CORRESPONDENCE.

Auckland Star, Volume XL, Issue 35, 10 February 1909, Page 8

CORRESPONDENCE.

"NOTICES TO COKRESPONDENTS. J J2. —Tour letter is actionable. A TRAMWAY SUGGESTION, (To the Editor.) Sir, —While there is some comment as to cleanliness of the trams, would you kindly find room for a- suggestion which would greatly improve the system-r—that is, to have clearly showing the stops a car makes from terminus to terminus. Being a regular rider, it is very noticeable; something like this: Passenger— "Please put mc down at, say, Summerstreet." Every stop' we come to: "Iβ this Summer-street?" Conductor: "No, 'madam." Shortly after we arrive at Three Lamps; repeat question. " Oh, didn't you get off? It's some distance back along the road." I venture to say this is a daily occurrence, which could be greatly reduced by some system as I sug-gest.—-I am, etc., F.. LEWIS. THE MELANESIAN MISSION. .(To the. Editor.) Sir, —Will you kindly repeat your kindness of past years, and allow mc to remind all the kindly folk among your readers that the time has come again when I ask their help in the providing of certain comforts for the clergy of the Melanesian Mission who travel by the "Southern Cross"; and also foi-the lay workers, many of them women, who live on the islands and are absolutely out of reach of anything more palatable than tinned foods. The many letter I receive assuring mc how welcome are the things I send, make mc wish that I could do much more; and I hereby assure your readers that any donation from their storeroom, such as good tomato sauce, pickles or stiff preserves in screw-topped bottles will be most -welcome. And any money entrusted to mc will be spent on predigested beef, chocolate, biscuits, raisins, bovril, limejuice and concentrated foods, not forgetting bandages and simple medical remedies which are daily in demand in the islands. I hope to pack my thirty-two boxes the second week in March, and shall be very grateful for any help. Thanking you for inserting this.—l am, etc., LUCY CALDER. (Wife of the Bishop's Commissary.) All Saints' Vicarage, Feb. 6, 1909. FIRE APPLIANCES FOR EPSOM. (To the Editor.) Sir, —The seriousness of the above compels mc to ask for space in your valuable columns. It appears to mc that the residents of the district hardly realise the risk to which they are at present exposed, both to life and property, should an outbreak of fire occur; and I ohink <ihe time has arrived when some steps should be taken to cope with it. Taeif. , are whole streets fully built on, where, should one take fire, possibly all the Test would follow suit. I think that is a state of things that should not exist any longer. In the event of being unable to form or upkeep a brigade, I would suggest that small spider reels, with 'hydrant and hose attached, could be placed in conspicuous places and notice boards fixed"thereto, and the waterworks engineer could at a specified time give instructions to residents how to use .them. I make this suggestion in the hope that someone will bring forth something better.—l am, etc., C. R. TAPPER. Cornwall Park Avenue, Epsom. KUGBY iOOrBALL AND TUB PAYMENT OF EXPENSES. (To the Editor.) Sir, —I am just passing through New Zealand on a trip, and, as an old' player in one of the first-class Rugby football teams in Scotland, I read your article in to-day's " Star " on amateur football with interest. Pardon mc if I say that I think your criticism of the decision of the authorities at Home on this subject is somewhat one-sided. I have nothing to say against your system of expenses in the colonies, but do not forget that the conditions ruling here and at Home are so very different. With our large population, as soon as the slightest cash payment is made, it creates a danger and becomes the thin end of the wedge to professionalism, and viewing the matter in the light of pure sport, I think you will agree that it is to be avoided- As an example of what I mean, take the Association game at Home; it has developed into a mere money-making entertainment. I repeat that the conditions prevailing here are such that so much extreme care is perhaps unnecessary; and 1, for one, and I am sure most of us at Home, would be extremely sorry if the decision of the Rugby Union were to prevent the various colonies sending teams Home, and vice versa- In my opinion this is a matter which, if viewed from every standpoint, every true lover of amateur football will support, and I am sure the New Zealand clubs will look upon it in the same light.—l am, etc., CHAS. C. BRYCE. February Bth. [Our correspondent misses the chief point of our argument. What he calls " your system of expenses in the colonies" was not invented by us, but copied from England- British football teams have toured New Zealand and Australia on precisely the same financial terms as the •'All Blacks" and the "Wallabies"— the members receiving allowances as "pocket money," in addition to the payment of their travelling expenses. It is remarkable that not even Scotland objected to this practice till it was taken up by the colonials. We have every desire to preserve the Rugby game from the money-making infection which has ruined the Association game as a sport at Home. But we contend that the system of paying for incidental expenses by " allowance" is no more demoralising and no less consistent with true amateurism than the payment of ordinary hotel bills; and whatever be the case at Home. it is perfectly certain-that the vast majority of colonial players could never afford to tour England or play away from home without being indemnified to this extent against pecuniary loss. It is manifest that regulations which may be quite equitable when applied to short tours in Great Britain may prove totally unworkable and inapplicable to visits which entail upon players an absence of many months from their homes and ordinary avocations. We are glad, however, that our correspondent has made no attempt to meet our contention that considering the splendid record of New Zealand, South Africa, and Australia as exponents of the Rugby game, the British Rugby Unions are not justified in coming to so momentous and far-reach-ing a decision without at least consulting the colonial unions, and considering the interests of colonial football. — Jfid. "A.S."I : _ - •■-.'..

