A PARTING TRIBUTE.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVII, Issue 4393, 1 April 1909, Page 3

A PARTING TRIBUTE.

(To the Editor.) Sir, —As lam about leaving Te roha, permit me to testify to the moral, and intellectual qualities of your paper. As Ministers of the Gospel, >ve have sometimes found the Press, if not violently, yet secretly hostile to our work. From its inception your paper has ever been on the side of truth and righteousness. During the last twelve months it has . risen to a higher level than before There is of course a business side t > Journalism, and in the present lethargic ! state of the Christian church, and the

semi-blindness of so many to the claims of Christian citizenship, no paper can be run on purely phiUntropic lines, but I am bound to say that during a thirty years residence in the Dominion na paper to my knowledge has aimed at a higher ideal, nor risen nearer to its attainment than yours has. Concerning those questions of vital interest to the well-being of the community at large, it has spoken with no uncertain sound, and this much may be said of the “Te Aroha News It is a clean, healthy, moral production, which may safely be received into every house, and be read by youDg people when the character is in course of formation. —I am, etc , John Dukes.

(To the Editor.) Sir, —In jour issue of to-day’s date j (March 30ih) appears a letter signed by ] Mr John Williams. I perfectly agree with him that Te Aroha is not sufficiently advertised, and its many good qualities and its pretty scenery not known throughout the Dominion. These are things, which as residents, all of us

would like to see the Government give publicity to; and I also agree with him that Rotorua and other health resorts are advertised by the Government more than our bright, healthy, and inspiring little Te Aroha. Yet there :re parts of his letter which, as a resident, our worthy Mayor and Council don’t further the interests of our little township lamina position to know that a wire has air-ady been sent to Sir Joseph Ward congratulating him on his magnificent offer to the Brirish Empire of a Dreadnought, and funds for another f required This, in itself speaks for the imperialism of our rulers, and the nonpublication of the wire in the public press, sh <ws that His Worship the Mayor, (,’ouueillors, and Burgesses of Te Aroha, are ready to support not only the Dominion, but the British Empire generally without their deed being flouted in front of the public, which shows their thorough interest in everything connected with the British Empire. Let me advise Mr John Williams (whom I believe is a thorough Imperial st and a good citizen of Te Aroha, and one whom we all respect) to go into the matter more thoroughly before rushing into print to condemn our worthy Mayor and Town Council.—l am, etc , K. F. W. LYoxs-MosrrGOMEitY-[We have made enquiries, and find that the following telegram has been sent by Mayor Somers Ito the Prime Minister : —*• Owing to unforseen circumstances I have been unable t) convey to you earlier the unanimous expression of gratification of the Burgesses of Te Aroha at your prompt and statesmanlike action in offering assistance to fbe Mother Country in order to enable her to maintain her naval supremacy.’' - Ed. News.] (To the Editor.) Sir, I sre by the papers that our w rthy Premier has thrown another of his pa*ent bomb shells into the arms of the world. This time be has without in any way consulting Parliament, offered to throw—like throwing a bone to a hungry dog—a whole £2,000,000 to the British Government, for the purpose of building another Dreadnought. If I mistake not both the Cape and Canada have each donated a bittleship for the same purpose : increasing the strength of the British navy. Both vessels caused a great flutter at the time, and are both by this time swallowed up in that immensity of purpose, the British Fleet. What power has the Now Zealand Premier of giving £2,000,000 without the sanction of Parliament. If he had asked that same august body for one twentieth part of that sum for the purpose of increasing the size and number of the larger guns for the purpose of defending our own harbours, and shores, the patriotic spirits would have raised a howl : Fortifications, indeed ! let us have roads and bridges. So without consulting them he cornu i l s the country to fi. ding the large sum mentioned, and what good will it do? The British Government is not in need of a bagatelle to build one more ship. - It is easy to increase the number of ships, and in the hurry iic prove the efficiency of the men. What the British Government is suffering from at the present time is not the want of a bit more money, but in finding that their King, who has exceeded his position as a Constitutional Sovereign, in visiting on his own, the Potentate s of Europe, acquiring great applause in the supposed role of peacemaker, has simply been hoodwinked by his chum, the Kaiser, and the Ministers of the Crown. having been, so far as we can see ou* here, superceded in their responsible positions, find themselves called upon to face a difficult position.—l am, etc,

H. J. Hawkins,