Citizens Say—

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 982, 27 May 1930, Page 8

Citizens Say—

(To the Editor.)

SMALL SHOPS Sir, — In view of the fact that it has been said that there are too many small shops, may I offer a suggestion to the investigating commission. As regards Asiatics entering into business, would it not be advisable to enforce a residential qualification of, say, five years, before a licence be granted. Dairies should be allowed to sell only farm products and not be general stores, and hawkers should be limted as to numbers. Small shopkeepers at present are feeling the pinch, and it behoves the commission to lighten the burden of living. THE MAUI POMARE All is not quiet on the waterfront as far as the Maui Foma re is concerned and the various correspondents are in most cases drawing a red herring across the scent of the trouble. A Reform “baby,” the Maui Pomare was handed over as a legacy to the Uniteds. Labour then asserted itself and replaced the coloured deck and engineroom crew with a white one. Owners, New Zealand Government: managers, Cook Island Department (whose officials have no nautical experience); various private shippings agents in the principal ports all have had a say in the management of tlie ship. The cost in feesr etc., would have sent a private owner into the bankruptcy court. Criticism without suggesting a remedy is useless; therefore why not compel the Marine Department to take over control of the ship? The Marine Department contains men who are specially trained and highly efficient. The staff of the ship, also, would have a square deal and harmony would take the place of discontent. SEAFARER. “LITERARY DIGEST” POLL Sir, — In The Sun recently you published the cabled result of a newspaper poll on prohibition in the United States conducted by the “Literary Digest.” Information just to hand shows the fallacy of accepting this straw vote as an indication of public opinion. There are approximately 60,000.000 electors in the United States, while the “Digest” returns total 4,500,000 votes, being only 7 A per cent, of the number of electors. The “Digest” distributed 20.000,000 ballot papers, mostly in the cities and to men. the great “dry” majority women and country voters —being largelv ignored. There were no safeguards to secure a fair and accurate pull, any person

being able to vote as often as be could secure ballot-papers. As millions of voting papers were thrown into the waste paper basket, or otherwise discarded unused, the poll was open to gross violation. organisations therefore urged their members not to participate in a poll which could serve no good purpose as an indication of public opinion. It was claimed that the last Presidential election clearly indicated that the electors were in favour of prohibition, the wet candidate being overwhelmingly defeated. It is pointed out that prohibition is a definite part of the constitution of the United States, having been adopted by regular constitutional methods. The only way in which it can be repealed is by following the same procedure, and this is admitted even by the wettest of U.S.A. newspapers to be practically impossible. The present poll is simply an advertisement for the “Literary Digest.” LOUIS E. FALKNER, Secretary. FASCISMO Sir, — I suppose, by now, the people of this country are so used to reading the truculent utterances of Mussolini that they fail to bo alarmed by their frequency and dangerous character. The old axiom “There is nothing easier than starting a "war and nothing more difficult than ending one,” is as true today as it has ever been. The difficulty of starting a war in a democratic country is that it must have the support ot the Press, the Government, and the majority of the people, but such safeguards do not exist in an autocratically ruied country like Italy, where Mussolini Ins control not only ot the whole political machinery and the Press, but also of the lives of every single member of the community. Everybody in Italy is militarised from the age of 14 upward, and nobody can receive secondary school education and even teach in any school unless he has taken the oath of fidelity and support to Mussoj lini. ! Signor Gabriele Neri, one of tlie foremost Italian judges, having been overheard by a butler giving another Judge, j a friend of his, a severe criticism of ! 11 Duce, was denounced by the abovementioned menial and as a const - quence was sent to the Italian “Devil’s Island” without trial, and his friend fell into disgrace. This short story will show the powerlessness of the Italian people, should Mussolini ever think or decide to make a war. Docs not the seriousness of this danj ger entitle us. who are fighting against j great difficulties and even danger of i uur own lives, to claim the support of ; rho democracy uf New Zealand and its Press in order to restore :» ecnstit.i- ---! tional Gov< rnment in Italy? Although Fascism is not on inimet’iyte danger here or in England, win l—the local authority lately expelled

dozen black-shirts as undesirables. «h» had to be shipped direct to ItuiSf France objected even to let th€ ”l -A. her territory. Fascism is a great a in Egypt, and also in Malta, andlt* long" as the Fascist autocracy war cloud might burst over Luroj>« jr ‘ limG ’ UMBERTO COLON’NA. X.Z. Fiduciario of the Italian of the Right of Men. P.S. —This league is a non-sectJtfjJJ and non-party grotip of ™ en .££"*s together all over the world witn object of restoring constitutional 8 ernment in Italy. RATIONALISM Although the Rev. D. P. ScOjt. «£{ through this discussion, has matntah£ the view that the definition of alism was timid, etc., he now ***■'? for a definition of “reason. 1" ’ I can only refer him to any standi* dictionary, and turn to “<7G.M-c approves tlie definition, hut f® l way Rationalists carry it into But if he approves the mental 3t t ,t *J # implied in the definition, and can talk of the reality of God.” then" can of course demonstrate ® e rL. | of that “reality” independently oi j arbitrary assumptions of be I and as verifiable by reason. K thil | interesting to learn from him S n .-«as point. On the other hand, if *;so-ion, to make the required demons*** he will then begin to apprc*cia i connection with the definition an ! attitude of Rat ionalists to religionis easy to jibe at “official” Rational** Cwhatever is meant by that., as concerned with liberal thinkingi would be more to the point to P* t evidence. I agree that each - i arrive at such conclusions as the I able evidence to his mind but the trouble is that the c\i - before most minds on religious ‘ tirttw iiuHfitifi ! v one-sided biased. U is Vhe' SSfaSn fumVl" 4 *, TuTle m u’ll IM ■<>'-' to 1” i ’hnsti in ir d xv ;.;, - t grouch against urgjn:* l - 11 ” A E&