CORRESPONDENCE.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 17986, 1 February 1924, Page 11

CORRESPONDENCE.

VOW** SOUTH. ,07 "W PB intCrMt 7 Zr^' c->. —- 1 ' , yesterdays P V' South, and it should one -"1,0 wants to do someboo >ewZcaW for So The South Island's Hcs in the hands u Thev always have bei j!5 F 0 ?-'- of the work being Government, or by their 1 & b> ' A3 they do less, so do t d 0 mo rc. i-' GcrS 1 deny that it is by priif® wealth f ° r thC "" & r I for the state. Tat, here to-day we seo all en- ! of any magnitude, such as ! .trie schemes, irrigation coal production, in i* 5 * constructive, monopolised lV a,"te The people, through Iwntativcs in Parliament, months wide, and tho State ! * "j them But it does not fol- **■*%£ method is the best for 'or for the individual All a,,d P? rt,cu ar .£ X* ufof England, has been built en RpoonState fetters energy and

of-spoon-feeders here is ! dominated r.W.D, which r !? :Labour and Capita alike by itsramifications into every it drives away some of 'if S,"t i"s"?o"nioi.op»l7ff'jS =-I «« »»' * nunds, aro just as ffpWD is a necessity to adminis- . nccSs of a community not we are, such as Gold Nigerii Straits Settlements, etc., j,y 3 Mblc of carrying out developby themselves. Here in New la it is different.. We have a S system of school and umverh education second to none. Doc- •' arts scholars, engineers, Sfi &aro turned out. in numM erSy year, but the majority of ! faXg no market for their brains fL Zealand in competition with I'State monopoly of brains and „ a go abroad, many never to re'l j' E l give us their service. . lL State has carried out, work m iAjjt tho absence of population Capital, bat now, with many seeZ> of tho community ready and asktto lie given a chance, there is absol u Me a for tho State to comwith" outside labour and capital, 'is fit! it not compete in the open -yie s ' like any monopoly it throttles •r-vj'Vion Every constructive enter'Z, to-diy' must be referred to the s'at* sanction, and, as it is «in inWlta party itself, the State says No it Ta to-suit itself, ill'that is required to-day is an o£m of Works, to look after State is23ia»a aid. institutions. Leave all r tli4 wotks 'and enterprises to the ; who' will rely on the products | sE their 'universities and schools, and ist on afm standardised minds in the SsTiraEMt service. IiWM us consider the matter of «tt!tti» for public works which are lit It tie CT.D, .to the public in ac«ri>3!! with their expressed policy I r! giTise private enterprise a chance. 1 Tii taiet for the construction of tho i a&fia.isiincl at- Lake Coleridge | >.atas\A to a co-operative concern j" to: This means that the conI ir.cbs jtjfl; the labour only, while lis P.O. rapplies everything else and materials, trans"fsri ifliaj+Jvisio'n. This is not fair ct iteMerers who liave to estiKSte fir everything, for they are not .-.ioiilfMfed by the Government, i awperative system of carrying : tat (oa'meiiqn work by labour in j MjtK&a-with Government supeTAipi ted plant, eta, is "not one calftk'W to attract boiia-fide sontractors ! ijtsient;entirely on their own redraw. The contract for the present ; te?l now delivering water from the j to waist ia the Bame way, and the i Go-enuneDt ■were obliged to take it ; finish it. "Will history repeat toil!: It is remarkable that separate Wtnj should tender within f4OOO of a! siHther on the co-operntive sys- !>, sti|e a bona-fide firm working .jiioot, Qoveremont assistance should at : aearly double the amount. i Jail tost of this tunnel will be j«fet £300,000 than £IOO,OOO, since the l do not give us any account isn'' 'k o! cos t to the country of superrision, matonals and plant, si transport will be. ■ "fp® 6 system of co-operative work W oil railway construction iri this vjy, and the subsequent cost and MMh-.ia excess of what it ,f ? '® B "id what it would be if Quae contractor, supplying every- ■ B!Were.allowed a chance. or 18 miles of "railway r" 4 «st Coast of the North Island Sf i- ited b ?' tllB P-W.D. Any 'S, i f awcr mil3t allow for .the P-ait and transport that will be laid the corresponding amount tin*! ? w '" increased thereby, ta, „\ to BU Sgest that tho lowest : will be so 5 ! ®fo at gli I ® v , ernment will accept u , > hut announce that they [&of ~ T clle . a Per themselves. The labour will be anMthing else, and the iitgsj » np i D '; ike tho original tenW 1 0w ' Ui3 dOM. But ow tlie Test of the M transport on railways, 'iPffil il? ' an< * supervision by* the final cost ls tet of fh* - wiU far exceed the W .! tenders; it has Waim.l - n . e^ore elsewhere. hm,fH , ln P ower scheme has b y the State aJ7 i u P llcat ion of Lake 7 ,because the P.W.D. of the' end of their ij 110 ""tive enterprises. admit tiT+ ln i tte schemc ; the theh ' tit will not fit ,1 lsl.mf "mt Ctr ' C ella " l in B too no-, t i Waimakariri p; TekarK, dko Coleridge, they tlJ Mat? 13 m ° re centr al? comin g industrial i« tho fa.-t J BO the nearest and &^tt S °t r ' all the P ° Wer lifflara till - 0 , ncar sources jJdUag {q -l 7 is abosjt 30 years I cai h n ° Tekapo be its /„?>, Why Christ'M other 4; , ther ln PteferM h Bc hemes. be'any 0,8 Harper ]y„ tollec ? the wat er Biako t? ? r without the an lv nplicdte(i C Of but con®tt6t lonli' ? ChristI , '^ ea s for someJ* P °Ple of t.h„ o proo£ - **&• I,la,a »»« 15 to tt * the , D 0 oao else O ottl the a ßs t^ Pa " lty t0 d 0 St 1113 ftithou?" H Unce . of public the P.w.d i-0 not wan t

thia official-ehoked Dominion of ours. Rather do we want to be allowed to develop our country with the goodwill of a Central Government, which has quite enough to do in making laws and governing to have time to control every large labour enterprise in this Dominion such as it does to-day, to the absolute exclusion of private wealth and pri-vately-controlled labour, and to the infinite harm of Labour itself.—Your3. etc., H. M. CHRTSTALL. Christchurch, January 31st, 1924.

TO the EDITOR OF "the press." Sir, —The post-war mentality of short vision and selfishness is alfecting New Zealand, and particularly this little community. It was witli surprise that I read that our Mayor even harboured such thoughts as separation from the North Island. Cannot he see the illimitable results of the folly of I'nion has always been strength and economy, and it is so tc-day. To me the suggestion is" so incredible that I cannot believe that an. educated man like our Mayor is in earnest! Such folly one might have expected from some of the previous occupants of the. civic chair, but not from Mr Flesher. lieeauso Christchurch does not get all her own way, it is, to say the least of it, childish and' unsportsmanlike to wish to hive off. Restraint is a good thing for a city as well as for an individual. I don't believe the North Island people grudge us anything that is for our good. "Why, a prosperous South Island is good for the North Island, and vice versa.—Yours, etc.. "SCOT." Christchurch, January 31st, 1*924.