THE COMMANDMENTS IN OUR SCHOOLS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13673, 14 February 1908, Page 7

THE COMMANDMENTS IN OUR SCHOOLS.

Sir,l wish to suggest that school committees petition the board for copies Of the Ten Commandments to hang on tho walls of classrooms for repetition once a week, as in Canada. The Government printer could print same. Tho Wellington Education Board has allowed these charts to be hung up in their schools.

Wellington.

S. PEAIISON.

A WARNING.

-j gj ri — beg to draw the attention of the I public of Auckland to a dangerous proceed* 1 ing on the part of the Auckland Tramways Company, in removing the points boys at tho foot of Wellesley-strcet, and the alteration of the points on the down lines at thoi-o corners. When the tramway system was instituted, it was deemed necessary in the interests of public safety to haw the points at the bottom of Wellesley-street East and West always open, so that, in tho event of a car getting beyond tho control of the motorman through defective brakes, or greasy rails, or both combined, it could run across the straight line, and up the opposite side, until its momentum was arrested by the hill. The wisdom of this arrangement has been proved several times, and runaway • oar's Lave been safely stopped, without damage to life and property, It may be within the memories of some of your readers that before "the electrio system was instituted a horse-car, getting beyond the control of the driver, dashed down Wellesley-street West, and ran into Messrs. Oruickshank and Miller's shop, because there were no open points to direct ' it up tho bill. I have also in my mind i several cases of cars, owing to defective brakes, that have been slopped owing to < the safeguard of having the open points. Only a week or two ago a case occurred ; and on another occasion a motorman now driving on the Grey Lynn line saved his car and passengers from a possible destruction by dashing up Wellesley-street East. This is all altered now, and the company—no doubt with a questionable idea of economy —have retrenched the points boy, thereby saving his princely wage of 25s per week, ■ fixed the spring points so as to direct the i cars round the corner into Queen-street, ; and introduced an element of danger to ; the travelling public that formerly did not j exist. The pointsman whoso duty it was : to keep the points oiled and in working j order, when ordered week to alter the spring, so as to keep the points open into Queen-street, strenuously objected, on tho 'grpund of imperilling the public safety, and was told to obey orders *>>• go; so, not caring to have the responsibility of a big accident on his conscience, ho went, after having been in the service of the company for -years. I am not writing in a spirit of fault-finding, but from a / sense; of "duty, deeming it right that the City Couucil and the general public should know the danger

of allowing: the company to »lt«r it* fW> mawnt way without psopftr- supervision. It would b<? a risky procedures to adopt with magnetic or Wtstinghouad brakes, but, »it«r th* recent %*rdi(,fc of (he jury in th« Tern-' soabiy ii' Wit f.'iiaUty, and ih<> still mow recent decision of tit* B.M. in th« cam of Police v. Motorman l.owy for furious driv- 1 ing- down P.itfc*itr<vt, in which fltfl b?»k«K» were proved to ho ittnwntahty r/rfic<>nt, on a down prude, with * ' greasy rail, ' th»*' action of tiio company in making stidi" a dangerous win-ration i«, to my tin? lea-st of it, decidedly culpable. Hoping tint otfeer pen* than ruin* will Uk* up thi* nooi *»"»»"»• . Ctaeto.v.