Citizens Say—

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 846, 14 December 1929, Page 10

Citizens Say—

(To tixe Editor.)

PRESBYTERIAN ORPHANAGES Sir,— We are making- our annual Christmas appeal on behalf of the children under our care. In the Leslie Orphanage there are 70 children, and in the Onehunga 50, all of whom are looking forward to a specially good time at this festive season. We feel sure that we have only to place our needs before a sympathetic public to receive a ready response. THOMAS HALLIDAY, Manager and secretary of the P.S.S.A. Mount Smart Road, Onehunga. SOUVENIR HUNTERS Sir, — I was disgusted to learn from last evening’s Sun that onlookers at the ghastly tragedy enacted at Milford on Thursday evening actually “souvenired” portions of the wrecked plane while the bodies of the victims were being removed. I found it hard to credit this, but found on inquiry from eye-wit-nesses that it was perfectly true. I believe that, on the following morning, one man was actually seen walking off with the cover of the engine which, needless to say, he was forced to return. I learned also that there was a good deal of cheering and some laughing and gay talk —admittedly the latter was from children—while the machine was being dragged ashore. Is this generation lacking, in human feeling and decent reverence for the dead? We all know that an excited and perhaps overwrought crowd acts foolishly, but Thursday evening’s demonstration appears to have been sheerly disgraceful. There is certainly a need in our community for a revival of religious thought with its accompanying principles of Rental balance and decent breeding. It appears to me that a few stout Christian fists for adults and broad leather tawes for children were needed at Milford on that tragic occasion. THOROUGHLY INDIGNANT. CIVIL SERVANTS’ SALARIES Sir, I read with interest the report from Christchurch where the P. and T. officers recommended consideration of the salaries question by arbitration. Why waste more time upon this question, when it has already been demonstrated that the country’s finance is insufficient to warrant a restoration of the cuts at the present time? It is simply because the appetities of the civil servants have been whetted by artificial promises (to which they fell so easily) that they are so persistent now to have their schedule adjusted. If no mention had been made at election time of a restoration of the cuts, no fuss would have resulted. The civil servants fell to the promistof the United Party, and voted for it because of its promise. Now the party has failed to keep its promise, and there is a fuss. The Labour Party is now holding out similar bait to the civil servants—knowing all the time of the state of the country’s finance—and the civil servants are falling for it. The Reform Party deprived them

of the cuts, and is now trying to curry favour by a half-hearted promise oil restoration—and the cleverly-drawn red herring of the £IOO bonus. So what is the civil servant to do? I suggest that political action is the only thing that will do any good. To force the country to pay what it cannot afford is simply financial suicide. OUTSIDER. BATHING BY-LAWS Sir,— The bathing by-laws of Auckland, as revealed by the Look-Out Man in The Sun of yesterday, are shown to be ridiculous. I think it is time that the whole regulations in regard to bathing, both on the beaches and in the baths, should be completely revised and modernised. Who are the City Councillors, anyway, to make by-laws for something they must know very little about? What do the senior members of the City Council know about Coney Island bathing costumes? (Incidentally the L.O.M. is wrong in this connection, for everyone does wear trunks over the costume in a Coney Island suit.) The laws of propriety are very well observed on our beaches and at our baths, and I think that the laws governing the conduct there should be framed to suit these requirements. At any time the beach inspector, if your article is correct, may swoop down'on Milford Beach and clear everybody off the sand unless they are fully clothed in street dress. It is as ridiculous as it is out of date. SUN-BATHER. MILITARY TRAINING Sir, Another case of wisdom proceeding out of the mouths of babes (politically speaking) is reported in your paper. The Auckland branch of the Junior Reform League, at a meeting on Wednesday evening, defeated a motion that . the party should support the retention and extension of the present system of compulsory military training.” This attitude, the direct opposite of the stand taken in Parliament by the Reform party, who are, incidentals, the fathers of these young men is worthy of deep consideration ami is a cheerful sign of progress. Here we see youth willing to assume a responsibility their elders dare not face. It remains now for these budding politicians to impress on those representing their views in Parliament that the system of training at present in force is not desirable. It is only a question of time, as New Zealand must eventually recognise her duty as a member of the community of civilised nations and as a signatory of the Kellog Pact, and reduce her preparations for war. SANE POLITICS MEN AND DRESS REFORM Sir, M r- F - R - Field has predicted hot •weather for us from the 12th of this month. His prediction being so far justified I take up the cudgels -m behalf of dress reform. So littl"

modification is necessary that I honestly amazed that progress shoiU hang fire. Three essentials ont*. (none of them greatly departing f r0 ® the prevailing model need be °bs€rTjto make man’s summer garb toleraWJ sane. They are: (1) A really Ujf suiting material. (2) The disc«J ing of the waistcoat (pro tem). (3) open-necked shirt. I myself have made the fi rs £ moves, and so can say from experience that they are both P rac ~\l f able and beneficial. In this l a ® alone; nor am I alone in wishing make the third move. Many be glad to wear open-necked «n J if it were not that a perfectly st p convention clings to the collar (If anyone can give me one # reason why men could not If 0 * as neat and respectable in c , shirts, l will withdraw that reiua* I don’t want to come to work in ' pyjamas, nor do I wisli to P aJ ?? or ts'* nether limbs in honour of a sn campaign, but I do wish to sensibly dressed for summer, as for winter. „ —w* That being so, I invite any mal L oo id considers it reasonable that we ® wear a winter outfit in Dece PJ (coa' prove that my suggested out J"*' an d and trousers of light grey ser %’ - Kte: canoe-shirt) is not (1> (2) Practicable (including cost!, (3) Desirable. S ANW«*