LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33155, 20 February 1973, Page 12

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

(1) Letters to be considered tor, this column must not exceed 150 words They should be on only one side of the paper; preferably typewritten otherwise clearly written m ink; and ample margins and space oetween lines should be left for convenience in sub-editing. (2) A legible signature and full address—not a P.O box number — are required whether these are to be printed or not. (3) The correspondent must say whether the letter has been or is to be submitted elsewhere (4) The editor cannot return ui keep any letter not accepted for printing; nor does be undertake to acknowledge or enter into correspondence concerning letters although an acknowledgment will be made where this seems to be necessarv or helpful (5> As a rule corres pondence on news items in other publications, or carried on radio and television, is not acceptable.

Slumbering.—Similar plea printed: quite recently. Once Separated.—No space fori such a discussion. Perplexed.—You don’t say what was in the cup. Martin W. and Martha I. Bassett. —No space for further expressions of thanks to the Clifton Hill fire-fighters. F.L. —They are all self-governing countries; and they will continue in association only while they see advantage in doing so. Mrs J. Bull.—No space to discuss the dog nuisance again. You should complain about the other nuisances to the local body concerned. Note our rules for future reference. Private hospitals Sir, —The attempt by the Anglican committee to lay the blame for deficiencies in the public hospital system at the feet of the private hospitals is incomprehensible. Problems with specialist staffing of public hospitals are almost entirely found in towns where ■ there is no private hospital. The presence of private hospitals has kept specialists in 'New Zealand and prevented, rather than caused, any shortage of specialists in public hospitals. Their objection is made even less credible by the considerable participation by the church in the running of private hospitals, and their almost exclusive patronage by members of the clergy.— Yours, etc., GASCOIGNE. February 19, 1973. Lake Clearwater Sir, —Kotare. reviewing the increasing demands on fishing habitats in America, says that there are lessons for New Zealand, and that “only blind administrators would fail to see the continuing need to preserve fishing waters jealously for the enjoyment of present and future generations of anglers.” The same newspaper reports the Ashburton County Council as supporting the conversion of: pleasant Lake Clearwater,! one of the county’s very few| scenic features, into another: noisy parade ground for the! power-boaties and their howling mechanical monsters.: Some enlightened coun-! cillors spoke in opposition.: but the exploiters carried the! day, as they have done in ■ promoting irrigation at the! expense of angling and other | recreational uses of our rivers and streams. The exploitation group could well be described as “blind administrators.’’ if their real concern is administration, but perhaps we would have a better understanding of their motives if they declared their personal interest in powerboating and irrigation.— Yours, etc.. DRIED FISH. February 17. 1973. Anzac Day Sir, —The letters of Roy! Glen, "M.C.H.,” “Not in Two Minds,” “Student,” and: "Whau” also demonstrate.! complete and utter inability |i to think about this subject Anzac services have been arranged by the R.S.A. for other citizens. The Anzac Day Act. 19R6. makes it quite clear ' what Anzac Day is about. ' Section two expressly states 1 that Anzac Day shall be a day' set aside to commemorate the part taken by New Zea-: land servicemen in the two World Wars and .the South i

