LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18457, 21 July 1923, Page 7

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

ESCAPE OP MAORI PRISONERS.

Sir, With my family I resided in Mahurangi at the time- mentioned in Mr. Jakins' letter. I have been surprised and pleased at the extreme accuracy of Mr. Morton's account of those old days. Having myself a very good memory, I can vouch for every particular. The Maoris escaped .from Kav/au and encamped on Otamahua, the highest peak in the hills; they cut down half the bush on the top, destroyed the symmetry of a lovely mountain, but were safe from pursuit. The country was alarmed for miles around, as we could all see the camp firea and know not when a descent might bo made. However, as Mr. Morton tells, in the course of weeks the danger melted away, and our fears came to nought. It may be true that a few visited Mr. Jakins' mill, which place I remember well, as it was a short distance from our home on the river, but the large body was a source of terror for weeks, encamped within sight of so many helpless settlers. The idea of any human being swimming, from Kawau to Matakana is too absurd for anyone who knwos those localities. Sixty Three.

SPEED OF MAIL VANS.

Sir, — wish to draw attention to the speed at which light mail vans travel about the city. On several occasions both while on foot and driving I have almost been run into by such vehicles while having been driven at excessive and decidedly dangerous speeds. Last Saturday /morning, while driving down Symonds Street at the by-law speed, I would have been run down, had I not just got a glimpse of one of them travelling well over 30 miles an hour, coming .up from behind and trying to pass me, when there was a stationary vehicle in the gutter, and a tram running down parallel. There was no horn sounded, and but for the fact that I swerved and ran the risk of colliding with a stationary vehicle, there would have been a collision. Have these vehicles the right of the road ? There will be* an accident soon, and I am writing to see if those in power may take steps to protect the public's safety. Pro Bono Pubmco.* SAFETY ON RAILWAYS. Sir,— would hesitate to alarm the travelling public, but I suggest that the following important questions should be considered by the commission: (a) Are not the present heavy trains on the Main Trunk line of such proportions as to greatly increase the risk of .accidents ? (b) Are not the grades and curves on a large section too sharp for fast travel (c) Is the " batter " in cuttings in accordance with the best engineering practice ?

(d) Could not some system of simple guard wire alarm be installed, at anyrate over the most dangerous stretches of the line?

(e) Would not planting of suitable trees or plants on cuttings, etc., give an. increasing stability? In connection with (a) I think there can be but one answer. In other countries I have noticed that trains consisting of from six to nine coaches seem commonest. I believe that the danger increases proportionately as a . certain mean is exceeded and surely wo have done it. As to (b), I am not a querulous old gentleman, j but many times on the very section wher* the accident, took place I've wondered whether we should get down safely. About six weeks ago I travelled with a gentleman whom I believe to be a member of Parliament, and he in common with many other seasoned travellers to whom I spoke on the' trip assured me he had been thoroughly frightened. Eailway officials are officially reticent, but a past stationmaster at Frankton Junction once told me that he was not alone professionally in considering the line between To Kuiti • and. Taihape moist dangerous. The unfortunate affair should bring .elec- ' trical lighting of railway coaches nearer, but i* should assure immediately stand-by batteries with lighting points sufficient to give light for salvage or other operations. What would the light of even an ordinary motor-car have been worth on the sad occasion. •."■•;'• v. . Traveller.

Sir, —With reference to the terrible accident on the Main Trunk. I desire to give a warning which I hope will have some effect on the authorities. For many years I have been a traveller on the Main Trunk express and - after some very uncomfortable experiences. I was led to question several engine-drivers, guards, . etc., with regard _ to the speed put on between Taihape and' a little south of Mangaweka. Without exception I had this or similar " There will be a terrible smash one of these days through the unnecessary speed attained approaching these sudden curves on to those viaducts." I remember when the dining cars were attached that on several occasions the sudden bump on those curves sent crockery and cutlery in all directions. One driver of years' standing said "it is impossible for the rails to stand that strain, but what is the use of talking when the 'heads' :; know better?" I realise that there is more chance of getting "heads " ;.' aroused through your valuable columns than by making a direct complaint. \ It 'has taken years for them, to realise the level crossing affairs, so perhaps they await a few moro smashes. Joseph Meagher. , Whangarei. ';'.* :.,-'. ' ' ,:

