LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18380, 21 April 1923, Page 12

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

V THE TRAM' SERVICE.' Sir—ln reply to the letter by "Daily Sufferer," there > are v certainly many amendments that could be made to the Auckland tram service, . but ; why should Epsom and Onehunga cars .;; run via Parnell? What is to become 2of passengers wishing to alight in Khyber Pass If the Onehunga and Epsom cars ran via Parnell, what would ;be; the use of rails down Khyber. Pass? I, also, am a .daily sufferer, and have several times boarded a Royal Oak car, wishing to get off at Seafield View Road, Khyber Pass, when, to my amazement, the car has run through Parnell, stranding me in Newmarket. This shows the need of route signs so badly wanted on the Auckland trams. ' ' ' ' !^'' ■"■-■'. v : .'•',. Stranded* ■ TRAMS TO THE ZOO. Sir,—-Will you allow me space for a few lines in reply to the council's plan re tram extension to the Zoo gate, along Surrey Crescent. lam glad it is admitted in the Herald that the above extension is run along the above route principally for the Zoo, and it will serve very little else, and that the £20,000 is a mere bagatello for that extension. Well, the ratepayers may not consider £20,000 a bagatelle, especially as -very little return can be expected from it since it is only to serve the Zoo. . If £20,000 more is spent on the lower road along the Great North Road to serve Point Chevalier and get hundreds of people to work and back again in the evening and encourage others to build homes for themselves in that suburb, the additional bagatelle, even aquarter jof a mile further, should not be considered. This would serve the Zoo at the same time, and the people visiting it would not have more than half the dig. tance to walk from the tram to where the animals are as from the top gateThe road would be level and a lovely avenue could be made from the trams at the Stone Jug if planted on both sides twith evergreens and flowers. If half the money was spent on the lower entrance that has been spent on the top, it could be made a picture. The cheapest and best way to the Zoo is the lower gate. It could be charged for as a section, and the ratepayers would have something for the money expended, and it would be part of the; extension promised by the Mayor two years' ago to the residents of the Point Chevalier "district. Let us leave selfishness on one side and consider the majority and the best interests of the city as a whole. Workers first and pleasure second; .the'lower road will serve both. - : , } John, J. Edgar.

Sir, —I beg to draw attention to matters which appear to : have been overlooked in the article published on Thursday. It is rightly, I think,, emphasised that the extension of the cars to the upper entrance might be termed " a' sideshow," or perhaps ,'more'aptly "a- dead end."-But why spend £20,000 on "a side-show," which <is : likely so soon to be non-productive for a long time. Point Chevalier, with an area of 1220 acres, is the second largest suburb, and has an area of 800 acres' suitable for dwelling houses, and capable of carrying a very -large population immediately satisfactory, transit is available. '.'"-. The progressive tramway policy of the council expedited by the shortage of houses will soon "result m the extension of the cars down the Great North Road, . and - . the - extension in the direction of :, : ihe upper entrance will not then ■".' be required. If the cars are now extended to the " Stone Jug," the most difficult part of I the I impending extension to Point Chevalier .will have been accomplished, besides which an extension as far ;as the " Stone Jug" will be of great value to the residents of Western Springs, Point Chevalier, and . portions of Mount Albert. and- Avondale. In :regard to ":■, the 'i engineering difficulties, the council, ■• independent :of f the \ tramways extension, propose widening portion of the Great North Road;; : aria* have "'already flagged -the' same for :, that purpose. : Some time ago .1 the council's i own k estimate of an extension to the ? Public ; Hall, Point Chevalier, was £50,000 to , £60,000. As the "Stone Jug,".where the extension to the lower ; entrance :of the Zoo would terminate, is: a Very considerable distance from the Public Hall, it would 5 be*safe to say that the extension to this spot would not "cost more' than £40,000; that is, - £20,000 more ? than' the extension to the*' upper entrance of the Zoo. V The ■ extension to" ; the :; upper ; v entrance will yield practically no more revenue, while that to the " Stone Jug" would be used by the ', residents : ; ; of Western > Springs \C and Point Chevalier, and; also some of the residents of Mount Albert and Avondale.

