LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14657, 18 April 1911, Page 3

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

THE TRAMCARS. , i Sir,—ln reference to loiter in Monday's ! issue re our tramcars, may I, as a regular passenger, be permitted to contradict "Mere Woman's" statement? Certainly in this • summer weather the cars by six or seven p.m. get rather dusty, but no means filthy. If the'public wore to be a" little more particular in ; their habits there would be less cause for complaint. "Mere Woman's" opinion of Wellington and Dunedin cars differs vastly from many who have travelled in them recently.'. . A MsßE'Gtßl,. • • A PLEA FOR BETTER BREAD. Sir, Your notes on the above carried me back to tho 60's of the last century. I was then in the offico at the " Old Mill," Queenstreet. One day old Dr. Stratford, of Parnell, camo in and inquired if we kept wholemeal, 'or wheat just ground but not dressed; he wanted it with the sharps and bran left in. I said "Yes." The old gentleman 88, id that modern milling gave the best part of the grain to the horses and pigs; that if people only knew the properties of real brown bread they would always use it. It was Nature's internal regulator, and,. 1 if regularly used, there would be far less need for drugs and doctors. History repeats itself. We are coming back to primitive) usages and tho simple life, and we"snail ho all the stronger and healthier for it. y Gkaybeard. AUCKLAND FOOTPATHS. Sir,—ln passing through your beautiful city (second only to Sydney), I was much struck with tho filthiness of tho footpaths.' The state they are in from expectoration is a disgrace to civilisation, and a menace to health. . In all Australian towns no spitting is allowed under a penalty of 10s. You, therefore, seldom if ever see a dirty mark, and I commend the matter to the municipal fathers, and hope, for the sake of the reputation of the city, that they will take) early steps to remedy the nuisance. - O. J. Rotle. TOWN-PLANNING AND GREATER 1 ; AUCKLAND. , Sir, The big drum, of which your cor- - l respondent "Suburbanite" complains, will . have to sound louder yet to waken some , Aucklanders to their opportunities and pri- [ vileges. When a stranger visiting the city . asks why our publio works are so far bo- ■ hind the. invariable answer is "Too . many | cooks, etc." If " Suburbanite* wishes I can L give him instances of the good effected for , the. community by the abolition of some , borough councils in Now Zealand, as well . as in other countries. True democracy does not mean a multiplicity of governing bodies, but the control of publio works and tho ! amenities and decencies of life, by as few strong corporate bodies as possible, elected and upheld by the general community. Too much local government, on the face of it, means localism and narrow selfishness, which is diametrically opposed to the principles of democratic brotherhood. '/Let the drums sound louder and louder, compelling unwilling oars - to listen to ; neighbourly advice and frieiidly criticism, in \ the ■ interest of » a Greater. Auckland, for our , beloved Dominion. ; Peter Blitb. . '-"..V ; v.:'. ' [ THE TRAINING OF ENGINEERS. , glr,—Mr. George Gocrgc : states that my > letter' of Monday last was misleading;. yet r he acknowledges the truth of my first contention, viz.,: that technical schools .were established for the education of artisans. Secondly, lie himself supplies proofs of the correctness of my principal point, namely, that the training of professional engineers ' is the work Of university colleges. Three f telling examples corroborating this (statement Were given Jiy him when he instanced 8 tho work done by the teohnical schools at ? Manchester, Bristol, and Belfast. Those 1 schools, after, a period what Mr. George —evolution, were absorbed by the universities in their respective districts. They are no longer technical schools, but university colleges; which, proves my point. Mr. Georgo now tries to bolster, up his case by ! going further afield for examples. Ho men- j tions the polytechnics in America, Germany, j and Switzerland, where engineers are trained. All the institutions lie quotes are engineering colleges of . university rank, which are: empowered to grant ; degrees to ; 0 their successful students. The Imperial Col- > lege of Technology, at South Kensington, 1 London, is an English prototype of these e polvtechnies. . Their functions,; are wholly - dissimilar from , those of English technical 0 schools. Mr. George traverses my statementr> that advanced engineering equipment at the ' Technical School is practically non-existent. ' Ho says that the engineermg equipment of ' tho above school cost considerably , more 3 than that at the School of Mines. He • ignores the word advanced, ; and includes a the cost of the- machines in his engineering . workshops used for the training .of artisans. ' This class of apparatus the Tcohilical School - is quite entitled to, and tho cost of whioh r must neoessarily preponderate over that of 1 hi? remaining equipment. Meanwhile, my original statement remains a fact, as ' any interested person can verify for himself % visiting the School .of Mines. . - - ■;',,Sn>m E. University Colleuo. ,

