£5000 TO OTTAWA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 11366, 8 May 1900, Page 3

£5000 TO OTTAWA.

TO THE EDITOR.

Sir,-As a citizen I beg to bo allowed to outer my humble protest against some- £5000 of public moneys being Bent to Ottawa, without tlio people having been consulted at all on the matter. When W. B. Gladstone, tho greatest financier of the century, had a surplus he did not attempt to spend it on other parts of tho Empire, but reduced taxation on necessaries and on knowledge. Wo are tho heaviest taxed of any of tho Australasian colonics on account of moneys borrowed and often'wasted in the past and our necessaries aro taxed. As a colony wo have made enormous sacrifices of men and money in connection with tho South African war, and probably there will bo much sacrifice of life. Sir, charity begins at home, and tho Cabinet have, to my mind, no right to voto moneys to any country whilst wo have so many pressing homo needs. If tho plague should come, will there not bo much distress amongst our labourers and every branch of business bo injured ? This week the trustees of the Maori boys' school havo opposed tho attempt to found one for girls, owing to tho great difficulty in obtaining funds. Trim patriotism, I should havo thought, would have shown itself in trying to improve this race of aborigines, and to educate their girls. Then, as to technical schools, and many other needed improvements, they should bo considered. I hope tho poople will wire and writo the Premier to reconsider. Or is he to be allowed, on account of his largo majority, to bo entrusted with autocratio powers ? Woo tho day if it is so !-I am, etc., May 5,1900. J. Pkckovhk.

EXTENSION OF AUCKLAND. TO TUB EDITOR. Sir,—ln a sub-leader of your issue of Friday last you call attention to an offensive discharge of sewago in Hobson Bay, for which no less than seven local bodies aro responsible. Now, in my opinion tlicro is only ono permanent remedy for this, and a groat many moro urgently-needed public improvements in the city and suburbs, and that is by extending the boundary of tho city to take i in tho area that nature indicates, viz., between tho Tamaki and Avondale Rivers on the east and west, and tho Waitomata and Manukau on the north and south. Under tho present order of things it is quite impossible to get tho various local bodies to unite in carrying out public improvements, in which they havo all a common interest. At the present timo there are a rrreat many local public works which must bo carried out in tho near future, and which will cost a largo sum of money. These works could be carried out much more satisfactorily, and at far less cost, if under the control of ono strong local governing body. Besides, tho city would then command great influence throughout tho colony, and the best men would bo induced to obtain a seat in tho Council. We have had a great many leagues formed in Auckland to forward public projects. This is ono which I think worthy of an effort, and I think it would bo wiso to consider at the same timo if the two harbours would not be better under tho control of tho extended city. I suppose a Parliamentary enactment would bo required to carry out the project, which might bo obtained next session.—l am, etc., 11. Atkinson.

Grafton Road, May 7, 1900.