PALMERSTON NOTES.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XV, Issue 4090, 16 November 1911, Page 6

PALMERSTON NOTES.

THE POLITICAL SITUATION. A SECOND BALLOT. (From our own Correspondent). We are now getting well into the political battle. Messrs William Thompson and Robert McNab (the former styling himself an Independent Oppositionist and the latter a follower of the present Government) have given a number of addresses. The former’s speeches are mainly remarkable for their caustic criticism of the methods of the Government, and especiall severe on Sir Joseph Ward. It is expected that Mr Thompson will take a few of Mr Buick’s votes and make a second ballot a certainty. Mr McNab’s Palmerston address was much on the lines of other Government supporters, and was principally devoted to defending 3iis party and “slanging” the Opposition. Mr Buick’s friends are very confident that they can again return him. They are perfectly satisfied with the manner in which he has acquitted himself in Parliament, whilst the very strong feeling against the Government and the desire for a change of administration will help very materially to place him at the top of the poll. Mr W. Milverton, the fourth candidate, opens, the ball this week, but he is not taken seriously. Mr Milverton, however, has some original ideas, and when addressing an audience his gestures and postures are very mirth provoking, and he is always pretty well assured of a large audience. So far as the contest has gone, it has been contested in the best of good temper, which it is hoped will be continued to the finish. MILITARY TRAINING. The Defence authorities are becoming active, and the young men who have registered under the regulations have been notified of the divisions to which they have been allotted and when they are to assemble to start their training. They are just beginning to realise that the matter is no joke, and that they will have to seriously undertake their responsibilities and become good citizen soldiers. Though, of course, we have a number of people in our community who do not favour compulsory military training, there has not been any serious opposition to the movement here. The head-quarters staff has settled down to its work, and the work of the department will be in full swing in the course of a few weeks. Now that decent quarters have been provided for our museum, where the exhibits can be fairly displayed, we find that we have got quite a decent collection. Mr Hamilton, curator of the AVellington Museum, has been giving us the benefit of his experience in setting out the curios in proper manner, and members of the local Philosophical Society greatly appreciate his help. The museum is now housed in the old Fire Brigade station (which has been shifted back to face Cuba street), and is well worth a visit from the curiously inclined. MEN’S SOCIAL CLUB. In the same building is also accommodated the Men’s Social Club. It may be remembered that a Palmerston lady, Miss Glendinning, was struck during the winter of 1910 with the number of men hanging about the streets in an apparently aimless manner, and the idea occurred to her that a room was required where they could meet and smoke and talk and enjoy a game of cards, etc., without having to comply with the usual silence and formal restrictions obtaining in a reading room. Miss Glendinning went into the matter enthusiastically and soon had a number or people interested, with the result that a new room was soon provided, furnished with papers and periodicals, contributed by friends, and the manner in which it was patronised showed that the want was there all right. In fact the demand on the accommodation became so great that it was found imperative to secure larger rooms, and these have been found in the building mentioned, the Borough C ouncil having granted their free li-o. An influential committee of, citizens has been set up to manage the duh, and from the small beginning set going by Miss Glendinning a flourishiVig men’s club is booming, and needless to sav, the lady has the gratitude of the whole of those interested for her thoughtfulness. THE WEATHER. Usually one is hard up for news when one turns to the weather for a subject to write aliout, but we have had such an awful bout of it lately that it is worth mentioning. It was extraordinary good luck that the show got through as it did, because :io sooner was this function over than there was a change for the worse, and since then we have had two thunderstorms, with deluges of rain, and worse than all, an almost continuous hurricane of wind. Gardens and orchards have suffered severely, arid all out-door work has been greatly, interfered with. SWIMMING BATHS. The matter of swimming baths for Palmerston has been engaging a. good deal of attention lately. The Borough Council has twice placed proposals to

raise loans to provide swimming baths before the ratepayers, but on each occasion they have been thrown out—defeated for reasons altogether apart from the merit of the proposals. It certainly is a disgrace that a town of this size should be without its swimming baths. There are considerably over 2000 children attending the schools in the town, and while everybody acknowledges the importance of teaching them to swim, yet we have no public baths. The Campbell street School •ommittee is moving in the matter and hope to raise sufficient funds to construct small baths in the school grounds, that the children can at any rate be taught to swim. The lamentable accident at Foxton and. the unfortunate drowning of the little boy Dupresne in a creek close to Palmerston a few days back, lias emphasised the desirableness of teaching the young how to swim.