LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20935, 27 July 1931, Page 13

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

BOBBY CALVES. Sir, —T cannot help thinking the ntlitiulo taken by "Self Help" is somewhat ridiculous, When the - price of butter-fat falls the farmer does not tip his cream down the gully, neither doer the sheepman cut the throats of his fat lambs because the price does not come up to that of previous years. Yet "Self Help" calmly states that ho would not sell a calf under ss. Ife would rather kill and bury his calves than tako the prevailing price. In these hard times,every shilling counts, and I think it would be wiser to take what you can get and be thankful. Cvilli* Foster. BROADCAST INTERFERENCE. Sir, —May I be allowed to use your columns to protest against the persistently annoying interference from Morse signals on the radio broadcast band in the Devnnport district. My modern radio set is at times rendered useless through this nuisance, and I feel sure that many Uovonport listeners will back up my protest. I am given to understand it is the naval base that is the trouble, and the bursts of Morse are truly a shock to the nerves at times as one listens-in to stations between IYA and IZR especially. It appears to be right on the wave-length of 3YA, distorting the wholo of tho signals and obliterating many a good item. This Morse is even a nuisance at Narrow Nook on a crystal set, interfering with tho reception of IYA. Surely there are wave-lengths that can be used for Morse signals other than those that interfere with household radio sets, and on one set that I have heard, which is not particularly selective, tho Morse covers, the whole range of the dials. MoitSE-IKOVIT. SNOW IN AUCKLAND. Sir, —In the Herald of July 21, in tho course of a reference to tho cold weather and an observation of "snow-flakes in a suburb of 1 Auckland on the 20th, occurs the following paragraph:—"Snow has never been officially recorded in Auckland, but on at least two previous occasions, one being in 1895, snowflakes havo been seen in the air. Of such events official records take no account. Snow would havo to lie on the ground before it would be officially recorded." This is a misapprehension. Both "snowfall** and "snow lying" are recorded officially. The statistics of tho number of days of snow published annually by tho Meteorological Offico refer to the number of days on which snow fell. Tho data regarding tho number of days on which snow lay on tho ground are, in general, not sufficiently complete to warrant publication. Wo are, however, anxious to havo our observers give full information regarding both phenomena. Statistics of snowfall are of particular value in connection with air traffic especially by airship. According to the published records, snow was seen to fall in Auckland once each in 1871, 1883, 1894 and 1930. Ettwahd Kidson, Director. THE MATSON LINE. Sir,-—While some people are rejoicing on account of the arrival of the first Matson passenger steamer it appears to me that there is another aspect of the question that the public is not familiar with. The American steamer (Sonoma) receives a subsidy from the U.S.A. Government. These subsidies represent war debts which America receives from the Allies, including £33,000,000 received annually from Great Britain. This surplus cash enables America to lend money to any enterprising shipbuilder at per cent., against 6 "per cent, which would be paid to a private lender. The United States Government will pay ten dollars per mile^for the new threo weekly service to New Zealand, or a total of £271,000 a year. Under these circumstances it seems that tho British shipowner cannot successfully compete ' against such heavily subsidised American steamers, and as the latter steamers are' permitted to trade between British ports, namely, Suva, Auckland and Sydney, the case of the British shipowner seems almost hopeless, as British ships are not allowed to trade between American ports. James 11. Kinneaß, 307, Mt, Eden Road. BULK PURCHASE. Sir,—Mr. D. Jones, M.P., as reported in Friday's Her.ald, "denied that tho British Government favoured bulk purchase. No definite scheme of bulk purchase had been submitted to tho Imperial Conference. Support for the scheme WHS confined to the socialistic wing of the British Parliamentary Labour Party, ill reply to Mr. Jones it is only necessary to quole a resolution adopted by the British Labour Party Conference ill 1925: "This conference is of opinion that the Government ..should institute—(a) Bulk 'purchase of food supplies and raw materials, in the Dominions and elsewhere, either by a Government monopoly or by organisations acting under its control and supervision, so as to secure stable prices; (b) the control and cheapening ot transport of food supplies to this coun* try; (c) tho provision of facilities for overseas producers in tho marketing of their produce in this country, with a. view to stabilising prices and eliminating unnecessary intermediaries. ' A statement embodying this policy was again included in tho manifesto published by tho British Labour Party prior to the last general election. As reconlly as July 15, 1930, a statement by tho British Pr'imo Minister was published by tho Herald, in which he indicated his intention of giving the Dominions an opportunity to'consider tho proposals. Again, in a Press Association cable, under date August 26, 1930, it was stated that Mr. J. lL Thomas and others were working out details of a proposal for the bulk purchase of foodstuffs and raw materia! from the Dominions. Mr. Forbes, in reply tti Mr. I'. Eraser, said: ' He wanted some practical details before lie was prepared to commit tho Dominion to any scheme." Surely it is not necessary to remind readers of the Herald that Mr.' Forbes was never asked and had no power to commit the Dominion to any scheme. But we did have .a right to expect that ho should have, like Messrs. Mac Donald, Snowdcn and Graham, "an open mind on tho matter." In view of tho fact that the dairy farmers of tho Dominion arc up against it, that Mr. Goodfcllow and others best able to judge have declared that, owing to faulty methods o f marketing, butter lias been sold for at least a. penny per pound less than its value during the whole of last season wo had a right to an investigation of the proposals with a view to submitting (hem to tho dairy farmers of the Dominion. Mr. Forbes' attitude at the conference made any investigation impossible, .lie took it on himself to declare "New Zealand generally is opposed to bulk marketing." When shown a newspaper headline "Forbes Kills the Quota," lie said : "Well, T should not mind if I did. 1 shall certainly strenuously oppose any attempt to apply it to New Zealand products." Iri his statement at (he plenary session of the conference, Mr. Forbes said in regard to bulk purchasing and price stabilisation of goods, ho thought that in order to administer such a scheme it would be necessary to obtain complete control over Iho goods affected. Tho New Zealand Government's view was opposed to an extension of Stato trading or of Govjrnmeiit interference in commercial mailers further than was necessary for the welfare of the people. Until concrete proposals were brought forward ho would support that policy. It Is quite clear that Mr. Forbes went to tho conference not to investigate but to bppose. His attitude has at least tho Virtue of consistency, for on every opportunity, in the House and out of it, ho has opposed both the Dairy and Fruit Control Boards. J. S. Montgomerik, Mangoro, 24/7/31.

