The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 22nd. Mr. J. HENNIKER HEATON.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 84, 22 November 1911, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 22nd. Mr. J. HENNIKER HEATON.

It may be interesting at this ,timo, with Mr John Honuiker Heaton— who carried his Imperial Penny Postage Scheme in 189 B—back again in New South Wales, to call to mind a sketch of how he came to start his great work of postal reform. Some year-, ago, an Englishman was looking afUi his business at a station far •‘up country” in New South Wales. He was talking to his men when the mail arrived. Few of them received letters and the lucky few read their news for tlie benefit of the rest, who took as keen an interest in the welfare of the old folk at home as if they were relations of their own. The incident made a deep impression on the Englishman’s mind. A few years later he went back to England, and chanced to enter a village post-office, where a woman was inquiring the postage to Australia. She could not afford the requisite Gd, and the Englishman paid it for her. Ho learned subsequently from the parson of tiro parish that this outlay brought the old lady a remittance of £5 by return of post, for mother and son had at last been brought into communication. The Englishman laid these things up in ins heart, and determined to make it •his mission in life to cheapen the means of communication between the old folk at home and their kith and kin beyond the seas. The hero of this pathetic talc is Mr John Hcnniker Heaton, who had gone to seek Ins fortune in New South Wales, and who married the only daughter of the late Mr Samuel Bennett, of Sydney. He returned to Europe, and got himself

elected in 1885 Conservative 51.!'. for Cantcrliury. But his real constituency is a larger one. He is the momlier for postal reform, the Marlin Luther of the post-office, and Ids assiduity has extorted from successive postmasters innumerable reforms, including the Imperial penny postage

scheme, which he carried in 1898, the introduction of telegraphic money orders, parcel post to France, and any number of other boons. His public services have been recognised by the freedom of the City of London. He is a native of Rochester, was educated at King’s College, and was born in 18-18. Mr Henniker Heaton did not contest bis old seat at the last elections, for which, indeed, ho had been re-elected unopposed on four successive occasions. He was recently the Incipient of a complimentary address from the Lord Mayor of London, on behalf of numerous public and commercial institutions. He still retains many interests in New South ’Wales

A BEAUTY GFOT. Visitors to Stratford during the coining Show Week, who do not already know that Stratford possesses another very live and up-to-date institution, might well he directed to the Stratford Racing Club’s course. Since last

meeting that progressive and wellmanaged Club lias spent £2OOO on improvements, including buildings and track improvements already detailed in our columns. The saddling paddock has been enlarged and levelled, and sown down in suitable grasses. A 11ns ornamental iron fence has been erected round the lawn and enclosure, and is being carried round the Bird Cage. The executive is now considering still further improvements to the totalisator house, even beyond the recommendations and plans of Mr J. 11. Muckay. Trees recently planted are doing well, and the course is looking better than it ever did before. Grass sown on the now fillings has taken well, and altogether the place is

becoming quite a beauty spot. Years ago the possibilities of the site chosen were pointed out, and we are beginning to realise that a hotter situation for a racecourse could not well have hoeii chosen so near to the town. With a well-arranged programme and many valuable prizes in stakes, the Club’s coming meeting at New Year should ho a very big one, and if ungrudging public service will ensure success, the President and Committee certainly deserve it.

IMMODEST PRIDE. “Simplicitas,” in the “Lyttelton Times” tells us that the immodest pride of the cities of the North bubbles up in strange forms and manifestations at divers times and places. But a little while ago we road in a leading Auckland journal the magnificently alliterative headline—“ Auckland’s Amazing Architectural Activity,” and now ; Wellington’s Mayor claims his town to he “the cleanest in the Southern Hemisphere.” The occasion of this announcement appears to have been the completion of a reservoir holding 120,000,000 gallons of water, replacing one of only 20,000,000 gallons capacity, but while it can be understood that the increase in the water supply loaves AVellington citizens no excuse for neglecting to perform their ablutions, wo are given no • direct evidence that they ablute more freely than of yore. Still, Mr AVilford’s assertion is a good arid bravo one, and fulfils its mission of advertising; AVellington,-. Christchurch rqcontly made a half-hearted bid for publicity in the'role of “The Most Neglected City on Earth,’ ’or something similarly doleful and uninspiring, but nobody took any notice. - Christchurch has a lot to learn about advertising.

WORK FOR WORKERS. From statements made by an official in the head office of the Labour Department to a New Zealand “Times” reporter, it would appear that the large number of arrivals from overseas by recent steamers have, found , little difficrilty in securing work in New Zealand. All the applicants who were able to' adapt themselves to the new conditions were sent away to employment within forty-eight hours of landing. Among the passengers by the Remuera. the last Home liner in, were a large number keen to get 021 to the land, and no trouble at all was experienced in finding places for every one who applied. The demand for this class of labour still exceeds the supply. The' department finds there is work for all classes of manual labourers, while in some directions, notably the building trade there is a distinct shortage of workers throughout the Dominion.

SEDCV/iGK’S SOYS. “Sedgwick’s boys arc getting on very well indeed,” said a Labour Department official to a “Times” representative yesterday. The majority of the lads will complete their year’s probation in January next, and then the Minister of Labour will determine whether the experiment has been successful enough to warrant repetition. Quite a number of the boys have, out of their earnings, sent Christmas presents Home in the shape of various sums up to £l. Nearly all have earned sufficient money to enable them to pay back to Mr Sedgwick the whole of the expenses incurred by him in connection with their passage from London to Wellington, and to refund to the Labour Department the cost of their passages to the various destinations in New Zealand. Having now discharged all their liabilities of this description the lads’ money will all be banked to their own credit by the department, under whoso control they must remain until they reach the ago of twenty-one years.