CORRESPONDENCE.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20198, 28 March 1931, Page 17

CORRESPONDENCE.

< Correspondents who do not comply with our rules net out in the last column of our leader page will excuse u« from noticing their letters. THE CHURCH AND THE YOUNG. ro THE -BDITOR OF THS' PRESS ■ ' Sir, —Mr S. R. Cuming now assures us that he knew of the trusts attached to the Bishopric- Estate and the Dean and Chapter Estate, but he says the diocesan authorities have availed themselves of legislation to vary the termß 6£ the trusts. I challenge Mr Cuming t<> make public one instance of the Chqrch Property Trustees applying to Parliament for power to divert money from a trust held for specific purposes ■to other purposes. I know full well that Parliamentary sanction • has been obtained to extend the powers Of the trustees, inside the terms of the trusts. Tor example, a Bill was promoted in Parliament re : cently, which gave Synod poVer (a) to make a travelling allowance to the Bishop, (b) to, pay a pension to the widow of any Bishop of Christchurch out of the income of the Bishopric Estate; but this is only an extension' of the objects of the trust, it is not a diversion of the income to other , purposes. * He also' dismisses my statement [ that -142,772 children were attending Sunday Schools in 1926 with thq statement that "When we know how theso figures were arrived at, we shall be in a position to assess thorn at their proper valtie." Surely Mr Cuming knows how census figures are arrived at. The ministers , 0 f the various churches are asked to supply the. information.; If the information is not correct, it is the -fault of the church authorities; but they are mucli m'ore correct than p. blind guess, wMcluMr'Cunling.made. ' Mr Cuming says he did not say that all Sunday Schools were ■ "pious - pandemoniums." But' he did say that <c in only too many instances thd Sunday School has degenerated into a pioiis pandemonium." I replied't6 that-statement' that, SundaySchools to-day are more efficient than at any time in their history, and Mr |

Cuming has not been able to disprove my statement. There are niany members of Synod who hold that the £IOOO per annum 'now spent in two Qhurch schools in Christchurch would be much better spent on four additional -Sunday School organisers, who would help the children of the diocese as a whole, and should not be spent on 400 children in Christchurch who are the spns and daughters of parentj in a position to pay school fees;. At all events, I havo no evidence that St. Michael's parish is abounding With young life which is the product of the school in the parish, or that 50 or 60 apostles emerge from our church schools every year to turn the diocese upside down.—Yours, etc., SYNODSMAN. March' 27th, 1931. 10 THB EDITOB OP THE PBEBS Sir,—Your correspondent "Country, Member of Synod" is unoertain whether it is a fault pr not to have invited Mr S. R. Cuming to give a provocative lecture at St. Michael's, jfault or not, I am glad 1 did it. We want to provoke thought and discussion all the time.. When these cease we hope we shall die* • 1 But I write to express the action which 1 am sure all men of good will must feel with one feature of our diocesan efforts .in support of church 'schools.- It' is that "those - whom we allrespect have' never treated it as a Party, . question. As in. England to teach -the Catechism in a church school is the mark of an. Anglican of any colour, so may it always be here.: If |t were ever considered "AngloCatholic" or- "High Church" so to teach, if the old. historic' Evangelical party were ever to* give up the principles on which church primary day. schools are conducted, it <vould be a dark day for us. Snades of Hannah Morel 1 cannot thiuk that the Evangelicals would ever deny the children of the Church the distinctive, doctrines of that Church as they know them. Few people realise, how much the registrar or the' diocese has done for • our- primary schools. ■ ■ Many will- Remember the warm' and even touching words of the Chancellor in the last Synod about one of them. There is a i revival of interest in the whole sub-'

ject in England just now and the next generation would receive,, I believe, a wonderful- crop of , woshippers in our churches if we were air with one consent ' to revive the interest here.: — Yours, etc., >v - ■ . . CHARLES PERU'S. St. Michael's, March 27th, 1931. A BISHOP FROM CHRIST'S COLLEGE. TO THB EDtTOa OP TH* PBBSB Sir, —Mr Denys Hoare at the luncheon given in honour of Messrs, Blunt and Talbot by the Old Boys' Association of Christ's College, stated: "Tha school has produced some very.-fine-men, including a Bishop and 1 say thatin spite of the correspondence in this morning's Press, which says that the school has not out such a notability;" If Mr Hoare had read my, letter carefully, he would have noticed that I said "it was stated some year* ago that Christ's College had produced no; Bishops." At the* time 1 ' tlie, statement was made the present Bishop of Waiapu had not been appointed. Strange to say, ;it. was at a 'crickftb meeting in connexion with the admission of Old Collegians that the statement' Was made by an old boy of the school. Is it not a coincidence that Mr Hoare made his statement at a luncheon in honour of cricketers Yours, etc., SYNODSMAN. ■ March 27th, 1931. RAILWAY NOISES. TO THB EPITOA OP THB PBKSS Sir. —rhe other day a correspondent in The Press complained of the unnecessary use of whistles by enginedrivers. He says that the enginewhistles are a very serious matter for the health of the community. Does he really mean that tliese whistles are actually ruining our vitality? I, myself, have lived right beside the line for many years, and I know that not only I. - but- many others, have never been alfected jjy them in -any wuy. I know of people who-Uvfe close to busy railway yards, and yet they "sag they never notice the moise. •Wh.eu lahowed

