Citizens Say-

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1000, 17 June 1930, Page 8

Citizens Say-

(To the Editor.)

ARAPUNI Sir, — Some IS months ago Mr. It. W. Holmes, late chief engineer of the Public Works Department, gave the newspapers of the Dominion his opinion of the danger that existed regarding the stability of the work being carried out at the Arapuni dam. lie particularly drew attention to the liability of leakage from the headrace above the spillway into the country on which the transformer station stands. From accounts in today’s papers this is evidently what is taking place. At the time Mr. Holmes was subjected to a storm of abuse from one end of the Dominion to ihe other. He -was accused of making the statement from political reasons, and to suit his own ends. Mr. Holmes has now the satisfaction of seeing his prediction about to be carried out by nature. It is a curious thing with the public, that in some matters it does not want to know the truth until it is hit on the head with a brick, -and it then looks for the man who threw it. Is the Maori prediction about to be fulfilled, that Taniwha will have his revenge for man’s interference with the Arapuni rapids? ** AZTEC. GENERAL CROZIER’S BOOK Sir. — I am afraid your correspondent “Utterly Disgusted” is far too easilv shocked. General Crozier has had the courage of his opinions, and has expressed them to the full. I read, recently, a review in a London magazine of ”A Brass Hat in No Man’s Land”— not one of those screaming tirades of abuse over one or two passages, but a thoughtful, constructive interpretation of the whole book. And it seems to me that General Crozier knows more about war than some of his critics have ever dreamt about. Now, “Utterly Disgusted” should remember the vileness of war-time propaganda poured forth by the ton in newspapers, to poison the minds of millions of innocent children. This is worse than any war book; because the greater part of it was deliberately invented, and has influenced millions of people to this day in keeping up a dangerous hatred of our late enemies. Regarding war-time executions, 1 have a very painful memory. I sec as plainly as yesterday a battalion drawn up on parade. A young adjutant, hardly more than a schoolboy himself, is sitting upon his horse, reading out the report of the execution of one of his own men. As he reads his voice is

choking with sobs, and the tears are starting from his eyes. Through the drawn-up ranks there runs a volume of fiercely muttered oaths, and when it is over it is as much as the N.C.O.'s can do to give orders to move off. In conclusion 1 should like to say that I have not yet read a war hook which did not ring true in the light of my own experience. R. Id. THOMSON. 4/583. THE SIMON COMMISSION Sir.— , Now that a summarised version of the first part of the Simon Commission’s report has been placed before the public, the testimony of the Commission will naturally be wideiv accepted as gospel truth and there will be a general readiness in British countries, but not so in India or America, to agree with and uphold every conclusion, and perhaps every recommendation to he given concerning the governing of India and the obstacles to be overcome. But when examined in the light of the Commission’s record of frequent quarrels and disagreement among its members, only recently finally patched up so as to impart a seeming, though not intrinsic weight, to the issue of the report, this widespread faith in the infallibility of those who compiled it is seen to be unwarranted and unjustified. It is fairly accurate to say that from the outset India felt no confidence in the members of the Simon Commission this resulting in an almost complete boycott from Indian Quarters This was reflected in the Legislative Assembly, where the voting against co-operation with the Commission was to 62, and only twelve of the elected members voted in its favour. Therefore, in Indian circles for the most part the issue of the report was not considered as specially helpful, valuable, or of any great importance; the more so from the fact that the Commissioners never really entered into the spirit or ideals of the people but rather, have deftly implied the existence of a general state of primitive and unsavoury conditions of such a nature as to exempt the Indians from any important claim to national responsibilitv In this the report is quite unfair, and far too sweeping in its adverse generalisations. It is manifestly an attempt to conform with Liberal opinion us may be on the one hand, while at the same time aiming at the placatron of India’s beaurocracy and British Tory die-hards on the other. Entrenched in such a position, whatever advice it has to offer for the solution (Continued in next column.}

of Indian problems is bound tc be largely of the proverbial. kind which “tried to please everyone but ended by pleasing no one.” But however that may be. India has already very clearly shown that she has no intention of waiting for another race to formulate and gradually apply a “progressive policy.” The All India Liberal Federation, now the most important and responsible body of leaders in India, with representatives drawn proportionately from all important religious and political groups save the National Congress, is unanimous both in its demand for immediate conferment of Dominion status, and in the programme to be adopted for the establishment of Home Rule. The Liberal Federation’s platform is still patriotic to the Empire, which fact has saved the situation in India during the recent outbreak of impatience. At the forthcoming All-India London Hound Table Conference their claims will be put forward in a businesslike manner, and if they fail to meet with official recognition, and if there is still no sign of Ramsay MacDonald’s pre-elec-tion hope being realised —i.e., “I hope that in a period of months rather than years there will be another selfrespecting Dominion added to our Federation of Free Nations —I refer to India”—a real split may- occur. Mrs. Besant. who has worked for Dominion status for 53 years, has felt impelled to describe this conference as India* last friendly gesture to Britain. Let us hope that it will be rewarded by » mutual hand-clasp. R. E. HANSEN, Representative New Zealand and India League. June 12. THE CLERGY Sir.— In these hard times, when economy j* as essential to life as the very air. would it not be fitting for our religious teachers to put into practice a little, aw least, of 'what they preach? Many of us look to our minister of the Gospe for succour and encouragement through life’s hard work, but the very essential essence is lacking when there are so many of our guides acting not on tittle of what they preach from --n pulpit. He* • incongruous, and psychologically bad it is for a parson to advocate the simple, humble life yet himself to live the life of an age prosperous citizen, drive a motecar, and dress in the height of fashion* Where, oh where are we to look to sincerity? The masses that criv guidance and example are becoming discouraged. May every if. inis \. t of every church look to it that weak links in their chain are and even though there be some tn do teach by Example, they thema® I '- must be accessories if they do now about putting the house in order. W’hat wonderful example did Wesley give. While earning — 3 !? annum, he lived on £l9 10s and voted the balance to charity. And * L earning, later, £7B per annum he 11 on £l9 10s and devoted the baia as hitherto, and so on as his earn- * increased he lived and acted the _ * John Wesley. by his very aC ~LL gained many converts, which, of means that many poor souls made happier. Parsons litiy, , luxury, fashion and the satisfying* worldly ideals can do as much n as John Wesley did good. **♦»»§ I like to have the views of some ox j old clergy on this very import** matter. . v WESLEYAN