Citizens Say—

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 87, 4 July 1927, Page 8

Citizens Say —

(To the Editor.).

THE SUN IN PALMERSTON NORTH

Sir, — Tour paper, which is found in the reading room here, is much appreciated, and you have the congratulations of a large number of readers in this town for your well-written, fearless leaders, and for opening your columns to all people of clean thought. INTERESTED READER. Palmerston North. “TOSH” ON THE AIR Sir,— It is gratifying to learn that the Broadcasting Company has secured the services of Mr. Culford Bell as announcer. There is one fly in the ointment, however. It is to be prayed for unceasingly that we shall not be deluged with recitations, unless they are by Mr. Bell himself. The elocutionary efforts we have had to date have been almost uniformly abominable. Perhaps the new announcer, if he is allowed to escape from the apron-strings of the station manager, will be able to do something toward improving the general standard of the programmes. If the company cannot afford to put anything better than Sunday school concert talent on during the evening sessions, surely it can supply good gramophone music in the afternoons, when ft has, I presume, an almost unlimited choice of records. This afternoon we had an appalling collection. There were two especially, “Just a Melody** and “When You’re Far Away,” I think they were called, which won easily in a hot field. Can anybody tell me why the virtuosi who sing these abyssmal American slobber songs always sound as if they had left their false teeth in the bathroom? If we must have tosh, then let it be good tosh. NOT FUSSY. NOT ALWAYS WINNERS Sir, Your racing contributor has dealt the anti-racing fraternity a nasty knock with his story relating the facts about the Gaming Bill, but personally I incline to the view that he has missed his vocation. ELe should have been a bookmaker, for he says that the bookies always win when they lay doubles, thereby inferring that the bettor hasn’t an earthly chance of winning. Well, it is apparent that he has never made a book, or he would no doubt be a sadder but wiser man. Take a bookmaker making a £SOO book on a double event. Time may be short, or, as now times are, hard, and h-e only gets in £l5O. More often than not this is the case. He stands th-e chance of a “skinner,” but he is caught eight times out of ten. Then where is he? “Early Bird” should try it himself; I am sure the clergy would grant him a special dispensation to do so. It is all very well to say that we make fortunes, but it must not be overlooked that the bookmakers take even a bigger risk than the punter, who stands to lose a little against winnirmg much. The life is far from being a bed of roses, as your writer suggests. So far as telegraphing money to racecourses is concerned, how long will that last, with the man desirous of having a £1 bet having to pay about 4s extra to get that money on, this being about the commission the Government would deduct. Then, about publishing dividends. It is Quite clear that this law was the outcome of hypocrisy, for the printing of dividends did nobody any harm, not even ardent churchgoers. There is only one safe way over the present difficulties. The bookmaker should be licensed, the fees of course being made pretty stiff so as to keep out the wrong men. This would be the fairest way out, and it would prevent bettors with bookmakers being ranked as criminals Eighty per cent of those closely associated with the racing game acre clients-

of bookmakers, and yet if they were discovered they would be made outcasts of society and banned from racecourses. The only thing they would not dare to do would be to hang him. Let a referendum of the people be taken on the question of the bookmakers. That is the only fair way to get public opinion, and the bookmakers are just as much entitled to this consideration as are the licensed victuallers or the dry-hards. Such a referendum would be a popular way out of the question, and they would be quite within their rights in demanding it. But I would like your readers to get rid of the idea that the bookmakers are undesirable members of society, also that they are t fortunes. EX-BOOKMAKEH. TOURISTS AND MONEY Sir, — Mr. Walter F. Darby, in bis letter to THE SUN on Saturday cone erning I tourist traffic, gets down to tin tacks when he remarks that the class of tourist to be expected in New Zealand is that to which money is not much object. The cost of a trip from the United Kingdom to this farsouth land may well run into £1.900, and if a man brings his wife the cost will be more than doubled, for milady will have to be fitted out before consenting to start on the journey. The approximate cost from the New York side may well be £6OO or £7OO, and from the Pacific Toast of the United States £4OO to £SOO. In fact, the problem before our tourist-hunting department is the sale of trips at prices ranging from £2OO up to £2,000. if we except the Australian market, where cheaper trips can be sold. Airy man who has been on the “road** selling will know that articles priced from £2OO up cannot be sold by throwing leaflets trp in the air or by any method except hard work, office and door-to-door sales campaigns. Our Tourist Department possibly gives fair service to tourists when they reach here, and at times does a little in promoting internal travel—that is. Dominion travel for Dominionites. But j in the outside New Zealand section it does nothing in the way of selling, and until we can get an organisation that will undertake such work we will not get any great stream of visitors, or even get value for the money that we now spend in the delusion that we are promoting the sales of trips to New Zealand. We have in Auckland and elsewhere Teagues that are striving to get this aspect driven into the comprehension of the Cabinet. T. WALSH. Devonport. THE CANAL SCHEME Sir. — Hats of? to the Mayor and councillors of Avondale and the promoters of the proposed Avondale- Manukau and Waiuku-Waikato canal schemes for calling together the representatives of local bodies to discuss the above important subject. Personally, I do not benefit in this matte? as I live miles away, but with a residence of oyer 40 years in the country and some knowledge of the districts referred to, I foresee a great future in the undertaking of this almost natural waterway. In your report of the meeting it states that one mile cutting would be required on the ilaraStau end of the Whau canal, but yon omit to say anything of the Waluku requirements. The mile of cutting on the Manukau and of the Whan portion is, I think, of a soft sandstone formation easily shifted and; most of the Waiuku is swampy or' low-lying; in fact, it was used by the] Maoris in times past to drag over their canoes from the Waikato River to I the tidal waters of the Manukau Har- I hour. It Is also stated that the scheme has been in view for the past S 5 years, but long- since that time many important changes fox the better

—« have taken place in the Land, which hitherto was er-ed useless, can now thanks to improvements in manures an d x® utilisation wf that once-waste y°* duct, basic slag, be converted useful country. Again. with “J cheaper transit by oil motors dip" from the Auckland wharfs to the va , ons places around the Maimkan the Waikato River the venture - great possibilities. With -w-cart Mr. Noton’a manner of raising necessary funds. I see no raoraXY r 2i in doing so, as it is for a useful purpose and one t* V" labour can be profitably oecugied^, | NOTICES TO CORRESPONDS* 15 | “Fair Deal.”—The staterneifivtto** 1 cand’ late mentioned was and j educated in Auckland i» j made witM full authority tv ! any element of unfairness cre into the competition. Tk* . a rye ■ sraphy** appearing: on 1 programme, a cutting - from wnw 3 * S have sent us, is in error.