The Rangitikei Advocate. TWO EDITIONS DAILY. TUESDAY, JANUARY 29, 1918. HYPOCRISY OR BUSINESS INEPTITUDE?

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XLII, Issue 11447, 29 January 1918, Page 4

The Rangitikei Advocate. TWO EDITIONS DAILY. TUESDAY, JANUARY 29, 1918. HYPOCRISY OR BUSINESS INEPTITUDE?

THERE has been a great deal of press criticism lately of the management of the country’s railways and the incident at Trentham, after the races has stimulated the expression of dissatisfaction. A paragraph in the Post says:—“Although there were several trains in the morning, only one train was announced for the return journey—to leave Treutliam at 4,-47 p.m., and long before this hour the platform] was besieged by folk anxious not to be left? behind. As the time wore on for the departure of the train the crowd became dense, and when the wicket gates were shut some of the more adventurous spirits scaled the fence, and boarded the train. Several of the women suffered somewhat by the jostling they were subjected to, and all sorts of hard things wore said of the railway management. The train steamed off, leaving many people behind, but they were eventually picked up by a special, or “secret” train, and reached town soon after 7 p.m. It is understood that the railway authorities had arranged lor this “secret” train some daj r s ago, but declined to announce it. By so doing they would have saved a good deal of unpleasantness, is the opinion of - manyThe indignation freely expressed - ' at Trentham was intensified by the fact that special trains wore run to Paekakariki, while- Trentham patronised by thousands, was ignored.” Something of the same kind occurred on the Foxton race da}'. Although there were a large number of people on the train bound for the course no

stop was made there as in former years, and people had to trudge hack to the course or get there ts they could. One is driven to wonder what is the object ( of the Railway Department. Docs the Government 'desire to repress.racing, or does it want to prevent Hie railways paying? If the former its lack of moral courage is contemptible. If .the latter, although the reason for the desire is impossible to guess, it is certainly, achieving success in its mission, as the recent traffic returns uumistakabaly showed.

What is taking place now in regard to tmflic on the railways—the abolition of special trains, of excursion trains, limitation of the

•JOn, passenger accommodation of trains — shows that those responsible for the working of the system are entirely devoid of the ability to read the business signs of the times and to take quick advantage of them. When the war first commenced we wore all inclined to take a somewhat pessimistic view of the econ. omic situation. Mr Lloyd George’s warning that the last silver bullet might win the war for us, and the general gloomy forecasts of approaching scarcity of money,' seemed to indicate tho necessity of ho.;riling, of cutting out the usual yearly excursion, and purchasing as little as we coulcTmauage with. Tho reduction of railway facilities was then apparently a reasonable step. We thought we saw hard times alien!. But it was a misreading of the situation, which everyone has realised, except The railway people. Money is more plentiful than it over was before. People are spending as they never have before, and if the Government wore only half wise they would appreciate tho fact and take advantage of it to share in the general scramble. If Ministers desire-fo abolish racing they should do it by a straight-out Act of Parliament. ’lt will certainly never, be done by putting obstacles in the way of people desirous of getting to races. As long as-races are run nothing will stop them. They have money in their pockets to burg, as totalisator returns prove, and lie is a very rosourcoless Minister of Railways who is unable to devise some apparently reasonable method of helping himself from the funds of people who have no more sense than to sink them in the bottomless pit of the totalisator.

Mr John Currou, boiler-maker, was crushed in a crank pit on Friday, and died in the Dundedin Hospital yesterday. Ti)o Defence Minister yesterday received a cable stating that the 813 rd Reinforcements] reached a port of call in excellent health ami spirits. The court-martial which sat in Palmerston North on Thursday last to try .Tomes Higgins for deserting from His Majesty’s Forces has sentenced accused to la months’ imprisonment. This sentence has been duly confirmed. Mr Massey stated yesterday that a special meeting of Cabinet will bo held in the near future to decide who will represent Now Zealand on the Imperial W»r Cabinet this year. It is improbable that there will bo a meeting ibis week.

Owing to a seaman being refused permission to go ashore on Saturday evening in Wellington a number of seamen . pelted and abused the military guard for over half an hour. Finally a sentry fired on the vessel and the ; seamen _hr.silyj.retreated.

It is understood that the sergeant of the guard at Trentham Camp lias boon found not guilty by courtmartial in connection with the recent escape of four prisoners from the cniip prison. Since the escape plans which were previously decided on for the hotter organisation of the detention camp have been completed.

Charged that being bookmakers, they did trespass on the Riccartou racecourse on November 10th, D. Ross (Wellington), Thomas Butler and Louis Christie (Dunedin) were each fined £o in the Christchurch Magistrate’s Court yesterday. Edward Amess, on a similar charge, was fined £3, while n c:so against H. Bustiu was dismissed.

Mr L. Maugham, the well-known motor cyclist, met with an accident on Saturday afternoon while riding to Otaki from Shannon. He ram into a calf which had been frightened by a passing train and the inevitable smash occurred. An X-ray examination by Dr. Huathwaite at Otaki, showed that a boffe in the left arm above the wrist had been broken. Maugham expects,’ 'however, to ho able to ride at the championship meeting at Christchurch next week.

The Auckland Magistrate severely lectured a wife-heater who appeared .before him. He said defendant was an unmitig'ted blackguard, and ho could hardly use the proper language to express his feelings in that court. The proper tiling to do would ho to got Coustble'Knight to execute summary jurisdiction on the defendant in the yard, but ho (the magistrate) could not order that. The defendant was not fit to be trusted with a dog, let alone a woman. The wife would he hotter from him, as lie was a man with a bad criminal record. The wife, however, who exhibited signs of "brutal treatment, decided to, g'o hack fp him.