By obtaining•;figures from one fof the bus •■ proprietors;." I ascertained that the residents of Point Chevalier make- not less than 620 j trips per day. Assuming the council charge &on the ; average l£d - per trip, this would; mean'■. 800 d per day, or £1213 [; 6s Bd[ per \ annum. £- [[Allowing ■; for a proportion of the wages for men -■ employed in running a,car from Queen Street to - the," Stone Jug"—a proportion of £312—and; £30 for depreciation on the tramcar in respect of the section from the " Stone Jug , ,[; to Surrey Crescent, 5 the immediate ; net ■'■■ annual [- revenue ;>/' would amount to £871 6s Bd.; Immediately .the cars ; were ' put : down • the:; Great ;? North Road, the ratable values of the properties in ? the j 1 districts ? above-mentioned should, on a conservative -; estimate, be ; increased at least l-10th, resulting in increased rates to the amount of not less than £515. . These two ?" amounts (£1386 %65% 8d in all) would! represent'.6.93 per cent, interest on the extra capital? (£20,000) expended.', This estimate does not take .into account the considerable ; population "of the y Western Springs district, most of whom do not use; the ■ motor-bus ;i service, but would use the tramcars. - ,'./

•: In regard: to .the view obtained from the upper - entrance, visitors * entering by : the lower.; entrance could have ; the : view, if they desired to' climb .[ the hill. ;•';; The " Stone Jug," where '■ the extension would terminate, . is some" distance ?■ from the Zoo but the ground is ; flat, and a further extension' to I the '[ Zoo -: gateJ would follow an easy ',?■ grade, whereas ' no extension } down the steep hill below the upper entrance would be practicable;; - F. C. ; Jobdan. ;".'"■ 3, Vulcan [Lane, Auckland.- . ];/'"'■' THE MORATORIUM. Sir, One year and [eight-months have still to : run before the present;. extended moratorium ends, but already we have calls on the Government to indicate 'their intention to further renew it beyond December 31, 1924.; Your correspondent, Mr. Frank;. Colbeck, informs us .that V most of the [money;> coming in ;f for investment is tagged ' arm. lands j barred." I \ think ; it more likely that the tag is; "all mortgages barred." ;*> Look how the mortgagee -i has been treated since ; 1914/. and it is no wonder ; he bars mortgages [as,[a;; investment! The ' great bulk" of the; mortgages due in 1914 ; and. since remain ; unpaid still: % The Government in 1914 'amended their Moratorium Act by a I clause permitting mortgagors to [ contract out ? of the provisions of ;; that 'Act, and a covenant ' was inserted in nearly every mortgage thereafter—and agreed to by mortgagors and mortgagees— that [the : money was- lent on the distinct agreement that. the i moratorium did: not apply. Yet in 1918 the Government broke faith ■ with all those ■ people who had materially " agreed to [ contract [ out of >■ the Act, by bringing all these mortgages under its provisions, so these [vast; sums were '. also added to the amount which the mortgagee was unable to obtain repayment of. While professing to; wish to curtail the moratorium, they have widened its scope till it j now includes even leases with purchasing ( contract or. purchasing clause! [[ They renewed the moratorium in the early part of 1 1920, when i there was no earthly reason for its renewal, or^there; wa* at that time such a ; plethora of ; money that ■ the banks held t £18,000,000 [more deposits than ; advances,' and there is yet no promise of finality. -r-It; is this insecurity ; and mistrust of the Government's; l intentions 1 that is the cause " of investors preferring any other class; of [security; except* mortgages Every c extension of h the -; moratorium has only v ; resulted ; in * greater restriction of money available for mortgage. , And until the [ Government declares a - final £ date on which % all . mortgages | Bhallt be "h payable, money ! will •, never ([be /available for mortl gages.. The, moratorium; ii;largely; resporK

