PUBLIC OPINION

Waikato Times, Volume 94, Issue 14798, 11 November 1921, Page 6

PUBLIC OPINION

Ab expressed by correspondents, whose letters arc welcome, but for whose views we have no -»«monsibllity. LIGHT RAILWAYS. (To (he Rditor.) Sir, —On reading the production appearing in Monday's issue under Uie above heading, signed Geo. Parr, there is only one conclusion to come to, and that, is your correspondent is a very sore man; but why is difficult to understand. Is it because we have, had the audacity to turn Ibis railway scheme down, or is it on account of Mr Stewart Reid taking his middle stump over the question of construction of Manawatu light railway? Instead of backing down like a man and admitting that he had put his foot in it. Mr Editor, that, gentleman turns round and makes a scurrilous attack on the whole district. The impression he tries to convey to the public is that those delegates who visited our meeting had a very bad time, and were badly treated. That assertion, Mr Editor, is entirely contrary to fact. I will briefly outline what actually took place at that meeting, and leave the public to judge and see what a broad-minded, publicspirited man your correspondent is. Messrs Parr, Dansey and Watts spoke to an attentive audience on this scheme, arid during the whole of their respective addresses there was not. one solitary interjection: they received an absolutely quiet and attentive hearing, and ht the conclusion of their snveral addresses were applauded, arid 1 challenge Mr Parr to say anything to the contrary. When the chairman called for questions Mr Reid, on rising, made it perfectly clear to. those delegates, both before he (Mr Reid) spoke and at the termination of the meeting, thai nothing of a personal nature was intended. ,Tnd any remarks made should not !><; taken as such. The meeting then threshed Ihe scheme out. and nothing in the shape of personalities crept in at all. If that. Mr Rditor, is Mr Parr's irfea of a hostile" meeting to the visitors, well, all I can say for that gentleman is that he had evidently lived in a very quiet, secluded corner, and is even yet much too thin in the skin for a so-called public man; and after all I quite fail to see why we should he publicly taken to task for what is virtually our own business, and which in passing I would like to assure your correspondent that we are quite capable of managing. The delegates presented their scheme. We turned it down, and that's all there is to it. and what your correspondent is complaining about I cannot quite grasp.—l am. etc. DAVID LIVINGSTONE. Tuhikaramca. Nov. 10. 1921 RUBBISH CONTRACT. (To the Editor.) Sir,—Allow me space in your widelyrer.d paper to bring under the notice of the ratepayers the appointment of a contractor to collect rubbish from house to house—a service I quite agree with as a necessity- Ido not think the Council is quite within its rghts, however, by making an appointment privately, as has been done on this occasion. On ail occasions it is Ihe custom to call for tenders for such a service. Why call tenders for dog-ranger or pnundkeeper? It is just as much a right to tin' ratepayers to call public lenders for rubbish collector. Probably Hie Council has an idea thai Ihe position could be better filled without calling lenders, bul I am sure the greal majority of ratepayers disagree with Ihe Council's method of private appcinlmenl. lam sure that the Council b> calling lenders could have got a good number or tenders, and. furthermore, a cheaper se.vic.—l am, etc., DESTRUCTOR. EARTH ENCIRCLING MESSAGES. (To the Editor.) Sir, —You refer in your local column to Professor Jack's remarks concerning the Bordeaux radio station. Bordeaux was not the first earth-girdling station, as that learned gentleman seems to infer. During the war the Eiffel Tower station was frequently read at the Bluff, radio, and I myself in 1919 constantly copied Nauen (Germany) on a simple set. Moreover, during the winter of 1920, when in Christchurch. I used lo get Lyons (France) station loud enough to be audible over 100 feet from the receivers. The reason that Bordeaux radio is so much advertised as Ihe "first" earth-girdling station is because it was erected by the Yankees towards the close of the war.—l am, etc., .T. M. BINGHAM. Hamilton. Nov. 9, 1921. SALUTE THE FLAG. (To the Editor.) Sir, —A good deal has been written and said about school children refusing to "salute the flag." The children arc not to blame: the whole I rouble is caused by thtit" parents.. These may he divided into three classes—the ignorant, the conscientious objector, and the downright disloyal. The ignorant can he laugh I. and the conscientious objector can be forgiven, for should occasion arise Ihese two will stand up for mir Empire, "iir Kins: and our liar; bill Hie third is the worst kind of enemy any nation can have, for they are in our "rrfldsl and would willingly assist outside enemies and stab us in the back. They would rejoice in the downfall of our glorious Empire. It is no use asking them to lake any "oath of allegiance," for persons who can reside in a country, enjoy its laws, freedom and privileges, and yet disown its flag, have no sense of moral rectitude: therefore their oath is valueless. Had'they any kind of spirit, or were possessed of the least Irace of honour, they would scorn to live under a flag they detested. They are not difficult lo find, for their children point them out. What with Rol-s-heviks, 1.W.W., Red feds., Sinn Fein, rebels in India and elsewhere, and the yellow peril, it, is time we knew our friends from our enemies. These disloyal subjects should be compelled f.. sell their real estate to Ihe Government or loyalists and get nut of our Dominion. Surely there Is a flag in Ihe world that, will suit them—-let them ,eo there. The very least that ought to be done to them is to disfranchise them, and so diminish their power for evil. It is l.imn'Uie New Zealand Government tool; ||jjs matter up seriously.—T am, etc.. SCHOOL TEACHER.