■ THE • WANT :: ' ; OF :■' accommodation} IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS. Sir,—Apparently there appears to bo ; 4?': or no immediate or; near . future rndmM >f any serious Improvements: being j aado iii' -H' >he v existing very unsatisfactory -faftjaJs leaJchy overcrowding of : the p«6li^ ;; «jhw>!sJ® ma : the consequent mora or less rate of the children's education;'.''fEsp&feS w ia this manifested in the flmallfchiSf/S Iron s primary olstwes, and in the VfIVeSS! •tandard, where they are being kept ?, bait '*M wnrT« f repeat their last year Viewer# >\cr and over again ad nuuaeum, to thff ?reat discouragement of child, parent, .'WJHI eacher. It might with reason, it is thought#* JO suggested that where there exists «*• «ft •nuch overcrowding as described above, argo GI ™ ed corrugated iron shed be pro-' ' ndod. The structure would look anything ■' rat imposing, it must be admitted, irom ! : architectural, point of viow, but as wo are 1 ''J ' or - v much more concerned: with the strict! ■ lecessity of economy, utility; and our chilli walo 8 health, comfort, and educational pro- I ?ress, the consideration of the permanent SwVk^u' 0 nrcilltectaral and palatial school buildings, consonant with their en* ; nronments, can well bo left for a decade orf wo ' - Fatheh. M """ 1 ' '•. THE CRUSADE . AGAINST RATS. | ®i r ; * Wfts ding a letter in your panel? 1 in Monday signed " Inquirer** re rats. Yesrf 'I L must say it is easy to say cat oh ' and 'jtoiim on them; but what risk! Fancy laying/ )oison 111 business places in Queen-street/ or oxample, where sonw places are iwea- » or workshops, etc., and, again, eatiyg<s? louses. "A _ short time ago I saw where* several business men refused to let the iiw'fe pectors lay poison on thgir premises,' Sen* ''bio men. Poison is good for open , diw>|| .nets, _ but not where the buildings are con- 's ?esited. Fancy ;rat«s taking poison and M crawling to some dark corner ft and lying. What is tho danger? Not bnljltlisMl stenoh, but the flea, which ' will ;• le&ve*>;fiK&.lf! Jody and. wander until its fir.ds somo,'oK)J«®| —whether cat, dog, or human being. ;5 : over, the fleas will lea ',hc dead 1 ' rat^- i\ pass to a live man, and remain for days 01* his body or in his clothing without biting. him. at all. When they smell their, prbpeif/l host they leave the nan, who regains per-*' l ;',! foct.lv healthy. Nothing will prevent a ; poiW 1 Soiled rat from dying about the house r»nd'.,, causing these dangers. My opinion is this :i ■;"! After : . oars' study and experience on thu# subject a live rat is safer than a dead on<| lying in some remote comer rotting away* Js fho rat must bo caught, not poisoned audi; winder away and die; £ mean in dwelling*;/, houses. Poison iE open , districts, by s dt,"! moans. . , BAOUXtrfe;# Buckland. r - ~~ —~ : ■ v;p|g ACCLIMATISATION CONTROL;, 1 A'< Sir,ln your issue of ! 25th ult. there ' ap* jears a report of • the Thames Game Pre* ;orvatiori. ' Socioty, Which consists of Hon< i i. J. Ciendon."president; secretary, Str."J4% Comtek; auditor, Mr. J. D. Crawford;! i : committee, Messrs. Dobson, Brace, . Priiee,;':! Junlop. In my possession is tho annual wk-fA? wrt of the Auckland Acclimatisation le'SoWf ;iety, 1908 and 1909, also a copy of all that ®| lames of those who had a license last seat-,/';? on (1910) taken out at Thames. The nam** if William Price as a license-holder is n 1908, but not sir.ee, and none 0 the' V, ithcr gentlemen forming this society appear ■ imongst the license-holders. These. then, s ! -; ire the kind of men who would endeavour, 0 bar progress and prevent the license- || lolders forming a society like th Waikato, vhich will make this " beautiful country at'tf sportsman's paradise." Whin I first shot it» | Zealand in 1880 Auckland i controlled Jie whole of the northern com ties, buti M ;uoh is not the case now. " Otb« mvo sprung up and : token oontiol of thein nvn districts. It would bo, and is, nctf ivf sense to say Auckland is not to ' blsme.. Auckland has sacrificed the backbone v/L the • society, on the fish' altar. The . shooter# ;i| lave been, and are, the mainstay " of, thej® society, and what have they had in return 'or their