CORRESPONDENCE.

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 195, 16 August 1920, Page 9

CORRESPONDENCE.

- JO CORRESPONDENTS. ». —Cruise's journal will later be pubIlihed in book form.^ CHEAP HOUSES. _T„ rlie Kdltori c- r __The Government should secure __din- sections nnd erect 3. 4. or s__d houses of the lean-to type. A lUihi bugler who ha- erected aU kinds f houses th-. la*. 30 year- informs mc that at the present tune he could build our room- mi tl"' lean-to principle for £-200 (without lining!. The rooms would io x 12. \ lioii-e like th:. could be tl_lt" on tiie buck of each section, and hen times become more normal sv hotter rln«P of house could be erected on the front nf en eh section am] the material from the first house be utilised to complete the bett.-r i-lii-i house. It appears to mc that the scheme is worthy of consideration, particularly as the houses !_uld be built quickly.—l a.m. etc. S. A. SHAW. INSTRUCTION IN FORESTRY. iT.. Hi. Kdlt.ir.l gir,—The suggested c-.tabl. hment of forestry school, in connection with the universities is altogether wrong, and not the practice in other eounlrU-. It means (.-lint the study of fore-try will only be ~ ail.ble lor 'tiie select lew. it will be pirrclv theciret cal. nnd of no practical use. The Albany branch of the Farmers' I'nion put forward n .cry tine proposal a few months ago. There are several thousands of acres in that district suitable for planting, and within a short distance of Auckland. They naked the Oovmiment to start the school there, sro thftt boys of 11 leaving the public schools could enter lis students, and. say. after three years' practical training would be competent to take charge of planting and forestry opern.t:.ons. We want the forestry schools to turn out foresters trained in practice and theory, and not students of advanced botany.—T am, etc., A. McCOLL.

SLEEPY RUSSELL. CTo the Editor.) Sir, —I noticed in issue of your paper an article entitled '"Ru-Soll, the World's Laziest Town," which I thought at tiie time ronsiderably overdrawn, but thii morning I actually snw a v_iitor. a prominent Canterbury- resident, with hia coat oIT shovelling h!linfilc to till up a puddle nt tho approach to the Wharf that the County Count* had neglected for at least three yearn to my knowledge, nnd this within three feet of a shingle beach. Perhaps it is only fair to Russell to mention, however, that all the ablelioctied vonnc men of the town were among the first to volunteer when the call came, and the residents raised voluntarily over £200 each year of the war for patriotic purposes. I have heard a visitor once remark that "Russell appealed to him as being a place the Almighty had done all He could to make beautiful, and man had done all he could to spoil, ibut had not succeeded." In spite of the fact that the township pays about £100 a year in rates alone, it receives about £1 in return from the County Council.—l am, etc.. A VICTIM. TAKAPUNA TRAMWAYK. (To the Editor.)

Sir, —From Press reports, apparently there is some likelihood of the ratepayers of Takapuna having sooner or later to decide whether or not they will purchase the "assets and undertaking" of the Tramways and Ferry Company, Limited. As one of the ratepayers concerned, I have to admit that I am not at all clear as to what sum is actually involved in "the suggested purchase, nor can I quite determine to what extent the ratepayers may eventually be committed. Having perused the Company's last balance-.lieet 13 at 31st March, 1920, I find there the total value of the assets to be set down at £80,484 16/3. For these assets the Company are now asking £85,475. Does the borough, in addition to this amount, take over the Company's liabilities ? Turning to the liability side of tbe balance-sheet, I find that the total share and debenture capita! amounts to £72,7.3. The debts due by the Company, including unclaimed dividends, are set down at £3445 17/5. Adding this to the total capital, I arrive at the sum of £76.23S 17/5, from which has to be deducted the sum of £882 10/11, representing the Company's liquid assets of book debts, war bonds, and cash, leaving the total amount necessary to enable the directors to return to share and debenture holders twenty shillings in the round, after payment of the liabilities disclosed nt £75,350 6/6. Therefore T ronclude, sir, that the Tramway Company 'uggests that they -hould receive from the ratepayers a bonus of £10,118 13/6. I am, etc., RATEPAYER.

