CURRENT TOPICS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7023, 11 January 1910, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS

THE END OF UNLICENSED RACING.

After the end of March it will bo tmpossiblo to hold, a raco meeting in New Zealand under such conditions as would cause . a repetition of the lively scenes witnessed at the Miramar pony meeting; on Saturday. Race meetings, on and after April Ist, will only be permitted under the control of a racing club licensed to use the totalisator. It rests entirely with the Minister of Internal Affairs to, grant or withold a permit, and all horse-racing which takes place otherwise than in ronformity with these conditions is declared illegal. Persons who permit, authorise, or conduct an unlicensed meeting will be liable to a fine not exceeding £SO or three months' imprisonment, and even the spectators will mill a similar risk of forfeiting •their money or their liberty to the law. If the offence is committed by a collection of persons, whether an. incorporated body or otherwise, the collective penalty to which they are .'liable is £2OO. "Horse raco includes a trotting race," states the Act. LORD KITCHENER AND THE POLICE. Lord Kitchener's successes in the field have been oredited to his faculty for mastering detail, arid it is' interesting to record an incident which tends to prove that Lord Kitchener takes a keen interest in minor matters (connected with the army. It was during his visit to Shanghai recently, M'hilst waiting at the ' saluting base for, the volunteers to march past that the, Field-Marshal noticed two or three /jf the English members of tihe police force who wore engaged in kooping the spectators back, wearing South African war medals. Lord Kitchener vode across to wihere they wcro standing. "What engagements did you tako 'part-in?" ho asked. The policeman' titood a.t attention. "At Maggorrfontein," he replied. "And you?" said Lord Kitchener to his comrade. "At Ladysmith," came the answer. _ 'Tm pleased to have seen.' you," _ said tlie visiting officer, as, returning their salutes, he wheeled his horse back to the base. The incident passed almost unnoticed, but the .policemen who had been the objects of tho Field-Mar-shal's attention were more than gratified by his questions and his parting remark. RETTTER'S. Reviewing the half-century's work of Mr H. M. Collins, who is retiring from the Australian management of Reuter's, the Melbourne "Argus" says: "Tho list of wars with which Reuter's Agency has been, called upon to deal with professionally during Mr Oollins's connection with tho business is a long one. In addition to the American war, it includes tho Danish war of 1801, the Austro-Prussian war of 1866 (in which the needle gun was first employed by the victors), the expedition to Abyssinia under Sir Robert Napier, tho first and second Ashantec campaigns, the Franco-Prussian war of 1870. in which Paris was taken, and tho unification of Germany brought, about; the Russo-Turkish war of 18778, the Gordon relief expedition, the Turco-Grecian war, Majuba, the Afghan war, where Lord Roberts made his name; tho Cbino-Japanese war, tho Boer war, and the Russo-Japane.se war, to say nothing of innumerable rebellions and uprisings. The campaign with which Mr Collins was more directly connected was that of tho Boer war. He was inspecting the company's South African branches in 1890. and was in Bloomfontein during the conference between Sir Alfred Miluer and President Kruger. Mr Collins made a coup on the conference proceedings. When hostilities commenced he was

