CORRESPONDENCE.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVII, Issue 99, 28 April 1909, Page 10

CORRESPONDENCE.

"A HANDY MAN— THE PLUMBER." TO THK EDITOB. Sir, — "The committee recommended that a strongly-worded letter bo forwarded from the council -to an unlicensed plumber who had been detected carrying out plumbing: work contrary to the city by-law, and that he be informed that :i repetition of the offence would result 'n proceedings being instituted." "Just so." wa6 my remark on reading the forefoing #"3 your report of City Council usiness I have not the slightest idea who the plumber is therein referred to, and the council does not tell us how the work was done, which is the thing that counts. It does not necessarily follow that being the work of an unlicensed plumber the work is, not a workmanlike job; tho work may have been done according to the beat rules of sanitary science, or it may have been as specified and directed by an architect, who is not asked to pass an examination. •Is it tha-t the council now know that since the recent correspondence in The Evening Post it would -be dangerous to prosecute, or should I Bay persecute, any plumber for earning an honest living at a trade he .has followed for years and years? It seems to me monstrous that a man who is a good plumber, from forcn of circumstances, is unable to paes the Technical School test of sums and fancy jobs-- aiever needed in practice — and is hindered from following his trade, or if he has the luck to get through here and goes to Dunedin, Christchurch, or (Auckland, he has again to go up for examination. Would a dentist of many years' standing in Wellington, on moving to another centre like to be so treated/ How would a marine enginesr look if asked to pass an examination at every port of call? That is the sort of thing that is dealt out to the plumbers. f have myself stood alongside men over 40 years of age, ' men who from a love for the trade and the desperate necessity of earning a livelihood, have for the timebeing sunk their self respect and gone to school with lads 14 and 15 years of age, and after a heart-breaking course of study and practice, one of those men failed to get through the sums sot before him as the- examination. He left tho trade next day, but he has in his possession a letter from his last employer — a member of tho Wellington Technical School Board, certifying that the man, the unlicensed plumber, is "a good tradesman, and always gave satisfaction." Is it fair, is it right, that such men, and there are many such, shall be so shouldered out of the trade ? It will be interesting to many to know that the recent correspondence in The Post, brought out by the famous 60 and 6 examinations of plumbers, was collected and forwarded to a member of Parliament who has followed the matter up. "Other members of 'Parliament have been approached, and if faith can be- put in politicians so recently through an election, there is a strong probability that plumbers' examination and plumbers registration, will be discussed in Parliament next session. — I am, etc., | WILUAM 'DOBSON. | 27th April, 1909. THE ZOO AND ITS SCOPE. TO THE EDITOB. j Sir, — Several years have passed since you published my suggestion that an aviary should be established in Newtown 'Park ; and you have consistently used your influence to further every reasonable movement which has been made to render the park interesting, attractive, and educative. lam sure that you, with me, highly appreciate the successful and praiseworthy eft'oits by which the RevMr. Bates and a few of our fellow citizens, with the heaity concurrence of his Worship the Mayor and the progressive council that is just now retiring from office, have placed in the park the nucleus of a small zoo which should be in every sense worthy of our city and of the Dominion. And here allow me to say I do not mean that to be worthy of New Zealand the zoo should be large or costly or expensive. Quality rather than quantity should be our aim, and " Improvement with Economy " our motto. Already there are in the little zoo creatures which should interest all classes of visitors. The monkeys which we now have are the best of all that have been exhibited there, and in their new home with its which reflect great credit on the designer of them, afford great amusement to children and very interesting studies for adults. The lion in his new enclosure is a magnificent young animal, and, having less soft fat about his bones than he had, and a good yard in which to exercise himself, he is much more lively than he was, and in his semi-playful performances reveals to students much that is worth noticing of the several phases of lion life. Then the luatara lizards, with the sea lions, the iguanas, the penguin, tho kiwi, the emus, the kangaroo, the wallabies, and the lemurs are a collection which may profitably and pleasurably engage the attention of all classes of thinkers, whether they choose to observe superficially or to study profoundly the problems presented by the peculiarities and the relations of these wonderful and suggestive creatures. There are numerous other forms of animal life, some exquisitely beautiful and others more strange than lovely, but all interesting. Now, sir, I, with you, hold that the Government of the Dominion should not be asked to grant any considerable monetary grant to hasten the growth oi the zoo, but I vrge that the Government should be asked to collect for us and present to the city, gradually, as opportunities may offer,' a worthy representation of the fauna of New Zealand. And I ask you to use your great influence to move the Government to do this. — I am, etc., JOHN CREWES. 26tn April. REMISSION OF RATES. TO THK KIHTOB. Sir, — In your report of Thursday's meeeting of the Wellington City Council there is a small paragraph that seems to require more than a passing notice. The Finance Committee reported : — " That rates amounting to £21 12s, owing by a very poor person, be written oft, and that in future the applicant be exempted from payment of rates." This seems to me to open the door to a wide scheme of charitable aid. How can a person owing £21 12s for rates be a very poor person ? I presume the person has ratable property, or how could £21 12s be owing on it ? Further, I do nofc believe the council has power to exempt any ratepayer, however poor, from the payment of rates. The writer is a poor man, but that does not pTevent him receiving notice that a summons will be issued in January for the rate period ending 31st March. A little more light on this gratuity might alter my opinion "on the matter. — I am, etc., 26th April. MERCATOR. fit was explained in The Post on Saturday that the property of the ratepayer in question, a very elderly woman, was so heavily mortgaged that she was absolutely unable to pay full interest, to say nothing of rates. The £21 12s represented the arrears of three yean,. The committee's recommendation for the re mission was not made until after the receipt of a full report on tho matter from the City Solicitor. The inierence is