. VOLUNTEERS AND HOLIDAYS.- ! < i ** -•-■•• -•-?■••■• ! : -.-^=.*■■-■; > ■■:.* '.'. :-i■ :'•' .i ' Zi~ ~ "(To' the. Ealtor-V - '• 1 --*:Sir,—Nearly every holiday last year ! the Volunteers in this district "were asked i to attend parade, thereby being deprived i of. an outing. "Next , Saturday the cham- i pionship regatta is advertised to take i place at Mercer;" a great number _of : Volunteers would like to attend' there, i but are called out for parade, and if i absent are threatened with a fine of £!■ i In my opinion it is not the way to en- i courage Volunteering. , A little more i 'thought on the part of the authorities < would be appreciated.—l am, etc., -i FAIRPLAT. " ' "' ! THE FREE PHOTOGRAPHIC < ENLARGEMENT IMPOSTURE. i (To the- Edltoi ) < Sir,—l would consider it a kindness if f you would give mc a little enlightenment 1 on the subject of the enlargement of < photographs done in-this city by the can- i vassing method. .A relative of mine is • much annoyed by the ceaseless calling of ' representatives of a firm, in order to ex- ' tract from her the price of a frame (the cheapest) at 25/. the offer of a i free portrait was submitted to her, she : refused to have anything to do with it, : saying to the canvasser that people were ■ not likely to do these things gratis, and possibly a frame - would be suggested ' when the picture would be completed. The ' man assured her absolutely that such was not the case, as they were doing a few, ] quite free, simply as a matter of adver- - tisement. She then gave him a phot- ' graph, simply as the canvasser said: "To prove the truth of the statement." On his going away he thrust a paper into her •hand, which certainly did contain a clause stating that no picture would be delivered J without a frame (but which she had not ■ time to read until he had quite disappeared). I would like to know if this frame must be paid for, as the picture : and the frame are not wanted. —I am, etc., PERPLEXED. [If neither our correspondent nor his wife has signed a document agreeing to pay for a frame, the demand may be legally resisted. —Ed.] FRUIT-HAWKING IN QUEENSTREET. (To the Edftor.> Sir, —Letters have appeared from time to time in your paper against the sale of fruit by the hawkers, and most of the complaints have been made from the fruiterers. So far the hawkers have taken no active part to defend themselves and their rights, knowing full well that they have the sympathy of the public; but now that things are going a little too far they are starting to advocate their rights. Mr. Leese stated in his letter that the barrowmen's prices were from 75 per cent to 100 per cent below the fruit shops, which statement is quite correct in many instances, but on the average all the year round 1 am positive that the barrowmen sell fruit at least 50 per cent below the fruit shops. The fruiterers argue that the public would be just aa well off if there were no hawkers; but how can that be, for it is the hawker who reduces the price of fruit, to put it within the reach of all, and little savings for the working man means other little necessaries of life that he can indulge in. The public are the best judges of what is best for themselves, and thousands of people patronise the hawker daily in preference to going to .fruit-shops. I want to know who should have the first claim to justice—a few fruiterers or the general public? Most of the hawkers are married men with families depending upon, them; they also pay rents and contribute towards the revenue and rates of the country. In Mr. H. Prentice's last letter to your paper, he said it was against the health ' of the public to use fruil that is being exposed in Queen-street. I fail to see how it can affect the health of anyone, for fruit is grown in the open air, being exposed for months to all sorts of climates, dust, rain, etc., and sometimes is grown in insanitary places. Still we do not hear of any person contracting complaints from good, sound, ripe fruit. Then, again, the atmosphere where fruit is exposed for sale is the very same as thousands of human beings are inhaling daily, so why should it affect fruit when it does not affect the people?