able for ,the" wild speculation in land: mortgage after mortgage:being added, be. cause the mortgagors * were ;>. > buoyed uo with the reliance that they would ; not be called on to pay, "and the ; Government was too .weak.to do the ;,fair end right thing, } and f end the ;•;■ moratorium, as all - other civilised nations have done. -• 'VtlllPl ' ' " * : ■--■ iL '■ J- ■^°fisiss'^.S^S 231,. Manukau Road, Parnell. - ,ftfittfl|§ '■■' ■■' ■ ' i/ ■ siisfijsli£s§ Sir.— cannot hope to answer all critics | fully it and, U generally speaking viPllt ignore anonymous writers. ; But "Native 1 Lease" requires .'•: answering. He saysVilgsiil am ; not conversant with my subject Being a mortgagee and mortgagor, both. » -, ' under and outside the moratorium, I* am just the man that is conversant. My "'-- " scheme " brings , all mortgages, Native -'•'■-■ Lease's 27 included,' under the moratorium almost immediately for the sole purpose of preventing foreclosures. Any financier will tell " Native Lease his scheme is , not practical. "Keen Spectator" raises a point requiring answer. I realise fully that some mortgages have lost their value but as my ;" scheme" is "to advance money to pay off mortgages (only), such advances to be limited strictly by expert ' ''-, valuations," if any money is lost it •will not be under my " scheme," but will fall'. v £ on those who in their greed advanced money at 10 to 20 per cent, on securities •„ - which never existed I give a flat denial /", to' " Keen Spectator's " assertion that - " plenty of money is available at 6£ to " 7 per cent" Let anyone doubting this -' '* l " try for £4000 to £10,000, and send the ' ■'■ result to the Herald, " Joseph Henry" '•-:-''' I heartily endorse, except that .. " Home" , > '.» money may not be quite so cheap as he ••".-, (thinks. However, there is tons of it in New York going begging. C. Hi Mellsop is out of balance. He suggests myllpff " scheme" is " wild," but advocates, the same thing cut down to 10 million. Surely if a good thing at 10 million it tiWO better at 100 million Mr. Mellsop ia :: right in his opinion. State advances v;§|l| agricultural: banks. What we want is- ' rimmediate relief and ultimate freedom. . -'' from serfdom. Existing banks will not, - : . and agricultural banks cannot, give lis * ' former, and my "scheme," or something - similar, is the , only road to the latter. 1 - 3 My one Btrong point is that every farmer. I'. and every city man could look forward ? joyfully to-the end of the 36£ years term when they would obtain freedom, a thing , ~ never to be realised under the present sys- . tem of mortgaging. Mr. Mellsop raises a i "-f; very important point in saving I "assume -Si all mortgages called up when moratorium I expires, overlooking the re-investments." I ■ \4 have not overlooked this, Mr. Mellsop, and ''■ will give you some facte. Of the 200 miliums (approximate) coming due, 117 millions ; rest with farmers. :Of this about 'M millions are trust moneys and must be '•* re-invested. Now all this is well in- * vested at present, and is earning good in- i terest and would still be if the moratorium - ? were extended for another 20 years. - : .j. Then why this bogey of lifting the mora- . r M torium to save the country. Simply be- \. t §- cause interested parties want to handle '.■•'.- the re-investments and charge the farmer ;'" ] with the cost of doing it. A minimum fee of 2 per cent, for , procuration . fees, search fees and the hundred and one other j;^

charges of reallocating on 117 millions _; '. would amount to £2,340,000, and these' "costs": must be found in cash. The bal-|^f|:!j'

