POWER CUTS

Press, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 26857, 9 October 1952, Page 5

POWER CUTS

Sir,—“Share Alike” writes in “The Press” of the unfair power cuts in parts of North Canterbury. Like many others, our household resents the times and the obviously unfair power cuts that are imposed on only part of North Canterbury. Fancy asking us to save power when we know others have never had an evening cut. This is just humbug, as on all sides you hear, “Why should I save when so-and-so has never had any power cuts?” The North Canterbury Power Board will have to find a much fairer way if it wants co-operation. Could I inquire if it is correct that the sports grounds are lit up with electricity two, if not three, nights a week in Rangiora? Perhaps Mr Buckingham would say if Rangiora gets no evening cuts; and if this is correct, why can Rangiora have power when there is such a shortage?—Yours, etc., HAD THEM. North Canterbury, October 1, 1952. [The engineer-secretary of the North Canterbury Electric Power Board (Mr A. Buckingham) replied to the above complaint as follows.—“lt is correct that the evening power cuts, now 6.307.30 p.m., Monday to Thursday, are not made to feeders supplying essential industries—chiefly poultry farmers—but consumers drawing supply from such lines are expected to conform by not using power for general purposes during such periods. The midday power cuts, Monday to Friday, and weekend cuts apply to the board’s whole area. Rangiora also has power cuts, though not m the evenings.”]

LIMITATION OF FAMILIES Sir, —May I reply to “Mother’s” letter. First, she contradicts herself. She advocates reading Dr. Read’s book on “Painless Childbirth” and then quotes the ideal family as one or two. Perhaps “Mother” has found Dr. Read’s book not quite as true as it reads. Large families are not of low intelligence, as “Mother” would have us believe. Some of our most famous and noted people come from large families. If a couple have one or two children they are not very intelligent, as they are only replacing themselves in the world; therefore, the larger families would overcome the necessity of bringing immigrants to our country. Birth control is the cause of a lot of nervous and mental conditions in the world to-day. “The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.”—Yours, etc., POPULATE OR PERISH. October 8, 1952.

Sir,—lt was recently stated in “The Press” that an Indian feminist, Mrs Fozdar; asked a question, “Can we not distribute the population in a better way?” Presumably Mrs Fozdar meant India’s population. If India is unable to control her high birth-rate, why should she turn to other countries to help her out? Fiji and South Africa are samples ef Indian immigration. Mrs Fozdar quotes the number of citizens a square mile in Canada, Australia, and Japan. Obviously, Mrs Fozdar overlooks the fact that a large area of Canada is mountainous courttty and unfit for human existence. Australia is largely sandy desert, of which no doubt by irrigation and afforestation a good proportion could be brought into productive use- but it would be a slow and very costly process, involving a century or two to gain any practical result.—Yours, etc., , NOT‘DUPED. October 8, 1952.

Sir,—The obsolescene of “Catholic’s” reasoning is matched only by the nonsense written by “Mother” and Balance m Everything.” Birth control for the purpose of sensible limitation and spacing of families is common sense. On the other hand, a country composed solely of the smug family units of parents and two children, as recommended by your correspondent, would not survive long to display its perfect balance to an £?I n * rin g wor ld. How on earth does Mother” work out that a child’s natural intelligence, or lack of it, can be influenced by the number in the family? There is an urgent need in this country for healthy, intelligent people who have decent homes and sufficient income to have families of three or more children. On looking round our better type of young parents, I would say they are facing, up to this responsibility.—Yours, etc., MODERN PARENTHOOD. October 8, 1952.