Citizens Say—

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 548, 28 December 1928, Page 8

Citizens Say —

(To the Editor.)

WINGED ROBBERS

Ever since the sipwing season we have been greatly troubled with birds pulling up young seedlings; even young maize two to three inches high has been nipped off. Great holes have been picked in lettuce plants, and the birds even get into seed boxes covered with sticks, and eat either seed or tender plants. Can anyone offer any solution to the trouble without expensive wire netting? One could not cover a maize patch this way. Certainly we have plenty of trees round about. So have our neighbours. But they do not get their garden touched. DISTRACTED. Perhaps some of our readers may be able to advise “Distracted” how to prevent these depredations.—Ed, The Sun.

SELF-GOVERNMENT AND SAMOA

Sir. — I notice Tamaaese, the Samoan chief, is now being kept in the Mount Eden Gaol because lie refuses to pay taxes. New Zealand spent £70,000 of New Zealand taxpayers’ money on Samoa last year, and now we are keeping Tamasese in the Mount Eden Gaol. Why not send him back to Samoa to keep himself? New Zealand already has plenty of country that needs development and thousands of unemployed who could well do with the money wasted in meddling with Samoans, who are best left to themselves. We would not like foreigners meddling with our liberty. Why not let the Sampans govern themselves’’ LIBERTY. MR. TAYLOR AND MR. ALLUM Sir, — Cr. Allum says that I have made an irresponsible statement in suggesting in my letter of the 13th inst. to the Auckland City Council—objecting to the borrowing of another £200,000 for Huia dam construction and other city water works development—that I was informed that part of the money was to be diverted to the Hunua scheme. My statement is not in any way irresponsible. This further £200.000 will make £700,000 of waterworks loans raised and spent since November 28, 1923. Ratepayers voted that huge sum for “the development, extension and improvement of the waterworks of Auckland City and the acquisition of real and personal property therefor.” The chief of these works was expressed to be the Huia dam construction, estimated firstly to cost £489 000 Last Thursday nig6t the town clerk' with the full authority of council, declared. in answer to my objection of over-costing, that to November 30 last £500,045 15s 9d had been sunk in the Huia dam project. Last Wednesday I inspected this dam with Cr. Murray and others, including an engineer of wide experience and repute. The concrete wall is now up between 40 and 50 feet, and the total height of dam wall, when completed, is to be 128 feet from the bottom of the bed—according to Mr. Bush. Cr. Allum’s remarks notwithstanding. I predict that this dam will exceed the city engineer’s estimate

by at least £150,000. It is notorious that Cr. Allum and the majority of the council “bank” on Hunua as the future main supply. The Sydney engineer, Mr. H. H. Dare, has received a heavy fee and expenses for reporting thereon, inter alia, last September. Other moneys have been expended on the Hunua scheme preliminaries, and some £ 2,400 appeared in this year’s estimates as provision in connection therewith. At last Thursday night’s council meeting it was resolved (Cr. Murray alone dissenting) to purchase 590 acres for £760 from the Commissioner of Crown Lands, for which settlement will be arranged for April 1 next. If these sums are not to be charged against the £200,000 now about to be borrowed, will Cr. Allum state in your columns from what other loan account or moneys can payment be effected, having regard to the voting papers and the language (as quoted above) therein set forth, upon which the £700,000 was authorised by ratepayers on November 28, 1923, and April 14, 1926, respectively? Cr. Allum’s expressed “anxiety to keep the ratepayers informed about the city’s business” is in marked contrast with his secretiveness as chairman of the Tramways and Water Committee, as also with this declaration of desire on taking his seat as chairman of the Transport Board last Saturday to adopt the secret committee system in transbusiness. I congratulate Mr. E. H. Potter upon plainly intimating that he would stand for no such committee humbugging in Transport Board business. 22/12/1928. P ' TAYL °R'

SAMOA

Sir.— Messing about Samoa and spending f ev that country when Isew Zealand is not even half developed seems to me to be futile thrusting civilisation and taxes on the quiet Samoans, whose only desire is to be left alone, and who t 0 hve the life they had lived to the one that New Zealand polito Hvc ape t , e T, mined to force them , f'. ls stl!1 more ' futile. New Zealand s reputation for chivalry through na ,t‘ Ve races has suffered a“to u gh the committal of the In “lie n olde ef a° the Mount Eden Gaol in the olden days, so-called civilised the^S^f^-^nsmto stay in their countries and put a cue ° fflce there to screw tlmm in tariff taxes instead. dlorah.

TAXI FARES FROM RACECOURSE

Sir,— an 4 ft T er f the races at Ellerslie. mv wife 1 followe d the crowd outside T drivers P wSf» hed fIV6 “censed ? lth a request to drive mv wife requested; to hi^’bS?'"he^a'uTe* (Continued in Next Column.)

quested £ 1 for the trip, although the car which drove us to the course and drove us right into and alongside the window only charged 11s 3d —2s W being charged for the car to enter the course, which was quite reasonable Now, is it fair for those drivers to demand £ 1 for their fare from the course to Auckland City? lam of opt'd oll that this question deserves public visito a.