Citizens Say

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 419, 30 July 1928, Page 8

Citizens Say

(To the Editor.)

LOCAL SUMMER TIME? Sir, — I am in accord with your remarks concerning - the apathy of the farmers toward the Summer Time Bill. On its initial appearance last summer some of the more progressive farmers adhered to the new time, others advanced their clocks but worked on', standard time. The majority simply ignored the measure as unnecessary and provoking. The necessity of rising with the sun is obvious to anyone possessing a practical knowledge of farming. Every day a plan of the work to be accomplished is arranged and' when this is finished milking is begun. Therefore the length of daylight on a farm is controlled by the amount of work arranged. More often than not the farm worker is toiling long after sunset. Summer Time is unworkable in rural districts. It is solely beneficial to metropolitan districts and should be adopted by them without its being forced on a community not in a position to appreciate its benefits. HERD TESTER. SELF-CONTAINEDNESS Sir. It is strange how some ideas obtain a vogue, however impracticable they may be. Mr. W. J. Poison is reported to have stated at the farmers’ conference recently that we should aim at a “self-contained” Empire. Had he said “more” self-contained he would have been understandable, but selfcontainedness for civilised countries is as unattainable as the putting back of oaks into acorns. Among other things it would be necessary for Britain to call in all her foreign investments \yhich reach to almost every country in the world, and to prevent anyone in the Empire financing undertakings outside of it. Travel beyond the sacred limits would be barred; in fact, no vessels would ply between Empire and foreign ports, since goods, and/or passengers carried from and to various countries involves trade between such countries. The Empire, if Mr. Poison could arrange it, would be as remote from the .rest of the world as Mars is from the earth. C.H.N. TO GET RID OF ANTS Sir, I found the following method very effective in clearing my home of ants which had become so numerous that food could not be left even for a few minutes on any table ftr in the pantry. Dissolve about two cupfuls of sugar in a small saucepan over heat with about a small cupful of water. Do not boil it; then mix in thoroughly three teaspoonfuls of borax. Do not boil the mixture or make it into a thick syrup. Pour this into clean saucers or small butter-plates, and place where the ants are to be seen, or where you know they go. If it is impossible to put the saucers just alongside their runs, make a track of the liquid by smearing some of it from their runs to the mixture, and in a short time you will find the dishes full of ants. Do not kill any ants as I think they poison the others. I found dead ants all over my house where I had not put the poison, and by repeatedly filling the

saucers I soon cleared them out.. Now if I see any stray ones I immediately repeat the dose, and in a day or two the house is clear again. I am sur- ’ rounded by houses that are full of ’ them. I may say I found that the ants L are rather particular as I was only successful when I put the liquid in clean dishes, not tin lids, as I tried first. y NORTH SHORE. * BIBLE IN SCHOOLS [ Sir. — I have no desire to enter the par- ’ ticular matter at issue between “Mel- ; ita” and Or. Duxton, the proportion of ' Catholics in State schools, etc., but in the former’s letter on Saturday he in- . fers that there are only three parties to the Bible-in-schools controversy, ’ the B. in S. League, the Catholics, and r “those who are not interested in Christian teaching of any kind.” I would suggest that there are at least two other classes —Christians who consider that the school is not the proper place to teach religion and non-Christians. I would remind “Melita” that no one objects to the subjects at present on the education syllabus. As far as it goes, it has the approval of all, and is therefore neithdi* religious nor antii religious. It is neutral, and leaves parents a free hand in the matter of L religion. This state of affairs provides equality for all and injustice to ; none. 5 - I §Lgree with “Melita” that this mat--1 ter should be discussed without heat, * and would ask his impartial reply to > these two questions: - (1) Is it just that the objections of 5 the two classes mentioned above should » be flouted either by the Bible-in-Schools League, the Catholics, or an r alliance of both? ! (2). Is it just to tax any section of 5 the community to pay for religious ex- - ercises which it objects to and can- * not conscientiously partake of? - A.E.C. HARBOUR BRIDGE DREAM i Sir. — Slam,” in his futile support of the cranky idea of obstructing the Waitemata Harbour with a bridge, states I was in error in assuming that he was young and innocent. On reading his second epistle I think I must have been; his pen name of “Grand r Slam” must be a shortened form of , “Grandfather Slam”—one of the class * mentioned in the Transport Commission’s report, who have a 1928 appearance but an 1828 mentality—or even, as The Sun put it, a two century-old outlook. “Grand Slam’s” idea that the i Southern Cross is the biggest airship 1 in the world is funny. Possibly the ■ fact that he is a native of this South * Pacific explains the delusion. If he : £ ave up “500” and other games that 1 need a grand slam and played poker—- ’ or golf on Sunday morning at x shillings a hole—he might acquire enough money to visit Europe, where he would ’ . that all express-passenger transit is handled by airplanes or flying boats, ' carrying 15, 20 and 30 passengers. If l he- read his Sun regularly he would * have noticed that early in September, i that is, about six weeks hence, two airships are to be launched, capable of * carrying 100 passengers each. They * v> ill fly the Atlantic, taking 36 hours on

the journey, and open up regular transatlantic services. There is no reason —except the century-old outlook that the Transport Commission laments is characteristic of our transport managers—why we should not now have flying boats from Bussell to Auckland, and Auckland to Bluff. As for landing places, which "Grand Slam” says we would want, we have them on tb* Waitemata, in iShoal Bay. which shortsighted or ancient-sighted folk want to. destroy. “Grand Slam” gets into a fog, too, it seems, on these winter mornings when the fog blankets city and harbour, but he surely does not imagine that placing an obstruction like a bridge across the harbour would improve navigation? N. SH- ORE. IMMIGRATION AND INDUSTRY Sir,— Some time ago I picked up an oM copy of The Sun; dated in the vicinity of May, 1927, advocating an effort to encourage British industrialist® tc ' migrate here with their capital to Institute a progressive industral P® I*-' 1 *-' In yesterday’s issue I read an headed “Eyes on Dominions,’* in wW Mr. Baldwin is quoted as “There is room in the Dominions* men who are prepared to work bar**These are features for us nobly in mind, but until we can come immigrants with open arm* are prepared for their advent, a ambitions are futile. It woU **L rtm e suicidal for men with capital to co to the Dominions, with their J*’ and equipment, to be met w*** present coercive conditions of j port, and their incidental accoinP*® ments of bad roads and lack of transport methods. Yet might be done by reciprocal ment to take a portion of workless thousands if the Government would be willing to eanc the making of roads transport of machinery* and ino general assets into our rural where land is cheap. nduced If the Government could r" poto release its present grip or minion’s transport industry. * private enterprise the opportu develop the country by men competition and sacrifice, we w . T b be infinitely better able to co. the great problem of uhempl®-* it exists to-day. wils0 |L Whangarei-