HASTINGS.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 9292, 20 July 1901, Page 8

HASTINGS.

[OWN CORBESPONDENT.]

The question of a water supply in, and •will be for a long time, a most important one in Hastings. It will, however, be difficult to arouse the interest of the ratepayers in the matter, for the reason, principally, that a very large proportion of them have good supplies of their own from artesian wells. The public meeting which will shortly be held at the theatre -will have no leqai force, but simply be a guide to the Borough Council. Before a poll of the ratepayers can be taken engineers will have to be consulted and a definite scheme propounded. It is considered by those competent to judge that the preliminaries alone for a poll to obtain the assent of the ratepayers for a loan of £30,000 would cost at least £400. During last year a sort of plebiscite" was taken of all the ratepayers in a ■central area for assent for a much smaller loan, something like £1300. This re*3 :ived but few signatures. A private speculator offers to supply up to 80,000 gallons of water per day by means of the natural supply of artesian water. besides a sufficient supply for fire prevention, he estimates beiDg able to supply 160 gallons to 500 houses daily. Ho jolers to do this for a bonus on completion of pumpiog plant, et3., of. £300, and a uncthing like £200 a year for working expenses. The proposition is not likely to be taken seriously. .Even if it were a large loan would be nepessary for fiiping and connections. No doubt; the ullest information will be given at the next meeting of the Borough Council.

At a recent meeting of the Hastings Borough Council the question of Sunday concerts was brought up by the Mayor. Hβ said that it was very inconvenient to have to get a quorum of the ■Council to consider applications for these, and he therefore suggested that a sub-committee should be set up with full power to act. This was done. Yesrerday an application was made for a Sun day concert at the Princess Theatre, ami the programme w&s submitted. The application was refusfd, on the ground i 4>hafc the committee had reaolved not to ! grant any permits for Sunday concerts unless organised in aid of local charities. Trooper Home, B Squadron Fifth Contingent, who was one of the last batch of returned troopers, informs me that he saw a son of Captain Russell, M.H.R., while on the road to the coast to embark lor New Zealand. This was Lieutenant Philip Rusaell. He saw him at FrederickBtad, between Clarkson'a and Johannes■fcurg, going to rejoin hi 3 column at Clarkson's. Lieutenant Russell enquired •if any Bawke'e Bay men were present, jtnd was highly delighted to find several, jiot only from Hawke's , Bay, but even tfrom Hastings. He had a long chat With fchn HastiDgs men, and when the I'ifth left they gave Lieutenant Russell some hearty che'ere. Trooper Horn« was nnder Lord Methuen, abd .says that the men almost worship the ground jjhat the General walks on. He was j&lways anxious about the comfort of the soldiers under his command,-- and woulcj order the men double rations and extra rest after hard marching and fighting - whenever the exigencies of the service permitted it.-