Citizens Say

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 631, 6 April 1929, Page 8

Citizens Say

(To the Editor.)

THE BACKBLOCKS TEACHER i 2 * £ Sir, — e The lot of tlie backblock teacher, as * outlined in yesterday’s Sun, I will admit is not ideal. The' teacher in this 1 case says that he is at present living- 1 in two small, dirty rooms. He must j be a pretty feeble stick if he can’t < clean his own living quarters. It is 1 stated that he was previously at sea, < in what capacity it does not mention, 1 but I cannot conceive that he has i served his time on a windjammer, as 1 I can say from my own personal ex- ■< perience he would not be reduced to 1 such a plight by what he calls ill fare. 1 When I left the sea I went into the ■ backblocks. I lived in a bach which . I did not allow to become dirty. I ; worked from 6 a.m. until anything up ] to 9 p.m., knocking off on Sundays and ; washing my clothes, etc. I took this ■ on for a season of seven months, for - considerably less than half the wage 1 that our ill-fated teacher must be getting. . I have friends who are teachers in : the backblocks now. Although their ( jobs are unpleasant they are men enough to see it through. Such men as these deserve better jobs when they ' have served their time in the back- ' blocks, but for the department to talk of arranging a transfer just because a man is unable to make the best of a bad job is ridiculous. G.F.P. “SAYS THE MAYOR . . ” Sir, — Being a regular reader of your Sun newspaper, I would like to draw the attention of ratepayers to the Mayor’s remarks at recent meetings which have been held. First: That Auckland has the finest drinking water in New Zealand. Evidently the Mayor does not drink water when at Rotorua, Hastings or Masterton, as the writer feels sure the three places mentioned have drinking water easily superior to that of Auckland. Second: The Mayor says that we should be pleased at the result of rents now obtainable from Civic Square leases, which mean over £9,000 a year to the City Council. Was the * present Mayor not a strong supporter of Sir James Gunson’s campaign to have no revenue-producing area, but to have palatial offices and grass plots, and possibly a few flowers and garden seats? The ratepayers of Auckland ■ should thank the West End Ratepayers’ Association for starting the agita- * tion which eventually voted out the i Civic Square idea of Sir James Gun- , son, and gave back to the ratepayers . the rentals which they will now re- . ceive. It behoves every ratepayer to . put on his thinking cap before the elec- | tions take place. ; RATEPAYER. ; ANGLO-AMERICAN RELATIONS [ Sir,— - “N.M.W.” attempts to show that the - Rev. R. J. Campbell is in a better posii tion than I to judge of Anglo-Ameri- ; can relations. In that he is wrong. ) Having lived for years in Britain and L America, I consider New Zealand is a . better place from which to judge such * a question. It is nonsense to suggest that we are “marooned in the basement of the •world.” We are better in--1 formed of doings in London than are y many parts of England, and of doings "■in Washington than many parts of i-America- N-0 city, tb# size of Auck-

land in America or England produces newspapers comparable to ours, so far as lam aware. While I have great re- J spect for the Rev. R. J. Campbell, and J would not dream of classing him “as a 1 lunatic,” I must protest against his j pessimistic and foolish prediction. If Mr. Campbell had lived in the great cities and country places in America for more than a dozen years, as I have done, he would know that such antiBritish talk as alarmed him is nothing new. For upwards of a hundred and fifty years such talk has been the vogue. But I would direct attention to the fact that Fourth of July celebrations, like those of the Fifth of November, are cooling off considerably. As Americans are becoming better acquainted with the British, they are learning to esteem them more highly. It is absurd for “N.M.W.” to suggest that I pretend friction is non-existent. While he refers to one cause of friction, without naming it, I recognise many causes; but none of these, nor all of them combined, may reasonably be expected to produce war. as Mr. Campbell so foolishly supposes. These i causes of disagreement are more than off-set by the innumerable and increasing causes for agreement. Queen Victoria determined under no circumstances to countenance war with America; if we do the same, we shall enjoy peace, and realise the solidarity of the English-speaking nations. More than that, let us all take up the slogan “No More War!” for by so doing we shall usher in the warless age. J- G. HUGHES. PLAIN TALK ON TRANSPORT Sir,— Your leading article of Wednesday calls for a reply from me. At the outset, let me clear up a slight misunderstanding of the position. It has been suggested that I am fighting for the interests of the people of Onehunga only. Let me assure you that is not the true position. The Transport Board was brought into commission owing to the unfair treatment that was being meted out to the outside local bodies, and it was hoped that this would be remedied and that everyone ; within the transport area would receive fair and equal treatment. During the time that I have been on the board I have striven to have the repugnant conditions in the outer areas remedied, but the board as at present constituted has on no occasion extended its sympathy to these people, but has not lost an opportunity to agree to give residents within the city . area just what they have asked for. ’ Ever since the occasion when the , chairman, in his anxiety to prevent Mr Potter proceeding with his motion to have private auditors appointed to check the accounts, in order that members of the board should understand the position exactly as it is, I have been compelled to view the manner in which the transport undertaking has been, and still is being, operated, with the ? ra y,t St slJS V»cion. As a business man I will not lef.d myself to support loans 5 (some of which, I am pleased to note ■ the Loans Board in Its wisdom re^ ■ fused to sanction) for extensions a - number of which seems to me to be designed to satisfy the appetites of i vested interests. Let me say here that i I would much prefer to go through the t vorid broken in health and in pocket than prostitute my position on the - board by answering to the crack of the 3 whip of vested interests, however 3 powerfuL f . .. „ F. S. MORTON. •1 AtKlkjajKj, 5