CYCLE PATHS AND OUR ROADS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXII, Issue 148, 24 June 1901, Page 4

CYCLE PATHS AND OUR ROADS.

We are glad to see that the re-

marks which we have lately made with regard to cycle paths and the (••condition of our roads have aroused

more than passing' interest. Some time ago when dealing with the sug-

gestioji made by a correspondent that, a cycle path to Uotorua should be laid down we said that although at

first sight such an idea might- appear in advance of the times, the proposal was worthy of serious consideration. This matter has attracted the attention of Southern cyclists, and a correspondent in a letter recently published by us states that many cyclists in other parts of the colony look longingly towards JRotorua and our Lake district, but

unfortunately the adverse reports with regard to the state of our road-;

deter many from making the trip. No doubt the same remarks apply with equal force to the desires of Northern votaries of the wheel with respect to the Southern tourist re-

sorts. New Zealand has led the van

!in many progressive movements. Sir ■ Joseph Ward Ls a capable and eneij getic cyclist; and with the recommenj elation of Mr Donne to fortify him I will, we hope, ere long turn his at- | tention to the cycle path, the easiest, I cheapest, and most popular way to I open up many of our beauty spots. I The cyclists of New Zealand are under a great obligation to that enerj getic body, the Auckland Cycle Roads ! League, for the able and thorough | manner in which it has handled this j colonial movement, a movement w? i have no hesitation in saying which ; will increase in popularity with all ; classes the more its scope and objects I come to be understood.

Auckland is often cited as being a "slow" place, and its citizens twitted with a want of energy; indeed we are not infrequently told that this is (hie to "our enervating climate." That may be so, but results in the athletic arena scarcely bear out the contention, for Auckland, if not always "there" at the top of the tree, is always "thereabouts," and in this agitation Auckland is the oniy town which has persistently marked out a policy, and steadily and dogged! v, through thick and thin, adhered to it. A league was formed in Christchurch, and many of the leading citizens joined it, but practically nothing has been accomplished beyond what Auckland has already done. The cyclists as a body are doing the community a good service in determinedly advocating and insisting upon improvement in -the formation and maintenance of our roads.

The Premier telegraphed to Mr W. .) Napier, M.H.R., on Saturday statins- thai the latter's request for a frjft, of the Government arch in Queen-street to-form the entrance to Victoria. Park, Freema.r.'W Bay, is now engaging the consideration ol the Cabinet.

The premises of Mr J. A. Cooper, hatter, of Queen-Btreet, were entered some time between Saturday night and this morning, and a sum in cash stolen, also a number of overcoats,. It appears that on Saturday Mr Cooper was in the act of locking his safe, when he was interrupted by something and in consequence left his keys" In the safe door. The amount of" cash taken was £5 16/3. while three overcoats valued at £S 5/ are also missing. Other articles may have been 'taken, but an inventory will have to be taken before this i» known for certain. The thieves left n 0 M j,, n 1o indicate how (hey came m

or got out

At the .Supreme Court this morning, at a bankruptcy siding, an order of discharge was granted in re Henry Wildino-, : , bankrupt, on the application of\vfr Brookfield. There was no opposition on the part of the Official

' The Devonport Borough Council meets io-raorrow night. The May or (Mr M. Niceol) will move * Hint a. committee of the Council go into the matter of reforming the by-lawb of Hie Borough of Devonport. Cr. LanHOn will move '"That the removal of Ihell and sand from Cheltenham Beach be prohibited."

A fire on Saturday night destroyed the barn and stables of MrW.Dovmoa, Uirkenhead. Mr Charles Downes, (son of the owner, fed the horse at 9.1.) p.m leaving the stables apparently -afe but an hour after he found the building on lire. The horse was got out, but everything else was destroyed The insurance on the stable was £35 in the Royal, while the value of the building was C r>o. Hay, harness, etc., to the value of about £18 were destroyed.

In a note on the increase iv vhe number of suicides, the "Church Chronicle." which is the official organ for the Anglican diocese of Wellington, says: "It is urged that a strict observance by the clergy of the Rubric as to liio burial of suicides, irrespective of ihe verdicts of coroners' juries, would have considerable effect in deepening the sense of the guilt of ihe act and changing its frequency. The matter is one of great perplexity, and it. is plain that any clergyman endeavouring to carry out this direction, unless justified by some fresh pronouncement of high authority, would place himself in a position not only painful io himself, but questionably defensible.'"

