CONDENSED CORRESPONDENCE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXX, Issue 14977, 24 April 1909, Page 10

CONDENSED CORRESPONDENCE.

Thomas Jefcoate replies in the affirmative to " Briton's" inquiry as to whether tho boys at Burnham are given drill and rifle practice, which would enable them to be of practical use in time of national peril. •

J. Hether contends that the Saturday half-holiday would entail a serious loss on the trams. He asks the Saturday half-holiday advocates to explain why Jkvercargill, Nelson and Western Australia, after trials of this day, have reverted to their former arrangements. Mr Hether considers that, if Saturday is chosen for the holiday, the tram, hotel and restaurant employeas should share in the privilege. H. G. Hornibrook calls attention to the fact that the artist of the Antarctic expedition was unable to employ water colours or oils, owing to the low temperature, but found that j>astels worked well. Mr Hornibrook is surprised that English artists have paid so little attention to pastels, which he considers the most satisfactory medium for reproducing outdoor subjects. Ho writes: "It is only necessary to inspect the works of Bright, Josan, Brocard, Greuze and Boucher to realise to what perfection pastel painting can be carried." F. W. Burke writes: "The Primo Minister's estimated* economy of £250,000 in the Public Service is nullified by his offer of £2,000,000 to tho Government of the richest Empire on earth, a country that spends. £160,000,000 annually on intoxicants.' I do not propose to discuss tho propriety of the Dreadnought offer, but I tlunk that, considering the financial condition of the dominion, the relative scarcity of employment and the consequent suffering to tho unemployed who are facing tho cheerless prospect of a sovere winter, the gift was inopportune.

. . . The Prime Minister and his colleagues cannot disguise tho fact that it is the men who hold subordinate positions in the Civil Service and who have families dependent upon their slender salaries who will be advorsely affected by these economies, not the departmental chiefs with their liberal salaries." " A Son of the Soil" notices' with regrot an inclination on the part of some newspaper correspondents to hold aip to ridicule others who have not received as good an education as they themselves have. He asks: "Would it not bo better if our captious friends studied facts more and theories less, as history proves that life, not books, makes men ? . .If our college dons would become more broad-minded, not they alone, but all, would be gainers."

J. A. Williams considers that tho granting of the franchise to the wo men of England will bring about tho downfall, of that country. "Cursed is the day," ho writes, "when the women of New Zealand were demoralised by an Act of Parliament giving them the right to- rote. Women's plaoe is at home." "Old Moss" complains of rowdyism on tho Riccarton trams, and points out

that tlio discontinuance of the 11.30 p.m. tram from, Sockburn to town, made possible by the building of a carshed at Sockburn, will necessitate ladies who have been escorted-to tho theatre by Christchurch gentlemen returning home by "the 11.5 tram, which is used, by a number of larrikins, or their escorts walking the four or fiva miles back to town. "The Board," he writes, "is cutting off two runs to and from Sockburn to Eave some unknown moiety, and is going to spend £IOOO to save it. . . Say that tho last run at night and the first run in the morning result in a loss of Is to the Board, then the cars have to make 20,000 trips to equal the cost of tho shed and laud, and if there are faros at an, average of 6d the number of trips will he larger." "Not Intimidated" writes:—"Mr Woods's interpretation of the word " intimida'tion " apparently differs from mine. When an assistant is asked in the presence of his employer to attend a meeting in which the employer is interested he cannot very well refuse to do so. As for the apologies, Mr Woods can see that they were .a very convenient way for a few of the intimidated assistants to redeem the promises given in the presence of their employers." " Not Intimidated" states that the first meeting of tho Saturday half-holi-day supporters was attended by over one hundred and fifty assistants, and that all the subsequent meetings have been largely attended. He concludes! —" Mr Woods states that tho Thursday meeting of assistants was. called by him at the request of a number of assistants. Can he deny having personally asked assistants outside pus own firm to join with him on this Thursday committee?" " Ex-Bluejacket, R.N.," is disgusted with the attitude adopted by " A Hoodlum" and his friends in connection with the Dreadnought offer and advises these gentlemen to obtain some knowledge of patriotism and loyalty, before speaking about naval affairs. He thinks there is no cause for anxiety out here while' Britain has a fleet equal to that of Germany in home waters, and concludes by paying a tribute 'to ; the heavy-gun shooting of the British Navy. J. A.' Williams disapproves of the suggestion that the pithing 6ystem oi slaughtering cattle should be discontinued and the stunning method, -which he considers much less humane, introduced. Ho points out that after stunning there is no guarantee that the animal will not recover consciousness and struggle to its feet again. ;R«> also protests against the cruel practices erf ignorant farm hands when killing sheep. .'.'';, "Cheap Fares" thinks the people of Lyttelton and the Harbour Board are near-sighted in' offering opposition to the canal, which could not fail to be of advantage to Christchurch and the whole of Canterbury. He states that under the present conditions Timaru- is getting a large share of the shipping and that merchants will eventually shipfrom there in preference to using tlMi Lyttelton tunnel. " Wide Awake" regrets the rejection of Councillor Coopers proposal that the City Council should supply to ratepayers at cost price the plumbing materials required for sewer connections. He urges the ratepayers to sup port no candidate for municipal honourr who is not prepared to assist to carrj out this scheme.

" Trams " suggests that the Tramway, Board should run trams along Tuam Street instead of Cashel Street, and points out that they would be most useful to tho children of Phillipstown, many. of whom have to attend the Wcokton or East Christchurch School, S. Day is amused by what he terms the "stupendous utterances." of the Farmers' Union and the Agricultural and Pastoral Association with regard to the Dreadnought offer, and wonders that they do not call a- " meeting of old ladies and young shop girls " tc discuss the question. " Peocavi, referring to the Dreadnought offer, writes:—"Neither the newspapers nor the so-called representative meetings have voiced the real public opinion on this question, and in the country districts fully fourfifths of the people agree with Mr Taylor that the battleship mania is more a move of the classes than of the masses." " Cautious " wishes to know ." Democrat's" authority for saying that the change of the half holiday can have no effect upon the retailers' trade, and considers that these gentlemen should be accepted as the beat judges in this matter.

F. W. Burke does not agree with the opinion expressed by tho Chamber of Commerce that the mortgage tax and the graduated land tax are responsible for the present financial stringency. " The actual cause," he writes, "is the frenzied speculation in land values with, the result that these values have been forced' far beyond . their productive level by the expectation of a prospective increase. The fall in the prices of our staple products, due . tfl increased supplies from other sources, had the immediate effect of ' bearing; tho land market, and of bursting iSffl these boom values." Mr Burke would very much regret the repeal of the graduated land tax, which "has a steadying tendency on land values, helps to reduce the area of the large estates, assists the small farmer to obtain laud at a fair price, and enables the Govornmemnt to make large Msmissions in the Customs duties." James M'Cullough is disgusted with the tactics adopted by Mr Taylor's anonymous critics, some of whom have inferred that Mr Taylor's, party were responsible for the raid upon his house. Ho suggests that they themselves should make a raid, when they, will discover that "tho man who tackled seven will not be very much frightened by Britishers who are ashamed to have their names printed." Mr M'Cullough notices that, although Mr J. W. Hunter complains of the treatment meted out to the speakers at the Navy League meotiug, he does not sympathise with the speakers at Mr Taylor's meeting. He charges Captain M'Gee with .being one of tho ringleaders of the disturbance at Mr Taylor's meeting, andconeiders that tho presence of the two bishops on the platform at the Navy meeting was largely responsible for tho disturbance there. '