ST. HELIERS BUS SERVICE. Sir,—Do the members of the Transport Board realise what they have done by stopping tho direct bus service to St. Heliers'! Tho whole of Reniuera, Epsom, Onehunga and Mount Eden are practically cut off from direct communication with St. Heliers. It is not to bo thought of that we can go round by tho Waterfront Road to got there. St. Heliers has long been the favourite place, easy accessible, and not too far away, for parents to take their children .for a clay's outing at the seaside. Now it is out of the question, since there is no direct communication. From the St. Heliers point of View, residents are cut off from their natural and nearest shopping centre—Newmarket. Children going to High School have no place in the new order of things; to go by tho waterfront,'"then by tram, is too expensive. Trusting tho Transport Board will see to it that tho direct service to St. HelierS is necessary and restore it quickly. M. A. King, TRADE WITH CANADA. Sir,—lf Mr. A. G. Wilson represented an association whose business it was to place New Zealand goods on the Canadian market, his words would carry more weight oil the question of New Zealand and Canada. As Great Britain can supply us with any goods manufactured in Canada any consideration of the balance of trade demands that we should secure such goods from Gieat Britain. It makes little difference now what arrangement is made as between New Zealand and Canada, Canada will benefit most. Butter is the only commodity we have that wo can sell in bulk to Canada, and this com* modity has been shut out. To bo lasting trade must be mutual and not one-sided, and Canada is not the type of country New Zealand should buy manufactured goods from. Canadian goods arriving in this country are nearly all of United States origin; bv that I mean tho factories crossed the border to take advantage of preferential tariffs. Now that Canada has been put on tho foreign list it is tho United States interests ,in Canada that are making the most noise in New Zealand. W.M.M. MODIFIED PROTECTION. Sir,—Air. F. A. Carlisle comments upon letters appearing in the Herald from Mr. E. Earle Vaile and myself in regard to " modified protection." Mr, Vaile is well able to defend himself. For myself, I reply that tho protection- alluded to ™- feired to Great Britain, not to New Zealand. However, 1 will answer as briefly as I can for both countries. Mr. Cailisle particularly wants to know where the income is to bo derived from if not from protective duties. Firstly, protection is not for revenue purposes, for that would be a contradiction in terms, because if tho goods got through and provided revenue the local industries would not be fully protected, though they would be able to raise prices. Great Britain finds a colossal total of taxation without protection, is the richest Country in the world, is the only major country that has met its debts without deteriorating the currency, has fewer unemployed for her population of any countiy in the world, gives her unemployed better treatment than the employed receive in the countries of some of her protectionist rivals, has the greatest foreign trade in the world, and in 1930 her small investors saved the stupendous total of £1,932,000,000. Across the water free trade Denmark is our most severe competitor. England and Denmark can get along without protection and balance their Budgets. In New Zealand we get about £4,500,000 in customs taxation upon necessaries of living and production, about half the total. That money is paid out ( of income already received, and it is proposed to continue to get it out of income, but directly instead of indirectly, and without so harshly penalising the family man and the producer. Seeing that about ono-lhird of tho protected commodities aro imported and two-thirds manufactured locally, it follows that, as the local prices are raised to the level of the prices of imported goods of similar 1 character, tho general public pays' three pounds for every one pound the State collects in revenue —an immensely costly system of collecting taxation and one which, unlike the unemployment levy, does not permit tho people to sec just what thoy aro paying, and cause them to demand economy and reproductive expenditure. Moreover, tho importing merchant rightly bases his profit on (ho total cost, including tho duties ho has to pay, and that also cotnes back to the export producer and hampers production and real wealth-earning power in the national sense. The more one looks intf protection, tho more absurd does it seem to be for New Zealand, for it is keeping back both primary and secondary industries owing to higher costs of production. ]f the duties against necessaries from Great Britain were abolished, and against machinery and tho implements of production from any source whatever, this country would m'ako such additional progress in" its primary and secondary industries that we would not have to bother about the income. 1. E. McMillan.