LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 231, 23 June 1908, Page 5

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

THE FOOTBALL SCORING BOARD,

! Sir,' mo - to. suggest to tho. Now Zealand Rugby Union Committee, through th'o medium of your columns, that tho scoring board at the Athletic Park 'be put into use' on-tiWe'diiesVlay • and Saturday next other than as a perch for small boys' and youths. By so doing the board would bo serving a useful purpose, and provo a great convenience to many hundreds'of spectators (ladies in particular), who are not well versed regarding the method of . scoring. I think tho board has i only once been so used, namely, on the .occasion of the big match in 1904, but surely it was not erected for use since then solely for the advertisements thereon, —I am, etc.,

SPORT. Wellington, June 22. A FOOTBALL INCIDENT. Sir, —I notice in to-day's issue of your paper that Mr. Harding (captain ,of the British football team), in an interview rath your reporter, stated that- the referee' in the Canterbury match had at half-time apologised to.the acting-captain for the mistake he had made iii disallowing tho British team a try early in tho game. This I emphatically deny. -I was, and' still am, of opinion that no try was scored, .and .therefore. ■ I had nothing to apologise for.'—l am, etc., ' .

,P, A. LAWS. Wellington, June 22. ' LIQUOR IN NO-LICENSE DISTRICTS. Sir, —I am content, if Mr'. Atkinson is satisfied, to leave the matter where it is. If ho - really believes that tho ruined hotel* keepors in Ashburton and Invercargill ought to bo quite ; satisfied with no-licenso, if, or because, somebody else sells more liquor I cannothelp' it. •' What else can be expected of : an advocate who told his hearers at the Opera House in one breath that the sly; grog sold in Ashburton was mostly imaginary, and in the next that the reason this imaginary traffic was not stamped out was that thoy had a weak police and a weak magistrate. Yet this weak police has managed to sheet home the chargo in a very large number of cases, and if Mr. Atkinson's words mean anything thoy should, in his opinion; have succeeded more often. Tho remaining portion of Mr. Atkinson's letter needs no reply, for he deals with an " amazing' assertion" I did not malco, but I, would point out that if tho district which includes Invercargill drinks more now than it did before, it is\more reasonable to assume that Invercargill does its sharo than that the rest of the district has suddenly doubled or trebled its consumption.

. After all, the wholo matter could easily be disposed of by the publication; of a re-' turn showing the quantities of liquor sent into no-license areas, and notified to the Clerk of .the Court. Unfortunately, howover, when returns of this-kind are moved for in Parliament, they aro strenuously opposed by prohibition members, who seem determined to thwart any inquiry. On the other hand, tho "liquor party "'are constantly inviting the fullest investigation, as witness the address given recently in Perth, W.A., by Mr. H. J. Williams, the secretary of the New Zealand Licensed Victuallers' Association, an addross. which has greatly oxercised Mr. Atkinson. Mr. Williams said (I quoto from "The Wost Australian"), "If tho Government of Western Australia had any idea of introducing Local Option legislation, Would not it be a desirable oourse to solect a gentleman of acknowledged integrity and a non-partisan to visit New 1 Zealand and make independent investigations? The i attitudo of tho two parties shows conclusively which has most to fear from such an investigation.—l am, etc., T.M.SMITH.

Wellington, June 22. THE WAGES QUESTION. Sir, —Re Mr. Booth's observations in America: If tho Amorican workman really does turn out three times as much work as the Australasian workman, which is quito possible, does he got three times as much wages? Not at all. If we put down the averago daily wago of our "workers at 10s. per day, I suppose about threo dollars would represent the daily wago of our American friend. I notice that-, although you aro politically opposed to Dr. Findlay, you think him a good fellow when it comes to economics. The fact is the reward of Labour has little or no connection, '-with the product o£'Labour,

but is determined chiclly by tho avorago oost of tho subsistence of tho worker and an average family of, say, fivo persons in all. ■

