CORRESPONDENCE.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 12932, 11 October 1907, Page 10

CORRESPONDENCE.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. Student. —Yes. Communicate with Mr J. Hampton, co Messrs Hallantyno ami Company, Christchurch. KAIAPOI LIGHTING. TO THE EDITOR OF "THK I'RKSS.' , Sir, —I was very much interested in muling Mr Confrere's letter in reply to the figures, etc., given by "More Light' on the coal versus acetylene- gas question. Providing "More Light" is high in his price- for calcium carbide, that does not alter the fact that coal gas in proportion to its cost has a much greater lighting and heating vclue than acetylene. The quantity of gas produced from lib of calcium carbide is 4i cubic feet of about 48 candle power per foot; this is equal to 210 candle "power per lb of carbide, _ per hour, which is obtainable in quantities at 2d. To produce an equal degree of illumination by means of coal gas, when burnt in a Bray's now burner, fitted with any recognised make of mantle, about 10 cubic feet are required, and if taken at 9s per 1000, meaii3 a total of l.OfcVl for 2HS candles, as against acetylene 2rl for the same illuminating power. Mr Congrevo is qrite right about cooking and heating apparatus for acetylene, but what about the cost? The heating value of acetylene gas is about one-fifth of its illuminating value. With regard to gas eniginoe, there are hundreds working tonlay in the Dominion on coal gas, giving tho utmost satisfaction. All tho best known British makers are represented here, and engines of all sizes can bo obtained on the spot.— Yours, etc., STILL MORE LIGHT. Christchurdi, October Bth. KINDNESS TO ANIMALS. TO THE EDITOR OP "Tut PRESS." Sir, —In tho flush of victory and their successful endeavours, the young men aro to be warmly congratulated. They are indeed tho 'main-stay of our Island. May New Zealand end prosperity crown their efforts in this land of ours! 1 would ask them a.ll to give a thought, and what help they can, to the helpless and defeated, the weaklings in tho strife. Those who hflye suffered tho penalty of wrongdoing, and need a helping hand to give, fresh courage and cheer, the oppressed ones, "the poor things" for we aro all one. family, after all. just tho same human being, in different degrees; also the other fellow creatures, the dumb animals who minister to our wants in so .ninny different woys. There is base ingratitude in being cruel to them, and we must answer for it all elsewhere. We derisively term one nation "celestials." Is it generally known that in. China unklndness and cruelty to animals is unknown? They are wise, for it certainly is in our own interests to encourage the efforts these hrnve. creatures make on our behalf, and kind mess to them brings a rich reward. Whether cow or horse, to say nothing of our clerer friend nnd companion, the dosr. be ill-trentrd, the same measure will be exacted in the end. Rut T have fnith in voun.g men— who have the making of our future conditions in their own power, nnd T look for further enlightenment and n clearer vision.—Yours, etc., COMPASSION. JUSTIFIABLE HOMICIDE —A SUPER! NTEN DENT ACQUITTED. TO THK HDITOR OK "THK I'HKSK. , ' Sir, —Under the above double heading, you printed a cable from .Suva giving tin account of the death of n native at the hands of Arthur Ray Ashton, and the aeouittal of Another .side t-o that tragic tale is given by a missionary in a letter recently to hand from the New Hebrides Islands. The version so given is that tho owner of tho plantation, before leaving tho islands, had given instructions to the. native in question to erect a hut for himself on a particular spot clearly defined. Pineapples were growing on that spot. The owner had given these directions evidently unknown to Ashton. The native, according to tho owner's instructions, proceeded to pull itj> tin l pineapples in order to build where he had been directed. Asliton discovered the native pulling up the pineapples preparatory to building. He reprimanded the native and ultimately applied the hi>h, which so incensed the native that, as stated in your cable account, \m seized the whip, as who that had any manliness in him would not. Probably be belaboured Ashton as thr- cable j-ovs. The ujMihot was that Ashton drew hi< revolver and shot the native first in the leg. The native next attempted to wrest the revolver from Asht m. J but before he succeeded Ashton slut him through the hrnrt. T b»!ieve it was to this very incident that a cable referred the other day in your poper ! headed, I think. "Complaints of Missionaries." which had come to Mr Deakin, the. Premier of the Commonwealth.