—l am, etc., H. MANUEL, A barrowman. FISH MARKET. <To the Editor.) Sir, —I promised your readers to give a disinterested opinion on this question, and take into consideration only the interests of the whole people. Tne day is past when the people can grow their own potatoes and eaten their own fish, grind cheir own corn, or weave their own clothes. The time is also past when a city of 100,000 inhabitants will go to any market and carry home their fish. It would be quite as reasonable to ask people to go to a central depot to get itlie moraihgj's milk, or daily eupply , of bread and meat. The present "division of labour" will and must be perfected. This being so, it is very clear that a "retail" market is not required. A daily delivery to our houses of good fish at a reasonable price is what we now have not got. If we had a regular supply of fresh-caught fish there would soon be an army of distributors, and fish shops would form the base of each distributor. One firm would deliver to a hundred or more families, and save the labour of « hundred people going to some central fish market. I must now assume that we are not safe in spending money to build a retail market. This brings us back to the waterfront, where there certainly should in the near future be erected c place .for the wholesale distribution of fish from the boats. Now, let us suppose that the Harbour Board had the "boat harbour" completed, with sufficient shed accommodation for handling the fish, there would often be found there boats with fish to sell, and often the fish would be sold cheap, and the public would reap the benefit. If this shed is to be a costly market and r>aid officials, and it is intended_ that "the place is to be made pay its expenses, there must be a "tax" put on the fish sold there, which, under present conditions, would be very few. Auckland is not like many other cities, where all the fish arrive by rail at stated times. The fish supply arrives at all hours of the day and night, and to save them in this climate must be handled quickly. The schnapper are the most plentiful, and in most demand for smoking, but the, fish in summer will not keep long. The fish must be carted quickly from the steamers and put through without delay. The fish curers now keep a night and day shift of men, and each have freezing and chilling space at the Auckland Farmers' Freezing Works. If it were compulsory to put the fish through a market, the coastal steamers, not arriving to suit the time of market sales.

could not carry''the fist,'and "in- coriser queuee the fishermen 'could-not catch a lot that now comes in at any, or all hours." To- get over ; the difficulty, the curers would -no doubt, pay the market dues, and things would go on as at present. (That was the experience, gained before the old Harbour Board market was let for a .private curing shed. If . that market was there to-day, 1 have no doubt that the oil launches now plying for hire, and taking', out fishing parties, would register as fishing boats, and iii fine weather the catches would be sold cheap by the launch owners; but I don't think this would be fair competition with the regular fishermen, and,..; although the public , may sometimes get cheap fish from this source, it would, in , my opinion,> tend to make the conditions so that the regular men would be driven out of the catching trade, and less fish caught than at present, .and consequently fish dearer. . A regular supply is need- , ed to keep a staff of distributors going, and fish shops made to pay. Let us now consider the supply, of flounders- and other kind's of. fish coming here from ; Thames. These fish all come in boxes by the Wakatere, and could not be put through the market, without adding very much to the cost of production, and market sales would have to be held to suit the "arrival' of' the Thames boat. This would end up in "the producer, or consumer, paying the market dues, and adding the "tax" to the price of the fish. The same difficulties would be met with the supply from Keipara and Manukau Harbours. If the fish did not arrive to suit the market sale, the dues would be paid, or the fish never caught. It may be argued that the authorities should provide. a large cooling plant to keep the dish, .cool until the time of sale. Of course this could be done, but they would have to compete with the Auckland Farmers' Freezing Company in providing cooling space, and unless the supply is more regular than.at present they could not do it so cheap as it is done at present. It may be said that I am an interested party, but I eato assure your readers that I would be pleased to see the State go into the catching and wholesale business, as T am completely disgusted with the trade as at present conducted.