Citizens Say—

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 819, 13 November 1929, Page 8

Citizens Say—

(To the MUSIC, HO! Hooray for the return to good orchestras! I am pleased to see that a newly appointed conductor intends playing good music, not programmes of just jazz. If visiting companies could hear the people’s interest when something above jazz is played or danced, they would not till up their programmes with so much noise and rubbish. New Zealanders are more akin to the English in their tastes, and theatrical folk have yet to grasp this. FED UP. CONVICTED FELONS Sir, — The reasoning of your correspondent “Anglo-Saxon” indicates that he has overlooked a vital phase in his study of crime, when he protests that previous convictions should not be taken into account when a prisoner is being sentenced. If a "dose” of penal punishment is inflicted because of previous convictions—and that is not always the case—it is perfectly justified, insofar as the previous punishment has failed to cure the wayward one of his criminal ways, and suggests the necessity for greater punishment and more strict supervision over his habits. The fact that a felon has paid the material penalty.for his misdeeds must not inspire the belief that the slate is clean. If he offends again it is clear that he does not intend to reform. What, then, would “Anglo-Saxon” do? Would he leave him at liberty to sin at will against society? JUSTICE. PARLIAMENTARY PAY Sir, If I am allowed to use a colloquialism, I would like to say that our politicians have simply “put the lid on things” by granting unto themselves an extra £IOO a year, while in every other conceivable direction they are taxing the people up to the limit of economic endurance. It might be that in the past the Parliamentary pay has been insufficient to attract the best men into politics, and that a higher figure would make for a more efficient Legislature. That is a question for the decision of a wide inquiry commission, and not lor deter-

Editor,) mination in a mad last-minute rush in the House. There is one other excellent reason why salaries should not be raised. That is because in New Zealand politics is essentially a sideline job—and until raised to the status of the bigbusiness appointment, politics always will be. It has to be remembered by the constituent, then, that in the recess the average member of Parliament has his own job to look after, without worrying too much about his constituents’ affairs. Being a parttime job, therefore, politics must be paid for according to the service given. Is it not a ghastly farce to- listen to our members of Parliament crying to Heaven on the one hand for business methods in the administration of the departmental affairs, and on the other hand paying themselves, not upon their value to the community, but upon what they think is a fair thing to carry them through these hard times? MAN FIRST. A WRATHFUL MOTORIST Sir, If there is criticism of Auckland point-duty traffic police, I want to be in it. It is not often that the sorelybadgered motorist gets a chance of protesting against the unfortunate manner in which the traffic staff conducts its duties. If one is misled into even the slightest breach at a crossing, a “ticking off” in public is the inevitable result, and woe betide the man who dares to uplift his voice. He well knows that to dispute the word of that tin-pot monarch at his appointed tele-graph-pole is to incur wrath and a summons without further parley. I have two painful memories of being misled by inefficient signals—once at Khyber Pass-Symonds Street, and once at the Wellesley Street intersection. In neither case was Ito blame. The signals were either hesitant or slothful, but each time the pointsman stepped out into the road and delivered one of those homilies which they so love to deliver. The traffic office could do the motoring public a service by now and again hauling over the coals those of its minions who fail to j keep their signals up to standard. Furi ther it should make the signals unii form they are not that at present. Some of the men are merely puppets, obviously without any idea of applying their signals intelligently. And in their manner of delivering public lcc-

tures one is forced to the bc-!!er that some of them havo missed their vocae tion. They should be on the stage—* the one place where there is limelight all the time. Yes, lam or.e with "Bumble” and “Whippet Four.” OAKLAND SIX. NOTICE TO CORRESPONDENT Justitia.—lt is pe *^ paper report to set out full partk»| lars in a case as unsavoury as thd one you mention, but yuu may red assured that there was vvidenOp - % uphold - —E’i* The Sun.