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Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10965, 7 May 1907, Page 2

The new Borough Council holds its first meeting this evening. Hie ' Charitable Aid Board meets at- 7 o'clock. Mr J. Peckover asks us to acknowledge receipt of 2s from Master Rennie Clare "for some poor Russian cliild." It will be sufficient to keep a child for one iiioiith; 25s 'will support- a life during the famine period. ' . The Lowe street approach to.the beach requires the attention of the "health authorities. Last week a terrier died on the bank, and after Saturday night's fresh in the Waimata river a dead sheep was cast, on the beach almost opposite the body of 'the dog; while yesterday afternoon a fish was 'swept pi 'arid died near tlie carcase of the sheep. The '"fish is mentioned to show the coincidence, but the dead animal, should be buried without delay. . Robert Austin, the young man who , yesterday pleaded guilty to a charge of theft of a saddle at Blenheim, valued at £4, appeared at the Police Court this morning for tlie report of the- probation officer. The Magistrate said that" the" report was favorable, and -lie woiUcl give accused the benefit .of the First Often* ' ders' Probation Act. Accused was ad-, mitted to probation for six months upon thc usual conditions, and uoon the special condition that he paid los, cost of re- ' placing aud -returning' the property to its 1 owner. ■ • Last evening a pleasant surprise was • sprung upon Mrs Townley, the esteemed ' wife of. his .Worship, the Slayor. A quiet ( social gathering of members of the family, in honor of Mrs Townley's seventieth , birthday., was in progress, when a depu- ' tation 'representing trie Fire Brigade, of j wliich Mr Townley has been Superintendent since its inception, and consisting of Messrs C. A. Nield and J. Thomson, xu\- ■ cspcctcdly waited upon the Mayoress and presented her with a handsome silver rose ' bowl, suitably inscribed, in commemora- j tion of the occasion. The presentation ] was made by Secretary Nield, who in a ' few happy words referred to the sterling J qualities possessed by the Superintendent j and his worthy helpmate. , The Borough .Council will haveoppor- t tunity this evening, at its first meeting 1 since the new by-laws were confirmed, of i rectifying the "mistake"/ that was made in c "regard to the definition of the boundaries i iof the brick area of the building regula- 1 lions. We would strongly urge that the i whole of the' : two most central business i blocks o'f the Jpvfn should" be brought nn- i dei-' tile brick building regulations^ and es- s pecialiy" Hie vvhole of the 1 : frontages to a Lowe and Peel' street! As a consequence i of the so-called error of^the Council; the s oecuniers of ,orie section in Lowe street are a rushing up a wood and iron structure, and J so long us the building by-laws are left j in their present unsatisfactory state others t Mill doubtless be tempted to put up cheap a structures in a portion of the town whero, \ beyond question, the buildings should be jv i substantial and fireproof. -f

A farewell social is to be held at the Salvation Army barracks this evening. ; The opening of the hockey season has been postponed till the 16th inst. owing to -the ground not being ready yet. ] If tliere is one port in New Zealandwell titled to 'be .the export port of the colony, said the Hon. W. Hall-Jones, at i Timaru, it is .undoubtedly Timaru. I The Taranaki Herald says: "Mr Day, ' stationmaster at Hawera, leaves on Monday next for Gisborne. We congratulate : him on his appointment to what is regarded in the service as 'one of the plums.' " It is estimated that Canada will require from . 50,000 to 60,000 men in railway \ I building operations as soon as th© spring ' opens. Most of these must be obtained I from other countries. _^ Permits for the erection of new buildings to the vahe of £60,000 were granted ' in Timaru last year. And this year lhe number of applications for such permits shows no sigh of diminution. I Mr J. A. Gilruth, Government .Veterinarian, has lately returned to London from Paris, where he has been assiduously studying at the Pasteur Institute and other of the leading French institutions a number of subjects germane ,to his official functions. 1 'Vibe British workman is still the best in the world,"^ declared Mr John Burns at the Battersea Polytechnic prize distribution. "He is more solid in his work, more substantial in his methods, and more honest in the quality of what he turns out tlian those of other countries.*' ' Private information has been received at . Christchurch to the effect tliat Captain Scott, tlie leader of the Discovery Antarctic expedition, is organising another one to tliip, South Pole. It is expected to : leave .England next vear. Lieut. Shackel. ton, it was recently announced, is to lead another expedition in the same direction. Messrs F. Gaudin arid Co. are opening in the land and estate and insurance business next t week. Owners throughout the district are requested to forward particulars of suitable properties' for side. The • (Xmuany^have secured th"e v old Library building^ne* offices, and alterations are now under >wav- '>. ._— ;•; ~^~- —^___ TJieV Mount, Cbok .