—-I am, etc., . A. SANFORD. TRAWLING AND SHEEPSTEALING. (To the Editor.) Sir, —A considerable amount of correspondence has appeared through the Press in connection with the above, principally by .persons whose sole object is to have the restrictions withdrawn from trawling in the Hauraki Gulf, and the fishermen take exception to some of Mr. A. Sanford's remarks in connection with this matter. It will perhaps be remembered that upon the Government opening " Kakino" for oyster picking in the year DO7, Mr. Sanford made deliberate attempts to have it closed, going so fa-r as to Bay that the Government' had done this directly against him. His object failed, however. He then made an attack upon the oystcrmen by writing to the Press to the efl"ect that he had lost eighty sheep the last time the island was opened, about the year 1899. Note that he is silent about the matter for eight years, although the said oystermen frequented his island as fishermen all the year round. Mr. Sanford is now strenuously advocating trawling, and his letters to the Press upon the subject contain imputations of theft against the fishermen, together with a reward of fifty pounds for the alleged theft of sheep from " Rakino" Island. Upon request of several fishermen 1 have undertaken to investigate these notorious allegations, and although not yet completed, I might give publicity to some facts gathered. Interviewed, the caretaker of Rakino said he had heard about Mr. Sandford's rewaTd for sheep that were stolen from the Island, but he did not think it was" meant in the way that the fishermen had taken them. Some sheep had ■been lost, but he had no evidence that any were stolen. Mr. George Sanford, who is head caretaker at Rakino, has, I am informed, expressed himself in similar terms to various fishermen. Now, sir, 1 think this is a serious matter, and that Mr. A. Sanford should (explain What grounds he has for charging fishermen, who are a respectable body of men, with stealing sheep. I think also that it is a matter that should receive -the attention of the proper authorities, for it tends strongly to provoke a breach ' of the peace.—l am, etc, MONTAGUE GARNAUT. THE CONSERVATORITJM OF MUSIC. (To the Editor.) Sir, — In your issue of the 3rd inst appears an interesting account of an interview with Mr Louis Cohen on the subject of the proposed Conservatorium of Music. Apart altogether from Mr Cohen's misconception as to the length of time the professional societies have been in existence—the Auckland one has been established seven years—his remark that "Unfortunately the deliberations of this Society of Musicians have not had the advantage of being directed by the most capable and distinctly recognised teachers of music," calls for an emphatic protest. If the teachers who assembled here the other week from Wellington, Christchurch,. Dunedin, Invercargill, Timaru, Napier, Nelson and Auckland do not speak with some authority on the subjects discussed, then who does Mr Cohen require? Among the above were musicians of ripe experience and ability, and holding prominent positions in the respective branches of their art, and their opinions are surely entitled to respect. The "inefficiency, incapacity, and lack of musical training in the great majority of teachers of music in the Dominion," referred to by Mr Cohen, is only one of the many matters which this Council of Musicians is determinedly waging war against, and their efforts in drafting the Musicians' Bill in order that the higher interests of the profession and the public generally may be to some extent safeguarded, are worthy of the sympathy of any well-wisher to the cause of musical progress. The subject of the interview also comments en passant upon "the sordid commercialism of the ordinary music teacher." So .far from being imbued with the commercial spirit, most teachers throw themselves unselfishly into their daily routine of work,. and the writer recalls many instances where hours of extra time have been given ungrudgingly to pupils so that they might became more proficient. Where the teacher loves his work, ii is an almost every-day occurrence for the hour or halfhour lesson to be exceeded, and the professor who teaches for mere pounds, shillings and pence is on the high road to mediocrity. By his favourable reference to the local Orchestral Society, Mr Cohen unconsciously pays Auckland teachers of music a tribute, for unless the executants had been well-trained beforehand, the conductor would not be in a position to secure the interpretation he does, and I presume it is safe to assume that the bulk of the amateur element of this orchestra has been educated locally. As regards the Conservatorium idea, most teachers are of opinion that Its establishment is at present grema-

ture. The whole question is a big matter to enter upon in the space at disposal, and I will postpone enlargement on this subject until another letter.—l am, etc., ■ PROFESSIONAL TEAGHERi-;