Citizens Say—

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 586, 12 February 1929, Page 8

Citizens Say —

(To the Editor.)

GAS HORRORS Sir, — I quite agree with what R. M. Thomson says about gas, but there is one thing I would like to state. Cannot Mr. Thomson see that, until every fighting nation _ comes to a mutual agreement prohibiting the use of poison gas, it stands to reason that, if we wish to live, we have to use gas until that agreement is reached. It is all very well to talk about educating humanity against war, but who is going to do it, and when? * STILL COMMON SENSE. Sir,— After reading a letter by “Common Sense, I am surprised to see that the same old cry is raised: “Because others prepare so must we.” I suggest, sir, that with the perfection of aerial warfare it is impossible to make a country safe from invasion. Further satisfactorily to train our boys to combat gas appears foolish. We must all realise that if another great clash comes and “Common Sense” says it will—the progress of thousands of years will vanish, like the morning dew. At this time when we hear so much about w’ork for peace, would it not be far nobler to educate our youth against war, and along the lines of universal brotherhood ? I venture to say, sir, that the masses of New Zealand would do the world and themselves a greater service bv objecting to entertain any idea of preparing for war. W. BYRT.

GAS Sir, — I read in your paper that they intend to build what is called a “Poison Gas House," at Devonport. If this is necessary then the prospect for our boasted civilisation is surely black indeed. If another war does happen and all nations “let loose” with poison gas, men will just suffer an agonising death without having a chance to fight at all. The civilian population will also be wiped out in thousands, and as they now have gases which can be neither “tasted nor smelt,” why the above useless preparation with our sons? It, in my opinion, is only aggravating the position, and is a gesture to other nations to do likewise. In fact, the dangers ahead are so terrific that some curb will have to be put on those responsible. To say wars are uncontrollable is out of the question. We must begin to talk peace and act peace. At the present time we are talking peace and acting war. How can we expect to be trusted? CONTROL WANTED. THE HIGH COST OF PROGRESS Sir. — Th s Transport Board is supposed to represent the highest grade of common sense in the community. The public recently turned down several proposed city loans sensing by intuition evidently something that required remedying. No remedy for the trouble lias been offered from the quarter of the highest grade of common sense. If

the blind leads the blind both fall in the ditch. A Transport Board member says the public has made grave mistakes and lost some irrecoverable assets through turning down loans; and further that money should be had at 5i per cent, and 2 per cent, sinking fund. Now this is the core of the trouble which compels the taxpayers to call a halt and refuse to pqfs loans which, in the past 10 or 12 years, have been in a marked degree the cause of present economic difficulties. Pick up your interest table and just calculate loans at 6 per cent., which has been the interest paid, and 2 per cent, and even 3 per cent, sinking fund, and ascertain how long it takes to return all the loan currency back to the lender in the shape of interest, etc.? Yet the leaders of the people. Transport Board members and others, tell us we are “croakers” and it is nothing. “We must boom the city.” I will say that if the people wish to meet with disaster again in the future, then let them go ahead and continue the desperate game. There is a remedy and it lies around our currency problem. I would recommend that a conference be called to consider the problem, and that in the meantime not one penny piece be voted by the taxpayer until this crushing load that is being hourly added to shall have been adjusted and adequately mot. For this purpose it would require a Dominion conference, since every borough and city is in the same boat. L. McGANN.

THE SPIRIT WORLD Sir.— In answer to Mr. Herbert Mulvihill, on crystal gazing and so forth, he has my deeepst sympathy. Surely he has some dear ones belonging to him who have passed on to a Higher Life and are perhaps watching over him. I wonder how he would like to hear of them being referred to as "spooks.” Perhaps if he were a bit more enlightened he would change his opinion. We sit and listen to someone speaking in America and say: "Oh. it is only wireless. Then just think back as far as our great-grandfathers’ days. Miracles are being performed to-dav. INTERESTED. MATERIALISTIC PHILOSOPHY Sir,— Mr. Norman Burton assumes, without a shadow of justification: (1) That J. have read none of his authorities on super naturalistic philosophy; and (2) iTtti the development of the materialii!, T? hllo , so , phy ended with Bradlaugh ®J* d Haeckel. With regard to the forS 1 . hav :s read Within recent years ftv ” ! r Q9- Science ’ Reli kion and Real! some work of Professor ?rfa d vT ai Jl’ ° £ .Cambridge, and “Mind f” d Matter by c. M. Joad. Number P* ° ® hows , Mr - Burton to be guilty of hcrh ery Sln of omißßion with which of the m^!f» me k sin f e he seems Ignorant developments of the mat- /.™ c Philosophy. This is again evirelatfvitv'vrtn he , s ? ys tha t Einstein’. *v ty wl , u n °t Ot materialism. Yet U* RT ,e ®dPg materialists Is the Hon. Bertrand Russell, who is also one | (Continued in next column)

of the foremost mathematicians ia Europe in the select company ot th# half dozen masters who really understand relativity. And he does not find the two antagonistic. (See “Skeptical Essays.”) I wonder who :s the raor# competent judge, the Hon. Bertrand Russell or Mr. Norman Burton. As to the alleged shattering of Materialism as a philosophy, Mr. Burton should read the verbatim report ot the debate held in Queen’s Hall, London, last September, on “Materialism: Has it been Exploded 7” between Chapman Cohen and C. E- M. Joad. He will find that the explosion is largely in the minds of men who have failed study their opponents’ ideas: that Materialism does not depend on any particular definition of matter; that H asserts, in short, the possibility of explaining everything as a consequent o. the composition of forces. AE.C.

WAGES ON RELIEF WORKS

Sir, A contemporary of yours, in n ncent leader, refers to Sir Joseph XU'artl* raising the rate of pay to 14s a day as an act of benevolence. Experience » able teacher. Here is one of the re*i« works wages sums taught by it. Ait*' three weeks of idleness a job was tained on one of the suburban works at 9s a day. Saturday, half-day* Monday, rained heavily; no wotk. Tuesday, broke fine; 11 a.m. heavy set in; w-alked back to city drenchw* Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, “JJ Earnings for the week, £1 14b Average for the month Ss Bid & week And this is the sort of business on# has endured for the past three yearsIt may be likened to a malign*- 11 * growth and past relief works hare akin to plastering it with a sixpttn} pot of vaseline. __ NEW ZEALAND*