LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33433, 15 January 1974, Page 12

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

(1) Letters to be considered for this column must not exceed 150 words. They should be on only one side of the paper; preferably typewritten. otherwise clearly written in Ink; and ample margins and space between 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 or Keep any letter not accepted for printing; nor does he undertake to acknowledge or enter into correspondence concerning letters, although an acknowledgement will be made where this seems to be necessary or helpful. <s> As a general rule, correspondence on news Items in other publications or carried on radio and television., is not acceptable. Observer.—Unhelpful. Visiting Golfer.—Suggest you consult the organisers. Image.—Many would join you; better wait till after the Games. Mr Kirk’s tour Sir, —1 must agree with the sentiments expressed by “Four Star.” Certainly Mr Kirk could not help but receive a welcome on his recent. tour, with little tokens of New Zealand generosity. But, in some instances, was not his generosity misplaced? I New Zealand would have [done itself a greater favour iif Mr Kirk was prepared to face facts with some of the questionable activities of his Eastern friends. While an Indonesian temple benefited by $50,000. their return from oil trebled overnight! How naive are New Zealanders supposed to be?—Yours, etc., FACE FACTS, January 12, 1974. Saving fuel Sir, — I feel constrained to make a suggestion to the people of Christchurch during these times of fuel shortages. To compensate for the disproportionate power usage per capita forced on this ! lovely city by the Commoni wealth Games commitment, ■we of the P.E.E.C.E. Committee (Prevent Ecological ■Exhaustion by Constant 1 Economy) strongly recom'mend that under no circum-

stances should the introduction of night cricket be tolerated.—Yours, etc., GRAEME McNEILL, Chairman and Secretary. : January 13, 1974. Sir. —Having within the space of ten minutes this evening witnessed two instances of what, to a simple cocky, appear to be gross waste of the above commodity, I would be interested to hear some responsible person explain why it is not. I refer to the aerial filming of the yachts in the Wellington-Auckland race shown on television, and an R.N.Z.A.F. helicopter flying past my front window, apparently to rescue some climber.—Yours, etc., DIESEL GUZZLER. January 14, 1974. Prices and the Games Sir,—With respect to the recent discussion on the raising of prices to take advantage of visitors to Christchurch during the period of i the Games, we would ask 'why the refreshment shop at i Queen Elizabeth II Park itself appears to be exempt from any action concerning its prices. Here, such items as soft drinks, ice blocks, and ice-creams are up to 100 per cent more expensive than their normal retail prices in other parts of the city.— Yours, etc., G. R. NORMAN. R. D. GREER. January 14, 1974. Sir, — Recently, certain members of the community have been accused of profiteering on rentals. They are not alone in this matter. The rental for the booths at

Queen Elizabeth II Park, for instance, is $5OO, plus a percentage of the profits. In order for the lessee to show a profit at all, the normal mark-up on goods will have to be increased astronomically. What sort of impression will this present to our guests? There are good shopping facilities within a very short distance of the park, where visitors can obtain a selection of souvenirs and general requirements at normal prices; surely it would have been better to allow them to handle retailing. Perhaps we may be allowed to see a list of the prices which will be charged at the complex, in order to compare them with normal retail prices.—Yours, etc., (Mrs) A. J. FLANAGAN. January 12, 1974. Town Hall panel Sir,—ln reply to the letter by “Country Visitor,” printed on December 28, I must say that if the Conference Room was not open to the public it I was either under hire or being prepared for hire. Restrictions have been put on the viewing of this room after reports of damage to fittings and. indeed, minor damage to the panel itself. A glazed screen is to be erected over the panel as protection, but, until this work is completed, viewing of the panel is re-? stricted to those people who are in an official tour party. | I would also point out that permission could have been obtained from the reception desk to view the panel.— i Yours, etc., B. PATRICK CONNELL, ! Town Hall Manager. January 12, 1974. City beautification Sir,—Over several years I planted native shrubs on Christchurch City Council land beside the Heathcote River. When a road was formed off Sparks Road the construction avoided damage to this future riverbank reserve. After a tree fern was removed in 1972 the council I was requested to erect a i notice board. The Spreydon i Ratepayers’ Association also wrote. I have telephoned j council officers, written to the Mayor, spoken to the Deputy Mayor, and interI viewed an assistant Town I Clerk, who, when I last telephoned on December 5. said that the Engineer’s Departement was attending to a inotice board. In the meantime more plants have been ! destroyed, mutilated and stolen. As the individual removing the plants obviously appreciates them more than the council, it is suggested that he waits for transplanting time and. seeks my assistance with the larger specimens, which defied the recent digging efforts.— Yours, etc., W. J. HARRIS. I January 14, 1974. $41,726 for bus office Sir, — T was Drowsing through the order paper for the November meeting of the Christchurch City Council and I noted that the cost of the new inspectors’ office in Cathedral Square is to be $41,726. For this sum I could build a well-appointed, permanent materiai, 4 bedroom, double-garage house on a good section, and probably

have some change for carpets and drapes etc. Could someone please explain where on earth all that money went to? —Yours, etc., I. R. ORCHARD. December 6, 1973. [Mr P. G. Scoular, the City Engineer, replies: “The bus office is being built as a prestige building to conform to the new Cathedral Square design, and because of its size and the nature of the materials it is acknowledged to be expensive. If Mr Orchard cared to contact the City Architect he would be happy to arrange for him to meet officers concerned to discuss the design.”] Sumner clock Sir, —While, according to your issue of January 11, the City Fathers are doing so much for our coming visitors, one is surprised that nothing has been done to replace the many broken glass panes in the faces of the Sumner clock. Some holes have been (there for years and all could have had attention over the last few months. Instead, the tower has been left to act as as dovecote, and the pigeons and salt air are most probably damaging the clock works. Neglect of a donated amenity brings no credit to any city.—Yours, etc., FRONTISPIECE. January 13. 1974.