Greymouth Evening Star, AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE WEDNESDAY MARCH 27th 1907. THE TIME TABLE.

Greymouth Evening Star, 27 March 1907, Page 2

Greymouth Evening Star, AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE WEDNESDAY MARCH 27th 1907. THE TIME TABLE.

The Hon Hall-Jones has once again disregarded the ui'gent requirements of this district and agreed to extend the absurd railway time table on the Westland section. This has been done, so we are informed by the Hoki(ika Guardian in answer to a request by Mr Seddon M. H. R., the plea put forth being that the three-trains a week through connection service from the East Coast would continue to run into Hokitika during the month of April, thus covering the Easter and close of the Exhibition traffic. For live months the whole district has been inconvenienced and traffic disai'ranged to suit the Exhibition, and now we are to have a continuation for another month. The utter disregard that the Government of the day has shown for the necessities of the district is becoming so manifest that we should not be surprised if the constituency is distinctly hostile to the Minister a next election. Had the acting Premier shown any desire to' study the interest of the electorate he could very easily have met the difficulty, and yet maintained the service to the much boomed .Canterbury show, by reducing the time on the road and railway. In a previous issue we showed clearly where the journey could be shortened by four hours. As a proof of our contention we need only mention that last Saturday's train from Otira to Greymouth being late in starting had no trouble in cutting down the time between the two places by forty-five minutes. At the various stai-ting places nearly three hours are absolutely wasted. The road from Broken River to Otira is now in excellent order and the fortytwo miles should be easily traversed !n five hours. The Christchurch to Broken River and Otira to Greymouth should be done in four and a half hours. Mr Hall-Jones, however, as evidence of his disregard of Mr Guinness' requests, and the requirements of the district, has not {bought this matte* Worthy of eousidcstvti'iMi

NOTES AND COMMENTS. Sm Alexander Swettenham, whose action in declining the assistance of the United States naval forces in Jam aica at the time of the recent earthquake caused such stir, has rendered good service in many parts of the Empire, including Cyprus and the Straits Settlement. British Guiana provided him with his first Governorship, and his arrival there on Christmas Day 1901 was an event destined to be fraught with unpleasant consequences to any incapable members of I.lie local Civil Service, who quickly came to regard their new chief as something of a terror. Sir Alexander proved himself, however, not merely a strict disciplinarian, but a strong man in other ways, and suffered in consequence from not a little of ihe unpopularity which is generally the portion of such natures. Arriving at a period when the colony's finances were in a by no means exhilarating condition, he took at once a firm grasp of the situation, and when, in due course, thanks in no little measure to his administration, an improve nient in the colony's outlook was effected, even his critics had to recognise the beneficial results which had attended his rule. Among other things, .Sir Alexander accomplished some useful exploring work in the interior of the "Sugar and Hum" colony being accompanied on one of his hazardous trips which extended nearly to the Brazilian frontier, by Dr Parry, ihe distinguished Bishop of Guiana From British Guiana he went straight to Jamaica, without taking any holiday, and there he has worked with equal energy and firmness of purpose.

A cursory glance at the calander of the Universities will show how deep a ! mark the colonies are making upon the ancient seats of learning. Last ■ term the announcement was made of the brilliant success scored at Oxford by the Rhodes scholars. After the minimum period of residence an Australian took a "first" in the law finals While an Australian captured the Vinerian Law Scholarship which 11 years ago fell to Mr F.E. Smith, M.P Not to be out done, a representative ot Canada entered and won the Ireland scholarship founded "for the pro motion of classical learning and taste." Now it is New Zealand's turn. The Professor of Physics at Ihe University of Manchester, held by Dr Arthur Schuster F.R.S.,becoming vacant, the appointment has fallen to Mr Earnest Rutherford, whose first Alma Mater was the University of New Zealand. An old Cambridge man, ■ ;,Mr Rutherford worked under Professor J. S. Thomson, of Trinity, at the Cavendish Lab oratory. Ten years - ago he was awarded his B. A. degree at Cambridge for excellence in research work and the Coutts Trotter scholarship. Since then ho has found time to teach at the M'Gill University, Montreal, and to become one of our leading authorities on radio activity.

Once again has the War Office delighted its sternest critics by a truly Oilbertian piece of folly. It appears that an unoffending officer awoke at Aldershot one morning to find miniature mountains of gravel deposited in his near neighbourhood, and a traction engine with trucks working with ponderous energy to still further obscure the sky-line by depositing more The astonished officer, after convincing himself that he really was awake, and not. a resusciatcd Rip Van Wink--1.-, instituted inquiries, which ended with the discovery that the collection cf earth and stones had been sent by order of the War Office on an indent dated 1856. It appears that when the War Office was removing from Pall -Mali to its present quarters a clerk found the indent stuffed away in a pigeon hole, and, without examining the date, sent it on to the eontractors for the execution of the order One wonders if there is alive to-day :-i man who will now retract with deep contrition the imprecations utter ed against the War Office for forgetfulness 50 years ago At any rate it is said that new hope is stirring in rhe hearts of old Crimean and Indian Mutiny heroes who submitted claims for pay and pensions at the close of these campaigns. Every one, however, hopes nothing worse will be elicited from these mysterious pigeon holes—indents for worse editions of the Brodrick cap, for instance. Army officials who may be likely to require any stores about the beginning of the next century should submit indents without delay.