LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 296, 8 September 1908, Page 6

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

« SYRIAN SETTLERS. Sir, —Glancing my eye over your paper of this morning I happened to notice in the "Local and General" column that you havo a few lines saying that " somo ,Assyrian applicants were found unsuitable to participate in the benefits opened by the. Land Board to talio up land on the Main Trunk lino near Mataroa." Sir, in the first place, I, on behalf of tho Syrian community, wish to state that to arc not "Assyrians" but- " Syrians "; and should you like to look up history you would find tho .truth of my words. ! , Secondly, on learning - from Syrian applicants that English applicants wero deemed unsuitable by tho Land Board, I thought I would see samo in print in the aforementioned column, but as I did not seo same I certainly think it unfair that ■ one side only should bo given. ' Hoping-your next issue will mention us in conjunction with the British born, as niost of us have been naturalised British subjects.—l am, etc., INTERESTED. AN ILL-GOVERNEQ> LAND. Sir, —Although the bulk of- our New Zealand politicians may bo a very poor lot, I am satisfied that the Australian politicians are worse. Between tho Deakin Protectionist party and the mis-named Labour party they have been making a great mess of things. It is really one big partv under two names,, and tho attitude of, the so-called Labour section of the party on the new Australian tariff is enough to turn anyone with an ounce of brains or with • a spark of respect for Labour, the Giant Producer of all Wealth, against tho bogus Labour party in this country. I speak as a hard working man, and one who believes that Labour should not merely get a living wage, but all it produces or the equivalent in money, which is the same thing, and 1 firmly believo that tho bogus Labour party is the biggest enemy of labour in New Zealand at the present "time. They- havo no defined convictions on such a fraud as Protection. Tho Labour party at Home are real reformers and know what , a swindle it. is.—l am. etc., ' E. STEVENSON. Hastings, August 31. ■ HEALTH. Sir, —A chicken gets the "pip" and the Poultry Department fires about fivo pounds weight of curative literature at its owner. A cow gets a sore udder, and tho Veterinary Department posts about fourteen pounds of books and pamphlets to its owner. A potato gets a blight, and tho Pomologist. Department hurls half a hundredweight of reading matter on the |subject at the farmer. Thirty to forty per cent, of the human population gets attacked with that most dreadful scourge of modern times, influenza, and the Public Health Department lies dumb and impotent before its ravages.- : .The question arises, "Is the country getting its money's worth out of this latter' Department?"—l am, etc., INQUIRING VICTIM. September 2, 1908. CHURCH UNION. Sir, —As to the "Historic Episcopate," in order to. bridge over the first two centuries, Mr. Milligan refers us to. the Pastoral Epistles of St. Paul, and.adds,: "It. is.tho commonest objection of advanced criticism to these epistles that they toach Episcopacy." Now the position is -that critics of the Tubingen school _ question the Paulino authorship of these epistles on the ground that, as .they allege, the writings make mention of Episcopacy, whereas it did not exist- until after St. Paul's day. On, tho other hand, many defenders of'the' Paulino authorship (Anglicans amongst others) maintain that tho epistles do not refer to Episcopacy at' all. Mr. Milligan may possibly not be aware that in Victoria the Church of England and the Presbyterian Church have always worked cordially together. The successive Bishops of Melbourne, Dr. Perry, Dr. Moorhous'e, Dr. Goo; and Dr. Clarke, have all regarded tho Presbyterian Church of Victoria with the_ greatest respect. Forty years ago a society entitled "The Church of England and Presbyterian Church Pastoral Aid Society" was formed to promote church services in country districts. To those acquainted with church life in Victoria it is not surprising that proposals for union between the two churches should have arisen. Mr. Milligan will noto that'it was the Stuart kings I spoko of as crushers of tho liberties of tho people. These rulers, whose motto was, "No bishop, no king," preferred accommodating prelates of tlic time to sturdy, outspoken ' Presbyters. Buckle writes: —"Tho reason why King James was so-violent for bishops was neither the Divine institution (which lie denied they had), nor vet the profit the Church should reap from them, fnr he know his men arid their communications ; but merely because he believed they were useful instruments to turn a limited monarchy into absolute dominion, and subjects into slaves—the designs in'this world ho minded most-."—l i\ni, etc.. August 27. PRESBYTERIAN. SENIORES PRIORES. > Sir, —I hax r e noticed that it is the custom in New Zealand to give precedence to ■ the daughters as compared with their mothers in somo cases,: as, for instance, in publishing the lists of passengers arriving and departing by steamer, in which the spinsters aro always put before their mothers. Is this a sign of the inarch of intellect in "God's own country," and the relegation of the old to the dust-heap ? If so, lam afraid, it -is a bad sign for the future of New Zealand. —I am, etc./ : MATERFAMILIAS. September 6, 1908. Z 1 KEARSACE AND ALABAMA. Sir, —I notice that correspondents from many parts of the Dominion arc contributing through your columns reminiscences of tho Kcarsage-Alabama fight, but no comment is niado as to tho tremendous revolution of feeling and rapprochement that has taken place between tho British nation and'.the American Ropublic. Sinco those had, old days of the early sixties education and commerce have, let' us hope, wedded together these two great branches of tho English speaking race to tho immense benefit of both and for the general well being of the whole human race. Shortly after tho above historic duel tho writer sculled round tho victor,- looking for wounds, but found none, and the crew declared that a pound of paint had obliterated all scratches. In fact, she looked as spick and span as tho British warship Lion that was doing sentry go to see that no other Confererate boat arrived and started another fight. I also had the pleasuro of seeing her again ill Wellington somo fivo years later. The hearty welcome accorded our late visitors, the American Fleet, is a strong contrast to that which greeted the victor and vanquished in 1864. On the sinking of the Alabama Captain Simms and most of his officers were rescued and brought ashoro. by the British yacht Docrhound, and Britain received with open arms and treated a-s heroes men who let us hope would pass under a very different namo to-day. True, they fought their ships so long as a gun remained dry enough to burn powder, but so did all the other pirates of those bad old days, as when outclassed and unablo to run it was either sink or swing, and tliero is little doubt that had Captain Sims and his officers boon captured at. the timo justico short and sharp would have been their lot, instead of banquets and congratulations. But for tho victors the then representatives of our late visitors there was neither flags, fiddles, or fireworks, and the sooner Captain Winslow took the Kearsage out of British waters the better the British authorities were pleased.—l am, etc., S. M. R. HILL. Shannon.