VOICE OF THE PEOPLE

Taranaki Daily News, 20 February 1935, Page 7

VOICE OF THE PEOPLE

VIEWS ON CURRENT TOPICS NEW PLYMOUTH BANK PREMISES. “CINDERELLA TOWN” SUGGESTED. (To the Editor). Sir, —I notice with surprise that a scaffolding is being put up at the Bank of New Zealand at New Plymouth, Surely the bank does not intend carrying on business in the old building long enough to justify doing it up again! It would seem that New Plymouth Is the “Cinderella town” of New Zealand. Other towns of similar size (and even smaller) have up-to-date and commodious premises, and it seems strange that at New Plymouth the bank should carry on so long in these antiquated and overcrowded premises. New Plymouth has grown rapidly of late, and It is obvious on busy days that these banking premises are far too small for the town. In fact this has been obvious for a good many years, and yet the bank still continues to crowd more and more staff into the old building. Surely in the eleventh hour the local Chamber of Commerce could use its influence in persuading the bank to build new premises more in keeping with the size of its business in the town.—l am, etc., 1935. New Plymouth, February 19. VEHICLES WITHOUT LIGHTS. (To the Editor). Sir,—Last night as I drove froth New Plymouth to Eltham my fellow passenger and I were impressed by the number of vehicles on the road with no lights. Oufr experience was this: We passed altogether 14 vehicles .of various types, travelling at varying speeds. Of these four had lights and ten had none. The ten without lights comprised one fasttravelling sedan car, two motor-cycles, one of which was towing a push-cyclist, and six other bicycles. Over 70 per cent, of the traffic had no lights, and I would suggest, sir, that this percentage is too great. There are, of course, regulations against this breach, and if any of the offenders should read this I would point out to them that they can disregard or defy this law, but they cannot break it. It is the law which eventually breaks them. All that they do is to discover the law. A man who jumps from a ten-storey building does not break the law of gravitation; he merely discovers it, in the same way that a man who tickles the hind leg of a mule does not break the law of retaliation; he also merely discovers it. The practice of night travelling without lights is definitely dangerous, and I would submit that human life is a possession far' too precious to be weighed against the few shillings’ cost of an efficient lighting system, and judged less valuable.—l am, etc., STUART D. HAYTON. Eltham, February 18. “CONFIDENCE JUSTIFIED.” (To the Editor). Sir,—l congratulate the New Zealand Welfare League on the well worded letter on “confidence justified,” but I suppose owing to its brevity it is not clear to me. The league says there are solid grounds for more confidence. Confidence in whom or what? Fewer bankruptcies? What is the use of selling up half the small business people? Mr. Coates says that 50,000 farmers cannot pay their way. Fewer “reported” bankruptcies is what they mean. Now take the concrete evidence of improved conditions. Britain is in a flourishing condition. She has increased her debt by about £450,000,000 in the last two years. The United States of America has increased her debt by thousands of millions of dollars; Australia by £100,000,000, and little pessimistic New Zealand last year increased its debt by £20,000,000 by the exchange ramp. The cause of return of confidence is like a man I know who borrowed £4OO last year to pay some pressing debts and used the balance to buy a car and a radio. His return of prosperity is hke the Welfare League’s. A nation or people cannot bofrow itself out of debt, even if the League can. It is more evident than before that some “patent remedy” is our only hope of getting out of the gulf of debt before it overwhelms civilisation. —I am, etc., HONEST. HaWera, February 19. SERVICE IN SHOPS. (To the Editor). Sir,—Writing as one who has spent many years travelling through New Zealand I say without hesitation that the service in New Plymouth shops leaves much to be desired. Several times I ' have waited at counters while gossiping. assistants continued their conversations with each other. There was seldom any show of hurrying to serve one. An apology was evidently unnecessary. Should the article required not be available in the shop assistants often make no attempt to procure it through other channels. Granted this involves a certain amount of trouble, but at least it makes a friend of the customer. It is surprising to me that the heads of firms do not insist on a far higher standard of efficiency. Occasionally I have entered a shop intending to spend a considerable amount of money and lack of attention has driven me to a rival firm. New Plymouth retailers may complain of poor business and blame it on the depressed finances of their farmer customers, but are. they doing everything possible to help themselves? Individually I know nothing of them but collectively as heads in business enterprises I judge them to be an unprogressive group. The town at present offers a magnificent opportunity to anyone imbued with business maxims and the energy to put them into effect.—l am, etc., “GRUMBLER.” New Plymouth, February 18. -