FROM OTHER PAPERS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 160, 31 March 1908, Page 4

FROM OTHER PAPERS.

•— At the opening of the Early Settlers' Hall on Anniversary-Day the Bev. Mr. Ohisholm, in illustrating the pluck and-hardihood of the wdmeu pioneers of Otago, mentioned tho caso. of a woman who, rather than trust ,hersolf'and Iter'children to the eccentricities of a .drunken drivef, walked from. West Taiori' to tho Dunstan, carrying a baby in her whilst a, child' clung at each-side of her skirts. Although that was a, story of a'happening of nearly 50 years ago (says' tho "Otago Daily Times"), it must'not be supposed that the same spirit of pluck doos' not exist at, tho present tinic. An instance has recently come under' our noticc. Awav .oil;a that leads over'a.spur of Mount 1 ','Aspiring, in tlio scenic fastnesses ( 'of Northwest Otago, -lives a roadman with his wife ahd family. . Ono of the children one night took it into, its ; head .to oat some .wax matches/ . The child did not develop sorious symptoms, but the mother—her, husband being - away_ at tho of the, -uiorst, ! in her love • for .. her "little one, ' - went ' out ' ftnd trudged ' . five 'miles:' over the piss' , in"' order ■to catch a horse.' He was'/£"'sbrry,'b'rut6 at' _bost, but ho was brought back to the house, and in the early , hours ofjthe morning the /bravo woman'■ set out for Pembroke. /Tho 'track was rough and muddy,, and only- a few. wiles after starting the horse gave out, and collapsed. .Nothing daunted, tho. mother ■took the child in her arms and courageously : tackled on foot tlio long aiid weary.way that ■lay between her and medical aid for her little, one. .Between 2 and 3 o'clock next morning' Sho reached Cattle Flat, about 20 miles from. Pembroke. . Making'her trouble known l to ■the owner of,-Cattle Flat Station, that gentleman, at once .harnessed np.'-his -buggy .' and , drovo' tho, mother and 'child into Pembroke, inodical aid was/at 03ic6',forthcoming, and all danger to> the child averted. Medals .w\,n°t;giycnfor such acts, of brav.ol7,!and, •; 11 7"' ero " , 10 ac^s themselves vwotiM bn robbed of one-half of tlio charm of lovo and clcvotioii that surrounds.tlieb.- . •

/.: T ' le „ decision of the' Paiiriprston 'butchers to-.follow tho lead 'of .tho,.'bakers' '.and.'wood' and coaL merchants,'"and .'to begin to trade after May/1,, is significant of: tho rapid; spread of tlio movement/(says the -..Manawatu.-Daily Times ")/ A'cash.or coupon - basis; iiriust revolutipiiiso'the /whole: conditions■ of;tr'ade/'' Tho."greatest;.modern' retail businesses /are/oil a strictly cash'basiS— tnat_. is tho : osserico. of' thp'/.lingo'/" dppirt--I'inent'. stores, ' that havo boon a "feature '/of ' American and / Australian';life—rind, / 'such /a; movement .pi'bgroSs :hero"is, but..'the' application t-o smuller concerns 'of principles; lyhich- havo been; so; Successful .iri; ihp,:jargbr. ■ones—though, it ' has 'to 'bd : !ilsp : remeriibored that, an /essential of : tlioso; 'great/businesses-', has .'becnythe /rapid'jturning.;byer/ of';goods. :.by . advertising - which .'worild:' horp, bo con:Sidored extraordinarily lavish, but which has .hwjn found to bo aii essential element;. /'Tho elimination of tho,bad debts, and stimulation or. cash , business -by clover' advertising,' dro : ■ tho . essentials of great shcee'ss' in imodcni retail; j business. / Other, ..business/ men have been, closely watching tho .'object lesson' of tho, bakers during the,month;. and 'that has demonstrated how- smoothly tho chaiigo can' .bo made./-1 T he . biilk; of,:householders' : already •prefer, tho bakers', coupons'to'tho-bid system. ' ,fhey enablo, thenv toyknofr jiiat: how;, they. :stand,/.-and -public ; opinion 'is ripening for further;- extension 'of a. 'mbyenibht' r'ii? which Palriierston, is leadiiig tlio Dominion."///

■..'ii'iOnp of Blenheim's richest' men ahd most prominent Capitalists ■ distinguished himsolf, ori tho excursion steamer returning- from Ship; Cove yesterday/ (says' the/ Marlbprough Herald"). Those -who worb'.riiaiiagexcursion jfiiiandirflly.;mado ,a ■ bed; rock charge./in 'collecting'' the,:expoiises from the oxcursionists, 011 _ the . roturn .voyage—2s. ,per "head 1 for tlio / trip; and: 2s. -.for the: luncheon served up 011 the beach—bitt when they canio to ■•tb.tal.'up tliey,fo.und.that they."woro. still 19s. Gd. short of tlie: cost of' chai-tcrin g' the - steamer : and .the catering./, It was . decided »to goround ''and colleot,, an shillings hbacl, /arid .' everyone 'cheerfully., respi.mdcd,';some giving' more, than they.'.'werP. as!l:dd for; but when 'the maii-.who./ could ibettei' -.afford than; anyone -. else to .■ put. his hand "into his pbckot.i was approached yho resentfully that, ho had .paid '.ljis four/shillings,-, ;aiid,lio'was darned if ho would pay a 'penny/, more. : " But/ don't you think' that' iri any caso five shillings, is little/enough 'for : a sea VQyago of/fifty i miles and' a luiiohedn thrown; m P." ' /No; ho 'did not; and so sonieono else;' :with; less worldly goo(!s, but'/richer far in public spirit, ' had to supply, the deficiency; Considering -tlio fact thit' .the- stoamer. had. been chartered Memorial 'Comf; mittPb i 'arid':t-h'at'' thb n'ch/inahi wa's, thoro by courtesy,,, arid; borisidering' the /fjactyvtppi;: that lib'could; not; see hi 3 way to cbritribiite" anything to ,tho'. Cook Memorial. Fririd,' his refusal /of ..the. misbrablo•'shilling''was, ~to say the: least of. it; not in the-best.'of,..taste; •With / such/;. laoltV' Pf. ypiiblic ■ .spirit 'and ;patriotism •'among: thoSo ,who /caiv bost, afford t6 display ,'thbsb qualitics'.is'it .tb'b6.w6ndbre;l at;:; that '• BlenheimY/iristitutions and;'; ambi-1 tioris lag behind? /: . . .'/: ,//.-'/-/ •■/;■ I