that if the council pressed for payment and caused tha property to be sold, there might be very littlo left for either the corporation or the woman after 'the mortgagee's claims had been satisfied. The council has power, under section 116 of the Municipal Corporations Act, to remit rates in whole or in part, overdue for any period, in consequence of accident, illness or other misfortune to a ratepayer.] MR. BARTON'S CASE. TO THE EDITOB. Sir, — It was some satisfaction to see your leading article in to-night's issue devoted to, the above sad case. I make no pretension of understanding technicalities which seem to baffle both Judge and counsel oft times, but, sir, is it not the custom, in courts of law, when fine technical points stand in tho way of justice being done, especially when it is clear that the equity of 'such cases as in this warrant the court to give the claimant the benefit of the doubt? And have not there been cases of less importance in this and other countries flying the Union Jack where fine points of law have been turned the other way 1 The future amendment of the Act un- j der which the present case has been decided is no consolation to this unfortunate man; and it is to be sincerely hoped that, if need be, the case should specially be brought before the Government. — I am, etc., J.J. 23rd April. DISTRICT CRICKET. TO TUX EDITOB. Sir, — Tha remarks in your sub-leader of the 24th inst., approving the district scheme, I am puic, will be corroborated by the majority of the leading sports of the grand game in Wellington, To my mind the Cricket Association has in the past been rather reluctant in approving any new ideas that would be conclusive to their .interests. As the ! originator of the above scheme in Wellington and also several other matters (two days' match, and pay' before play re. club members), which have been in ; their turn rejected by the association, i I am pleased to notice the two matters above havo been carried, and that at last the association has confirmed the principal of district cricket. I may say that 1 witnessed the innovation of district cricket \ji Sydney, and after a little time one could d.stinctly see tho vast improvement of the sport. Mr. L. Abrahams, a leading spirit in cricketing circles, and who was the chief instigator of the system being adopted in oyuney, told me that it has simply revolutionised the game there. One of the burning questions with the Sydney clubs was the same as put forward here: that they had not local grounds, and also it would mean the breaking up of old club associations. The effect was quite the opposite, as each district has now its own grounds and greater enthusiasm and healthier rivalry exists between the clubs. I firmly believe, for obvious reasons, that our district clubs, aLso ovir association, will be materially and financially strengthened, as against the old club rule. 'Cricket in Wellington is an expensive sport (far more so than football). Our association had a deficit recently of £140 — chiefly, I believe, on account of several of the local club's not paying their dues. Many of the clubs at present depend solely on the members' subscriptions, a few officers' donations, concerts, and many other ways, etc., to raise funds to ."keep their end up;" yet nearly every year their balance-sheet shows increasing deficits. When the district scheme is established tho expense will not, I am sure, come so heavy on the individual members as has been under the uld club system, for there will be wider soopo and more local interest dieplayed, and financial mat/ters will be on a, better basis. Much more could be said in its favour, but I have a regard for your space. — I am, etc., W. A. WORTH. 26th April.