Tho "speeding-up" of tho worker is only tho modem method of extracting from him moro and moro surplus value, which as soon as produced, is anuoxed by the employing class, whilo tho worker is, as I say, left with just about enough to keep body and soul together. OF course, I know that you aro not so silly as to think, as you pretend to think, that tho object of the workers is to' get a bob or two moro added to their wages. Not much! The cream of tho intelligence of tho workers is directed, and will be dircctod, to obliterate your present wage-system altogether. An ideal of courso, but one nevertheless which is inspiring millions of men, in all civilised countries, to carry on .continued and incessant protest against your profit-mongering commercialism. Any talk of " settlementof the wages question is out of all possibility. There will bo 110 settlement short of extinction of wages as wo know them.' . The idea that it is a kind of Divine dispensation that one section of tho community should bo doled out a "needs" wage or "fair" wago, or whatever fancy name you like to give it, is, at any rate to the thinking section of workers, absurd, and not to bo tolerated, bccau3o that implies that another section and a minority to boot, tako all tho " fat," otherwise known as profits. You may rest assured therefore that this world-wide strugglo. although peacefully as it may appear on tho surface, wil Icontinuo "a la mort."—l am, etc., , W. S. . [Our correspondent is in error in supposing that we aro " politically opposed to Dr. Findlay." The Dominion is politically opposed to nobody. It is opposed, however, to everything that it considers unwise or. undesirable.] ■

CITY TRAMWAYS. Sir,—ln your article:upon the City tramways you state tho profit to be £4085,■ instead of £sopS—tho difference, £1483, being a sum set aside out of profit towards liquidation of preliminary expenses. I pointed out at the Council's niertmg that band instruments had been- paid for out of revenue, amounting to £3G2, and with othor items which I could point out would make our profits over £6000. In addition to this, the Brooklyn accident, which wo can reasonably hope will not have its counterpart again, cost us nearly £1000. You repeat Mr. _ Shirtcliffe's argument that the income derived from power, £3500 odd, should be deducted from tramway incomo, and you thus repeat his error which ho during my reply admitted,: of deducting gross income from power from net income of tho whole. That is, you treat the £3500 as not income, whereas it has to.stand its share of sinking fund and interest, which would reduce the profit _of this department to about £1600, aijd this sum ought to bo further reduccd becauso tho power could not be produced at- anything liko the cost except as an adjunct to the tramways. As to the argument that depreciation fund should bo credited with interest, I have- to say that tho careful Glasgow people do not credit it. The depreciation fund is fixed as the absolute sum required to make good tho depreciation, ' and to charge interest upon it would increase that' sum' beyond requirements. . Supposing, as I believe is the case, wo are setting aside a sum which is greater than what is required, then the undertaking will, if; interest is charged, not only pay that greater sum, but interest upon it, thus making -still greater the surplus not required. This seems to my mind, not a business proposition. As to rates, tho item is a very small ono, and," as I pointed .out, tho rents were fixed knowing that 'no rates would bo paid. Tho figures quoted by you from tho Christchurch manager, if aecurato, which Ido not admit, really provo nothing.' You lay down tho novel proposition that Wellington is suited for a system which can bo managed easier than those of othor cities. This is the contrary of what has generally boon believed, but it is too largo a question to go into nt prosent. I may mention, however, tho difficulty arising from grades, and tho fact of trams running to different places having to use in common with ono or moro other lines lengths of a common or partly common lino. Thcso aro well-known drawbacks. As I pointed out to tho Council, tho tramways last year earned interest, say 4.1 per cent, on sums raised by loan, sinking fund 1 per cent-., surplus 1.2 per cent., making in all 6.3 per cent., besides 2$ per cent, depreciation, and it can safely be said that all ( charges for repairs and replacements have beeu paid out of revenuo before.'arriving at tho 6.3 per cent.—l am, etc.,

T. W.' HISLOP. Wellington, Juno 22. Within the next twenty years,' Canada will have her own fleet of torpedo-boats, submarines, and small cruisers suitable for harbour defence and accessory naval work. No Canadian need bo ashamed of tho progress which is being made in tho development of Canada's ability to aid in a general defence of British intorosts.—"Canadian Courier," Toronto. •