New ?t e temm t Want tQ kno "' if tw s is an attempt t° introduce into this country we goin l i aS to° f msane militarism? Are we going to encourage the spirit of "■ ar by subjecting our boys to experiments of this nature? p I may say that a friend of mine who bas Just returned from abroad <on« ii 1 * as f/ 1 officer in the nJtiGnc ar) , clajms that the leading nations are heading for self-extermi Uve°Sse a of tbe - resul f. of the destrucPJ® “f® of science.” He said, and it been amplified by recent cahlPß that the “frightfulness” be?ng ore-’ paied for another war, if war-mongers have their way, includes gases thlt cannot be seen or smelt. If that is 2ueg W ed at^ 11 o b % tht ; USe "inertssssswras b “tS , V- et T ,l “ yhSS£^h2 * for the unthinking ’’and TT th ° US?h , ts lack intelligence enough to realise that (Continued in next column)

national and world peace is the greatest need of the moment. However, they are only those of a mother, and I suppose they don’t count for much in these vaunted days of Christianity and education X PARENT.

SUMMONSES FOR CHILDREN Sir,— It was with feelings of indignation that I read in to-night’s issue of The Sun of police summonses being served by a uniformed police official on a child of tender years. I do not know who is responsible. It is almost Gilbertian were it not for the ill effects it would have upon a child. Our superintendent of police is a humane man and I do not think he would countenance any such action being Taken in regard to children. I am forwarding an account of this action as recorded in to-night’s Sun to the Minister of Justice, drawing his attention to this terrifying of children of tender years. I am afraid our police methods are not always consistent with British traditions or justice. There is a feeling o: unrest in the community that unfair tactics anu unfair statements are often used to secure convictions. The police seem determined to secure convictions any cost, and reputable citizens wnu commit some offence against some absurd by-law are humiliated by uniformed constables calling at uieir homes or business houses and serving the delinquent with a summons as though he were guilty of sorae gr«* crime. No wonder the parent of tnt child who was served with a summons feels indignant. Many otner citizens felt the same on reading tn report, and I trust that whoever responsible for such an outrage upo the feelings of a child of tenderyear= will not only be punished by a repnmand, but that action will be take to prevent such a scandalous actio ever occurring again. JUSTITIA.