THE NORTHERN TERRITORY.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 125, 2 July 1914, Page 6

THE NORTHERN TERRITORY.

To the Editor of THE SUN. Sir, —Hamlet —not your humorous correspondent —but Shakespeare's character, the Prince of Denirark, replies to a question put to him by Polonius, ' 4 Words, words, words." .If that archaic personage were in our midst to-day, doubtless he would apply the same monosyllabic designation to Mr Hamlet's recent utterances on the above subject. I rather think, Sir, that your leaderette of Monday replies in pntirety to your correspondent, but I would like to draw attention to Mr Hamlet's wailvreg&rding alleged indulgence in despicable personalities by myself. It is a peculiar fact that a certain class of newspaper correspondents reply in this ludicrous manner when subjected to criticism they leave themselves open to. They immediately seize a bludgeon to parry the tilting pen. Then there is Mr Hamlet's un-

conscious liumour. It would have been just as relevant, so far as logic, o* rather want of logic, is concerned, foij Mr Hamlet to have stated that he whipped a flea across the territory un-. til he lost him in the lengthy Flinders grass, as to have told us of that bullock punching trip. The droll point is the American magazine fee for the story, when we consider that any Printer's Devil could string together quite enough data skeleton for the lhore advanced junior reporter to put the pad? dicg on. Until Mr Hamlet gives US more of logic and less of garrulity I am afraid that his aspersions of this grand country will not be generally very seriously entertained. It is indeed a very cheap way of gaining notoriety to make haphazard, declamations against the Territory, but let the one so doing sail on the other tack and show how to improve the existing shortcomings. In that way he. will build ai monument to his fame, and will get himself by his works more surely amongst the list of heroes than a dependence on a more or less voluble garrulity.—l. am, etc., „ % •

,C. H. STONE. Christchurch, July 1, 1914.