n African War and by those [who at any time have given el their lives for New Zealand ■; or the British Commonwealth '| of Nations. If persons such as □ your correspondents wish to '■ commemorate others, let them arrange some other ser- ‘ vice on another day. Any inj trusion on Anzac Day is.ofe fensive, in some cases thoughtlessness only, but in t others intended.—Yours, etc., | K. A. GOUGH. February 19, 1973. 1 Tyre life f Sir, —Regarding “Boxed „ In’s” Akaroa commuter, I e have often had my particular " nitwit breathing down my neck from the Sign of the Kiwi, squealing his tyres to' j get to work by 9 o’clock.! s They are, of course, dying [of chronic underinflation.! Overinflation, too, means a i premature death for tyres [and can speed the speedster’s. r By regular checking for the ■ pressure recommended for the car, while the tyre is t cold, with your own little (gauge, and always suspicious e of what a garage serviceman can bash into it. its life can! g|be reasonably long. If you ’" have a lady friend driver and: „!a pocket gauge and try out (her four pressures, you may, s- or may not be, surprised how '■(wildly freakish four dispari- ' ties can be, hot or cold. e She will no longer be sur- •- prised by recap orders each warrant-of-fitness day. She just didn’t know.—Yours, A. B. CEDARIAN. 2 February 9, 1973. ® Learning to read s Sir, —Children today are s not taught to read, but to • guess and to memorise. I can ? remember my own children t thinking that any word cons taining two o’s together said • “look,” and misreading “che - mist” as “Christmas.” With i all three of them, I finally . stepped in and taught them • their sounds, with most grati- : fying results. I would recom s mend Rudolph Flesch’s highly / readable book, “Why Johnny i Can’t Read,” which pulls no ? punches about how today’s r children are not taught how ? to read.—Yours, etc., - (Mrs) M. E. RITCHIE. February 19, 1973. Sir—ln answer to “Reformer’s” letter, I would agree that the use of sounds and phonics can be most use-i > ful in remedial techniques, in . giving a child confidence, and ; as a means of attacking unr known words. The point in / the previous letters was not 1 the ' criticism of teaching ; methods generally but an ac- ; ceptance of the fact that, for ■ many reasons, a number of 1 children leave our primary f! schools unable to read satis--ifactorily, according to their i(intelligence. The extension of -'an existing system by which' f | teachers can be employed! ■! part-time at the earlier pri- ( ' jmary level has already proved! Surely this is the ; i level at which the child! '! should receive much-needed • assistance.—Yours, etc.. TEACHER. ;[ February 19, 1973. i [This correspondence is now >| closed. — Ed., “The Press.”] Public affairs I committee Sir.—-Before the last local body elections I seem to I recall one of Labour’s . platform promises was to set up a public affairs committee to which ratepayers and [citizens could submit any [grievances on local body (matters. It was to be an [impartial committee, consistling of a journalist and other, (outside members of standing: ■jin the community. I under-, (stand this idea has been [ ! dropped in favour of a local [ > body ombudsman—but how (many years do we have to! wait for an ombudsman? Asi this council has now been in power nearly 18 months it is high time it established the committee it promised. I understand many local bodies are not in favour of the idea. .—Yours, etc., C. G. MARSHALL. , February 9, 1973. [The Mayor of Christchurch (Mr N. G. Pickering)!:

replies: “The setting up of a public affairs committee has been deferred as the Municipal Association has sought the views of municipalities throughout the country on the establishment of a local body ombudsman. These views are now being collated and the association’s executive will then, if the majority view is in favour of an ombudsman, place the facts before the Minister of Internal Affairs.”] Beech forests Sir, —Unlike “Bush Friend” I am opposed to thinning the beech forests. Our indigenous forests are of incalculable value in preventing disastrous ' erosion on our steep hills. This applies particularly toi beech on high country. Fori . various reasons New Zealand ‘ hills are much more vulner-j able to erosion than hills in the older lands. Further, it is; ;of vital importance that we : preserve the natural storage and control of our water supplies. It has been suggested ithat depletion of forest floor cover may increase the inci-1 jdence of soil-ice with inhibit-! ling effect on the develop;ment of beech regeneration. There may also be important hydrological implications. Trees live their life span, then fall to the forest floor with the rotted wood assisting growth of forest seedlings. It is as well to leave the beech forests alone.—Yours, etc., VULCAN. February 19, 1973. Ringwood and Kent Lodge Sir, —I am researching the life of J. T. Ford, who was in business in Christchurch, 1872-1911, as a stock and station agent. He built a substantial 17-roomed twostorey homestead at Upper Riccarton opposite the Riccarton Racecourse. This was possibly in 1872. The property was known as Ringwood. About 1892 he sold this property, possibly to a company or syndicate who set up a boarding establishment for boys whose homes were on Banks Peninsula. I would appreciate information on this private boarding school. Was it exclusively! for sons of Banks Peninsula I settlers? Somebody whose father or grandfather attended the school must know. This substantial building was burnt to the ground in September, 1932. At that time it was owned by the Cross family, who, I understand, purchased Kent Lodge, as it was then known, from the owners of the private school. —Yours, etc., J. H. FORD. 59 Chaytor Street, Wellington. February 15, 1973.