, WHAT'S IN A .NAME? , , Sir,—lt is quite true in many cases that one name is as good as •another—certainly "a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." But this is because such words, by familiarity, and frequent repetition, have-lost their original signification and become merely '■ sounds that represent things.' If we were more loyal to our good old Anglo-Saxon tongue, we would make some effort to retain and keep alive the spirit and significance which:' is contained in the words we use. If, as the. saying is, we always called a spade a spade, we would not only keep our lan guage pure, but make it ever a more ex-, pressive instrument of the higher thoughts which evolve, or rather should evolve, in our minds. It has been justly said that the words we use are like fossils which reveal the history and character of our forefathers. The word Catholic has come much to the fore lately, especially in connection with the Anglo-Catholic Congress now sitting in Itondon. On referring to a dictionary of synonyms I find the words general, liberal, tolerant, unsectarian, and universal, given as synonyms of the word Catholic, but I think the last is the one most generally accepted. If this is the correct meaning, can we logically add to it the prefix " Anglo " or "Roman?" Can a thing be universal, and at the same time be limited to a* small portion of the" universe? Truly, the Anglican's make some attempt at a potential Catholicity by using such a term as "the Church of the Province of New Zealand," and if they had such churches in all countries of the world, they might have some claim to the name Catholic. But I cannot see that the New Testament authorises such an idea of the _ universal church. > Christ said, "My kingdom is not of this world." This saying rather clashes with the pictures in the illustrated papers of - King George's visit to Rome, where the Swiss Guard and other Papal troops- figure so conspicuously. He- also said, "Where two or three are gathered together in ,My Name there am I in the midst of, them." There is no intimation of a hierarchy or formal ecclesiasticism here. 'Ho also said, "Other sheep have I which are not of this fold." In Acts, xi., 35, we.read, "In every nation he that feareth Him, and worketh righteousness, is acceptable'' to Him." In Revelation, vii., 9, tie multitude of the redeemed are "out of every nation, and of all tribes, and peoples, and tongues."- These passages breathe a truly Catholic or universal . spirit, and from them one might infer that the \ Church of the Lord is, scattered over the whole terrestrial globe, and is thus universal. All they are in •* ™ho live in thp : good, of charity, according to their . religious 'i belief. The misuse of the word • Catholic will ofiEVsr make "any fihureh b 1^"""]-

WINTER SHOW COMPETITION.;. Sir,—The Winter '; Exhibition coaj.peti* tion m cooking is now becoming so ; popular among children that it is essential that both fudging and awarding, of ' merit be placed upon a system that will prevent the possibility of favouritism or unfair competition. Under the present system there is no proof that the child prepared the exhibit, or whether the mother herself prepared it in the privacy of their home. Therefore, it is only fair to the children that the first three winners bo ( asked to repeat the preparing of their prize-takers in the presence of the judges. This • would eliminate any possibility of favouritism and prove the child herself cooked the exhibit. M.S. SAFETY GUARD ON CARS. . Sir,—lt is about time the Auckland City Council realised how useless is the present man-catcher used on the tramcars of this city. A person when knocked down by one of our cars is .not caught in the man-catcher, but merely pushed along by it until forced underneath, when it uses him ai a, roller until, parsing over his body, it, leaves him exposed to the wheels. I think that we could not do bettor than use the type which the Christchurch tramways have in use. This is a wire man-catcher, fixed in precisely tho same place as our man-catcher. It travels about four inches above the road, lias rollers along its entiro length, and is made so that the instant it touches an object it immediately dips and runs along the road, catching all before it. It is an excellent thing! and has proved its worth in numerous cases. In a bury city such as Auckland, an improvement is absolutely essential, if tho safety of th« public "is to be considered at all. Interested. THE BACK BLOCKS. Sir,—Mr. Vaile asserts that he has demolished my argument that resort to poorer (and lemember this does not necessarily mean less fertile) land increases the cost of production, raises prices, and tends to increase land values, but so for from doing so he has not dealt with the point, but merely bases all his theory on the " supply " argument, which in merely half the story— and his own bald assertion which ho appears to think should be sufficient. My contention is that even if demand for the better lands remained as before (which I do not here admit) the increased cost of production would raise values. , "Let there be liberty" by all means', but do not ask the Government to spend millions in opening T up either the back blocks or the mountain

