Citizens Say —

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 416, 26 July 1928, Page 10

Citizens Say

(To the Editor.)

UNEir.FLormErrr INSURANCE

The Unemployment Insurance Bill , introduced by Mr. P. Fraser is a . wretched palliative dealing with efiects j ' instead of causes. “Fiddling with the branches of the tree when the evil is in the root-” The whole cost will fall on the working taxpayer. One-third ' comes direct from the wages of those who are working, another third from the employers, and one-third from the j . State. The employer who is manufacturing food, clothing, furniture, houses and the thousand and one other things required by the people (and SO per cent, of the people are workers) vrill , advance his price a little to meet this extra charge on his industry. ‘-So the workers will pay this second third. The last third is to come from the State. Just a little more on the indirect taxation, and the last third will be paid I by the workers, too.” Why doesn’t the Labour Party go for the one thing ’ which would put an end to unemployi meat—a bold land settlement policy. There is a radical difference between I compulsory insurance against accident ’ and sickness and insurance against unemployment. E. STEVENSON. ! DOCILITY j Sir,— | If a »y Citizen happens to visit the c-ty Council he will be surprised to j ! see what a happy, contented family it j is, embodying “One hope, one end, one ! destiny.” A few speak, others do so i and except for the naughty member, everything drenes quietly on until supper time. When the naughty mem- ! ber has the effrontery to want to know everything drones quiet! v on until 1 from the head of the table thunders ■‘t Down; ” while the rest of the i - family take his part and cast reproachvul eyes at their rebel supper-mate, who quietly slides back into his chair, j Tnis family has been a united, happv family for the past ten years: most of them, except, perhaps, the ladies, have been members for umteen years, and j very little chance is there that any ! unruly element from the plebeian out- ! siders will ever be elected into this ' exclusive chamber. Apr member > ' elected into the Auckland City Council may stay there until his hair grows white and his once manly voice pipes \ and whistles. Xew Zealanders to-day j are indeed a different stamp to the restless, combative old pioneers, who ! never failed to fire their law-makers ! every term, and fought everv obstacle ' to progress and liberty. HAROLD SCHMIDT. ; A DANGEROUS CORNER

Sir.— In order to avoid railway crossing ] risks, a footbridge was erected over the North line at the Kingsland rail- ! ; wa -y station, and a rest room also was erected. These modern improvements, however, cause enormous crowds from ! football and cricket matches at Eden , Park to be congested. This is an , absolute danger at the narrow open- , ing at the Kingsland railway gates, \ and on the crowded footpath, with the - people rushing to catch the Edendale ‘ cars. The same thing occurs with the ( Mount Albert cars, causing confusion. , At one time intending passengers could - leap over the bridge, but this has been 1 prevented by the building of the new rest room. It is a real case of "crush” i an ever-increasing crowd,

' I look from the New North Hoad. I j wonder how the old ladies escape. The j boys sweep down with their trollies and bicycles, and finish against ths ! iron shop at a great speed. What is | wanted is to get as much space as possible. As the bridge is hidden from view, the footpath should be i widened out, the triangular ron fence taken away, the railway fence put further back, and a safety square formed ;so that people could see the bridge j and know what is coining. By forra- ; ing a scjLiare from the iron shop end, and levelling up the ground, people would naturally walk to the left, and the crowd could disperse as soon as leaving the bridge. They could come and go instead of crushing and jost- ■ ling. STTRVETOR.

COUNCIL AFFAIRS Sir,— The one thing I like about Mr. H. i -£*- Taylor is that he never forgets for : ; a moment that he is vice-president of : the City "West Ratepayers’ association | —asd he never lets anyone else do so. : I have often wondered who - else is ! ' connected with it, and why the secretary doesn’t write its letters. As for his and Cr. Murray’s assertion that Cr Murray emphasised some . point about dismissing a trusted ser- ! vant at the last council meeting, I do ! j n °f want to be caustic, but I have ; never heard Cr. Murray emphasise anything, unless emphasis can be identified as continual repetition of ‘ indefinite statements. Anyhow, I still j do not remember this matter being j emphasised. Mr. Taylor says that at the same meeting it was mentioned that the . supper given to councillors after meetJ ings cost £l5O per annum. My recolI lection is that the amount mentioned j was £ 50. Only a difference of one, i of course. XO FISH TO-DAY. CATHOLIC SCHOOLS [ Sir, — “Melita.” asks me to state the percentage of non-Catholic children in ! Catholic schools. In my own school ; it is 3 per cent.; in our other primary | schools, for which I have not the exact figures, the average is about the same. ! It is not correct to state, as ••Melita” , j does, that these children attend our I schools principally for the education j they receive in music, painting, and fancywork. The last-named subjects are not included in the syllabus for the primary schools to which I referred. Music may be, and is not infrequently, taught by the sisters to non-Catholic children attending State schools. We receive many more applications for the admission of nonCatholic children than we comply with. The reason generally advanced by the when seeking admission for their children, is that they consider that the private school imparts a more cultural education. Xot infrequently the reception of children is by way of recognition of the kindly interest shown in the sisters and school by non-Catholic families of the neighbourhood. Rut the Catholic schools are built for Catholic children. Melita ’ next asks how we overcome the conscience clause during the religious lessons. Here he is some- , what confused in his request. There > is no conscience clause in the Stat® ! schools or in Catholic schools. If the