In connection with this cn.se. let mc say first the island where this tragedy occurred is the island of Efahe. Efahe lies about the centre of the New Hebrides group, and has long since hern christianised. Life- on this island ft perfectly safe—safer than in our city of Christchurch. The natives on that island are most kindly and gentle. They would <!o their utmost to help any who were in need.

Second: Tho native shot was from Ancityum, the mr,<t southerly island of the croup. The Aneityumesc have been Christians for very many yr-ars. One con roam in their islaii'l flay and nijiht without the siiszlit molestation and, as on Efahe, nh«n!utclv unarmed. I am perfectly confident n native from Ani'ityum or Efahe, tlie islands con-

cerned, would never dream of murderin" any man. No doubt tho natives forhngs wore ! <mtra"r<l through »>oinff snbjwtfd to tho k7v.li—an«l wlniso would not P i Now on such islands, and dealing nith Vtifli docile Til on. let mc •iik wlicnn- tlio nrod for a whip.". "Wb'i-nco. also, the nred for a revolver-' May not the incident of tho la-h hare V.een like the proverldal last, strawi , Kven a Christian man will tolrnito tyranny only to ;' certain liMi'tli unless ho has an unusual en.iow~nient of Chi iotiaii fonlicarancr. Fvt l on a s:iv;il'c i-iniid tin , lash and the revolver are most questionable niolf- of i'l-otoction. hut on a Christum i-la!i'i areas utterly iinw.i! ranttd as in the'»tr<'?ts of Clinitilrirch. To my ii in;!. rise lasli and the revolver eon<ial a talc that is but half told. Yet the superiMtttiilei't was acijiiittul. Well, that wivild not be a difficult inattt'i ti> iK-hieve. It is an accepted axiom that a nativo"* evidence can never ho credited under any circumsi.'iiKTs. With viich a i>)>tulate linw could anjone fail to i>e acquitted. Tlio matter, however, is not likely to rest there. An appeal for investigation has been made to tlio Premier of Australia. aNi> to the Minister for Colonial Affairs in England. Affairs in the New Hebrides require close, attention at this iiiTsent time.—Yours. G t "' CHARLIvS MUJUIAY. Christehurch. IStli September. j"W«' th-.it i. -, .\ inji to an oversight publication of tllis letter hns been unduly delayed.—Ed. "'The l're>.s."J THE .SIZE OF COKNBACKti. TO TIIK KIUTOIt OF "TIIK I'JUCSS.'' Sir,—May 1 ask Mr H. J. Uailoy what reason he lias for saying that my name is not .Snooks. Granted that it is not, does Mr I\. J. J'ailey to know my real naiuer for the of becoming ix'tsonaliy offensive, taking the old legal maxim of "no ease abuse tin , other side."' For my part Ido not know who'Mr I?. J. Bailey is nor have 1 ever Keen him, but he made certain statements in a public paper which J !:new to ho nonsense and said ko, evidently a little too plainly for .Mr Bailey. A dignified silence on his part no doubt suits his cause if anyone differs from him "on so important a qutston." (Quotation H.J. ls.).—Yours, etc.. (STILL) fc>XOOK»S.

