IN THE PUBLIC MIND.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 255, 28 October 1929, Page 6

IN THE PUBLIC MIND.

LAND SETTLEMENT.

CASE FOR UNIMPROVED AREAS,

<To the Editor.)

"C.H.N » refers to the policy 0 f the !«,„ m its desire to settle wasteland fir st '? view of our executive it is h;li \ " the *at the present unem o^tS* should be met as fully J g& ™* absorbing into farming pursuits of ! present unemployed, and in order L ."V 4 we consider that the greatest I,° & this in the developing of iffiatp22S'*> nothing. As State and native K ■¥s*** easily obtained, it is !w most should be taken first and 2 ** these settlement should fadkte "outw rd centre, thus keepin* taxation Li from a sible and enablinTC orfe!? $»* civilisation to be° pSriff * means of access, country condition, a S? mg and to take over either S ng " confiscation lands thaf •« utilised and producing something i„ 7" opinion, a great mistake. To foiw , OUr Policy means the passing £& &£&* hands of somebody to pav for +£ , already done and the indJat Z< T k usually the funds are ment in development work. Further th»,H? experienced members of our executive others, hold firmly to the oninSn tJlf' • a " d the right land the rUH^m& *£{ adequate finance, very large ar3u v brought in at low C os£ $ vhenlmmS ' he point of being self-supp ! farmed by the men who, in many c «£ fc.i ! to bring them into productionXVSS° d collected by the league there Is To d ft a large proportion of those seeking land a the present moment desire it unimproved" that they may make the land their sSS bank and not have to pay high pricffwuS accompanying "millstone" of a big is«£? Where land m a sem.-hnproved fondiffiu held m large blocks the owner must proju or get someone else to do it, and to im e large sums of public money in such places at this juncture, in the league's opinfoi undesirable. N. G. GRIBBLE ' Secretary, New Zealand Land Settlement and Development League.RELIEF OF DISTRESS.

I Lave noticed that there are several organisations working for the relief of distress and are in their way doing their best. But is there not a lot of overlapping?. And what would interest some subscribers is how much does it cost by way of staff salaries to obtain [and administer these funds. The public of Auckland is fairly generous. May I venture a suggestion that if funds were given to the Auckland Charitable Aid Board, that body would administer them to the best advantage"? The staff is a very fine body and is always courteous and sympathetic, while being firm with undeserving cases, and .it thoroughly understands its job. ONLOOKER.

POWER BOARD SECURITY DEPOSITS. On September 10, 1927, I bought a business. The Auckland Electric Power Board demanded a deposit of £3 from me. I had to pay it before it .would give me any light for my evening trade. This deposit, after being used by the board for two years, has just been returned to me with no rate of interest. Surely this is anything but a fair thing to working people like myself;. May I ask you through your paper on my behalf to ask*the Electric Power Board to explain to me why it demands a £3 deposit, keeping it for two years, then returning it with no interest, when the Post Office, banks, Gas Company arid even a private person gives you interest?

NELLIE GREEX. ■ [The Power Board explains that it cannot legally allow interest on security deposits, because if it paid interest on these deposits they would virtually become a loan to the board and money cannot be taken on loan by the board except with the authority of the ratepayers. The practice of accepting deposits of this sort is common with most local authorities. It has an alternative, which is that the consumer must obtain a guarantor. The board prefers this method.. When the' board lias held a deposit for two years and the consumer pays his accounts regularly the board refunds the money. —Ed.]

LABOUR'S PROGRESS. If one is to place any faith in the teachings of our learned professors, or give credit to the wonderful achievements of modern science, one is forced to admit that the human intellect is developing at a tremendous rate. This has been very noticeable through the last decade, and to-day we have science and invention equipping the world with creations, the suggestion of which would have ended their ambitions at the block or stake a few centuries ago, as a fitting exit to black magic. The same rule applies to the political fields through: out the world, although we in New Zealand are slow to realise the change. The workers of the world through the medium of education are gaining a broader outlook and are slowly but surely realising that a true sportsman is one who plays for his own team, hence the majority are backing Labour regardless of what the Press dictates, for the sneers ot to-day will be the cheers of to-morrow; such has been the history of labour's struggle in England and history will repeat itself throughout the Empire. ■.OPTIMIST.

NOISE IN AUCKLAND. The letters which have appeared drawing attention to the terrible and unnecessary amount of noise which residents are putting up with on the main thoroughfares have omitted to ask one question. Why does tlie council allow the by-law to be ignored in tws flagrant fashion? Where are the trarac inspectors whose duty it is to have these voaa hogs fined if they will not ride without noise. For it is the motor cycles which are thesworn offenders, not the milk lorries, as stateti aj "Citizen," bad as they are in the early hour* of the morning. These are of some usei to the city, but young bounders who have pro vided themselves with motor cycles provtae nothing but a menace to pedestrians, ana depreciation of all property abutting on w» chief thoroughfares. Why are they not forcea to carry silencers? Instead they ride with -W exhaust wide open. Only one evening tt» week I was going up Swansea Street when one of these public nuisances tore out of «uee ■ Street and up the hill with an explosion or noise that rivalled a maxim gun m i actio* Any morning or evening they ride along ra nell Road, using it as a racing tnAjn* their machines, making an absolutely- deafen m noise. Neither in Wellington nor iWjKJL of Sydney would such a thing long is it to go on? BJtMWW*

A DOG'S CONTRIBUTION. One of your correspondents who J«jteMj night noises should come and live in the etw I live in, and I feel sure he would that there are worse noises than the opemj and shutting of gates by milkmen, i to the moaning and whining of a « s distress all night long Jvo doub mentioned by "Citizen" are annoying, M» cries of a dog in distress m the are both nerve-racking and ,