Bible in Schools League's conscience clause bee r mes law, ;t would be compulsory for a— children attending the State schools to receive the religious exercises, ci:f*i tie parents in writing to the teacher detract their children ont of m-tm. la a school system which is stjparte: by the taxes of all the peopie. usd ia which children of ail creeds or of nocf the right of participating ws maintain that thla style of c;nscmdm clause is grossly improper, arc te*:< to base prose'ytism, as ba u easily substantiatedOver and over again the CatbsLa j hierarchy and others have askad d» Bible in Schools League to agree i* -‘tm the proposed conscience around the other way. Then no cfczk could participate in the proposed rehgi ous exercises in the State schools erj ‘-'s and until his parent had in wr-> 1 ing requested that such child st uM s* participate. It is a matter of wacoer to us why the league will not n-: ! us on this point. The Catholic school system is su, - ported by the Catholics for ccnsdeci - ous reasons. They are not enem-* of the State schools system, as sscr, i but they hold that it does not go far enough. They tv-gt tfe* I recognition of God is the first esntial of true education. And thev woai welcome the children of every beiiff 1 receiving, as part of our national sj>* tem of education, religi us instrmctkm according to the expressed wishes ' their parents. Consequently, in the ! absence of such teachingjn the prams j , system, they provide the wboi§ cost of building and maintaining iie:r own schools for their own chfMrot and pay their just share of the Sta:« I system generally. No nr-Catbokc 1 claim as of right the admissla - I children to our private school. The parent knows, or should fcyv, ; our schools are alone justified bf the Catholic atmosphere therein pc* vailing. And if he does place h* I child in that atmosphere, he does «• freely and deliberately. It is a ger*ral practice in our schools that dw non - Catholic child is never asked arx" .less compelled, to learn the religto-s lessons. Tin I ess other arrange**®^ are made by the parents, secular wori ■ is set during the religious lessonperied. I might here state tha* I have aev* ; received one complaint from a aw* i Catholic parent that his child had be*" - - i in any matter affectinsr his religtac. I_. T. BCXTOS- — THE FISHING INDUSTRY Sir,— 1 read with Interest the letter ?- :• instant, and hasten to correct a mi-*' understanding under which he ie apparently labouring. Your oc .. cap"** dent is incorrect in suggesting j neither the president of the Atcldtfj Acclimatisation Society nor Mrs. Ra*F Watson appreciates the distinction between trawling and seine-net £shis£* Recent scientific investigation has m* mittedly proved that the liberatlao crude oil refuse in the waters ci Gulf is having a very deleterious d2*ri upon all kinds of fish. But lr. Seszir.g this as the sole or even as ®® principal cause of the prevalent acarcity of food fish in the Gulf, your corespondent is attempting to dr** herring across the trail. It cannot be seriously disputed®"* trawling and seine-retting is frequ»» carried on well within the limits * the Gulf, and the damage done to ® spawning beds thereby is as is the shocking slaughter of thousands of undersized and I fish. “Fisherman" and his T ] v£ \i should realise that the public ® last awakening to the danger <* fisheries being ruined. Mrs. Watson has behind her the sep V**? many who have studied this and the Auckland Society is to be congratulated action in supporting her in “ f: deavours to have all trawling seine-netting prohibited incite limits of the Hauraki Gulf- —^ T. S. METIiU^NOTICES TO CORRESPONDED 15 “Sun Reader."— Tour sus*es«**_jJJ been forwarded to ‘Arid-Anu Fairpiay.”—Your .clitr .Th* Stm,