'•A LOST INDUSTRY. -, TO THE KDITOR OF "THli I'KESS.' , Sir, — In tho comments upon the decision of tho WiindeilicJi Steel Company to cetablirih its New Zealand factory at Wellington, much promineiKx> has been given to the factor of railway rates now in operation on tlu" Port line. The rates are high and I have no intention of taking up the cudgels on behalf of tho Haihvay Department. Indeed, it is not at all difficult to show that the rates on all ot the Port lines are. purely arbitrary rates based by the Department on the principle of "(Jet what wo can. - ' In the discussion which has recently taken place on the subject an, additional red herring has been trailed across tho track in tho ehapo of the "haulage. -, nnd "terminal" ehargo, and ono of your recent correspondents, -with what I cannot help regarding as a bland and childlike simplicity, after putting into the mouth of tho Hon. Hall-Jones a statement he did not make—a statement that tho terminal chargb accounted for 3s prr ton of the -is 2d—professes, by inference at all events, to regard tho total charge as a perfectly reasonable ono ami to question the existence of any valid reason for a continuation of tho agitation for redress. Such flimsy subterfuges go to make up the greater part of the so-called arguments for the proposed ship canal, and I not© with satisfaction your timely warning regarding the financial prospers of tho -whole canal eeheme. I have, not the slightest hesitation in thinking that this highly important aspect of tho proposal has not yet been tou-olied. The very surface of the subject, has. so far, escaped a scratch, and when tho time comes to go exhaustively into the. point the conclusion that Canterbury, in the aggregate, will not l>e one whit better off with the canal than it might bo to-day, must, 1 feel certain, lorco itself into every iinT.iased mind. What I mean by Canterbury in the nggregate is not a small section of Christchurch importers, but importers and exporters alike, for I can conceive no advantage to the community ns a -whole from any proposal which involves giving one section — the lmiporters—a rebate of, let us say, Is per ten on their goods, and at the same time to mulct the ex]X)rter in an increase of something like 2s per ton on his greater quantity. That is tho basis on which the financial "feasibility' , of the project has so far been discussed, and its extreme rottenness must show itself on the. most superficial investigation.

However, my object was not so much to discuss the canal proposal, and 1 have allowed myself to drift into an unintended direction. 1 took up my pen to ask a question, and shall feel obliged if some of your industrial or commercial eorresiwjndents could supply the answer. If it is an essential consideration that industries should bo established where land is cheap, and when* tho ccat of transit of tho raw material from sea coast to factory, and on tho finished article from factory to distributing point, should be reduced to a minimum—as I suggest it is— why, then, have not such factories boon established on land reclaimed from tho sea within Lyttelton harbour?

Under such a condition cf things all tho disadvantages to which you refer in your sub-leader —''tho heavy charges on the Lyttelton line, the inconvenience of double- handling of goods from the works to the trucks, and from the trucks to the steamer" — would disapjioar, and the- LyUolton Harbour Hoard would be- enoouragtxl to proceed on sound lines in the matter of its dredging operations by reclaiming additional areas of land from the sen.

•Such a policy would, I am fully persuaded, do more for the- industrial progress of Canterbury than half a dozen ship canals, and, collaterally with a pnlicy of electric traction for tlio railway, would little to be desired. I confess it would not, nor would any other i:o'ik-y, the can«l included, raise Ciiristchurch as a distributing centre to a position even approaching Wellington. A casual glance at tlie map r.r New Ztnland should surely he .sufficient to indicate, tint fact, to even the most enthusiastic Canterbury man. In

'! hrjiH'i.t controversy there .ire pome facts which, unpalatablv though they he. we must frankly admit, and the disabilities of Christchureh in this re-spr-H as compared with Wellington as a natural distributing centre, is one of them. The geographical position of the centres, relative to the rest ot the Dominion, must ever lie the one predominant factor " 'Tis true, 'tis pity; pity 'tis 'tis true. -- —Yours, etc.. HASTEN SLOWLY.

TRAFFIC RRIDOE OVER THE WAIPARA. to the EniTOR of "the rnnss." Sir.— A petition to the Minister is now being signed in the Northern District asking him to tnke immediate steps to have a traffic bridge elected ovt-r tho WaijKira .River. The settlers in this district have been very" long suffering for many years in not urging our needs more strongly. Tho Waipura is the largest river in Canterbury that has Jio traffic bridge, and settlement in tho district has enormously increased of late years, especially "to the north of the. river. At a meeting held at Amberlr-y soon after .Mr A. W. Rutheriord was elected to the Houf-o of Representatives, the Hon. Uall-Joiuts was present and promised

that a traffic bridge should bo rrwtel. and I am sure it is a pressing neod. May I through your paper, strongly apnVal'to my fel!*w settlers in tin,; district to *i2jn the present petition a.* largely as poewblo so ns to strengthen our members hands. I know he will d<> all in his power to have, tho injustice under which Wt> have Mippo-cd .so long removed.— Yours, etc:, GnE£?avooD Teviotdale.

