CORRESPONDENCE.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16884, 12 July 1920, Page 7

CORRESPONDENCE.

THE ENGLISH MAILS. I TO THE EDITOR OF "THE TRESS| Sir, —Can you tell us what has gone wrong with tho English mails? During the last few months the San Francisco service has very seldom, and the ancouver service has by no means always, brought any mail from England, though these services have regularly earned mails to England, and nobody knows nou even the local post office authorities —when the next English mail is expected, or by what route it is coming, until a mail, actually arrives in the Dominion. Mails, when they do come, often arrive in little trumpery doles of a few bags. It is uott about three weeks since anything worth calling a mail has come by any route. What is the reason of this chaos in the mails, and when is it likely to be put right? Is it that the mail contracts have expired? and, if so, now that Parliament is sitting, why does not the matter come up for immediate consideration, so that fresh contracts can be entered into and a regular service be arranged without delay? It has puzzled me to know why the public has taken this long-standing inconvenience so calmly, and why there has been no explanation of its causes in the papers.—Xours. etc., S. S. BLACIvBURNE. [The fault is not with the local officials, who make public any information they receive concerning the mails. —Ed. "The Press."] NEW BRIGHTON LOAN. TO THE EDITOR OF "Tli* PRESS.'* Sir, —"Brighton's" letter in this morning's "Press" was funny. Fancy bringing such things as the price or t sugar as an argument against voting for the loan. Give us good, sound logic why we should stand still, and we will weigh your evidence. I am a new resident and ratepayer, and will make my permanent home hero if we get on with the good work, but not if we hesitate and delay. Anyone with an observartt eye can see money is needed, and more than £52,000, but that instalment will do me tlhis time, for the convenience and added beauty to our borough will buoy us uo to face the huge expend'ture shortly needed for a sewerage and high-pressuro water supply scheme, and a big loan it will be. —Yours, etc., J GO-AHEAD, j | July 10 th. | | TO THE EDtTOR OF "THE PRESS. , Sir, —I desire to thank "Brighton" ' for his letter referring to the loan proposals, which will be submitted to the ratepayers on Tuesday. I desire, however, to contradict his statement as to the work proposed to bo done being unnecessary. Anyone acquainted with New Brighton should know that every one of tho matters scheduled are necessarv works. "Brighton" refers to the addition to Council Chambers as. ! unnecessary. Possibly ho is not aware I of the cramued office accommodation i and that over six years ago the then i Council realised this, and had _ plans ! prepared. Since then the work in the ! office lias increased proportionate to | tho wonderful progress of the borough, I consequently the need of alterations has become acute. It is impossible for the Council to do construction work out of its limited revenue, and the progressive ratepayers are anxious for the various improvements scheduled in the loan. New Brighton ratepayers have the reputation of being progressive, and will assuredly support the progressive policy of the Council. The loan will not double the rates, as stated by "Brighton." The rate for the loan will be, about 3Jd in the £ on the unimproved value, or approximately 2os per year on an unimproved value of £100, which is a reasonable average value or an eighth-acre. If "Brighton'' will re- ; view the loan proposal and the real cost to the ratepayer, he will, I think, change his opinion and giTO tlies loan his supnort. An examination of the schedule will clearly prove that this loan is a ratepayers' loan, and not in the interest of speculators. —Yours, etC- ' RATEPAYER, rTVe have received letters of a similar tenor from other correspondents. Ed. "The Press."] A WHITE NEW ZEALAND. TO THE EDITOR OF "THE PRESS." Sir, —Ivindlv allow me. to explain why I have n* sympathy with the twaddle about "White Australia" and "White New Zealand." For one reason, we have the experience of the advancement of the American nation through the admittance of the peoples of tho world to her shores, and I believe I am right when 1 say Carlyle did, not go far enough in the statement that "the population of England mas mostly composed of fools." For I verily believe the population of the English-speaking peoples, on religion and politics, but not on profiteering, is mostly composed of idiots: consequently there is no .coir our or race can be much behind us. — Yours, etc., _ W. FITZHENRY. THE PUBLIC HEALTH. *0 THE EDITOR OF "THE PKISB.'' Sir, —A matter calling for immediate attention is the condition of the two underground conveniences that are unattended. I suppose we still have city inspectors, and health inspectors, too, pernaps, drawing their modest remuneration. Had these services in question besi other tlhan municipally owned, it would have been reported long ago, but being publio property nobody worries. They are a disgrace, before being cleaned and after. —Yours, etc., MURIATIC ACHX SHORTAGE OF HOUSES. TO THE EDITOR OF "THE PRES* Sir, —I thought I had made ray letter regarding the above specially provide against "bad construction.' The by-law in this case would see to it that the partition walls were of sufficient thickness. After all, the worker's objection you quote was in consequence of "bad construction," which it was certainly the business of the district authority to prevent. I was not thinking so much of the resthetic viewpoint as of the 2000 houseless persons in Wellington who interviewed trie Premier. At the present time we cannot afford to stand on ceremony: the need is pressing, and remedies are being asked for. I have lived in England on and off for a period of 9} years, and know London well, especially the East End, and I quite agree with you about the depressing effect of streets entirelv of terraces, all one height. But I did not advocate that. By-laws .can prevent that quitd easily. I suggested terraces of not more than six or eight houses in ono clump. By-laws, again, could order tiat no two such "clumps" should be nearer together than, say, five chains in any one street. The monotonous line or "pediment" could bo broken with dormer windows, on the same principle, say, as the City Buffet in Colombo street, and other examples in Christchurch. The comparative cheapness of sutfh houses, in comparison with what our City Council propose to do with their £10.000 in Syden'nam, is, I think, beyond argument. "Each of these houses will cost £1100, with the section, and the rent will have to be at least 32s Od per week to provide interest at 0 per cent." So runs tho report in tho papers. Well, Sir, how is a man with wife and children on about £4 per week going to pay such a rent, to say nothing of persons who have even less titan that to live on ? It's the" very } poorest wh6 are to be considered when! it comes- to such an emergency, as wo are at present experiencing. We have still some breathing time in New Zea-,! land before we will find it necessary to build whole streets of terraces. It'feas t3ken England 19C0 years to come to this pass. Our beginnings date back only 80 years or so, and wo have a coun-. try over three times the size of Eng- ' land. But expanding towns have the same experience the world over. As

economic human centres of industry, they cannot sprawl indefinitely over the landscape and Still bo ecouoriiic. In France "and America they meet the difficulty with tall flats, as we know, in England with streets of terraces. Surely we can come to some compromise on the English plan: it only requires careful planning in order to eliminate the evils you speak of. —Yours, etc., PRO RENTER.