ance of the 200 million coming due, viz. : :";; 83 million, rests with the city people, and . 2 per cent, : on this is £1,660,000, representing cash costs." In other words,: toSjsll; lift the moratorium and reshuffle the' "H whole thing will cost 4 million cash even if .we come out of it "as you were." No = ;;* wonder the interested ones are asking to, > v j have a "scramble." Local critics have -- ;,; asked me "What 1 is' to-become of the ' mortgagee V and his money if my scheme comes into -' operation." My answer is lot ) them ' lend their money to woollen mills, - freezing;: works, N! dairy ; : companies, etc./ ' starving for monev * to , increase production. : Lend to the local'bodies wallowing in mud for want of cash, and lend to the Govern- -4?, ment stagnating for finance to build new .*£, railways, make new roads, and open' up v ••? new country. Millions are wanted in these directions and there lis ample scope for alb *;-||| At present a 'lot of advances to settlers' . ;./ money is being: diverted to these channels ' •(a thing never ; contemplated by the pro-' M moters), hence the shortage ;in ; the State || office for more legitimate claimants. : ':-, :..:;. .* Will A.- Cabteeu ~ *.-; f Matakohe. ■■" ;■■" •„-,; CREDULITY. Sir, Your contributor "Kotare" has ft ' ~' very interesting article on the above, but it does not cover all the ground. Take". •-* the following:—Miss Edith . K. , Harper, . ';. one of the late W. T. Stead's biographers, ; -:| states 'that'! she and Mr. Stead, writing at ; a"distance (up to 70 miles) from each /, other, have produced ..< coherent messages, the '■' one writing a portion and the other < the balance of this message.' The writings took place •'at': one and the same time, -;' and '" when' pieced % together'' word found to be perfectly intelligible. What is the • explanation ? i^ls 1 the whole thing a vulgar lie, or •is there " any scientific ■* solution apart from the theory of spiritualism? . . '■■■' ."•■.-.,-.;.- ; ■'.-'.' -"■ ':■':. ::''/ "--'■ -■■,:■''';' Inquiber.sk# :-■;■(;.-•', ■;;:>:":'.:'";..;"": > — ■'■ ■:- ■■■?'Vv*p RELIGION AND POLITICS. .*. \'.'M | Sir,—ln s Thursday's Herald, "Anchorite" J makes the following,; statement on th*Jp||| above subject:—"l have 'interested "*ny-Ip|i self in: politics for forty odd years :in : New : Zealand,' and can absolutely deny the assertion that Roman Catholics voted in a _ : . block for;candidates for political honours, H _ with considerable emphasis,-v that v any understanding of v the '» kind •.-.' exists. On •,. v.the contrary, I can prove that the vast majority of Roman , Catholics who vota for. politicians, do not consider., the question of religion at all." : Contrary evidence to that amazing statement is so transparently obvious in;politics, that one canl'fg only—charitably—conclude ; - " Anchorite' has: allowed mental imagery, and sectarian bigotry, -i to overcome': his understanding. Probably ? there ;' are' ; : many—nominalRoman Catholics - whoser; material . interest* are in: conflict '% with '; priestly : dictation. -~ Those will be men possessing a matured experience v in ; politics -: and : religion. ;'■'; But, there are;thousands.s of Roman Catholio ! '• young : men, and, especially young women, ~, y whose embryonic i impulses are entirely . ••■ subservient to their religion; and there ■> ; can ' be >;. no'"'* doubt about r- their ■ politics, and their vote. '; The ceaseless demand of -. > T Romanism for State aid to private 'schools \mM —whic*. cannot be gained except by politi- :'„.**> cal . influenceis, ; without - any further ,-s elaboration, incontestable proof :tha*|» Roman \ Catholicism : and ; politics are la-.'; \?| separably connected. ;•: ' Cms. ZWsii ; April 20, 1923. '.-;;■ ,{i

Sir, — Your correspondents, " Papa,"'' v - " "Father," and "City West Elector." write in a vague way of : Roman Catholic/ '. block voting. They fail to point out in ■ what Way; it "is possible for Catholics or any other "sect, comprised, as they are, '< of all classes and vocations, to; vote as one. By what- force of reasoning could a squatter have anything in common with a Labour- candidate and his land policy. ■<' wen though they sat in the same pew on ? Sundays? ' What: has a Catholic .',. | labourer with : a wife and three children. say, existing on £3 18s per week, in common with an employer of the same faith? g|||| IH&ve any, of your correspondents ever =. (heard ■of an employer making any dis- >.-.. tinction between his employees on the ;, eoore of • religion ■ when the Arbitration .- ■ Court has announced a reduction in y. wages ?« Not a bit of it. ; The constitution of present day society and economic -: conditions make ! unanimity impossible except in ■matters of ritual. The death blow to ;: such fallacious reasoning was delivered "some-time? ago vin Ireland. The Catholic t Hierarchy issued an edict in connection \ • with the rebellion . against the Free State. The alternative to obeying the above was, to anyone of the Catholic faith, supposed ' | to be terrible :in the extreme. One would have " expected that -all known speed reVJbrda would have been broken in the ef- , forts of rebels to lay down their arms. What really! happened ? The shootings and burning were intensified. So much if or block voting and influence of priestsAnother obsession of which your c ol ™ s " pond«nts should rid themselves is that the , P.P. A. is primarily a religious body. I* , ,•, , so, why did it oppose Messrs. Isi"" Veitch. and AttmoreT How -came some / of its members on the committee of Mr. iH. ■■■■ E. Holland's v Reform opponent at , duller? -, ;■.:,■ J.M.J* ; /■*■.