CORRESPONDENCE. FRUITGROWING FOR SOLDIERS. THE HORNBY 'BUS. THE BATTLE OF THE PACIFIC. BICYCLE THIEVES. EAST AND WEST.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16550, 16 June 1919, Page 7

CORRESPONDENCE.

FRUITGROWING FOR SOLDIERS.

THE HORNBY 'BUS.

THE BATTLE OF THE PACIFIC.

BICYCLE THIEVES.

EAST AND WEST.

TO THE EDITOR OF "TUB TRESS. Sir,—lnterest in tho fruit-growing movement and in the scheme of repatriation by extension of the Loburn orchards may be sufficient to warrant a few lines of protest against tho careless remarks made by Mr Shelton, manager of the N.Z. Federation of Fruitgrowers, during his recent visit to llangiora. The Loburn scheme had come up for explanation during the day at tiio Rangiora meeting, so that Mr Shelton had no excuse for the attack, mistaken and uncivil, that ho made on tht? scheme when his opinion was, after the meeting, casunlly asked by your reporter. Our oracle would kill the Loburn schemo in two shots. His first, however, went very wide. Ho strongly objected to placing soldiers on newlyplanted, and therefore for years unprofitable, orchard sections. Now, if Mr Shelton had paid ordinary attention he would liaro heard that this objectionAble feature lias indeed attached to the Government- orchard scheme of repatriation, but the special feature of the Loburn scheme is that the soldier need not take up his section until it is in profitable bearing, a contractor doing the cultivation, planting, and maintenance for five years. The Government buys tho land and pays the contractor his tendered price for planting, etc., for five years, and tho repatriated man then takes it and pays interest and sinking fund on whatever of the cost is not free. If the soldier prefers ho can take his section at any stago in tho five years, and for his work will bo paid tho sum annually that would otherwise have been paid to the contractor. Mr Shelton s second shot was wide of the mark for veracity. As everyone now knows, the Loburn scheme originated with a well-known firm of nurserymen, and the drift of Mr.Shelton's statement that the scheme only benefited those supplying the fruit trees" may be oasilv gauged. One wonders why Mr Shelton forgot to mention the profit to the farmers selling tho land, the profit to the contractor on the various kinds of cultivation, pruning, and spraying, and so on, and the profit, if I am not mistaken, to the Fruitgrowers' Association arising from the orchards tax that-contributes to the Association.

Tho random and witless remarks thrown off by Mr Shelton may, with their author, even now pasj, to tho things that are forgotten, but tlio vital matter for tho soldiers is that the R.S.A.. the Repatriation Board, tho Land Board, and the Council of the Progress League will take the trouble to ascertain exactly what the Loburn scheme is, approved as it has been by the County Council and the county branch of tho League.—Yours, etc.. REPATRIATION. June 14th.

TO THE EDITOR Of ."TIIE PRESS."

Sir,—ln "The Press" of June 12th you gave a report of a meeting of the Paparua Council, at which a deputation from Hornby, consisting of Meesis Manhire, Rountreo, and Ward, interviewed the Council, asking them to # use their endeavours to havo the service of tho Hornby 'bus maintained, as owing to the extremely bad state of tho roads causing so many breakdowns, the Tramwav Board would have to stop running it,'in which it is stated "that the deputation had information that the bus was pnving handsomely. This statement is untrue. Tho chapman also said) "tliat in view of the statement of tno deputation that their figures proved that the 'bus -was.paying handsomely, the clerk was instructed to write to tno Tramway Board._ As neither of tno deputation montioned any figures, nor yet made any mention whatever about ''paying handsomely," I herewith challenge tie chairman or his reporter to prove their assertions or withdraw them. I would like to state briefly part oE what was said by the writer, which was to the effect that some time ago, at a>

meeting of the Hornby and district residents, it was decided to wait upon the Tramway Board and request thorn to provide "a conveyance to enable them to meet the Riccarton tram at Sockburn, and save them a long walk. Tho Tramway Board generously granted the request at tho risk of a great loss, as prophesied by the pessimists, and also provided a substitute whenever the 'bus broke down through the bad stato of the roads, which were a disgrace to any Council, an insult to the ratepayers, and utterly unworthy of any district. The Tramway wore doing their very best to oblige the public, the Council were doing their worst by their opposition and obstruction, instead of wnich. they ought to hold out the hand of encouragement to the Tramway Board, and tnus help to open un tho district and make it more attractive and prosperous. It is also due to the public that the roads should be kept in the best possible order. A large number of those using the 'bus are ratepayers, and if the roads were kept in the state they ought to be—even if there were no 'bus —there would be no need to trouble the Tramway Board for a profit and loss account for the twelve months. In conclusion, may I most heartily thank the Tramway Board on behalf of the inhabitants and the deputation, for their kind consideration in providing the 'bus. —Yours, etc., F. WARD. Hornby, June 13th.

