CURRENT TOPICS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 8186, 30 July 1912, Page 6

CURRENT TOPICS

THE HIGH COMMISSIONER. Mr Massey trill make an. announcement to the House in reference to the High Commissionership to-morrow. It seems practically, certain that the Hon. Thomas Mackenzie will be, selected to represent New Zealand in London. TB ABO RAILWAY STATION. “There is a feeling in the country districts against large expenditure in the cities, while parts of the country are without railway facilities at all," said the Minister of Railways yesterday as he quietly turned down ,a deputation which asked for a large expenditure on facilities at the Te Aro end. Mr Herriea added that he had no intention of pulling up the line as long as he was Minister. He was not bold enough to display his departmental figures showing a weekly loss of .£loo—or J 25200 a year—in drawing empty carriages up and down the sea front. A really strong Minister, with the welfare of the country at heart—and having in view the necessity for economy which was so fervently preached by the “Reformers” a few months ago—would have startled the deputation with the information that ho intended to put a stop to the wasteful extravagance entailed in the Te Are service. We notice that Mr Leigh Hunt .quoted the engineer of the Harbor Board as being favourable to the Te Aro extension. It would be interesting for him to substantiate this statement. Meantime the “country districts" of which Mr Herries spoke so feelingly as “having no facilities at all," will be well employed in totalling up the loss which the railway makes at the rate of .£IOO per week over any period of years which they may think is likely to elapse before this queer make-shift of a service begins to show signs of paying even for axlegrease.

MUNICIPAL CONFERENCE SUMMARY. Several important matters were discussed at the Municipal Association’s Conference yesterday. A proposal to tar theatre tickets towards maintenance of hospitals and relief of distress was rejected. Tho conference affirmed that voting at local body elections should be in the same manner as voting at elections for the House of Representatives. Various opinions were expressed on a proposal to apply to local elections and polls the statutory regulations governing Parliamentary ©lections, and to secure measures for preventing molestation of electors by canvassing and touting. Some delegates thought the remit should be more explicit before being carried, and they scouted the ideas implied. The proposal was rejected by a small majority. The conference affirmed that valuable agricultural land should be preserved from destruction by mining operations. Several suggestions towards more strict regulation of motor traffic, in regard to speed, registration, and competency of drivers, were approved.

A proposal to extend the term of office for Mayors from one to two years was not approved, while suggestions that councillor# should choose a Mayor from their own number, and that councillors be elected for three years, were also rejected. The conference was unanimous* that Mayors' honoraria be <xempt from income tax. The Governor will visit tho conference to-day, and to-morrow afternoon delegates will be tho guests of his Excellency at Government House for tea. SXE JOSEPH AT AUCKLAND. At Auckland last night Sir JosepS Ward opened a new trades ball. Ho conjured up visions of a rocrudoscenb Liberal-Labor combination calculated to oust Conservatism at the next election. It is quite evident that Sir Joseph baa not been reading the signs of the times. His vision is a dream. ATHLETICS AND MUSIC. ‘So few young men go in for anything but athletics nowadays,” remarked Mr Robert Parker last night, at bis farewell presentation gathering, in lamenting tho fact that as the old singers departed theio were very few young ones coming for* ward to take their places. Ho added that although ho was the last man. to decry athletics, still tho young men seemed to eschew almost everything else. This was also becoming a crying evil lit England. It was very difficult to got men for choral work. Ho" thought tha young men missed a good deal of joy, at any rate after the period of athletic* ism had gone, for their lives became rather barren unless they bad something to take tho passions of their earlier days.