Citizens Say

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 91, 8 July 1927, Page 8

Citizens Say

(To the Editor.)

THE PLUNKET SOCIETY

I write these lines to submit the suggestion that anyone might do a big work if he circularise the newspapers all over the Empire with a letter telling of the good work that Sir Truby King and the Plunket Society have done to save infant mortality.

Any public library has its reference department, in which is to be found a book which gives a list of the newspapers all over the Empire. PERSEVERANCE.

A UNITED FRONT

Sir, — The perusal of the disagreement which was reported in THE SUN between Mr. R. F. Barter and Mr. G. Stove, almost stupefied one. To exaggerate its. magnitude would be to make nearly as great a mistake as to ignore it, but such squabbles are symptoms of weakness. The slow influence of education and a rational knowledge has taught the working class that the sense of unity should be the basis of the trade union movement. Therefore we expect our officials to produce sufficient discipline of mind and ardour of conviction to present a united front. WORKMAN.

PUBLICITY, CRIME AND UNHAPPINESS

Sir,— There hardly passes a day without the newspapers having accounts of crimes and subsequent unhappiness. Tliat the public expects to know what has happened in cases of a criminal nature is admitted, but my opinion is that r.he present-day newspapers go far .beyond that. I am just now thinking about t*ie Kiddell case. The police seem to be certain, that there is no outsider responsible for the deaths of. the family, consequently there is in this case no crime which possibly can be punished by law. Why then drag the whole story to the public with all details? What about the unhappy family’s relatives in England? Take another case; a no-good vagrant husband ,who perhaps has beaten his wife, is taken to court. Their names and address are given. The wife perhaps is also at fault, but what about their children? Their friends at school will not forget it. A newspaper to-day is read by anybody from 10-12 years old and upwards. I am sure there are many parents who would prefer that their youngsters are not filled up with reading of criminal cases. V. V.

MR. STALLWORTHY AND THE COMMUNITY CARS

Sir, In the past journalists seem to have considered it one of their rights to distort and mutilate , correspondents’ letters, so afs to express the opinion of the journalist rather than the correspondent, and it is rather pleasing to find, so far as your correspondence column IS concerned, that you would give your correspondents freedom to express their own sentiments rather than juggle them as the daily journals have been in the habit of doing. THE SUN is on that account popular with correspondents. Comment has recently been made by Mr. Stallworthy that it is better for the people that the community cars should be prohibited. Why does Mr. Stallworthy talk like this? I understood that his motto in politics was “Government fow the People by the People,” and if his electors prefer to ride in community cars at a cheaper rate than the City Council can profitably compete against, why should Mr. Stallworthy interfere. Did the council ever get the permission of the electors to run non-paying buses? No' sir, they did not. Mr. Stallworthy H f n “rely wrong when he assumes that the community bus clubs are really trading concerns,, and I can assure him that the Suburban Transit Liuu has no financial interest in the

buses. The members merely give their time and energy for no profit whatever, and I am sure that mem'“'rs ' v “ uld be very pleased to have Mr- Stallworthy as a member not onlv oi the club, but also of the executive Could there be any more ideal form ' transit that the community system m donata nothi ns or anything vou like ? Does Mr. Stallworthv think tor one minute that residents are going to vote and waste hundreds of when a t I ? dS buyin£r . unprofitable buses when the community cars are as free as our churches? New Zealand’s greatest curse is over-officialdom and harassing regulations, that are an insult to a free community. In conclurmh 1 state that the Transit Club would be very pleased if the city councillors joined it. and I am sure the councillors would find that the committee of the Transit. Club is only doing what they themselves are domg giving their services gratuitously in the interest of the citizens HAROLD SCHMIDT]

OPEN-AIR SCHOOLS

Sir,— As a travelling apostle of health me to congratulate Dr. Mildred Staley on her emphasising the mportanci! of open-air schools, in her talk before the League of Mothers, as told m your paper of Thursday 1 noticed where the Minister of Educost° n r,e Wa | speakin ® o£ the increasing cost of education here. Dr. Stalev’s new m era tS i W® ' lp< ? eed Prophetic of' a Ct-Lf teaching and school construction, when she said that manv large concrete buildings which were in a s flwyeara' day ’ W ° Uld be obsol^

In my lectures I always stress the importance of the need for a change P arcblteoture as regards air and tunpfes4nt hundi 1 ” 6 re< t u?s ites for health. Rresent building modes in everv connpin ess 6 f ° r health hap--1 ness. It has been shown that those healffiier hap^er. SU It Is^^^stake 1 - ttf.’SSS ‘ us s 6 to^ re P m 0 s thff ho UnIlSh u and pure air may enter waU?&p i6 a h „d k^ he the dly, and with®he newspaperese is no reason for people as to the progress of science and the need°o S f ln flis “ VCring tbat the greatest need of mankind to-day is more sue l shine and fresh air, counlorT natural diet, exercises thought. exercises and right CLARKE IRVINE.

PRIVATE AND OTHER ENTERPRISES

Sir,— ! L COntusion exists to-dav reused SSSScSS vate enterprise, the followmg exf ' repOTt on the L c - r bas Panted his 1926, and this ti(S««;» acco 5 nts for 1925large in connection h^vifh ld ,i? eficit ,oom s trams. Th„'L„. council s undertaking" says the eSmJii 0 ” of the satisfactory as could ls not as deficit is £ll4 629 As the regarded as a hostile e-ra ® < T a, * cely be auditor is ai Kfl r e ~ exa ggreration. The immediate be 1 ?! 0 " i’ 1 /* the some apprehinsfo™ re sarded with ««u* And this despite the fact that nine ml '“,on more passengers wtre carried There is a growing: tendency to sume that if certain services d<T not nav puluc raUßt be KUbsMiKfcd "7 the general This is a thoroughly pernicious doctrine It encourages unsound finance and inflicts fresh burdens on the few so that tbe many may be provided with something at an uneconomic price Private undertakings kk t London

General Omnibus Company* . nub ll ' |, provide an efficient service Jo*. « r share and a reasonable return for v holders. enter*s! What is possible to P. rlv *iL«il»U should be. but rarely is, P * inll niC tF undertakings under State or f auspices. g j C jpASSfr NOTICES TO CORRESPONDED H S.—We prefer to wait - peal has been heard befo TH& BL ing a letter of this kind*” - "' ' 1 SUN.