■'•'' mojor-car service, which; was-instituted this season, has prov,ed an unqualified success. It closed down at the end of April, and though the; full f returns are not yet available, 308 passengers had been Carried up to- the end of March, representing the traffic for Sjre months. Tlie previous largest number of | passengers was 178 for a full six montlis' season. ■ . The heavy rain last week prevented many people residing. far from town froni coming in to hear the Besses o' th'' Barn ' Band, .but a number , ,cia'ime in specially from Nuhaka pn the one sid^e iind Waipiro .on tlie oth®r; N and also from ais far'' back, as Motu.. By- way .of Contrast .it mayt.be mentioned tliat sgnie townspeople *were not ... tempted to igo."vSome musical ••enthusiasts. ';. who came from a. long distance have remained ; town • fdr tlie Blanche Arral concerts';*" At Mr DeLautour's suggestion, the seoi retafy of the Technical School Committee, Mr W. Morgan, sent the following? , telegram to the secretary to his Excellency the Governor: "The Gisborne High School Board respectfully ask that,: on his visit to Gisborne, liis Excellency the Governor will be pleased to pay a visit to our Teclmical School." The* following reply was received to-day : "The Governor will be pleased to visit the Technical School if time permits. Please consult the Mayor about arrangements." ' We have received from the Minister of Education: early, dopies of the School Journal which is shortly to be issued by the Education Department. Ilie issue is divided into three . parts, Noi 1 for classes 1 and 2, No. 2 for classes'3 and 4, and No. 3 for classes 5 and 6. Tlie matter appears to be.. well selected,.. and should furnish a pleasant variation from that given in, the school . readers ordinarily, in use. •' Part 3 of the first issue lias interesting articles on Pelorus Jack, Empire Day, Civilisation;, and Shipping, and other topics. ,--.-_ V* .'■/'" Some monthn ago the Harbor Board relaxed stringent provisions made in regard to taking) sand from the beach, it being understood that the carters themselves would co-operate to secure the fulfilment of the altered conditions. A' correspondent writes complaining that yesterday sand was taken from tlie bank in front of the ladies' bathing shed, some of the pro. tocting gra's being torn but by the roots." It is' added that if the grass is not destroyed a good many loads of sand could be removed without harm Being done, but that the example is a bad one for carters who adhere to "the Board's conditions. The Harbormaster, who keeps a close watch on the beach, went south on Sunday. A charming glimpse of primitive Wellington (says the New Zealand Times) is revealed in the demolition of the high brick walls of Messrs Wliitcombe and Tom'bs' old building on Lambton quay. Right beliind the back wall is a pictur-, esque bit of native bush, as fresh and 7 green as fifty years ago, filling with rich tree-fern and palms a little gully that doubtless in the old days ran down, to "the : beach." as .Lambton quay is still called by the old residents. Tlie'gully runs~between the residences of the Hon. Dr. Findlav and Mr W. H. Field, M.H.R., and is really a most refreshing oasis in what is rapidly becoming a positive desert of houses. Wellington is a gardenkss city ' bjr force of circumstances, and the Sentlemen mentioned are lucky indeed to ave suchum "eye-rest", as the place referred to. . Alfred .Vow les, frequently mentioned in the papers of late in connection with tinprospecting operations at Stewart's Island (remarks the Auckland Observer), is the old Tkamesite of the same name who used t 0 lift up' his voice on the conceit platforms of tlie goldfields in its brightest days. At that time Alfred's favorite motto was. that there's nothing like leather. Now he talks learnedly about outcrops,' and assays, and methods of treatment, and keeps his weather eye upon the market price of tin.* Fpr there are. fortunes in it at present quotations, and lie reckons- lie knows where one, at least, of tlieee fortunes duly waits to be uncovered. By the way, Alfred, whose experience^ the south iioav constitutes him. a mining "expert," is filling irt some spare time just now in hunting around the Thames hill lor a copper lode he once knew. A copy of the Lone Hand Magazine is to hand from Mr tX SL Miiiir, bookseller. The production, which is excellent and typically Australian, 'lias.' just been published by, the' Bulletin Company, ' but let the editor pf the Lone Hand explain the mission of the publication. He: says,:— "Th e Lone Hand wilj be a patriotic magazine, and will bopm Australia at every opportunity. Most Australian papers do their little bit to push our part along, but it is mostly useless as the papers only circulate amongst our own people. The Lone Hand, wliich is to have a' circulation of 50,000, will circulate all , over the ' world, and if it doesn't influence the tide of immigration to turn our May, it will fail in its chief mission. The magazine will go in for good all-round quality rather than for a couple of features, and a quantity of inferior matter per issue, as is the case with a big percentage of English and American magazines." At the Gisborne Rifles' smoke concert last evening