Citizens Say—

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 869, 13 January 1930, Page 8

Citizens Say —

A MUDDLE OF TIME Sir, — Auckland is making a muddle of time. Again and again in Queen Street and other principal thoroughfares I have noticed that public clocks seldom agree at any given moment of the day. There are occasions when the difference between a public clock, say, at the foot of Queen Street, and one in the vicinity of Wellesley Street is as much as 1 five minutes: This must look very bad to visitors, besides being a constant nuisance to business folk and patrons of ferries, trams and trains who depend on the clocks to give them correct guidance. Not long ago a Southern city tackled this problem and by a method of electric synchronisation, linked up ail important city clocks with a master timepiece that was kept officially accurate. I commend the idea to the City Council. REGULAR SUFFERER. LARRIKINS Sir. Why is it that groups of young larrikins are allowed to stand at the

(To the Editor.)

intersections along Ponsonby Road and insult passers-by? c understand tnat the aewton police station is efficiently staffed, and all that should be necessary is for one constable to take an occasional stroll, particularly about 7.30 on Friday and Saturday evenings, £ ar as tlie Three Lamps and back. If the young hooligans knew that there was a chance of a policeman appearing, I am sure that their activities would be considerably checked. The knowledge that, for one evening at least, these lads are taken off the street, is enough to make one a strong supporter of compulsory military training. W.P.M. A BUSINESS MATTER Sir, — I wish to support those correspondents who have entered protests against the failure of tram conductors to tak r * the car- numbers of motorists who do not observe the regulations demanding that they should stop when a tramcar stops. I think motorists who so offend should in every case be heavily mulcted. We pedestrians have few (Continued in next column.)

rights left. We Jaave to scurry across the road, as it is, like startled rabbits, frequently to the accompaniment of imprecations from passing motorists. It seems to me that once a man purchases a car he becomes a different being. At all events, he develops a new mental attitude toward his fellow men, particularly those who are unfortunate enough not to be able to afford a car. I am unable to afford one. but am desirous to. live long enough to do so. Therefore I implore the Transport Board, if it can spar® a moment from its deliberations on finance. to issue instructions to its conductors to take active steps to protect the passengers at tram-stop*. After all it is a matter of business. A dead passenger cannot be classed as a revenue producer by the board. TUATARA. WAR HORRORS AND PLEASURES »So General Charteris, author of "The Life of Haig,” deprecates the publication of war books and war plays setting forth the horrors of modern fighting. No one would wish to deny that war produced many heroes, and that some of the episodes of war redound, and will ever redound, to the glory of our heroic youth. But that is not the point at issue. Anything that will help to swell the growing feeling that, in General Sherman's words, war is hell, is to be commended. Everyone who was at the war knows that it was not all horror. There were delightful evenings behind the lines when, with pipe aglow and listening to the music of the regimental band, a man felt that life was not t so bad even with a war on. But thr acid test is this—would a returned soldier cheerfully say to his son: "Go on, lad. War is an heroic business?' If he did he would be cither a hypocrite or a liar. What we have to ■do is to promulgate the gospel of international amity. There will probably be other wars—minor ones —in our time, and only the persistent hammering of those who abhor war will result in the ultimate brotherhood of man. S2/957G5. .