LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18495, 4 September 1923, Page 5

LETTERS TO THE EDITO R.

MOUNT EDEN , AFFAIRS. Sir,l would like to? suggest that the '< resent is a good time to take a poll ;oi , he ratepayers of Mount Eden as to ' join-" ftg;. the: city. ■■: Newcomers, : like myself, - /onder .why Mount Eden did not come ito the city years ago.- Valley Road. ,' \ ~ '-takapuna WHARF.' , '■ Sir,—-The report in Thursday's Herald E the. decision of : the': Takapuna orough Council to destroy the wharf ills for strong protest.'; I would like to ; sk how can it be termed useless. when 18 council spent about £350 in repairig it only a ! few - months .' ago. The 'harf lias been in constant use by lunches and various other boats as well 3 by the public. I venture to say that ny council other than Takapuna would ave improved it rather than destroyed-i '. .... ...,; / Wharf. ; , '"/' BRITAIN AND France! ;". Sir,Mr, Lloyd George's, latest rticle on international affairs. has eached .us per Press Association' elegraph. It is one . mass • of ituperation, gibes at;M. Poincare, insults o the brave French nation,, taunts of the British Cabinet, incitements find darings o Britain to break with France, with pity nd pleas only for the poor wounded Geraan. Eagle! There is not one word of ound argument or advice in the whole .rticle, but everything that . could ~be rammed into that space which could asist in embittering the relations between France and Britain, is there. His cheap attempts at'wit and sarcasm when dealing vith such momentous questions, as these ire ill-placed. It is a sad exhibition from ho man whose energy and ability were so onspicuous during the war, that he filled pur hearts with thankfulness and praise; »ut who has so lamentably _ failed since, nd who now ; shows so plainly to what Ispths a disappointed politician may decend. I note that bankrupt Germany can till find money to maintain the passive esistance in the Ruhr, who of course will ontinue to passively resist as long as they ,re paid as much for not working as for working. .. ( ! : "■', J- Thornbs. 231, Manukau Road, Parnell , • P. AND T. MINIMUM WAGE. .',;'' Sir,— reply to" the letter by Mr. I!ombs, I wish to gay that there are .housands of men in the British Postal Service who are at the maximum wage >f £3 per week, and who are quite satisied with that. It is considered in Engand a good wage for men not qualified or a supervising position. I am sure here are. also thousands of men amongst he farmers and fruitgrowers of New Zeaand who would be glad of that wage even or a 10 hours' day. :? Mr. Combs gives.iome statistics showing how £4 10s per veek may be spent. 1 These are absolutely worthless. He has no doubt heard of the hree kinds of lies, . beginning with lies, md ending with statistics. Single men, md the majority of men at 21 years of ige are single, can get full board and odging in-Rood boarding houses in Auckand for 32s 6d per week. But it is not lltogether the amount of, wages received hat makes a man comfortable and con- : ;ented. It is how they are spent. There ire voung men in the. Post and Telegraph lervico in New Zealand who spend £2 a week on amusements; luxuries, and gamDling. Mr. Combs in his statistics does not. show this item. A saving of £2 per week for three to five years • would pay 'or a handsome motor-car, as I suggested in my former letter. Fahh-lay. ' TAKAPUNA : ' AFFAIRS. " v - Sir,—Regarding the ; combined meeting ->i ratepayers organised by the Milford and Belmont Associations last Thursday night, a little misunderstanding still exists. The Mayor, Mr. A. M. Gould, com, plained that he had been billed to speai; at the meeting without his preliminary consent having been obtained. -The chairman explained that this course had been adopted as a policy of expediency, His Worship being absent '•■ in 'Wellington"v; at the time. But— here is i the important point— posters announced that His Worship the Mayor .and others bad been /'invited" to address the meeting. As soon as this had;', been pointed out to Mr. : Gould, he readily; admitted that he had not noticed that'the posters announced an ''invitation!' to him to speak, a course, to which' he took no objection whatever. I ; would be glad if you would make this little matter public, '■; for naturally the promoters of the meeting do not wish' there to ba the slightest suggeisv tion of discourtesy in their deajjngs with the Mayor,or the members of the Borough Council- ". , ; .;; ; , , \ . 'P. S. Gee, , . Hon. Secretary, Milford Ratepayers' W =.?■-.■: •'' -:.::H : - i r. Association. 'sip*;*' ...'■"■■;■-•;'«■■■ v ; LAKE WAIKARE DRAINAGE. ; •*'