Mr W. F. Crawford brought under notice the good old game of chess. His excuse for tliis was that it was the game of war as well as of life. It seemed to him that the various movements of the pastime closely resembled warfare. Chess taught' .a' man caution,; und- not to undervalue his enemy ; to practise strategy and lay traps so that .the optnriicnt would be compelled to make a sacrifice to geti out of a bad position. It also taught tlmt caie should be taken of the rank and file, for if tho pawns were lost the kings' power would be speedily taken from him. The great Napoleon had been aware of tho great virtues of the game, and had encouraged his. soldiers to play it. hi conclusion, Mr Crawford invited those present to join the' local Chess Club, and endeavor to climb the "ladder"' to the top. ,The members of the Club were counted, and each formed a step in the ladder, with the best players on top. Every member could challenge the player immediately above him arid dislodge him if possible. Tlie tipping system £s a haunting spectre which dogs the footsteps of the 'traveller through all his wanderings in Europe, and not least iii London (says a writer jn the Sydney Moraine Herald). One soon learns to recognise without question the demands of snips' stewards, and servants of. hotels, where a more or less prolonged stay gives some justification for recompense for work doiife. But it is more difficult 16 admit the legitimacy of the system, in cases where the most casual service appears to have its rights. But you have to submit, You pay for your meal, but dp riot dure to leave the restaurant- wjthout tipping the Avaiter. The barber who shaves you has his fixed price, but you would be a sorry sort of customer if you did not supplement it. The .London cabman, who drives you homey should get at least the equivalent of the continental "pourboire,'' and if the. theatre usher, and the programme-seller, and tlie railway porter ar e tipped, then the tea-room attendant is obviously entitled to something. When you are leaving a Swiss or an Italian hotel it is not in the least unusual to find six or eight persons ranged up in line at the door, most of whom you have never seen before, and concerning whose duties you have no shadow of an idea. And so, wherever yon go, you keep on handling out pence to this one and that, until it settles into, a habit so fixed, that in the case of certain London tea-rooms, where, in the interests of custom, ifc is specifically directed, that gratuities are not allowed, you. find yourself inwardly commiserating the waitresses condemned to such niggardly conditions of employment,, arid, as you leave, you surreptitiously place twopence under your plate 1' But when your ship, drawing homewards, turns into Australian waters, and you go ishore at a Pertjii or an Adelaide hotel, sour astonishment at finding tliat nobody wants a tip is easily swallowed up in a • feeling of unaccustomed relief. . I

Empire Day (24th May) will be observed as a public holiday by all Government offices. Madame Blanche Arral end her com- ] pany will arrive from Napier by the i'arawerg to-morrow morning. The Government briquette-making plant it Westport is now in operation, and a large, quantity of briquettes have already ' been turned out. The following touching in memorials notice appears in a Wellington paper : "In loving memory of our dear son, Roderick Duncan (Roddie) Mackenzie, who left the burning ship Pitcairn Island in a boat at sea and was drowned on the 3rd May,. 1906. Shall we meet beyond life's surging seas?" It is understood that authority will be asked next session for the appointment of at least two additional Native Land Court Judges. The Native Minister does not think Parliament will object to the strengthening of the bench,' seeing how necessary it is that the titles to Maori lands should be ascertained as speedily as possible. - ' When the coach containing Vice-Ad-miral Sir Wilmot Fawkes and party was croaring the Cass river last week, tlie king*-bolt broke, and the body of the vehicle was left in midstream. When the isolated party was extricated from their watery surroundings, the Admiral is reported to have said: "Well, that is the first time I have been shipwrecked on land." A peculiar mishap to a horseman occurred to a young man who was riding in from the Motui to be present at the Besses o' th' Barn Band concerts." He was handling has horse carefully to pass a slip on the road; the horse suddently sprang .up with fright, the rider being "propped" well above tine saddle. He landed-on trie seat again, but with his right hand under him, and the impact caused the thumb to be put out of joint. Tlie presence of the squadron has made tho city, quite gay. (Writes a Wellington correspondent). The boys from the Amo. kura and-' quite, a regiment of school cadets, under the auspices of the Navy League/ yesterday visited the flagship.