Citizens Say –

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 645, 23 April 1929, Page 8

Citizens Say -

(To the Editor.)

MAORI ROYALTY Sir, — I policed recently in a report of a great Maori gathering that Queen Te Marae had been pres-ent. I have been arguing with a friend about this. Can you tell me who this lady is? Is she the mother of Princess Te Puea? [To Marae is the mother of “King” Rata Mahuta, and widow of the late king of the Waikato Maoris. Princess Te Puea, whose fine work in the Waikato has been widely acknowledged, is a grand-daughter of the late King Tawhaio and a cousin of Rata Mahuta.—Editor, The Sun.] CITY COUNCIL ELECTIONS Sir, — May I be permitted to add a bouquet to those already delivered to the Mayor and City Council. These administrators delegate full powec and control over matters directly touching the honour and dignity of citizens to an employee of the council. I refer to the question of prosecutions. These are instituted, or otherwise, apparently at the sweet will of a traffic inspector. Surely one would expect a committee of the council to have some say in regard to this dragooning of citizens. The only matter to worry electors is how to dispose of such a council quickly enough. NEW BLOOD. “RAFFERTY” METHODS Sir, — The Mayoral contest now in full swing has produced at least one benefit; for whereas it was almost impossible to obtain information from the Mayor, councillors or officials, the Mayor, by taking the platform, has been furnishing interesting matter hitherto unknown and undreamt of by the electors. At his opening campaign at Grey Lynn a week ago I asked him for information as to the £200,000 provided by the City Council toward the total cost of the waterfront road, £317,000. (1) Seeing that two bridges had still to be built and a considerable portion of the road work required to bo done, and according to a recent statement by the town clerk that £IBO,OOO had been paid by the City Council, what further liability rested with the City

Council as to the requisite amount to complete?—Answer; No liability beyond the £200,000. (2) What arrangements had been made as to (a) auditing the accounts, (b) appointing an overseer or clerk of works to safeguard the interests of ratepayers?—The Mayor explained that with respect to (a) that the Public Works debited the City Council with the work done, and after the figures had been checked payment was made; but with respect to (b), to my astonishment, and to that of the meeting, he stated that though the cityengineer made occasional (but apparently no close) inspection, no overseer had been appointed to check quantities and to safeguard such a possibility of the City Council being debited with any sum (large or small) properly chargeable to the railway construction. Contrast this with the attitude of a local body adjacent to Auckland, when the owner of an estate undertook, at his own expense, to put in a concrete road. After completion the road was to be dedicated and taken over. The local body' appointed a clerk of works to ensure that the work was don© to the specifications submitted. Comparison of the foregoing illustrations, showing laxity and unbusinesslike methods on the part of our representatives, as against those used by a comparatively small local body, makes further comment unnecessary. 11. P. TAYLOR. ORIGIN OF THE MAORI Sir,— Recently there was some controversy iff tm, U £> ‘ :oumnH regarding the origin mt he w° ■ neSl ' m race, one correspondent Claiming that they were akin to the American Indians. This was refuted by Mr. Geo. Graharn in a very capable manner and with his views I am in partial agree“etn ™ ? n my °r’L nlon - however, he did not go far enough back into the origin of these Polynesians. Philological!;, l'‘?f nc6 soe ® to show that they n a me from somewhere around the Medite--ranean Sea, their names for light and darkness being the same as those of ness ES Ra la w : of light and darkdarkness SU " Sod “* other the Ma °ri had anv otnei origin than in the Oarden of and shouli nm e v, co "l rar - v , to Scripture ana should not bo allowed to be taught m our public schools. American uni(Continued in next column)

versity ethnologists are searching anxiously for some evidence of biogenesis and before long the Garden of Eden story may be subjected to further denial. Difficulty’ may be experienced about the survival of Polynesian ancestors during the period of the Flood, but it is quite possible that they escaped at the same time as the v moa, and that Noah was unaware of this fact. Recen; discovery’, in a New Zealand cave, of drawings of prehistoric canoes and the wonderful astronomical knowledpo possessed by these ancient mariners goes to show that they could negotiate ocean travel and would therefore be able to escape drowning. But did they introduce the moa to Now Zealand or did it make its way here after being liberated from Noah’s ark? INTERESTED STUDENT. FARES TO THE ’DROME Sir, — In your correspondence columns last evening “Peeved” voices a protest against a company which charged 2s 6d for the return trip to town from the airdrome on Saturday. As our company serves all this district, I would ask you to he good enough to give publicity to the fact that the Passenger Transport Company was not the one referred to, all our buses charging 2s both on the outward and the inward trips, that being our usual fare for the distance. Thanking you in anticipation, 11. L. GARLAND, Manager. “THE SLOUCHING FOUR” Sir, — I was glad to read in last evening’s Sun the letter of Ex-N.Z.E.F.. o’* the subject of Sunday’s parade. I think everyone who takes a pride in New Zealand’s fine younger generation must have felt ashamed that four youths with no sense of fitness or dignity should have let down their companions at a splendid ceremony of thi* kind. To see these slouching fellows with cigarettes hanging at the “fashionable” angle from their ID'while their companions stood smartly with arms presented, gave one a very unpleasant shock. I hope that thin ilitary authorities have traced tne offenders and that the necessity or good behaviour on parade has been, or will be, taught them. SOUTH AFRICA