Citizens Say

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1080, 18 September 1930, Page 8

Citizens Say

(To the Editor.)

SHOULD CAR THIEVES RECEIVE HEAVIER PENALTIES?—“M.P.’S NOT KEEN TO RISK SEATS”—PROVINCIAL WATER SUPPLY BILL—NEW ZEALAND AND “THE BOYCOTT BLUDGEON”.

WATER SUPPLY BILL Sir.— The Local mils Committee has had the Auckland Provincial Water Supply Bill under consideration and has reported in its favour. It will now come before the House for its second reading, and with fair treatment it will be successful there in the same way. On a former occasion, a member was induced to threaten that he would move an amendment to every clause, and as the House was anxious to adjourn to permit Mr. Coates to leave for an Imperial Conference tho Bill was shelved. The member who took this action disappeared at the next election and it will scarcely be possible to find another to take the same action. We may hope therefore that, after much effort, the Bill which will prove a boon for a wide area will become an accomplished fact. E. 11. POTTER. Mount Eden. AMERICAN FILM WAR Sir, — "Danger” seems to have based his reply to me on the assumption that I am pro-American and anti-British on every industrial question. This is quite a wrong- and uncalled for interpretation of my letter. Without wishing to provide fuel for controversy, I should like to emphasise that both “Hanger” and the writer of the article entitled “Boycott Bludgeon,” to my mind, have made the same mistake: they have interpreted the gesture of an American industrial group as a national gesture. In consequence they have reached the absurd implied conclusion that the American film boy. cott in New Zealand constitutes the first step in an American national campaign against the Empire. “Danger” even goes as far as to link the film business with the United States naval programme—a fantastic suggestion. “Boycott Bludgeon’s” article was all right up to a point—none of us wants American domination in any business sphere (though it looks as if we are

to have it in the film business whether ve want it or not), and none of us would like to see the New Zealand Government retract from its just taxation decision (it is just, despite the outburst of Sir Victor Wilson in Well- * mgrton yesterday), but we must not imagine that the policy of American film producers has diplomatic significance. As I said before, it is simply tho policy- of shrewd, ruthless business men, who happen to have something approaching a monopoly of first-class film production, and are doing their level best and worst to stick to it One other thing: “Danger” attacks my reference to conditions in England aitei the war. I was not referring to industrial conditions, generally. A rereading of my leter will prove that I was referring to the film business Notwithstanding “Danger’s” denial’ there was any amount of capital available in circles adjacent to that of motion pictures if the men had been enterprising and alive to possibilities. The plain facts were that certain men who are a power in the British theatrical and newly-arisen picture world today made a whole lot of money out of the war. One I have in mind, in 1919. could have just about financed an Klstree on his own. To be sure Bi it a in will win through in the cinema business if she makes good pictures and plenty of them, and hurries up about it. But we in New Zealand must guard against the very livelv possibility of an American closure being applied to British films in this country by the time the Old Land is ready. ONLOOKER. LABOUR’S GESTURE Sir.— in S tbe e w S ° f th « e Political happenings in the House of Representatives will “Went-n .' Vlth ~ yoUl ' correspondent Worker on the question of the Labour Party's motion on the Unemployment Bill—up to a point. He gets the party wrong so far as he separates f ,y oru the “‘her parties. Are any of them any good? Where did thev

all get off in this unemployment business? They added the 30s a year to our taxes, whether we could afford 1* or not, and did not seem to care what they did so long as they got their J*“j through. Labour is as bad as the rest of them, because it has had the opP° r ' tunity time and again to put the taxhammering Government out of office But it didn’t. Why? Because members of Parliament are too fond 0 soft seats. _ TT WORKER U GAOL FOR JOYRIDERS Sir, — . r , The activities of motor-car th:ev_ and joyriders are becoming common in the city, and I think tn '■ magistrates should make an check this type of crime by terms* of imprisonment on offence who are detected. It seems ’ table, however, that the police n been unable to trace persons rejjP sxbio ior the disappearance of in the city in recent months, finding of a stolen car in an e3C **% sively damaged condition at the tom of the crater of Mount Eden Y gests wanton damage, and I ons l u it that the persons responsible I° r offence, and joyriders who are P r _ to have taken cars for the sole P pose of amusing themselves, shou ri; given a chance to do some hard in Mount Eden gaol. Perhaps it ‘ . cool their ardour for other PJ P . cars, and set an example to tna *- tion of the public which has no in tlie sanctity of individual *