. ■ "Tho..young, braves:,of the Bla'okball strike, : who ,i'Uii: tiieii'. ..Uiiiori'. affairs / oii their: own dines..went out after', the, ponipahy's,scalps. Being-, blighted- iii,• that.a innocent , diversion /(says tho.. "Grey, Rivet /Argus")'' they metaphprically,,took tho'scalps .of- tho women .and /children..' / The first ,'striko pay was issued on "Saturday, and iva's . divided: . after this fashion:—the .wifo: and: childi'eri .wero 'allowed -oiie . pound,'.but -every , "comrade" socialist : and; trucker : wis /also, allowed.'£l.7 This is ono: of the, first practical . lessons; of /Socialism that this district has . been set'. .• Bread'and toa. aro good: enough, for A linfortunato. women and- children, tliough the money was given 'thorn/specially; ' biit: tho/ypung bloods ..who march, under:;.the: Fitzgerald banner- want ' beer arid things.;. That is'a samplo' of: their manliness. "'-If. is not unliko what took, placo at ! a. certain strike, in which eld ipen of. 05 and iyere kept on inerely fo£:past services).. we're; ordered out. -Of courso; they hud .to go., \ _,AVhen the striko oyer those with .yoiithloii' their side got ,-wotk again b ( iit t-lio place's of tho'bid men' kripw., tlioni 110'. more. /' ■ What- did th'b selfish young,bloods cafe ivho suffered so long as they did riot? That is the "sort'of "morality practised. by / the, Blackballors. Socialism and 'labdurism: mako. a disagreeable and - uriwholesomo mixture. '/ ; •/ ..

A' new'monthly periodical, called/'fFr.eedom," 1 will shortly, be .issued, locally (says the "Auckland' Star"). Its object is a crusado against bad habits. : As tlio organ of the Society ;for the Protebtion of Infant Lil'o it will have tho.patronage of her Excellency Lady Plunket, from whoso pen an al-ticlo'wiil appear in,-the first issue, 011 the benefits to be derived by tho establishment of branches in all centres throughout the Dominion. Mrs. Dr., Parkes, tlie ..cnergetic. secretary, of tlio Auckland .branch, ; will also coutribute'a practical paper on/t'ho metfioils; to' bo adopted 1 in establishing thosp/local eentres of activity. A . portrait,of; Lady Plunket'. arid ! hor''iiufant, ' will-appear^iri.'t-lio-.firsti-riumber;'-which.it is proposed/to publish' ab'bilt, -tho' middle of .April ■ ■':•'>/. ,-.;■'• .'■■/:- ■ •

Those ' ; who go to tho country in motors aro beconiiug uiipopiiliir with 'tho inspectors'/who declare. that. tho/.spced .destroys tho roads. According to; the "Otago/Daily 'Timbs" the inspector to the .Waikoiiaiti County Council has mado this the, subject of a, report. '■ Hp says: "The motor traffic 011 the Main road koops it rough. Tlio speed'. at which • thcoo vehioles travel draws all the small metal front tho ccntro of th'o 'foady aiid hanks it 'on the sidqs, 'Sonie motors slow down at tlio bridges,'":.bjnt" generally' tho fPrco/'of impact is calculated, to' 'ahakd things'up.'" An' interesting wager : between . . two prominent, tpwusmpn/was ,'dooidcd ydn' a' recent nftornoon '(says' tho ."Qisborno. Times") !■ Ono had purchased, a / now, bicyAle','/and,- never having".Seorii his friend,/'astrido / .a / pair of pnouniatio. tyres,; cohohidcd • it.-HvaK- safo. to hot the bicycle that lib'" could':'lipt ride it around Lowe Strcot 'and/'along Gladstone Road. / He was fortified in/his judgment bv the fact'that the cyclo iu,question was fitted with,a free wheel,, that' mysterious- lippendago;- that, has spelt,-'- disaster ~,to/ liihny a rider'.. • It seemed, as the.Aiiiericans put it liko "easy monoy,'' but his surprise -was to cPnie, ■ fis-' amidst, the ,laughter, bfyf. feiy ' onlookers the btlier party t-o the -wager mounted tho cycle-witl) tho'utmost -rionchalance, and despite gontPWlibt erratic . stooruig/ "aafely negotiated the j'ournoy, and rode off with his newly-acquired property.'.'- , /