* "Th^auiuTf*r^n^bfficefs ofH^iTsqua'drOll' were" entertained ; at a, ball on Thursday night. by members of the. Wellington Club:. Tlie function was attended by about five hundred people,- and was one of the most brilliant and successful ever given in Wellington. ..',. : Tliree. years hence the whole world. will be gazing. aV. Halley's Comet. A Frenchman has fixed. May 23rd, 1910, for the perihelion passage. At its last return, in 1835, two astronomers respectively fixed the perihelion for the 4th. and 7th November.. The actual date was November ,l6th.This i was a wonderful achievement in connection with a body that retreats thirtyfive timesMJie earth's dritante from the sun, and is only seen for six ■-montlis put ,0f;.75- years. Tlie comet appears in^t the. 'So'jfyb. afte"r;>the perihelion passage. ' IV • PasserigeTj by the Manawatu express liad an exciting experience on their journey, from Wellington on Friday morning, some' five miles of the line through the Maker ua swamp being under water. In- many places 'the water was twelve inches above the, rails, and considerable excitement was caused by the jolting of the carriages over the driftwood.. A pilot trolley manned by four men preceded the train to see if there were .any washouts. The train was delayed for an hour. One aspect of the flood noted was the numbers of mice and rate taking refuge in th© branches of the willows above high water maik. The trade returns have produced a feeling of amazement (writes the Wellington correspondent or. the . Lyttelton Times). An export value for the financial year ended March 31sfc of £19,277,640 takes away 'the breath. It is a leap of over three and a quarter millions over the pre. viqus year. Specie and foi eign manufacture account for £102,000, but still thereis. room, for amazement. The imports $ef e £14,623,005, bringing the volume of trade t_«%_^K i S^ en v* aggregate of £33.---yw,tflb. TJi 1$ is the country that was to have*been ruined dreadfully by ,new-» fangled experiments. '■'..'.< \ A The colonial president of the Farmers' Union. Mr J. G. Wilson, referred at the* annual meeting of the Sandon branch, of which he is chairman, to the two successful, excursions inaugurated' by branches of the union to the Momohalfl Experimental" Farm. "■ He said he was particularly pleased to see so many young farmers .taking a Jive interest" in matters calculated to improve their industry. The great changes that have taken place m agriculture during recent years showed clearly that even the old generation of farmers recognised that it was never too late^to learn. Mr Wilson thought the Government should offer greater inducements to farmers to visit - the State farms. * ; ■■■■." At the recent municipal and Mayoral elections in a certain district in Soutii Canterbury tliere was only one polling booth provided. In conscquenece of the great interest taken in the election the returning officer was unable to take all the voters by tlie closing hour, 7 p.m. Just 'before Chat hour all wliq. were waiting their turn outside to record their votes were admitted to the'polliug booth, and punctually.it 7 the doors were closed. There were then" between sixty and one hundred people in the b-wth, and these were allowed to vote, the last finishing at 8.5 p.m. ■ The A.ct say3 that not more thaji six voters shall be allowed iri the polling booth at any time, and it is possible that steps may yet; be taken to test the legality of the election. In his speech at 'Timaru' on Friday night, the Acting-Prehiier said he would like to answer some of the remarks made by the Leader of the Opposition at New Plymouth the other evening. Mr Massey had then said that the policy measures of the Government had emanated from the Opposition. Mr Matsej;, in making such a statement; was nothing more or less than a "political Bill Adams." It was in 1890 that the speaker had first suggested the acquisition of estates for settlement, and worked out a scheme width embodied a propose 1 for 1 a sinking fund which would clear oil' the whole cost of the acquirement of the land in thirty years: Then he had said the people would have the land to produce a revenue that would relieve them of taxatiori and be ' available for carrying out any work. Mr Massey laid claim' to originating the idea of this sinking 'fund, an idea laid before the people by the speaker while Mr Massey was yet m his political swaddling clothes. The workmen's homes, too, was. an idea to which Mr Massey had laid claim. The attual suggestion of the Opposition had been" to tell the mail who had money enough' to buy the land that tlie Government would advance him money to put up the house. What the Government wanted to do was to help the riian \vho had money for neither the land nor the house. (Applause). Having provided for liim, the next step was to help the man who had tlie money for land to build upon it. What help had the Government from the Opposition in the matter of the old" age pensions? For days the measure hud' been stonewalled, greatly injuring the health of the man who had done more good for the polony than any other np to the present time. Mr Massey had not helped in the matter of the lands for settlement scheme. Tlie Opposition had bitterly opposed the compulsory clauses, yet without these clauses the policy would not have been anything like so successful as it had been. r The Government had always' met with the keenest opposition, and it wal" tlie most cool assurance he could imagine for Mr Massey to come forward when the country was prosperous and' the people satisfied and make such a claim.