CONDENSED CORRESPONDENCE.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 118, 18 May 1917, Page 2

CONDENSED CORRESPONDENCE.

-Wanted Sound Frnit" thinks that the system of inspection if flsh nt the markets should be extemlcl to fruit. He alleges that fruit ie often sent in for sale in a bad condition, and that sometimes cases are packed with good fruit on the outside and inferior stuff in the centre. He considers that an inspector should attend the fruit sales regularly.

"E.G.*H :vbt>u|; the fish supply >n to e<3oiion}icftl living. pur correspondent alleges iKat tljere iE <ieUteraie'limitation of supply, and eayt tiiis ought" to tie eto'ppcj. The Government should improve the transport of fish op the railways. "The municipal markpt has reduced the pries of fish —w<s must give the Council credit for that — but it could, and should, be cheaper still. X? fair-minded person desires the fisherman to suffer, eitlier, (but what is the ease at present?" Our correspondent asserts that "for flatfish the meu get from 1/ to 2/ per dozen—the public pays Od, Bd, and Od each. Who gets the profit? If thie class of iisli wire cheaper it would be more in (Jeni&nil-'" Mr. H. Clayton thinke local bodies might economise in street lighting on moonlight nights. Mr. John Xieholson tbinka the Government are taking, or nee about to take, too many journeymen bakers for the Army, aud instances th? case of a country baker who had to close ilown for vvaaj; of men"Shane O'Dala" writes to say that our article on General Smuts' speech "eaves humanity," find that, "altllpugh, one may be poor in wpridly jjuodij, that man is rich who claims kindred h it!i such noble ■words." "Lancashire" thjnks the tilate coal mines should be sold. They have not done wlat it was intended they should do—lower the price of coal; and, i-ytn if they had. it is an uni.iir because apparently they iiave not paid all the imposed on companies. Our correspondent 'believes in p-ivate enterprise. "Had JN'pw Zealaul's railways bpcn owned by companies, at the present time we 6!hould have had thorn up to date and run on a safer system; \fp should have had safe crossings, up-to-date railway gates, and other means of safety and conveniences for the general public."

A Ponsonby resident writes:—"'Hierc us a library in Ponsonby known a,s the [i€ys Institute, but it is never open on Sundays, and we poor unfortunates of Ponaonty, i/ we wish to keep up-to-date with current literature, must either wadq jiown iaysn f|r (Jo a perish at home. City Council, pleaee note." There is an altcrnatjvp which our correspondent seems to have overlooked, namely, to take a book and a magazine from the Lending Branch to read comfortably at home. Thi; Branch Libraries in Auckland arp kept open till a late hpur eyery night, including Saturday—in Ponsonby until 10 p.m. Tut stan of assistants je too email to provide for Sunday attendance as well. It does not appear, therefore, that •with existing tramway facilities, citizenh who prefer to read at ■public reading-roome jnstead of at .home,'suffer any great hardehip in making a journey to the.Ontral Library, where there is aiwplc accommodation, and a staff of large eiiough to provide for Sunday attendance without undue hardship.