A resident of Collingwood, Mr Thomas J. Crush, was (says the Gisborne ''Herald") awakened the oilier morn till? by a burglar trying lo get in at his iK'droom window.. Tlie enterprising vis.H:v. failed to free tin 5 catch, however, ami retired to the back door, where, by the aid of a dark lantern, he busily set. to work to unfasten the laich. Mr Crush has been visited before, and keeps a revolver now. With the weapon fully loaded, he crept along the passage towards the back door, but in his excitement he pressed the trigger and the revolver went off, the bullet passingthrough his left hand. The burglar did not fail to take the warning-.

Mr H. Parata, son of Mr T. Parata, the Soul hern Maori M.H.R., has been working very energetically in connection with the accommodation in Auckland Of the Maoris returning from Kotorua. and shipping them ofr to their homes. His task has kept him at work night and day. During the last week he has got some 1300 natives shipped off home from this city, and is now seeing to the transport of the remainder.

Cambridge experienced a "white squall" on Friday morning, accompanied by heavy hail and rain. Several trees were uprooted, and in some places the roads were flooded, but that was the extent of the damage.

A 1 eight o'clock this evening Mr F. 0, Ewington will deliver a lecture at the Auckland Institute on "Brains v. Muscle in the Production of Wealth." The meeting will be open to the public. The subject should draw a large audience and evoke a good discussion. An incident which caused a little excitement happened at New Brighton on Sunday afternoon (says the Wanganui "Herald" of June 21). A man was driving a horse with bad knees, when a well-known Christchurch bank clerk objected to his treatment of the animal and refused to let the man proceed. The driver thereupon got put of the cart and an affair of fisticuffs, in which he fared somewhat the worse of the two, took pilace. At this stage, howelver, a policeman intervened, and getting into the cart drove away to town with the man in charge, greatly to the amusement of the onlookers.

Tliti alterations 1o tlie General Post Office are now about completed, and have greatly added to the convenience of that establishment. Persons merely wishing to post letters are now saved from walking up steps to do so, while those who have occasion to go to the counter for stamps do not now require to walk outside again to post letters, etc., as a box is provided inside. The main entrance has been removed from the centre of the frontage' to the upper end,..and this gives access to the telegraph, postal and Savings Bank counters. The old slippery dressed stone steps will not be regretted, as the few to be mounted now are oi quite a different style. By making the main entrance higher up RhorHand-street less steps are "now required.

Mrs Macdonald, advance agent for Musgrove's Grand Opera Company, who open at Auckland on July 15th. arrived here on Saturday. Mrs Macdonald is the widow of the late Mr Geo. Macdonald, well known in New Zealand in connection with other theatrical companies.

The prospectus of the Northern Wairoa Steamship Company, Limited, appears in another column. The company is to have a capital of £25,000, in shares of £1 each. The whole of the shares are offered-to the public on terms of 2/G on application, 2/G on allotment and the balance in cash as required, but not exceeding 2/0 per month. The company is being formed for the trade between Helensville, wav ports and Dargaville, and Dargaville and Tangiterona, Mr Fred. F. Day Dargaville, is secretary pro tern.

\t the, meeting of ii^o Harbour Board next week the business to be dealt with is of more than usual importance, as tenders for the Admiral's [-louse wiil be opened and applications for position of engineer for launch Kuaka considered. In addition Mr Cozens is lo move.—"That the Works and Tariff and Finance and Legal Committees be discharged, and that in future the Board meet in committee, as a whole, open to the press." Mr Witheford is to move: "That the offices of the Board be re-arranged, and the official staff re-organised."

What might have proved a very serious accident happened at Aratapu on Saturday week. A couple of boys were driving in a sulky down Heawa Road, when some horses were being driven to the paddock. The g-allop-in<r horses came into direct collision with the sulky, the body of which was completely knocked away, and the harnessed horse bolted with the shaft h righi down to the river, around Hie hotel, on to the coal yards. Fortunaicly the boys suffered little harm beyond the shock.

A con firnuit inn service was held vesterdnv at the Church of the Holy HcfsuieiuV. where the most Rev. the Primate, Hishop Cowie, confirmed eleven adiiH candidates (four men and seven women). The Primate during the service, gave an appropriate address lo Lho candidates.