Every lady who desires to bo in perfect accord with fashion and yet truly comfortably fitted should go to Lloyd’s Ltd., for Warner’s rust proof corsets. A popular model for the average figure from Os lid to 19s (id and guaranteed to tit perfectly, to wear well, and not rust, break or tear. Their stock of Warners! corsets is the largest in the district. You should also read their advertisement on pare one.*

W. Urn, a well-known Canterbury Maori, at present residing at Auckland, will contest the Southern Maori seat.

Captain Ward, the New Zealander who ..was reported missing, came hack from France ill. His bicycle, hat and letters were found in the Thames.

Mayor Luke tendered a civic reception to Dr. Morrison at Wellington yesterday. Sir Joseph Ward extended a welcome on behalf of the Government.

James Dicii Hastie, an able-bodied seaman, single, 20 years of age, fell into the Bnller River on Saturday afternoon and was drowned. His body was recovered at 2.85 this morning. The deceased’s mother resides at Cashmere, Christchurch. A motor cn 1 and a tram collided at Island Bay last night. The car contained Mr and Mrs John Whatton, their children, and two adult -friends, and a driver. Mrs Wliatton’s shoulder was injured, and a oaby received injuries to its head, and was removed to the hospitH, where it wss operated on. Fire broke out at a quarter past one on Monday . morning in the stables behind the Elbow Hotel at Lumsden. The flame spread -rapidly, and destroyed the Dost Office, Griffiths’ draper’s shop, and Marshall’s outchory. Sparks endangered the railway station several times, but the building escaped. The Elbow escaped with a scorching.

A fatal accident occurred on the Evans’ Bay Road, Wellington, yesterday afternoon, when a man* mimed Harrison was driving in a trap. The horse became unmanageable, and bolted. • Harrison wt.s thrown from the trap and sustained injuries to his head and shoulders. He wust to the hospital, but the injuries were so severe that lie died at 3.45. The decerned loaves a widow and a large family. "Pate i is now in the running for a railway from Patea to Pipiriki. At a meeting a few days ago, Mr Lir- ) come said the grade was an excellent one, and the lino would bo approximately about 35 miles only in length, and a few miles further along the newly opened Kaetihi line would land them at the Mdn Trunk lino. Personally ho believed they had the best case in New Zealand for a railway to bo built after the war.

The schooner Haanui was towed into Lyttelton on Sunday morning, her forem st having [sn ipped in a southerly gale on the night of JanuarydDth, when the” vessel was[eight miles off White Bluff, between Cqm Campbell and Wairau Bar. She was bound from Onehunga to Dunedin with a cargo of timber. She managed 1 1 reach Port Underwood, and sheltered there for a week. The schooner's auxiliary engine could not be used, owing to the batteries having been removed.

A number of defendants appeared before Palmerston Court yesterday charged with being unlawfully on licensed premises after hours. None of the defendants had, according to their own evidence, gone into the hotels for the purpose of obtaining liquor, but had gone to see a man about a dog, or for some equally erudite reason. However, as a tine was inflicted in the majority of cases, with a promise to incre se it in the future, doubtless many will attend to these business matters before (5 o’ clock in future.—Times.

A deputation, consisting of Messrs J. Mogridge, W. Low, J. Gorrie, H. Y. Cameron, H. F. Young and A . 0. Scott waited on the Marton Borough Council last evening at a special meeting to consider the byelaws, and suggested that certain parts of streets "as stopping places for motor cars bo allocated by the Council. The question of itinerant traders was also brought before the Council. • The spokesman, Mr Mogridge, suggested that the period for itinerant traders should bo three months and the tax £lO. They did not object to competition by legitimate traders, but it was the “cheap jacksl: traders they objected to. The denutation received a very patient bearing from the Council, who promised to give every consideration to the question. The byelaws will be further considered st a later meeting, to be held at 7.30 next Monday evening. Comparing the finan.ee of Britain and Germany the Hon. A. Myers siid Germany stood in a much less satisfactory position than Brit ;in; her net wrr debt was very much, heavier. Leaving out oi account all separation allowances— which, of course, -were included in the British total, but which in Germany were paid by the individual States—the known expenditure on the war by Germany to October last was 4700 millions. The interest alone on Germany’s war debt was 240 millions per annum, to meet which, it was stated, the Government was raising 185 millions per annum. When, in addition to this great annual deficit, it was remembered tint the German war costs were increasing more rapidly —to the extent of 35 per cent—than were Britain’s: that the Home Country was able to continue to meet a larger proportion of the cost of the Var Tty taxation each year; also, that no addition had been made to the British war debt without full provision having first been made for meeting the ciiarges so incurred, it did not take a very discerning mind to decide as to which country wbs the nearer to collapse, both from the financial and the economic point of view.

The topic of conversation at the present moment is undoubtedly the great end of summer sale at T. Low’s Economic , Martou, and the ridiculously slow prices at winch they goods are marked in the face' of all the talk of high prices and dear living. The reason is easily explained, namely, largo reserve stocks, ;.well bought at old prices, and keen cutting competition in selling prices, anil further a desire by the proprietor to clear out all unseasonable lines to make room for the how season’s winter_stock already bought aud’waiting for more fixture room. A visit to the Economic, Martou, will moan a good money-saving proposition to anyone while this big sale is 0n. 54

Three good meals a day, agreeably varied, are needed by all busy folk. Nowadays the cost is increased but can be kept at rock-bottom by dealing for groceries exclusively with llodder and Tolley. Spot cash over the counter, no hooking, no cauvasing, no delivery,—so their pricos>re lower !*

Additions are msdo to Feilding horse s.iie.