outlay ?; The question has beftft? isked: When did Auckland introduce phew]M lants in New Zealand laafcf ■ On' ; theitf',£ : 3vro information it' took '.ftem 47 ;.years« before 1 they thought of Gilding a pheaj;,",; santrv, and . no foreign stoek have beea jlaoetl in it so far. The formation of ft new vigorous society will help to keep this conn- . . ; try, -with its beautiful' climate, as r . oneoofr'{f the first on the shooting list. At'present f . [ am sorry to say, regarding imported game, ■ it is one of the worst, and the Auckland v society is to blame for Mr-jW. H. Hazard says the telegram from the Hon. Buddo re tlw registration of the .Waikfttcßj society oaro.a like . a bolt from ; the . blueji n It is a pity it did not come 25 years ago. Justice and Member AVaikato Soodkxt. THE MOKAtT LANDS. Sir,—ln a recent issue there appear® «af ; article baring general reference to 'the deal-< ings with those , lands, which at this etagaf is scarcely placed in accurate form. It m stated, amongst other things, that the quean ■ tion of the title had gone through the Newt! Zealand Courts and Home to the Privy? Council, and inferred that tho cane had! ended. I claim to have some knowledge of ,; the matter, which does no's agree with tho' above. My recollection is that the > Court! , went through the case. The oafl® did not; go through the Court : it was not permitted to be heard. Th© English Court . rejected a motion to strike the case out ( upon thtf alleged ground that it was fnvolcoS-AS may be seen by a reference to the press s cables of November 3, 1907, and, ; with full, knowledge of all that could bo advaaceU in opposition, made an, order for trial of tnef | action for redemption ana accounts, two i with an expression of doubt as to the jurisdiction being in England— fact ivh.ch is.', dispute! by tho Court here. -Consequent; upon this doubt the order t was not made v use of, but allowed to lagso with the view of bringing the cas» on in this wuntry , and . the case became struck out m Englwd tor . that reason only. Tho Court at Wellington ■ m 1908 derided that this case,; which the English Court had ordered to be tried (mvvih c as to jurisdiction) should not be entered her©, upon the ground that it was , frivol-, ous," and that appeal to the Privy Council would not be allowed for the 1 ask. the favour of you, Mr. F/C!ttor,_ ( to ; publish tins explanation, from •• which, if I am to be credited, it will be seen _that tbo .i case has not . gone . through _ the' New &ea- ; ; land, Courts, nor Homo to the Privy CouiV oil. Neither,' to tho best of ■my belief, ha« , it been ended. I have yeti to learn that the closing of doors against the right of trial : should be taken afi ending a case before bad commenced. Thanking you in aat^ipw|| tl< Mokau, April 6. J. Joinsa, |i Mokau, April 6. '"ARE WE. CIVILISED?'! 1 Sir,—Your correspondent, J. B. Morton Barnes, is obviously a socialist of the old school, whose war-song was revolution, not evolution. Ho is evidently a person who, whilst conscious of a goal, nevertheless Vt blind to the pathway which leads thereto. He' asks 1 tho question: "Are wo civilised?" and proceeds to prove the answer .is no. I would •••;•• ask what civilisation is, and whether .i it m not a comparative, rather than a definiS®, ;', term? To the student, with the cxpewoee that 20 centuries should": give,' l looking k»!»i| at: sV the varied phases of aooal ordti>^, js feudalism and «livvery—mankind is mdeod civilised. To reader® of : -v : history w/membering " the Star 'Chamber': tiiw! » >t«3«ed. an, enlightened; ago. But, on tho othc!' feapd, to y the student "* gauging - the f f ut.uito probable 'development by the past, oivihsivtion is but in' ite embryo 'stated and wbfttr it l 'shall be it .doth /not yM aw>e«r. much is certain, 1 that society, - as at presents constituted, in passing through its. pwu>d;:<rfi disintegration. And the competition/ which , Mr. Barnes in so hard, on, must finally choke; itself; but it has served its turn, 'And:; tlw; poverty, too, it will pass—when it half served'j itii time and, generation. For, when all •; It 1 added up, this one strange fact remains enigma—that evil and pain and sorrow are essential, factors of virtue and joy and peace.. In those noble words of Tennyson : .'V 1 " 'Nothing- walks with aimless -feet,. And not one thing shall be destroyed, r :; Nor cast as rubbish to (he Void : - When God has made His pile complete. ' \?j And, at anyrate, before the socialisation ? of; the means* of production can be accomplished, or at least operated,; it will bo found expedient,, I think, to educate - the mass to the sense of responsibility which 1 ; such . possession implies. % F ovm , , • LEBTEK . F . GTOB. ,-