GOVERNMENT PROFITEERING. (To the Ed.'tor.) Sir, —The Administration professes to he absolutely sincere in its desire to Und the profiteer. In a famous old book there is a reference to removing tho mote from one's own eye. This is applicable to-day in the relation of the Government •o proiiteering. Cast vein- there was received in Customs revenue nearly five iiillion pounds. This amount was not paid by the foreigner nor directly by the people as consumer-. It was banded over hy the traders, wholesale and retail. Naturally they cannot disburse such large sums and be out of pocket for many months without some expense. Therefore when costing goods they have to add their charges, and these on the average amount to 50 per cent on cost price.. _■> that for every fl which they pay in dut;the consumer is called upon to expend «1 10/. The Government only gets £1, "Ut the unfortunate people have to put Up half as much again. It therefore amounts to this: The Government aay to the traders. '-For every tOO j_u get from the consumer we will W you keep £34 if you give us £60" This j s practically a vicious form of bargain'_i and the poor people are the plundered. To this extent does it not appear Wat the Government gives a definite incitement to profiteering and unneces"JJJuy makes the cost of living higher* f« duties on food, clothing, and build- . materials make these items 50 per «wt dearer than they need be. If they . e £ 'Abolished it would mean a reduction ' **5 per annum for each family of five. "c revenue so lost, could be made up by ft * x of about 4d in the £ on the unimPWed value of land. As land speculation "1 Profiteering have so far been excluded ietn? 6 °P eratio "s of the Profiteering . . there would be a two-edged sword i„. §2 revenue and prevent the most c_r_° us form of exploitation. The «_. ♦ able t0 P ay wo «ld then be called »™ n to contribute fo the revenue.—l am. ** G. M. FOWLDS-

IMFO -T-TDING AT TAKA-THf-k.

(To the Hditor.l

1 .'~7 _ re P° rt,n g the unfortunate incident of my straying young cattle, subsequent impounding, and proßecution. it was mentioned that I had donated a section of land and fence for a public pound at Takapuna. Takapuna posge-seg the most up-to-date pound in the Dominion and Its accommodation is so complete that the stock sales are held monthly .„ the enclosures. As I do not wi.h to pose as a cheap hero, T would be glad if you would -v., this publicity, t am, etc.. J VV. BLOMFIELD, Mayor of Takapuna.

THE EFFECT OF GO SLOW. (To the Editor.) •*■>"'• — J t is interesting to examine further and deep.,- to wha-t extent the Labour party are contributing to the high cost of -living by their admitted go-slow policy. Take the case of the bricklayer. Some years back, not a great many, 1000 was not considered too good a record. 1 have known men who have laid ISOO bricks in a day, and whose average would be 1700. A man who could not lay SCO to 900 bricks a day soon realised that he had missed his calling, [f exceptional men can lay ISUU bricks in a day, it is a fair thing'to expect from any journeyman bricklayer 900 per day. Say a bricklayer's wages are XI per day, and he purposely restricts his output -to .100 bricks, _c is profiteering to the extent of 200 per cent., for the simple reason that he is making the laying of 000 bricks which should only cos. _1 cost £3. In other words, he is charging the community (I purposely leave out the employer." be cause he only passes it on) _1. and only giving his fellowmen 0/8 in the goods he only has to sell. -Mis action is exactly on a par with tiie retailer who charges n man £1 for a cwt. of goods and only gives 371h. This "go-slow" is not confined to the bricklayers, but extends, to all branches of labour which go to make a building: then there is an outcry against the cost of houses. Let all' sections adopt the practice and there would not he enough food or clothing to g. round, nnd we would have to in time revert to living in caves, and fishing and hunting for our food.—l am, etc., G.EO. BODL-EY.