The People’s Forum

Northland Age, 16 May 1946, Page 4

The People’s Forum

[The “Age” in no way associates itself with views expressed by correspondents.]

TRANSPORT IN THE COUNTY Sir. —ln a recent issue of your paper I notice where Mr. L. A. McIntosh addressed the members of the Chamber of Commerce on “Transport in the County.” With the first part of his address, in which he advocates water transport against rail and truck to Kaitaia, I entirely agree ; but he makes a mistake when he states that company transport is preferable to the ownerdriver. No one knows better than Mr. Mclntosh that the owner-driver can do a cheaper job. Of course we all know that Mr. Mclntosh and Mr. E. R. Bird were responsible for the Northern Carrying Association coming into being. Those two men were given a free hand, and in my opinion they certainly let the Directors of the Dairy Company down. Now he pretends that they are giving a better service than owner-drivers would do. I well remember, when the Carrying Association was first spoken of, I stated that the owner-driver could do a cheaper job and (in his own interest) would do a better job. Mr. Mclntosh was very indignant, and told me that he had brains to sell. Well, in answer to that, all I can say is if he had sold his brains elsewhere, and Mr. Bird had been what he pretended to be, we (the suppliers of the Kaitaia Dairy Co.) would have been worth many thousands of pounds more today. I would like to remind Mr. McIntosh of a statement he made about a year after the Transport Company started operations. He told us that the more he had to do with transport, the more he found that he knew very little when he started. Now there is an old saying that open confession is good for the soul ; that’s all right for him, but we (the shareholders) will have to pay the piper. Mr. Mclntosh infers that we are getting a good service. I admit it is fairly good but too costly ; and further, before the Transport Company had the mail delivery we got our mail every day now we get it thrice weekly. Yours, et«., DOUGLAS KITCHEN.

FOOD SHORTAGE Sir.—We are constantly being told of the serious food shortage in England, and I quite believe it is short, for have we not the words of the leading British authority, Sir John Orr, that even in normal pre-war times approximately half the population of England was under-fed. However, the recent arrival in this country from England of large quantities of beef extract, also tinned herring, together with the reported strong hostility by British fishing interests to the action of Norwegian fishing boats unloading fish in British ports, has a tendency to confuse people. Also, if food is so short in Norway, how comes it that they are exporting fish to England ? Is this part of the game of international finance ? We know the profit motive must at all costs be preserved, and a system based on the capitalised blood of men, women and little children is not likely to be troubled by any qualms of conscience. Perhaps the herrings were red ones. Yours, etc., STUDENT.

Pipe smoking is said to be increasing in New Zealand. Yet according to “the trade” there is no falling off in the consumption of cigarettes—quite the contrary, in fact, especially now that most cigarette smokers “roll their own.” Enemies of the weed have long been hoping and prophesying that smoking will “go out” like snuffing. The wish is doubtless father to the thought, but statistics tell another story. Brands of tobacco are almost as numerous as flies in summer, and the race for popularity is fast and furious. But leading the field is “toasted,” with its sweet, cool, mellow fragrance— an easy winner! It’s the toasting that does the trick! This process (the manufacturer’s own) it is that eliminates part of the nicotine and makes this favourite tobacco safe for even the smoker whose pipe or cigarette is “always in his mouth.” The five genuine toasted brands, Cut Plug No. 10 (Bullshead), Navy Cut No. 3 (Bulldog), Cavendish, Riverhead Gold and Desert Gold, richly merit the appreciation in which they are held; also toasted tailormades. 645