Citizens Say

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 619, 22 March 1929, Page 8

Citizens Say

(To the Editor.)

HEALTH RAYS Sir, The fact that the King has derived benefit from treatment with violet rays seems to have influenced some of our local authorities to see the need for more lamps at the hospital. Wonderful work has been done in the slums of London by a philanthropist and his helpers, through the use of artificial sunlight, for the children of the poor there. Let us hope that in this favoured country, where for the greater part of the year we enjoy sunshine, that the day is not far off when our hospitals and schools, churches and all places possible, will be built so that all inside these places shall have gjlass instead of walls which shut out the sunshine. B. LOU-KING. BIBLE IN SCHOOLS Sir, — Having carefully and repeatedly read the reports in The Sun of the recent Bible demonstration in the Town Hall, I am amazed at the criticism thereof by the committee, of which Mr. H. Yolland is secretary. I am sure every fair-minded reader will accept your explanation as perfectly satisfactory. Every well-informed person knows that the great question at issue is: Which Bible, if any, shall be read in our schools? Shall it be the Protestant or Roman Catholic Bible? If the Protestant Bible, which version—the Authorised or the Revised? The socalled “Modernist” movement is mainly attributable to the revision of the Bible; for all scholars of repute admit that the Authorised Version, of 1611, is (1) an imperfect translation, (2) of an imperfect text, (3) in language which is to-day obsolete and misleading. While I am an advocate of the Bible-in-schools, I should like to see the most accurate version used, and would be opposed to dogmas of infallibility of any person, book or church. U NIVE R S ALIS T. FARMERS AND THE TARIFF Sir,— The friendly meeting between representatives of the Farmers’ Union and the Auckland manufacturers seems to have had the effect of stirring up interest in the economic effect, or rather uneconomic effect, of high wages, high protective tariffs, high rates of interest and so on, as viewed from the allimportant aspect of our primary industries. Whatever arguments have been brought forward against the stand taken by the farmers’ representatives, there is no denying that for some cause or many causes, the farming business is not progressing as it should in this highly-favoured land of sunshine and showers. Considering the enormous expansion in our national and private indebtedness, involving a fabulous increase in interest charges annually, it is obvious that our increase in exportable . productions is falling far short of I requirements. It is from our exports i—and little else —that we must get the j necessary wealth in order* to pay our

ever-increasing - interest bills, importations and national charges expenditure. As far as our manufacturing: productions are concerned, they are of little or no help in the stupendous struggle that confronts us to make both ends meet. Almost any article manufactured in this Dominion can be bought elsewhere and landed here at a cost much below the cost of local production. Therefore it is plain that there is nothing gained economically in the way of surplus profits. No sensible business man could be induced to produce at a loss, or at a price above what he can import at, so why endeavour to obtain Government assistance by continually increasing protective tariffs for concerns that it hasy already been proved cannot be profitably manufactured here, except by heaping unreasonable burdens upon other and more profitable industries? It does not require a very clever person to observe that unbusinesslike statesmanship is responsible for the very slow development made in recent years in our primary industries, and that through the chocking of the primary industrial wheels sound economic progress is impossible anywhere. Hence we have business stagnation and unemployment overtaking almost every section of the community throughout the Dominion. Irresponsible agitation and shortsighted politicians are fast running things into a state of bankruptcy and desperation, at a time, too, when we should be one of the most prosperous countries in the wide world, had only sane laws *and sound legislation been applied. Owing to climatic advantages and geographical position, New Zealand is naturally an agricultural country, and yet we have only about 20 to 26 per cent, of our population engaged in this occupation. Probably we have a smaller proportion of our people on the land than almost any other part of the world, so why insist on high protective duties to bolster up unprofitable industries that essentially belong to other countries? T. H. TIDD MUNICIPAL MUSIC i Sir-. — I was interested to see in a recent issue of The Sun a letter from Councillor Murray, who at least has the courage to come out in the open with a statement as to the waste of money in running organ recitals which, under present conditions, are not wanted by the public. His costing out is well under-estimated. He asks for reasons for failure in this department. A vital one is that our city organist chooses programmes which have not the slightest interest for the general public. The programme items in many cases are only of interest to students of the organ. Seeing that the council accepts the city organist’s advice with regard to running these recitals, the present unfortunate condition must continue, unless a new council at next election contains members equal to dealing with this question. In Portland, Oregon, they handle their recitals very differently. Recognising early in their experience that their council did not know how to handle a department that they did not understand. they placed their municipal (Continued in next column)

music in the hands of a commission of three, composed of a musician, « businessman, and a lawyer, all being musical. The programmes are entirely under the control of these three gentlemen, who hold official status. They found early also that it was necessary to control the city organist’s items, where they did not meet the popular taste, so that instead of the organist playing what he liked, irrespective of a drawing point of view, the business commission told him what they wanted, with the result that, after a certain amount of experimenting, they now have some wonderfully successful concerts. This committee soon found out that organ recitals alone were not a success, so it judiciously introduce other musical items in such variety as ultimately to build up a successful department of municipal activity. The article cited shows how far astray and how little our present council knows about running municipal music. As things are the best thing for our council to do is to cut out organ recitals for a while (or else allow local organists the free use of the hall and organ say once a month for recitals;, and instead of wasting good money on municipal recitals that the public have clearly shown it does not want, spend if necessary a little more on the Municipal Band, w-hich, if properly handled, could supply all the music required for some time to come. Military band music—especially the well-chosen programmes of Bandmaster Smith, wh*» knows the requirements of his public thoroughly—is well worth building up Bark concerts in the summer time, if well advertised, would draw hundreds of the public, and would give infinitely more pleasure than that obtained from listening to dreary organ recitals in the most uncomfortably seated hall in Auckland. COMMISSION.