LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 17844, 27 July 1921, Page 10

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

SLOT TELEPHONES. Sir, —"Salesman" complains of the slot telephone system in Auckland. He is quite Sight. Auckland has the worst system I have ever come across. Last Wednesday I tried to get central from one of the boxes in front of the G.P.O. After wasting*five pennies in two machines, I went up to the telegraph superintendent's room and complained. " Oh," said he, " vou shonld go to the engineer's room." On arriving there, I was told, " Oh, he is out. Better call again." I -went down sgain to another box, only to lose two more pennies. I then tried tlje box at Wvndham Street; the same result there, no answer from central. Another Victim. APPROACHES TO CITY MARKETS. Sir.—Often having business at the City Markets which takes me along the approaching roads, I am astounded at the present disgraceful state of the?f> mucH-. listed thoroughfares. The road from Kerry Buildings on toward the lower level of Customs Street, and from Wright. Stephenson's corner to the City Markets. has been during the recent rains in a state that would do more, justice to our back-block clay roads than to the leading city of the Dominion. Motors and carts travelling along, here have to go through a sea of mud. I wonder when the concrete roads, which have apparently proved so successful, will be extended to this busy part of the city? Mudwadek. COKE FOR MANURES. Sir.—Kindly permit me to correct lire report "which appeared in your issue on Saturday in regard to the applicaiou <A carbonic acid to plants through the medium of coke. It i-pads as if the New Zealand discover v dawns to be exactly m the same lines "as tl.e German This is not so. Hard ••'uJ >r anthrasite coke contains iron in an axailable form, also other sulphates ii.d rif course carbon, and being very porous absorbs other manuriai ingredients when mixed under heated conditions, the heat producing carbonic acid gas, which would disappear when the kilns are cooled off. except that which is retained (ind it would not be a large quantity) in the pores of the coke through the sealing of the pores by the other combinations. As a matter of fact, the idea of direct application of carbonic acid gas might be received vijth some doubt, as when the decomposition of carbonic acid takes place carbon dioxide and water- are liberated and they act as the solvent for plant foods. A. Schhitt.

THE MODERN DANCE. Sir, —It is not surprising that the fearless, God-inspired utterapce, made cm Saturday night last, debouncing modern dancing should evoke such strenuous opposition. We listen indefinitely and comfortably to our religious teachers when they do not touch those secret-*, silent, and doubtful questions common to each soul. Now, on such an apparently innocent subject as dancing, there seems little need to hold extreme views. This letter is written in the sph-it of " Come let us reason together," and it is quite unnecessary to be involved in a passionate discourse. In this age of compromise we shrink to call a spade a spade, and when we finally discover that it refuses to answer to another description we are shocked. Compromise is always in .search for a third something which is neither right nor wrong. I put the following questions for each one to decide; I have ainswergd them in my own soul, and do not seek answers .through this column. *The questions are these^: —(1) Is dancing a Christian virtue? (2) Is it intellectual? (3) Is it essential to*' happiness? (4) Is it inevitably the result of a pure love of the rhythm or poetry of music? Or (5) is it because convention requires - us to dance, and we dare not, as in a host of other matters, hold an original view?' I am not ashamed to confess that I do not believe in dancing. The. opinion, of the majority of the people on any question is always found-to be moderate. Oh, what a convenient term, how noncommittal, is this word- moderate! The chief difficulty besetting moderates is to decide the precise moment when dancing, - if pood, becomes bad. An analysis of the various opinions appealing under women's viewpoint shows that a careful and proper supervision of dancing is desirable. Although dancing is not unique in this' respect, the' -above admission does not sound convincing, and does not remove it beyond the pale of doubt. Christian.

SECONDARY* INDUSTRIES. Sir, —I must ask your indulgence in order to deal further •with a few of tha points in this controversy. One correspondent, while admitting that my arguments are sound, questions the application of some of my "figures, and Mi. Hills makes a palpable but very poor attempt to confuse the issue by bringing in matters v/hich are quite foreign to .the argument. It ought to be evident to anyone, that there are customs duties appearing on the tariff which have no effect on local prices, because there are practically no imports of such , commodities. They are either produced here partly for export, ip which case the f.o.b. value governs the local' price; or they are produced ia sufficient quantities to satisfy the local demand, and there are practically no exports or imports, in which case the price is based on the cost of production and distribution — that is on the assumption that there are no outside sources .that could come into competition if there were no,.duties. The classes of commodities we are dealing with are produced and sold in New Zealand in competition with the same articles im-' ported and paying the duty. The' prices at which they are sold- to the consumer,, which will be the same whether the. par- ; ticulax article is imported or made locally, are governed by the import values, and aTe made up of tho landed cost, the duties, the wholesale profit, and the retail profit. Naturally these profits vary with' changing circumstances, but they are calculated on the total cost; including the duties. Mr. Hills pretends to deride my statement as to free trade in, the United States of America, but'anyone who has : seen a fair BSmple of the enormous business which is continually passing between the different States, or who has even studied the figures as to population and production,, must admit that it is in the aggregate the greatest volume of trade in the world, and it is all free trade, and completely disposes of the contention that new countries must have protection in order to establish secondary industries, for no such system hits ever been in existence between the older and the newer States. • ■ Mr. Hills, as usual, goes off at a tangent and brings up a remit appearing on the orderpaper of the Farmers' Union Dominion conference, having no bearing whatever on the question, and thinks he has demolished me completely. I will only say in conclusion that it is no use for protectionists to be drawing a red herring across the scent by accusing free-traders of hostility to secondary industries. There is no such hostility. We welcome any industry that has a fair chance of success, and we are prepared to give it all possible assistance so long as -such can be done in a straight-forward and reasonable, way. What we strongly object to is the wasteful, unsound, and insidious system of "protective duties. Te Kauwhata. ■ A. A. Ross.

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