Citizens Say

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 888, 4 February 1930, Page 8

Citizens Say

(To the Editor.)

WHEN IS A TELEGRAM NOT A TELEGRAM? Sir, — 0 I desire to air a grievance that I hold against our Telegraph Department, and in doing so I am expressing the opinion of a number of others. Just because we live in Morningside, at which place there is no post office, every time we receive a telegram we have to pay sixpence, which is a carriage fee, because, we are informed, we are more than a mile from the post office, either Kingsland or Mount Albert. Sir, I plead the unfairness of this, which I cannot reconcile from any standpoint. I am informed that if I do not want to pay the sixpence, I can have the telegrams delivered by the postman. Why, then, call such a telegram, and give my poor associates the pleasure of paying ninepence for it in all faith that their message will be quickly delivered? I am hoping that this letter may plead for itself, and have this iniquitous anomaly removed. ONE WHO NEEDS SIXPENCES. HAPPY TONGA Sir,—Your correspondent “Toga Man Toga,” writing on the island kingdom of Tonga, claims that the Tongans have little say in their government. I have taken a particular interest in this, the last of the Pacific island kingdoms and have made many inquiries in Nukualofa, and in New Zealand, from those who are interested in the Tongans as to the efficacy of the present system of independence under a benevolent protectorate. In every case I have been informed that the system works admirably. The British Consul has the

final say where questions of finance are concerned and that appears to be eminently satisfactory judging by the fine state of Tongan finance. Queen Saloto has an adequate allowance to keep up her royal establishment and her personal influence over her subjects is great: far greater than any outsider can realise. Her addresses to the Tongan legislators at the annual opening of Parliament are forceful and very much to the point, and when she sets her mind upon any reform, that reform is carried out. She is a queenly woman, and all'visitors who are presented to her come away impressed with her courtesy, efficiency and dignity. Courtesy and efficiency are qualities, also, of her husband, the Hon. A. Tugi, who is Premier of the island. Personally I have never seen such a happy people as the Tongans. Their every want seems to be anticipated in the first place by Nature and the second by the Tongan Government. They are so happy, in fact, that they have had to have a minor religious dispute to give them something to worry about. A dictatorship in Tonga? Fudge! TUBOU. “MISS PANSY WHATNOTT” Sir, I notice that correspondents are writing to you on the subject of better broadcasts. lam not in the habic of writing to newspapers, and, in fact this is the first time I have done so. I enjoy the wireless programmes from , and have no complaints about the performers’ merits. I realise that the director of the station is naturally anxious to obtain the best performers that are available in the Citv and bethat he does so. I realise, too, that there must be a regular appearance of certain talented Aucklanders "on the air.” T do not object t<» such tegular appearances. What does annoy

me. however —and I think that director is to blame here —is the rn tition of trite ballads by singer*’Y, seem to think that because they - i ! learnt “God Send You Back to and “The Rosary,” those balladsj one or two more, will serve them j the rest of their musical lives. _ 1 ! getting thoroughly fed up with • i indifference on the part of perfol -to the feelings of listeners-in- - ■ the next time that Mr. Culfo™ announces that “we are now ..Ljji. favoured with a soprano solo - 0 , by Miss Pansy Whatnott,” 1 she rne a time-fuse bomb and post *t r 5 g terecl to Pansy in the hope than makes any impression upon I l ® . will in future change her tune^Jgfel mi