TOWN EDITION

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 10141, 30 August 1904, Page 3

TOWN EDITION

Mr J. M. Wilson, the American avlio is at present lecturing on Socialism m the chief centres of this colony, says : "I have seen more drunken men m Wellington and Auckland than I have ever seen m New York." It is a. well-known fact that American employers rigidly enforce sobriety on the part of their employees.

Captain J. Thomson, of the Roth Steam Navigation Company's steamer Louise Roth, which left Timaru last Tuesday for the Bluff, with some 14,000 sacks of grain for South African ports, informed a Timaru Post reporter that the Timaru harbor was now looked upon as a thoroughly safe one, and from his own experiences of it he must add his quota, of praise. "You have the best hawsers and most up-to-date means of mooring a vessel to your wharves that I have seen anywhere m the world l ," he added.

The astounding amount of 25 tons of "literature" has been forwarded by the State of California to the St. Louis Exposition — 15 tons of it m one train load — writes an American correspondent. What California needs to-day is populntion, and all the big cities of the State are engaged m an active advertising campaign, trying to attract settlers from what the people of the Golden State are fond of calling "the effete East." Tlie distribution of all this literature concerning tlie wealth and 1 resources of California is one development of tlie advertising scheme. Twenty-five tons of wading matter means that a round million of pamphlets l^gaiding California are now m St. Louis.

The story is current that m order to defray the travelling expenses of a, deputation which proceeded to Wellington recently to lay before the Government the necessity of more vigorously prosecuting a certain public work m North Canterbury, the settlers m the district subscribed, according to their means, to a. fund for the purpose indicated. The deputation, though unaware of the total amount collected, started and completed their task m a light-hearted manner, with m^nds at ease regarding expenses. They returned and. sent m their claims to the treasurer of the fundl, and the allegation is that m no case was the bill for expenses under £10 m respect to any member of the deputation. In one case, a deputationist who had the misfortune to lo.ve two sheep by death during his absence cheerfully included their value m his claim. And the total amount subscribed was something between three and five poundfe !

Mr Watkin Mills, now touring Nzw Zealand, is justly regarded as the leading basso on the English conceit platform to-day. He hails from Painswick, m Gloucester, and gained) his first experience as a boy chorister m a local congregational 1 choir. When only 20 years of age he sang the baritone solos m "The Messiah"' m Gloucester. He became a pupil of the famous Samuel Sebastian Wesley, and for some years sang as basso at Wells Cathedral; then he received lessons from Mr Edwin, Holland m London, and later on from Blasco m Milan. On returning to England he joined the Carl Rosa Opera Company, but m 1885 decided to devote himself entirely to concert and oratorio work. Mr Watkin Mills has played a leading part m all the great oratorio festivals m England for years, and has also gained a high reputation m America. He is nearly 6ft m height, of robust presence and resonant voice. He was the first singer to give vocal recitals m Canada, and' has made several successful tours m that country. On one of these visits he sang 103 songs m live consecutive nights, a feat impossible to one of less robust physique. The singing of the distinguished 1 basso, both m oratorio and balladb, was a rare treat tv Wellington audiences. His method is notable for its ease and grace; his style of voice production is perfect, and his control 1 of breath astonishing.