the lotter of your correspondent -.to a friend, he laughed at such a trivial complaint; for, .juat as in. • Cnristchurch, thenars inany crosslngs, many . being furnished with hells* the trains whistle a 'great deal, but there; 'are no complaints In.fact, I have met a number of people in Various' parts of" New Zealand, .who appreciate -the faOt that the railway line is .right next to thetn. "They say the noise of 1 the trains is quite soothing and homely. In the there are , notices, which inform drivers - to whistle.' at every 'crossing and at curves,or staj tions' where there is & possibility of* persons being on the; line. *They, 9'' course,- are: also' told to use thefr discretion . When . there • are_ 'so • mariy •" crossings in a bii&v locality, /and" so • many ipad > motorists, almost constant whistling, really," 13 necessary. , No ' driver likes to have an accident, and. If he has had one, he takes great care not to have another; hence, he uses the whistle > more freely. , To is also nocessarv when approaching stations to whistle -for signal. As to your correspondent's re. mark that certain whistling' was' byplay between drivers and, signalmpn, ; : that is quite untrue, except tvheri an occasional lazy signalman has to be reminded of a train*s- presence bv a .blast of the whistle. "Surely jX, . can not be very 'sftrfcly troubled ' by whistles at Add'narton when -he is. in Bealev avenue. Bv. his remarks - one 1 would suppose that Addington several .miles, awav. t-whereaS it is little moretthan "a mile and a,-half- away. 1 If "X." really' wants to find out hew" I far. an engine whistle can be heard.' 1 I would ask him . tc stapd , on the overbridee at Addington when there is a light southerly breeae ; and .1- can assure him, especially .if it", is in-the Evening, that he will hear trains waistline'at Hornby, if not at .Islington. - Also. "X." must not forget that it is often not the fault of a driver when •his whistle changes .alternately from, a piercing squeal to a n loud, rumble; ,'® r . that is one of the eccentricities of the whistle itself. - Finally it remembered that a pood warning Is absolutely necessaiy at all crossings, unless we 1 want more shocking accidentSi/.At' a crossing it is almost second/ nature for an engine-driver to- whistle, -OTt, it. is not ao for most .motorists- totl<*>»where fnov nrp ours, etc.--, , - DISTANT. Wanganui, March 2oth, 1831.. j

. ' * THE AUSTRO-GERSJAN-. CUSIQMS ' AGREEMENT. - ; ro THS EDITOR OS Tjaß r&SSR J Sir, —This 'last' week' we % ig, ; receipt' of many cablt grama concerning a /proposed .commercial 'signed between and Austria', which, seems to have' taised' ■ protest? jroni ■ Italy and Fiance; ami. the .teason for these protests is not only -obvious? but also, unsound "and "unjust, .'escipt foft'th« one 1 objection put * forward' by' > * *®h.ft Times," deprecating-secret'tieatieji As a result of the War, and alafe of, the Treaty "the'AiiStrian hatloii has been 'reduced''to a st'ptf, of' frap'ot&ncyj having lost one of its> "best'princes'to Italy, and having been left without an outle't' to' the' sea", whereby 'to develop feomnieTSJially with- the- outside J wbrldL! Added to these troubles the Republic has had lo Seat'with internal troubles canned by,.the antagonism qt thje wealthy, landowners of the North, who 1 - - found themselves heavily taxed'in order -to enable, the .Government) to, .pursue the policy ;of econopiia jreconstractiotf,, of housing'for the people, and of that great co-operative movement ao beneficial, to the; r working class of Austria, These latifijndig. landlords could rely -on the, servility of the peasantry aiid formed themselves into a Fascist Party, If they didnot seize control in Vienna, it .was, only through the courage,.of" the >"VieiK nese~ people, who in a citizen' army of 25,000 well-equipped men- waited v - for them, in vain. In spite of all these'difflcultj|es the Austrian people," second, to pop* in fculture) refinement, love of the. fine, arts, and also* in industrial and commercial achievements, faced their-owjt difficulties and dealt' with them in audi a manner so as to receive the admiration of other nations. Austria, as' now. constituted/ is-German in speech, character, and'sympa,thies, and there is no reason to Appose w their amalgamation in * single -Statej i-xccpt the .possibility, of their becoming n strong ujitftary power with. military Ho.wevef, no valid- objection could be made against, a <jommer<siaJ treaty, wrhiek would. (enable - r tji£ ..Austrian. peojfl ( e uto davejop their industries, njwl* -to -|»a v free sea:" • The Gefjixan" and i aUft Eepublica have both givea, jso«£ jdihqlr