tops, when they have already spent millions in an attempt to open up the unsettled " better lands," an attempt which has been frustrated by land speculators. I suppose if Mr. Vaile were in Australia he would be advocating the settlement of the interior in preference to the better lands of Victoria and New South Wales, now withheld from use by people on the make." As for rabbits, my policy is the inverse of what I recommend; for men. Settle the latter in the "front blocks and clear out the rabbits. After that apply the same policy to the back blocks. "First things first;" there ia plenty of vermin in the Waikato still. If improvements in the moans of transport and production do not tend to increase land values ray opponent will not subscribe to the doctrine that the value of land is based on the net average return derivable from its use with a, given amount of labour. And yet the truth of that is obvious. Such improvements must tend to increase the land-user's net income, and thus make people more and more anxious to step into his shoes and increase the demand for land. It would tend to bring people out of the towns to share in the " good thing " to be obtained by working the land. I think both of us have now had ample scope to set forth our differing, -views, and would again suggest that. Mr. Vaile should agreft to my proposal to place the correspondence before some acknowledged expert with; tho object of haying it reviewed publicly. .Ho' did -not• refer > in any way to this proposal ; is it passible that he is 'not quite so sure of the soundness of his "economics " as he would have your readers to ■ suppose? i'\';.:j] :■. ':':'" ; C.H.NY ■■.

LEVEL CROSSING ACCIDENTS. Sir,— do ; ibt many people throughout the country will be interested in Sir' John Salmond's , judgment setting aside a jury's verdict for £1000 damages in the case of a fatal accident, at. a rail- ■ way crossing. Sir John Salmond probably has correctly administered the law, but undoubtedly the jury expressed th& public's idea of i justice. It. is. to. ba hoped the ! matter will not be * allowed . to rest here, and that an agitation will 'be started to alter the Jaw. • J. believe it is correct to say that the Jaw of the '■■■■ land is to the iiffecfc' that anyone, through carelessness or neglect of proper precautions, causing the death of a person, is /, guilty of manslaughter. This law should . apply to .' the responsible person hi the Railway Depaftment as well as to jbther individuals. The Government, however, has passed a.law which reverses the ordinary, state of affairs, and protects the, Railway Department .from the results of . its faults, and makes its victim ihe/fcrimi-' nal, and prosecutes and. punishes him, if ■• he survives truly Gilbertian situation. That ; the Railway' Department is at; : fault appears certain when one- considers ! :, the so-called precautions taken;by the : department to; prevent accidents at the, crossings. According to your (;■ summary of'the : law in last ;i Saturday's '■■ HraiAM' : one does not have to read (far to see ■ the unfairness ; and ■■: impossibility jof obeying ' it. •' Among other. provisions, -.it iav» down that : a motor.-driven ;| vehicle sh&it, ". when approaching a crossing, stop before coming into contact with the : lines,' etc. Everybody, including ; the Minister ; for. Railways, is fully aware that, this .is absurd and impracticable, arid is designed to shift the responsibility for any accident from the department i& the victim. This law is universally • disregarded, which in itself is a reason for its repeal. 1 have been driving in Auckland streets for ten years, and I have not on any occasion seen a driver stop before coming in contact with the lines, _ as laid down in the law, and anyone doing so as • a regular thing would bo considered a iunatio. ■■', ■'■ •';■:■•. : ;,; : i The Railway Department is ..; flagrantly, neglecting its plain duty in failing 'to; provide sufficient safeguards at the cross-, ings, in teuth it has made no effort that is not absolutely futile. The order to . stop and look out- for/the engine,-if ;/ ; it/j ;■•■- were obeyed, would necessitate, in many cases, the driver leaving his vehicle■■'and walking some yards to look up and down . the line, and even if he did so ho might still be caught by the time he had re- 't'~: sumed and driven on to the lines: J The bells provided at vscim3;;;:crjbsing3(aw,t under some circnm&^oesj,'.-inaudible at■ 15yds. . The swinging K signals are 'cot* much better, being usually placed well to the side, over , the m footpath. , All these devices are insufficient. ':■« In America,': I believe, ; they have automatically ■ operated barriers, <, which, ; block the: road,«amd the only reason apparently "" why the same are not used in New Zealand is the expense. •, " ,•"*'*".. •"• Rightly or .wrongly, great dissatisfaction nasi been expressed with the precautions taken to prevent .accidents on the Main Trunk line as a result of the recent terrible " accident. I have not got the figures, but I should bo greatly surprised if the slaughter on the crossings does not greatly exceed that due to accidents on railways from any other cause. Still, we meekly submit to the former, which could, to a very large extentif not altogether—a prevented. F.W.F.