Letters: First double photo finish

I see through the Chronicle about the forming of the Wanganui Jockey Club.

I would like to say back in the 1949-50 season, I dead-heated with Bill Broughton in the big race. I rode a horse called Brookland, he rode Gay Gordon.

It was the first official dead-heat photo finish in New Zealand.

BILL EALES
Whanganui

Kerfuffle explained

Shorter Horizons kerfuffle (Chronicle, December 7):

Member of interfering redundant organisation that dictates to property owners what they can and cannot do with/on their own land, regardless of what it costs them, is annoyed when other member of same interfering redundant organisation that dictates to property owners what they can and cannot do with/on their own land, costs him.

RENE De JONGH
Whanganui

Unelected MPs

I refer to A Barron's letter (Chronicle November 30), where he suggested Judith Collins and three other National MPs should quietly depart from Parliament.

At least all four were voted into Parliament in democratic fashion at the last elections.

Compare that to the present Government, which has 34 List MPs, all of whom were rejected by the electorate. In fact, only 29 of the 63 current members of Government were actually voted into power; the rest are selected by their parties.

Not true democracy by any means, and the last thing we need right now is any more members of Parliament making our country's decisions by people not elected to do so.
A Barron also suggests these National MPs leave their parliamentary perks behind as well. What about the rest?

PHILSON SHERRIFF
Marton

Christianity absent

My family and I are blessed to be able to attend a number of Christmas parades in and around our city.

In none of them have we seen a Christian float — no nativity scene, no angels, no Star of Bethlehem, nothing that remotely represents the Christian message of Christmas.

This observation begs the question: where are the local churches to be seen?

As one example, the Auckland Farmers Christmas Parade attracts over 300,000 people a year to the event, but has had to rely on a float from a Te Awamutu church to cement a Christian presence into the parade.

This, in a city that boasts over 1000 churches — Auckland church leadership should hang their heads in collective shame.

DYLAN TIPENE
Ranui

Pro-abortion agenda

Don't read this while eating breakfast.

Labour and Greens are back in power with their pro-abortion agenda (Chronicle , December 1).

Common law allows abortion up to quickening, and thereafter only to save the life of the mother. Politicians passed the first anti-abortion law in 1803 "and evils were multiplied in the Earth".

Scammers sold fake pills. Doctors and pharmacists took enormous risks, often from compassion.

Women died. Punishments included transportation, hanging, and — in New Zealand — long prison terms.

Late abortion is messy. The baby might be extracted bit by bit. If extracted whole, the mother might change her mind.

The thought of near-birth, partial-birth and after-birth abortions horrifies me.

Labour/Greens will present their bills again and again. There may be temporary compromise laws, but eventually the desired law for unrestricted abortion up to birth will pass, perhaps by one vote.

As usual, the people of New Zealand will be ignored.

ALAN DAVIDSON
Gonville

Disrespecting Trump

I don't know whether Frank Greenall thought he was indulging humour, satire, sarcasm or just simple stupidity in his "A day in the life of Donald" column (December 6).

Whichever, it was grossly disrespectful.

He is entitled to consider any individual with disdain, but to publicly slight the President of the United States of America in the manner he did is scandalous.

Shame on you, Frank Greenall.

GEORGE PAUL TRUBY
Okoia

Send your letters to: The Editor, Whanganui Chronicle, 100 Guyton St, PO Box 433, Whanganui 4500; or email editor@wanganuichronicle.co.nz