IN THE PUBLIC MIND.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 46, 24 February 1937, Page 6

IN THE PUBLIC MIND.

BROADCASTING POLICY

BETTER ENTERTAINMENT FIRST.

(To the Editor.)

The letter signed "Programme" which apjieared in your issue of Friday i lie ] inst. should rouse radio license-holders into taking concerted action against the extravagant policy and plan as announced by the Minister of Broadcasting and the IWref-tor of tlie National Broadcasting Service. 1 am certainly not prepared to contribute or lielp to pay for the building, establishment and administrative high cost of the proposed conservatorium and expensive adjuncts in Wellington or any other city, but what I do want is better entertainment for the 25/ 1 j»ay. The programme*; or entertaiinnent fare offered by the national stations are going from bad to worse, and it is well that listeners in other Lands who tune in on us cannot or do rot express their opinions. Great thin?* were expected from December la«t. Yet there is no noticeable improvement in any respect, and we are coolly told that it will probably take five years to bring the standard up to satisfactory value. If we have not the talent in the Dominion it should he the duty of the Director of the National Broadcasting Service to buy it elsewhere and put it over the air for our delectation. Let us have better programmes right now and not extravagant and unwarranted plans for posteritv. FOl'R-VAI.VI!. AUCKLAND ATTRACTIONS. Perhaps you could offer some enlightenment on why Auckland, "the Queen <"ity,** figures w» little in the reading matter and pictorial pamphlet* issued by the Tourist Department of Xew Zealand. If the Department is endeavouring to make every card a. trump, why not make the utmost use of its best? Auckland is the gateway to 80 per cent of the travellers visiting this country, and a more desirable city for that purjwse could not be wished for. Her excellently wide and well-paved roads and transport services are the finest in your Dominion. The hundreds of acres of public parks and domains are unexcelled, the beaches, of which about thirty are within twenty miles of the city, are equal to those of California. The course at Ellerslie is incomparable, and the War Memorial Museum superb. An old friend in Chicago once tohl me that the panoramic view of the city from the summit of Mount Eden was the most magnificent in the world. I uphold that statement. Two of our luxury liners call at Auckland at |#resent. and 1 gues* if New Zealand pushed the scenic resorts of this country it would be getting twenty-two. But that's the trouble; they're worse' than "John Bull," they've got no push, and if ever travel trade is to l>e done with the U.S., why. then they've got to hustle quick. It amaze* me to think that such a city of abundant beauty and sport is not used extensively a medium to attract overseas visitors to your gem vacation-land of the Pacific. S. .10 UN'S TONE WKN'ZSDER. Los Angeles. California, U.S.A. PEACE. T have read with mingled feelings of pity and amazement a letter written abqve the signature "World Peace league." True, I am only thirty-two years of age, so have onljr schoolboy personal recollections of the Great War, but from what I do remember and have since read from reliable bonks from the libntiry I was certainly under the impression that had Britain at the commencement of that conflict had a large and efficient army and navy "lie Day" would not have seen the light «f day. In regard to the 40,000.000 gas masks, provided (I presume) for the civilian population. would the World Peace League have na sit down and be butchered and grassed without rakinf? a hand to save ourselves? These "international arms rings" may make money out of armaments ; so do plenty of other people, and they are not connected with "arms rings" either. I quite agree that if the people of the world aTI demanded peat'e we would have it, but who's going to tell that to the propaganda-fed people of. say. Herr Hitlec, or Signor Mussolini? The letter written by "World Peace League" would not only find a place in the waste-paper basket, but he himself probably would be thrown into a concentration camp for expressing such disloyal (to them) sentiments. 1 would be pleased to hear how this initial difficulty is to be overcome and until then I must regretfully be prepared to fight to retain what my forefathers fought for —the right to .-av'. write and think as I please, s n that I offend no one by so doing. H. WILLI VMS. GOVERNMENT HOUSING SCHEME. The thanks of the whole of the taxpayers of New Zealand are due to the llutt Master Builders' Association Tor exposing what a costly failure the Government hou«lii/ scheme is already proving. We have a right to know just what the tender* art*. Mr. Lee says the figures are not correct. Mr. Lee should let the people know what the prices are. The people have a right to know what has been paid and will be paid in architects' fees. I have watched Government house-building schemes for the last :),"i years, and they have always lteen a costly failure. Mr. Savage says t li r * ( asey estate was cheap at fI4O a section. 1 have bought eight building r-ections within the last 1H months all within a few step- of the third section and in a real good locality, j and not one of the>ni cost tIKMI. Knur years ago I was building at a co»t of K/ per square foot. To-day it is costing me 11/ to 15/. with a rising tendency. The ervin : need is the removal of the heavy dutv on orci'on and redwood. It i* the llnvcrnuicut'-- <lnt\ to *ee that we get cheap bind, cheap nmnev and cheap material am] not dabble in mivnte enterprise. OI.D AITKI.WI) BI'II.DKi?. A TRIBUTE. From to-day's cable news we learn the death at Sydney. \>.W.. of the eminent Australian painter and ill u-t ra tm . Mcnjaniin Edwin Minns. I hi- arti-' i- leice-enlcd •it the present exhibition of work- of ait now on loan to our gulleiv h\ the tru-tec- of the | National Art (Jallerv of'\ew »ontli Wale-. T Would suggest that a bow of crepe be attached to the wall beneath the arti-t'- w n k .luring the currencv of the exhibit a ',d ' !i.t I i< he sent with the picture v. hen it i- returned to Australia. This Would u<>: alone be a : libute to the artist s work, but a lilting eo up'iinciit to the guardians of the \ew <.»uth Wales section of Australia'- art tre-i-nrcs w h<> hive so gracious!v made the present exhibition possible. Thi.- clir-tom has prevailed in Paris for many years past. and I think that it might be very appropriately anplie.l in this Instance. ('. !•" (;ii!.|)ll QUALITY OF FLOUR. T have been vetv in t ere-1 eil in t iie c-m troversv re the qualit v of (I..ni -u;■;. 1:c.I at the present t hue. h i- a w ell I- n .v i. fi ' in the tra ile tll a I it ire- ■ < - • ||. ,-ir to make a go.«| pa peril I ll'.'cl p,i-tc I h|.e lieen nuil-.itig paste for pa pe. over .">(1 year- anil have been •e; .i .• I'. p ai-ed by the paperh.tngcr for I'm- muVi e.i-le sil pplievl. si r i i i ~! n 111 i>l i v 1• ■ ' 1..'..'' to my incompetence that i ca'ii-.-l low nia,e a good bucket of pa-1 e with tile llout a- at present supplied. Willi thi- pa-le ii i- ')■■! possible to properlv -tick c rlaiii . \i--e- of material, and we have had to u-• ot ner material* (import ed I. MASTKiv r M'Kiv'ii \ v<. i:i:.