LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Press, Volume LXXX, Issue 24368, 21 September 1944, Page 6

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

VICTORY LOAN ADVERTISING Sir,— To-day, to aid the Victory Loan. 30 aircraft of the Royal New Zealand Air Force flew over t city. This means that very nearly 1000 gallons of petrol were consumed. Now we, who have been paying for the war in taxes and loans, can understand petrol and other vital commodities bemg used on a vast scale for war purposes. What we cannot tolerate, however, is huge quantities of fuel being wasted in a cheap propaganda stunt such as today’s effort. If people are going to subscribe to the Victory Loan, they will do so without the aid of R.N.Z.A.F. training aircraft. —Yours, etc., CONSERVE. September 18, 1944. [When this letter was referred to the chairman of the National Savings Committee (Mr J. L. Hay), he said: “The correspondent apparently is not aware that an essential part of the training of Air .Force pilots is formation flying. Monday’s flight of aircraft was arranged to give pilots some of this training, and at the same time serve the double purpose of giving publicity to Air Force week of the Victory Loan. Unfortunately, all people, unlike Conserve,’ do not invest in the loan without any urging to do so. All the Allied nations, including England, spend very large sums in War Loan publicity, such as air. flights, etc. . London, for instance, uses aeroplanes, tanks, and war vehicles of all kiftds lavishly for the creation of public interest uvwar loans, and petrol is very precious there. J . Sir, —Your correspondent, “Pro Patna," strikes an echoing chord. Unfortunately. not by our deaths do we claim to be joint heirs’ with Christ. But, very lovingly and sympathetically I would alter the poem to “Heirs with Christ because He bled to save, trusting ones, not in vain.” Also, His wounds are still in evidence, but we shall be presented “without blemish (Eph., 5, 27). Still, one who lays all on the altar for love of friends and country should appreciate more than others the loving sacrifice of Christ.— Yours, etc., ,WM. PROUDLOCK. September 19, 1944. FERNERY-AVIARY Sir, —I should like the opportunity of thanking Mr Lush for his article, with its imaginative and engaging idea of a combined fernery ana enclosed bird sanctuary. Public gardens, with their neat lawns and’ formal plots, tend to become a little monotonous. The introduction of such a miniature wilderness, with its suggestion of remoteness, with the birds, their songs and quaint habits, would add a feature of fascinating interest to the Domain. —Yours, 6tC J. R. HERVEY. September 20, 1944. Sir,—Many wrongs do not make a right. Unfortunately for mankind, nature does not consider our reasons for rapacity. She seems ruthless in revenge in what is but the law of cause and effect Native trees were meant for New Zealand’s particular protection; protection, of her birds, her soil, and her people, working in harmonious co-operation. Insecticides do not replace birds. We may poison, starve, and render ourselves and future generations homeless in our very endeavour to outwit erosion, fertilise the little remaining top soil, and preserve its fruit and fruitfulness, if we neglect appreciation of the function of forest and bird. Many aviaries will not save birds, forests, or us. Why not devote time, thought, and money to salvation of native bird haunts, and to sending trainloads of children upon educational excursions to them?— Yours, etc., FREEDOM. September 20, 1944. Sir,—lnstead of planning to cage birds, could not people be encouraged to grow “bird-tucker” specially for our native birds? A picture in “The Press” recently showed tuis in a Cashmere garden, and here, 800 feet above sea-level, a wood-pigeon has lived for several years in plantations of pines and deciduous trees. During spring and summer it has several companions. Experts could be asked to tell us. what to grow to feed them, and what we could add ’during the hard times. I have observed that bellbirds and wax-eyes enjoy flowering currant, Pyrus japonica, and Cotoneaster Simonsij when in bloom, while wood-pigeons nibble laburnum leaves all the. summer. If such trees and shrubs were grown on a large scale in the Public Gardens, I suggest that they would look effective and would be a source of food, for native birds and a. joy to all.—Yours, etc., BELL-BIRD. Culverden, September 19, 1944. BUTTER-FAT RETURNS Sir,—The annual report of the Tai Tapn Central Co-operative Dairy Company. nublished in your issue of September 18. states that “the company’s pay-out figure, allowing for gradings, deductions, etc,, and including .767 d farm costs allowance, averaged 17.171 d per lb butter-fat, which was the highest of any South Island butter factory.’’ If this refers to the average pay-out to suppliers the statement that it was the highest of any South Island butter factory is incorrect. The Murchison Co-operative Dairy Factory Company, Ltd., according to its annual report and accounts, returned to suppliers an average pay-out per lb of butter-fat of 16.409 d plus the 1943-44 farm costs allowance of .767 d per lb. making a total of 17.176 d. Bearing in mind the isolation of the local factory, with its attendant heavy freight charges, the return to suppliers would appear to compare favourably with that of the much larger centrally-situated Christchurch company.—Yours, etc., G. W. G. LOCKE. Murchison, September 19, 1944. HOSPITAL EXPANSION Sir, —In the article published in "The Press” of September 6 there were two statements that need slight adjustment. 1. The [Cashmere] site was acquired in 1939.—1 left the hills in 1938. The land was bought before that year and work done on it. 2. An exhaustive search was made for a suitable site.—That consisted in asking for offers of from five to seven acres of hillside land, specifying between Murray Aynsley Hill and Cashmere. Later, through “The Press, ’ we were told that 12 or 14 offers had been received but the board had bought the flat land belonging to the Cashmere estate at the price of £2OOO. The question at the time was. why advertise for hillside land?— Yours, etc.. TRUTH. . September 9. 1944. [The secretary of the North Canterbury Hospital Board (Mr A. Prentice) said yesterday that the year the Cashmere property was acquired was inadvertently shown as 1939 instead of 1938. The board advertised in “The Press” on November 19, 24. and 27, 1937, that it desired to purchase properties of five to 10 acres, which must, be on dry land, within easy reach of the city, m the sewer connexion, and adjacent to the tram. A considerable number of offers) were received, and the Cashmere property was acquired as it was considered most suitable.] [Although this correspondence has been declared closed, this letter is printed since it was submitted some time before the closure was applied.—Ed., “The Press.”]