TO THE EDITOR OF "TIIB FIIESS." Sir, —Well named "Pacific," which means peaceful; therefore it woultT'bo better called the battle for peace between nations. Pessimists, who see only evil designs in rival peoples are the enemies of peace. It would be better for them to look into the foundation of our "Western civilisation and see our corrupt commercial intrigue and immorality before pointing a finger at the Eastern peoples. When Livingstone went into Africa he found that the black man had a soul, and he loved him, and he found that the black man could love also. After tho missionary came the trader with his box of tricks and with all the white man's lowest vices and deceits: so can; we be surprised when the children of tho East pay us back in our own coin? It behoves us, as British people, to eeb an example to the other races with whom we come in contact. For the 1 peoples are as waters; the great Beas have their bounds that they break not through. A email quantity of water can bo confined; caused to be heated and so generated into steam, it heroines 1 a power to drive great engines. New Zealand is a small power which must be regulated and generated; then we can bo the missionary of 'the greab Pacific. —Yours, etc.. QUEEN OF THE SOUTH. June 14 th.

TO THE EDITOB. OP "THE THESS." 1 Sir, —Not long before tho late Mr T. 1 E. Taylor's death, when ho was Mayor, I wrote to liim suggesting a plan for the taxation and registration of bicycles. Tho idea was that every bicycle should be registered and carry a distinctive number, as motor-cycles do, and that a feo of 2s 6d or even Is annually should be charged. The number would be stamped upon every part cf the bicycle, and displayed prominently < as on motor-cars and motor-cycles. It ] was claimed that this system, which j should, of course, be compulsory, would ' help the police in identifying offenders, j produce a fair revenue without hard- « ship, and act as a deterrent to the ' bicycle-thief. It is evident that the J stealing of Bicycles would at any rate * be a far riskier business than it is now, 1 if all important parts of every bicycle 1 bore a distinctive number. I Mr T. E. Taylor wrote to me approving this plan. After his death I submitted it to the Mayor (Mr J. J. « X>ougnll, I think), and it was instantly 1 rejected on the ground that it would <

bo an nnpopSar tax, and that it would be a costly and tedious business to effect tho registration. I sent Mr Taylor's letter ivitli that plan to his successor, but never got it back, and thus cannot publish it, as I should liko to do. One of the objections having now disappeared, or nearly so, since tho motorcycles either outnumber the "pushbikes" already, or soon will do so, and tho other objection (unpopularity t.f tax) having" no force at any time, I now brins tho phn forward once more through your columns, though I hare no longer any personal interest in it so far as the insurance of bicycles is eonccrned. Perhaps some of your correspondents who have lost bicycles will take it up. Such a plan was in ioreo in somo Continental towns, to my knowledge, 2r> voars ago.—Yours, etc., AKKOED WALL. June 14th.

10 THE EDITOR OK "TIIK PRESS." Sir,—F'ease allow me to continue to think that my first letter inspired your able article and provoked tho two interesting letters on the abovo subject that you published to-day. Tho viewpoints of your two correspondents are interestingly different. I would liko to recommend a book to ono of tho writers, and your readers—it is in tho Library— "A Chinaman's Appeal to Wostorn Missions." Tho writer ploads "Why not let us alone?" Ono can easily imagino some of our yellow and black brothers saying "Napoo" sarcastically when a fanatical missionor comes along denouncing their spirit ancestry worship as devil worship. Tho otJhor wjitcr touches upon somo of tho spiritual aspects of tho problem that the Professor probably lias no time for, which are perhaps the real guiding influences. A travelled friend told me that the low ideals of the huge mass of Eastern humanity, which arc lower than our lowest, constitute tho danger and the menace.—Yours, etc.. QUERY. June 14th.