THE CONSUMPTION SANATORIUM. T»> THE EDITOR OF "THE I'BESS.-' Sir.—Reports from, nliable sources, locally. Lave it that the Consumption Sanatorium on the Cashniere HilLs will hoi bo opened for fully eighteen months! In p. journal published otitsid.-- Clfristdiurch there's an intimation !>y tho health authorities that the building is welt under way. and the main building -aas being nxdod on or about .September 18th. Could you come to the r.'scuo and throw any light on the?o conflicting, contradictory statements? Possibly the autlionties intend to let the building: stand as happy limiting grounds lor small boys on rabbit inij ex]>editions. or a home for the feathered world. Has the original committee, consisting of many prominent business men, succumbed to sleeping bickness? It's an undisputed fact that the genial souls comprising the North Canterbury Hospital Hoard treasure? time by harvest seasons. They will possiMy ''sco to things alter harvest." .Still its a far cry to harvest, and meanwhile people are leaving Christchurch weekly with a hope ot netting into other sanatoria throughout New Zealand. Undoubtedly it would bo unfair to expect you to know wlien die- Government will cense certain political calisthenics and put through the necessary legislation cone« ruing the .Sanatorium. —Yours, etc., ANXIOUS PARENT. October 1. SUMNKIi TRAM SERVICE. TO THE EDITOH OF ''THE PRESS." ,Sir, —Kindly allow mo space to draw attention to what I consider a very unjust anomaly in connection with the Sunnier tram service. It is the usual custom, as we know, to run a sixpenny excursion tram at ten o'clock daily during the week, when most people arc at work; and on all .holidays wiTen working people desiro a little sea air, there is no excursion, tho ordinary faro of ono shilling being charged. This arrangement, when carefully considered, is entirely one-sided, for this reason. The only peoplo who can tako advantage of the daily excursion are principally visitors, and those of independent means, who can well afford to spend the time and money during the week without tho Tramway Board giving them this cheap excursion all for themselves. Then all through tho week, when these peoplo are enjoying their cheap trip, those ot moderate and small means are working and sweating to earn an honest crust for themselves and family, and when a holiday conies arouml they are denied the privilege of a cheap excursion to the seaside. Is this a fair, equitable arrangement? Certainly not. It would have to be tolerated in autocratic ltussia, but in this so-called democratic Dominion ot New Zealand it is* a marvel to mc it has gone on so long. What with our "motor-car" Government and our "motor-car" Tramway Hoard, the workers are beginning to feel like the man who fell from tho balloon—right out of it. 1 would like to know, sir, how long this little sea-side excursion 13 going to be run, as it is exclusively for the benefit of the chosen few. Several gentlemen have spoken to mc on this subject, and i hope that some abler pen than mine will take the matter up and bring pressure to bear on iiie right quarter, until this unjust irregularity is rectified.—Yours, etc., ONE OF TH£ CROWD. Christcu"tirch, September 26th, 1907.

MUTUAL LIFE ASSOCIATION" AMALGAMATION. TO THE EDITOR OV "THE I'BESS." Sir,—At a meeting in this town the otlior day it wm remarked that "some people would sign anything," and this, I think, is particularly the case with proxies to be ueed at meetings of public companies. Policy-holders in the Mutual LifeAssociation are being asked to sign blink proxy forme to be uecd in connection with a proposed amalgamation. Perhaps it is very desirable for many reasons to amalgamate, and on this point 1 do not pretend to offer any opinion generally. 1 understand, however, that the agreement which tlio shareholders are asked to ratify provides for certain appointments, atid m particular for the Into manager, who in to be appointed managing trustee at his present salary, not stated, but probably something between £2000 and £3000 per annum, and that ho oannoi be removed except by death or resignation. Now, if one knew his salary, and hie expectancy of life, it would be post-iblo to calculate what tlio value of this annuity is, for no doubt the appointment of managing trustee is more or less of a sinecure, with tlio infliicnco attaching to the control of large sums of money. Jt is reasonable to suppose that tlio liability to the gentleman referred to has been taken into iccount by the otlior company, and policy-holders in the Mutual Life Association will, of courep have to pay for it. ' I think the directors aro wanting in duo record for the interests (of tho policy-holders in proposing an appointment that only death, resignation, or the payment of i very large sum of money, perhaps £25,000 or £30,000 can terminate.—Yours, etc., ' POLICY-HOLDER.