LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17338, 9 December 1919, Page 12

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

PELORUS JACK, Sir,—-AHow me space' to makV-rt suggestion in reference to the dog Pe-lOWt* Jack,, which- was presented to..the:, city v by th» officers ot H.M.S. New Zealand. The suggestion is when housing the dog. make' tire' kennel in the design" of H.MT.S. .New Zealand, with ingress and egress at fve stern. It need not be a costly affair—just .a plain model of the ship-with the two nraais and three funnels, with a port-hole" berV arid there. A -dog kennel" of sucu a. dt'*-gn*j would be- novel and mtefestfcc-. •] James-- MrrenFJi - ■? Motaihi. Island. * NS.W. ORCHESTRA. , ~ Sir,—Some criticism, which; has agpeareoT y in your, correspondence cnF'-nms of the"' forthcoming production, of " The -Messiah'* seems to call for at reply- Your corres l pendents? suggestion that-, some work other than " The Messiah,! 1 * with greater orchestral effects, should BaVft"'beeh chosen so as to hear the Now- South Wafer. Orchestra at its- bes*. is u'BdottStodly t#uei - The "Lobesang" or "Golden Legend" .'• would, no doubt have been more; attracr , tive, but I would point out that the . orchestra is only' visrauig Auckland at short notice and" during the Christmas*' : holidays; and it would haws been quite" impossible - to havoc rehearsed" any other' - I work in the ciroiimstances-. wtthoijt aban- -' I doning the annual." Messiah-' production, : i which is looked" forward to, and £6' which' our subscribers are entitled: East" year; owing- to- the- epidemic-,- it- was impossible l - '• to perform, tins wark r so ii will; be two : years- since it was last given.. It has also been stated, that the Choral Society might have Found players of wind* instruments of the required tew pitch" for the perf jrmanco. which is. to be gi^ f fin with the grand organ. Unfortunately, only one or- two- play ops so-far possess.- tilestF instruments, and it is. obvions that unless . ( all the players ha've 7 {Rem if is riot 1 pos- ; sible to put on a- fnlf orchestra. May' I 4 ' say-, in. conclusion-, that- both- performances'--' ought to, be. memorable; The. first* with . I the organ and strings, will the only - occasion hitherto upon which this fine inI fita-ument has been used fbT" OrateiSO, and" ' i I think we can trust- to- Mr: Verbrugghen, ; ! with a chorus of 300- voices and. a lineorchestra at his to. make the- . second perloi-ciaace to be re- • : membered. G. HliSs6n% | i, Vice-President Atfck ehorai'Sbeiety. c IRELAISD'S POSITION. J Sir,— vrz- that l £©09,000 per montb, or filOvaoo,oQo p<*. aniHUB. wa&- . ! spent, and is; being; spent in Upland; upon j an army of occupation, was questioned- by ,a- , correspondent. My authority was a state- *~ ment *jp that effect made* early last August' ' in the House of ecmmonsr by tiny respon'i sible Minister- in- reply to* a question. Sir' John Simon, speaking in Bletchley;on'Sop- j ; tomber 6. said: "*60,000 troops. m>| i Ireland were costing; £900,000. a month, ; i most, of which, I contend* was unneces- j \ sary." Mr. Montgomery referred" to Irish" \ banking returns and- deposits; ergo; Ire'' , land- i* prosperoHS- and l - should b»- happy* , ! etc. Ireland's- demand for- national, rights:! i is; not to bo measured: by pounds, shillings ■ ■ and pence. The late Cam^beU-Bannerman's I aphorism is remembered in Ireland. "Good : ■government is no substitute''for**- self>gb-\-j enimßnt.." Mr: Mofttgpmerjj- cohchide**i j all would be- well bat fop- the "whining'' of ; the Sinn Feiners. "Let ute>f&o» the- facts-1 fairly," said- the- Obsepveß. "la- so- far' as the campaign (ratification* treaty cam- ' paign in America-) has succeeded,, the-ma in j cause of- its s«ecees may he-summed* up-in-one word—lreland. Even, since it entered upon its present phase' a generation" back, ' j the Irish question has- been- one of- Imperial'! • concern." And it added: "Of the rocks j Ireland is the; most menaqing t Without I exaggeration, the future of civilisation is I linked up >rith an- Irish" settlement.," "This 1 country has to make up its mind whetheri it purposes to govern Ire-land, by tanks or .by consent. ' r (Manchester Guardian), j " When yon attempt to restrain by tank I and rifle and machine-gun a spirited people ! demanding to he free, the rifles will r;p. ' off, whether the country be Ireland, or i Poland or Bohemia.' 7 (Daily. News-). Finr ! ally the Times, and alt of-' these quotations i were written but a few weeks ago, said: i " The springs of Irish life are being I poisoned, her brilliance turned to ice, her : I wit to gall; the devotion of her sons re- ' mains sterile. The whele world watches i events in Ireland with a-.uious sympathy. How long will the €fOverrment allow them to drift." The loyalty- to thefenpire of ' these powerful English" papers, is unquestioned and unquestionable. The opinions which they so freely express towards the present, dragooning of Ireland are not the i ! wild rhetoric of winning Sfnn Feiners," I but the stolid and impassioned convictions I of men who are in a prominently favourable position to diEcefh arid judge, and their discernment and judgment convince I them that " Ireland blocks the way." JrsxrriA.