entrusted with the task of organising Router's war services. The staff of. correspondents consisted of thirty-seven . at. the beginning, and increased to' 101. Several of the men were in tho Boer camps. It was to Mr Collins's' organisation that Renter owed its' Mafeking A Boor correspondent obtained tho news of tho relief. It unaccountably got past tho: Boer censor, and was hurried, via Lorenzo-Marques to London. ThoLondon office sent it immcdiately-to ; the Queen, the Prince of Wales. Lord; Salisbury, and other officials, and with- j in an hour of its receipt th© evening i journals had it out in tho streets. < Then tho nation "mafficked." It was i not until sixty hours afterwards that' tho news was officially confirmed. RAILWAY SUPERANNUATION. The quarterly meeting of the Rail- . way Superannuation Board took place yesterday, the General Manager of ; Railways, Mr T. R-onayne, presiding, i in the absenco of the Minister of Railways. Ordinary retiring allowances wore granted to twenty-one contribu- i tors, involving an annual charge of ; £1297, and annual allowances ,to nine ■ widows and sixteen children were au- ! thorised, the additional liability tihus ; imposed on tho fund being £370. To ninety members who had left the sex- ' vico before reaching tho retirement j age, refunds of contributions were : made totalling £1475, and tho legal ] representatives of a superannuated : deceased member wore voted £24 Cs | 6d, being the difference between his j contributions and tho amount he had , received. from tho fund. ! LIGHT FOR JOHNSONVILLE. i Johnsanville residents, whose faith j in tho early displacement of the dense j gloom which they have come to_ look J upon as tho inevitable accompaniment j of moonless nights has been somewhat i shaken of late, will bo relieved to j hoar that the syndicate to whom they have delegated the task of lighting their darkness is getting to work in, earnest, and expects soon to have tho installation of tho plant in train. Negotiations have been practically concluded for tho purchase of a site in a central position, and on this, if tho deal be concluded, is to be laid down a producer gas plant of the latest model for supplying tho power for tlio generating machinery. The syndicate (Norman Heath and Co.) was in negotiation with the Wellington City Council for the supply of the electricity required, but the terms offered (7d per unit and £SOO for laying tlio oahle to the town district boundary) wore deemed to be prohibitive, and it was resolved- to adhere to the original programme and generate tho electricity on the ground. Tho district over which the syndicate will distribute light is, roughly, a.square mile in area. An option is held over gas as well as electricity rights, and as the City Council's gas mains are laid to within a comparatively short distance of the township it is 'on tho cards that the syndicate will riusli tho gas business, at any rate for cooking purposes, as soon as tho light is installed. It is hoped to have every-; tiling in working order beforo the end of June. The hitch which resulted, owing to legal formalities not having been complied with, in tho dropping of the special enabling Bill submitted recently to Parliament, produced some temporary embarrassment, but the syndicate's legal advisers assuro it that tho legislation will be equally effective if passed next session, and that there is no legal obstacle to its relying on the authority conveyed by its agreement with the Town Board and proceeding to carry out the work. LAWS OF RUGBY. The New Zealand Ilugby Union will be represented by Messrs George Fache, G. H. Mason (Christcihurch), and George Dixon (Wellington), at tho Intercolonial Conference to be held in Sydney this month to consider proposed alterations in the laws of tlia game. A meeting of the union was held last night to formulate instructions for the delegates. A Press Association telegram states that the appointment of these delegates has caused a great, deal of dissatisfaction in Dunedin, as it is contended that they are averse to any. amendment in tho rules. It is considered that as Otago and Auckland were prime movers in the matter of altering tho rules they should have representatives at tho conference. It is possible that a special meeting of the Otago.Rugby Union Committee will be held to discuss the situation. WHITE CROSS LECTURES. Tho Bishop of Gippsland; has invited Mr R. H. W. Bligh to lecture in hia diocese. Mr Bligh was a. passenger by the Kyarra from Albany. He has just completed a successful tour of West Australia. Tho Education Department opened tho schools, and a free railway ipass was extended to him. The following is extracted from <a letter signed by tho Inspector-General of Schools, .and dated Perth, December 17th:— "Mr R. H. W. Bligh has given lectures ion sexual pliysiology in the State Isohools throughout West Australia. I 'believe the lectures havo been productive of mucth good. They havo been generally weloomed by schoolmasters ■and parents." ;v "GREAT SCOTT!" * Scott was the central figure in th* snatch, between New South Wales and Queensland on the Sydney Cricket 'Ground yesterday (says the Sydney "Telegraph.") He is tho fast bowler Ifrom Petersham. He . has not the - physique of a fast bowler. One and a half of him would make a Cotter, two a Jones, and .three a Richardson. Consequently he is something of a surprise packet. You don't expect pannon balls from pop guns. He takes a long run, starting with his head on a level with Ids knees. He has a high; delivery, and consequently oven on a good wicket he makes the ball coma head hii*h.- _ His achievements in eight overs in order wore:—He hit Hartigan on the ann, and -tie ball dropping down struck the wicket. He hit Thomson under the heart, and the (batsman after rolling over and over on the turf several minutes in agony, had to retire. He hit Redgrave on the thigh, and the game was neld up for some-time until tlie_ batsman returned [to the batting again. Ho dislocated isvieketkeepor Harvey's middle, finger of the left hand, and Goddard had to tako tho gloves while Hb,rvoy sought modioal attention. He struck Fletcher on tho funny-bone and_ the crowd iaugliod delightedly white the batsman did a sort of polka mazurka round the wicket. Scott eased off after bowling four overs, but at his top accumulated a great deal of pacenot as fast as Cotter at his best, but proba-blr faster than anyone else in Australia.