IN THE PUBLIC MIND

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 162, 10 July 1943, Page 4

IN THE PUBLIC MIND

CORRESPONDENTS' VIEWS COTTAGE HOMES (To the Editor.) Many visitors and housing experts from overseas during recent days have said how much they admired the cottage homes in this country. Any attempt to depart from this ideal should be strongly resisted, and the recent statement made in London at a conference of the Town and Country Planning Association should strengthen our efforts to resist the building of "flats" to house the people. "It was inconceivable," they decided, "that on rebuilding in crowded cities the building of flats could be carried out, for more than 90 per cent of the people resented the idea of flats, however modern and well-fitted." With a good deal of knowledge on the subject, I would say, very forcibly, that when housing schemes on a large scale are being formulated, there should be no room for flats, for in my Old Country experience it was noticeable that the flat system of housing just perpetuated the very evils it sought to cure. Never mind how small the house so long as it is comfortable and convenient, and only in exceptional circumstances should it be departed from Many of us have had to tread the thorny paths, but I say that flat life never helped us one iota to help forward progress in life Let us make no mistake in New Zealand W. K. HOWITT.

TAXI CONTROL

It was somewhat amusing to note the remarks of the Control Committee after one day's working of the new system and one wonders whether their eulogistic appreciation was shared by the general public who, to save tyres and benzine, and encouraged in this attitude by taximen, presented themselves at the various stands, only to be informed that the arriving car was required to proceed elsewhere to. take a fare in answer to a phone call. Hundreds of people anxious to return home are left stranded nightly in this manner, more often than not the phone call is for very trivial and certainly not urgent service. For one person cars are sent considerable distances from the stand before picking up the fare. This dead mileage means increased benzine consumption and no charge can be made for it by the taximen and no increase in fares to cover this wastage of spirit, wear and tear of tyres, etc., is permitted. It is very significant that no mention of this has been made by the Control Committee. Tyres, benzine, oil, replacements and repairs have all risen in price, but taxi fares are the same as when the war commenced. The result of the new system has been to decrease the revenue per gallon of spirit used and adversely affect the income of the taxi owner who in addition to this is handicapped by benzine cuts, delay in obtaining tyres —frequently to the extent that cars and passengers are submitted to danger owing to the critical condition of the tyres that have to be used. There is only one way the new system can operate smoothly and efficiently and that is to increase the allotment of benzine available for each cab, thus discounting the disadvantage of the new restrictions, also § Control Committee with a majority of men with practical knowledge of the service they 'have to control. 808 SCOTT. SCHOOLS AND OTHERS What's all this ballyhoo about a school children's strike at Bennydale and Manpapehi? These young brats ought to be horsewhipped and their parents put in special concentration camps. I know of a school near a large brewery. The roof leaks. The parents have the temerity to worry the authorities about it. Don't they know the Government had to give £200,000 as a subsidy so that we could have cheap beer? Somewhere in New Zealand (the locality probably a military secret) is a camp for conscientious objectors with all the comforts of a home. Then there is the palatial Auckland Z.B. radio station with its cost shrouded in mystery to the "Man in the Street." But it is six figures anyway. And next the magnificent offices for bureaucracy in Jean Batten Place. Again there is the super-palatial Marketing Board edifice with its sumptuous furniture and magic pick-you-up and put-you-out automatic elevators. As a conservative figure we put this down at £140,000. There are the salaries for the egg inspectors, the bee and the codlin moth experts. These, too, are shrouded in mystery. There are the overseas air trips every few months to be paid for. ,Air travelling is costly. Every year the Government has to find £20,000 for the old men in the Upper House. Then there are salaries of waterfront commissioners (£I3OO per) and <~>f members of a host of boards. There was a subsidy of £177,000 to keep coal owners off the dole. There's more, too. but there's a shortage of paper. Where is "the money to come from" to build schools? Yes, sir, these youngsters ought to be horsewhipped. T.B.M.

CORNWALL PARK Sir James Gunson, as chairman of trustees, states that a new drive is to be made through portion of this lovely park and that these plans indicated "no change in the policy of the trustees, who eventually intended to develop playing and recreation areas." If I am right in assuming that this great gift from Sir John Logan Campbell was to be used for the pleasure and recreation of the people (young and old), I would suggest that the policy of the trustees needs to be changed, and that the playing and recreation areas should be their first consideration. As a near resident I have had opportunity during the past twelve months to confirm the opinion formed by occasional motor drives in pre-war years, that the main occupants are always sheep, the people being very few. Auckland is notoriously short of playing fields for all games, winter and summer, and if one compares the facilities provided at this park with similar areas in other lai'ge centres in Britain and Australia the only conclusion is that the trustees are quite out of touch with modern requirements and more concerned with providing another scenic drive than giving the boys and girls, young men and women, some well-laid grounds, where they can play their games in beautiful surroundings. Surely the donor had some such thought for a portion of this gift. A. J. HARDING.

ELECTORAL, ROLL I would like to know the reason why my name has been deleted from the electoral roll. When leaving for overseas I was under the impression that our names were kept on the electoral roll where we resided at the time of enrolling for service. On arrival back home I found my name had been deleted from the roll, and consequently had to register again. Is this just another Departmental mistake? SAPPER.