Sir,—With reference to the report in the Herald of August, 29, of a meeting held at Te - Kauwhata, -' : to consider;', the drainage of the Waikare Lake,,there, are a few " points which call for consideration. Apparently"those who are most enthusiastic about, the proposal i?"are, the residents of the townships bordering on the lake. These placed, no doubt, will benefit greatly,' and as they cannot be called ; upon' to pay for . the scheme, we who are in the Waikare watershed are; beginning to wonder who, is 'to pay; the cost, v;;,By; Mr. Gribble's remarks it seems that ' the intention is : to form a - i ;: drainage board, ; and ; Mr. ! Gribble assures '; us . that J all objecting . to arty proposal of siuch; a board are safeguarded by the Act. While he is' correct in his literal interpretation of the Act, in its practical application it-is open, to great abuse. The Land. Drainage Act provides that before any ; area is included in a ; drainage district, , public notice must be given of such intention, so that objections may be heard. , Now it is only two; years. ago since the Mangawara Drainage Board, which adjoins ; the Waikare Lake, and of which Mr. Gribble is ; clerk, was able to ropo in a large tract ~ of ; country with over 25 ratepayers, without one of thern knowing of any' such : intention. ; -This was simply because of -insufficient advertising. Where is the safeguard against. such & .thing happening again. • The Act so provides that a landowner must receive substantial benefit" before he can be included in an area or be rated. Now Vin its practical application '.'■ the onus ; falls on the owner of proving that he does ■; riot receive a I bene-: fit. The board : simply applies ; to have his land included or rated and he has to' bear the legal expense,' J besides ; the cost of surveys : and the expense of engineer witnesses,;; or he . has a hopjiless! case.. ,; It is .useless to discuss drainage; questions before ah inquiry without!; figures,* - ' and as ''• these are beyond ;;the meajis of practically all: farmers, .such an objector is in a hopeless position. , V His land is included and he is unable to object. You f , will : see 'by the above, that the Act does not safeguard f. those .; who have not .a long , purse, . Until Ir the promoters of tho Waikare scheme formu fate some definite policy with regard to finance the settlers ini' the higher levels of the watershed will; not view favourably , the formation of >& ■■ drainage board; . ' ' .' '. ' Waikajib. '

Sir,—A proposal is on foot to 'drain Lake Waikare, which lies not far distant from Rangiriri. } The '■■ meeting; was '■• held in Te Kauwhata on the 28th inst.* and was attended by only forty settlers 'from four ■ districts. ..;. It would bo interesting to learn why such a: huge scheme is /taken into consideration. v> All the land needed for years to <totne ;could; be purchased were the Government to throw onto' : its enormous local forest areas for settlement. The forest consists chiefly of black wattle, and, though it: would cost some fair sum for each farm 'j cleared, the owners could largely ':' recoup - themselves for the outlay by the sale of the ; timber, which' would sell for ' many i\ purposes, s including fencing and /fuel, Av Lake Waikare is beautiful, and it does seam kind :of sacrilege to attempt its \ destruction, especially 'as ■ the forest landih lie so handy to the ■ town, and as there does '• not ■ seem to ;be any necessity for such wanton 1 destruction. No Vandal,

* THE 1 SUBUE3AN DES CBUCTOB. buy— 'i'he ue»i>rucuor sue la bow «v miming question in the auborDs; and ,aitJ3oagJi me iusi, . vote 01 m* . juouat . jiSSii. rat,©-• pavers c-eariy showed buat> Mount;' Jtiaen-; ilea were firmly opposed to having tneir suburb made tue Dumping i ground u>r the gtj'uaga irom the surruuuunijj districts, there can be no doubt that some method ; oi ■ disposing of reiuse . must • soon be - de-.; cided up'jn. Certainly the destructor is no mors desired in tno residential areas than a pottery or factory srnoka stack. Therefore as the city hits enlarged its boundary to such an extent that it is now imperative for them to build another . destructor, it is to be hoped all the suburban bodies .. will ■*, confer and combine. ■ with the city to finance the building of « 'u,j- .ii-tiaie; oesiructor. tiiat will treat the refuse from the whole of the Auckland isthmus. On a waterfront site Meat- lJio power house, the coal could be conveyed direct from the truck or collier ..u r c*> tun tu.naces, specially covercd-in rail- ' • way vpnis could convey garbage cheaply, and without annoyance from each suburb, the extra heat could be used for auxiliary electric power, and the resulting clinker used for railway, ballast, while the destructor being in the industrial area, ; will give .offence to no one. Such a centralisation will also prove in . the future a great saving of ratepayers' money, should these suburbs ever amalgamate with the city. . Harold Schmidt.