The second of the series of popular

winter concerts so successfully inaugurated by Mr and Mrs Hamilton Hodges will'he riven in the Choral Hall ou Thursday next. As usual the public may look for a programme of !/ood music, whon the names of such talented singers are announced. Mrs E. 11. Qiieree, -Miss A. Schmidt, and Mr C. i. PI inner are assisting Mr and Mrs Hodges in this concert. The box plan is open at Wildnian and Lyell's.

A 1 St. David's Presbyterian Church yesterday morning .Messrs Hugh Black. .). McKen/Je, J. Dick, and J. Robertson were inducted as elders of the church. Messrs Dick and Robertson not having previously held office were ordained a.s well as inducted. .Special hymns and psalms appropriate to the occasion were sung. The .(.Jew Gray Dixon, M.A., inducted the elders, and gave an interesting address on "Elders of the Church." After the ordination and induction of the elders Mr Dixon gave an address io them, and also spoke to the congregation on the subject of their duties towards the elders.

The Auckland Cycle Roads League to-night entertain M.'sH.R. of the Auckland province at a supper and concert at"the Auckland Chess Club rooms. In the House of Commons on May 7th Sir John Gorst introduced the new Education Bill. He explained that it was proposed that every coun-

:•!! in every county and county borough should be made an educational

committee. Xon-members of the council won 1!! be elected on the corunvittee. which would have no power of rating', financial control resting- entirely with the county council. The local taxation money would be available tor education of every kind. The rate to be levied was not to exceed twopence per pound. The powers of the school board in the matter of rating were left absolutely untouched, and elementary education conlimies under the management of the boards. The bill gave no directions as to the objects on which the education committee is to spend its funds: That was left entirely, with certain exceptions, to the discretion of the local authority. In non-county boroughs and urban districts the councils would have the power of becoming1 managers of the schools in their own areas, and retain the privilege of levying a rate for technical instruction. The Technical Instruction Act would be embodied in the Bill. 'The transfer of the powers of school boards to the new authorities would be a matter for future legislation.

Mr Charles Hudson, for some years pasi Assistant General Manager of Railways in New Zealand, left the colony on Saturday to assume the duties of general manager of the Tasxnanian railways. Mr Hudson bade farewell to the officers of the Railway Department on Thursday afternoon, when

speeches oi' a eulogistic 'character were made by the heads of the various branches of the .service. "Replying, Mr Hudson said: "Since the railway system was inaugurated in New Zealand, they have been controlled .by noble men. men who have exerted an infill mice on all who have been associated with and who have succeeded them. J refer you to such names as Blaclcett, Maxwell, Hannay, McKerrow. and your present general manager. lam not surprised that staffs with which they surrounded themselves have proved themselves unsullied men and good men. Wherever you go, in Australia, or elsewhere, you (hear the same thing. Tt is said of the New Zealand railway staff: 'What good men they must be to.work those railways without accident, wider the most d ifficult conditions, and without tools practically." You as railway men know what 1 mean. We have had to struggle, for years without proper appliances, and have done work which no sta.ff not exceptionally capable and public-spirited could have accomplished. J very much regret to leave you all; very much indeed. If it were not for my sense of a higher duty to those dependent upon me,«l would not go at all; but it is my duty, therefore 1 am going. I thank jon all for your friendship and goodwill during all these years, and for your kindness and good words." (Loud applause.)1"

In connection with the Otahuhu Band of Hope a very enjoyable evening was spent on Thursday in the Otahuhu Wesleyan Church. *The programme was given by the Mangere Band of Hope, Mr. Watkinson taking the chair. A very interesting address was given by Mr. Allen. "The programme consisted of part songs, quartettes, recitations, solos and a dialogue by two young- men. A part song, "Our Temperance Coastguards." by seven little girls, was very well rendered and encored.

Up with the lark—Up-to-date Austrian bentwood chairs now selling, only 4/11; job line to clear. —Tonson Gar'lick Coy.—(Ad.)

For this week —To clear quickly, coal vases selling1 at 0/6 and S/6; wonderful value —Tonson Garlick Co., Ltd. (Ad.)

Geo. Powlds offers 500 pairs of boys' tweed knickers from 1/11; these are Al value and worth double. —Ad.