CORRESPONDENCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7274, 12 March 1885, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE.

OAMARU STONE AND CBMENT.

TO THE EDITOR.

Sib, —In your report of the last meeting of the City Council held for the purpose of con* sidering tenders for the building to be erected for the Free Library, Sec, the Council appears to have condemned the use of Oamaru atone, as being unsuitable for .the building, on the simple opinion of Mr. Wade, the city valuer, who is said to have "ex* pressed his opinion that-the stone would not be lasting in the facade of the building." The ezpreiiioa of such opinion is evidence of that gentleman's ignorance of both the very superior qualities of the stoce, and of the many large and beautiful buildings erected therewith in the principal colonial cities. In refutation of such opinion, I would name the buildings of the Colonial Bank, the Union Bank, the First Church, Wain's Hotel, and the Grand Hotel, all of Dunedin, in all of which the finely wrought capitals and columns, and arrises are as sharp and clear in outline as when they left the hand of the workmen. Judging of the respective qualities of the two materials for the purpose named in your report, the experience in the south of the Middle Island, where the range of climatic temperature is much greater than' it is in Auckland, is decidedly in favour of Oamaru stone. However, the reasons for Mr. Wade's condemnatory opinion are obvious. Having had more than twenty years , knowledge of the qualities of Oamaru stone as being suited for all kinds of buildings, 1 cannot allow Mr. Wade's opinion to go an' challenged.—l am, &c, Jqhn T. Evans.

THE BENEVOLENT SOCIETY. TO THE EDITOR.

Sir, —In your report yesterday of the Benevolent Society's meetiDg yon make the Mayor convey a very different impression from what he conveyed to myself and the meeting. I did not understand him to imply :.oro than sore disappointment at the general want of interest in the society by the clergy or ministers of all denominations, which was, I think, proved sufficiently at the last general meeting, when only the Bishop of Auckland, the Rabbi, and the Kevs. W. Tebbs, McKenzie Fraser, and W. Calder were present, although about twenty-eight had been invited by circular, and when the Mayor made identical remarks. He could not have censured them for not putting their hands deep enough into their pockets to help this society, because he did not know' to what extent they had done so, and for the same reaaon I could not have " fully sympathised" with such a censure.—l am, &c, • F. G. Ewinqtont.

[The remarks made by the Mayor are correctly conveyed in oar report. They were emphatic, and not easily misunderstood, and how any misapprehension in regard to their meaning could arise in the small meeting we do not know.—Ed. J

BUKYING GROUND FOB, FREEMASONS. TO THE BDITOE.

Sie, —I notice in your " Local Gossip", last Saturday a paragraph in reference to the application for space to be reserved for the Freemasons" in the cemetery at Waikomiti. I think the person who wrote it is misinformed when he states that a number of the fraternity would resist this, for I believe just the contrary would be the reaalt. • Why should not such be done ? It is in numbers of places elsewhere; and, so far aa my limited knowledge goes, the reason it has been asked for is, that the different lodges may make a garden of it, plant trees, etc,, instead of having to bury their deacj Sn at wilderness, such as is the usual Btj»se..jo£ graveyards about Auckland, and no doubt will be the case at Waikomiti for some y*are to come.—l am, &c, ■■' 'P'.'MvAuckland, March 11,1885. -

TAKAPUNA LICENSING COMMITTEE!!. TO THE EDITOR. . ~ " ' Sir, — letter from Mr. Fenton, in to* day's issue, is amusing, if not edifying, ,Air. Fenton declares he has no publican's interest to serve, meaning, I suppose, that. he. i« not on their aide.. We know he is not on the Other side. • If the publicans have thrown him over, «nd he won't join the* other party, he is in the rather sorry plight of not belongins; to any party at all. Aβ a voter, I demand: from Mr. Fenton some intimation of the ground upon which he cornea forward aa a candidate. <t To a eay he : cornea forward for tire public good is very indefinite, and i» a disputed - point, as the contesc proves. Wβ know what the policy of the present committee is. Will Mr. Fenton tell what his ticket is; for we have not yet heard ? Will he also tell as whether he and Messrs. Vosper and Mays were nominated at a public meeting; as were the other gentlemen, or whether; their domination is merely the work of ' a am'alr 'oliqae of whom they are the centre? Will he, avoiding side winds, stick to the point, and tell us whether or not the present contest is taken up because of the Jockey ? Club license? The electors have a ngtifc'■ to know what Messrs. Fenton, , Vosper>jand Mays would do if elected, and I callupon them to declare their policy. —l ami"ftsy : March 11, 1835. r\ ; '%usssJßf>\ '.

TO THE EDITOR. ... ~ Sie, —A statement appears in this day'* Herald over the signature of W. H. Fen* ton, part of which runs thus :—"I deny that the present committee have administered the Act in an impartial spirit." I hereby request Mr. Fenton to substantiate go grave a charge, or retract the same; and also ask him to inform the ratepayers how he would administer the Act as regards early closing and racecourse licenses, and what was the nature of the many reforms he wai mainly instrumental in carrying out in the past?—l am, &c,

Wμ. Hoile Brown, Chairman Takapuna Licensing Committee. Devonport, March 11, ISSS.

THE LANGUAGE OF THE OF AUCKLAND. TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —It is the fashion of the various Governments of the day to take upon themselves the education of the people. The idea at first was good, inasmuch as it provided for the education of all those whose parents were too poor to send their children to the local schools of the district. But, like all institutions not closely watched, it has become shamefully abused by being taken advantage of by the rich to give their children also a free education. This has led to all the higher branches being introduced into schools first intended only for the primary education of the poor, which has to increased the expenditure as to render it necessary to borrow large sums of money for its . continuance. All this would probably have been quietly borne if the effect of this education showed itself in the obedience of the children to their parents, or in their reverence for religion; but -when you cannot traverse any part of Auckland without continually having your ear* polluted with the vilest of language, it calls for reconsideration. To such an extent is this now carried, thdt the whole of the rising generation will naturally imbibe language they are continually hearing from morniDg to night. I had occasion to wait at the corner of Victoria-street a few nights ago, where three lade were converting. was not there ten minutes when I had counted the word "bloody" used thirty times, and this continually interspersed by much viler words. I was also witness to a man who, in an excited state, stopped a most respectably dreised woman, and is giving her an account of hie wrongs, used the vilest of epithets, and to my surprise was calmly listened to to the end, as if his language was most parliamentary. But the climax to all this occurred during this week in -Franklin-road. There the contractor has employed a number of boys to drive his horse carts, and one of these horses having slipped down, the language from one and all these boys was enough to make one's hair to stand on end ; and, worse still, there were several nursegirls, with children in their charge, standing listening to them. Can you, Mr. Editor, suggest a remedy, and save the rising generation from this terrible curae oi bad language, general disobedience, and want of reverence which beset the children of the present day ( —I am,.*o., T.W.G.