GENERAL ITEMS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIII, Issue 213, 14 September 1901, Page 4

GENERAL ITEMS.

Mr E. A. Reynolds-Ball, a wellkßOwn traveller, in the course ef an article ia the Queen, gives an interesting account of a visit to New Zealand. Bpeaki- g of Wellington he says:—"ln one respect, however, it cannot be denied that the capital of the Britain of the South is decidedly behind the age. The hotel accommodation is inferior and inadequate ; indeed, there is, Serhaps, no English colony or depenency frequented to such an extent by travellers (except India) ao badly off for hotels aa New Zaaland. With the exception fo two or three hotels ab Napier, OVstchurch, and Dnnedin, it it hardly ' >o much to Bay there is not a really first-class hotel, judged by the Bffropean standard, in the whole conntry." An arm-chair correspondent writing in the Auckland Herald, thus settles the Tarkish problem:—" The moment Germany fc»kes a hand ia the game to checkmate Franca 'hen word will be flashf 1 by the Tsar fer bis hordes of ■Minted Cosfocka to operate on the j western bank of the Danube, and for J Ids Black Sea fleet to demonstrate in the Bojphoras conjointly with the ironclads of Francs. The Kaiser's aim lias been the moral annexation of Asia Minor, which offers a great and splendid field for immigration. The conMarion for building the Bagdad railway was secured by the Deutsah Bank, suul the line, necessitating the bridging of the Bosphorus, would, with its forcifif 1 point \ give the Teuton the key of the Black Sea. Shoald the Saltan prove obdurate, and ref asa to pay the amount demanded by (Trance, the fat will be in ths fire, and the Kaiset's apple-cart in danger of capsizing, bat »s that i stute monarch is nob S'te in a position to tackle his powerneighbors, he will probably pay np for the Porte, and gain a victory dip'&tnabically and financially," The namber of men at present employed en the Government eo-opsra-five works is 5334, of whom 5098 are labourers and 236 artisans. Of the 2289 labourers employed by the Department of Roads 699 are in Auckland district, 582 in Wellington, 331 in Taranaki and 278 in Hawke'a Bay. Of 2895 men engaged on railways 1069 an on the North Island Main Trunk, 452 en the Midland, 421 on theOtago Central and 258 on the BlenheimWaipera. The Oeatral Boiler correspondent of the Nelson Oolouist telegraphs that in consequence of the posting of a notice prohibiting them residing at or vuiting the local hotel, the employees of Neville and Perkins' sluicing race, New n River, numbering 50, have ceased work, and refuse to return till the restriction is wibhdrawn. A sab-branch of the New Zealar-i Fanners' Union was formed at the Taita on Saturday night Mr. V. A. Majendie, the convener of the meeting, reported that the union had now a membership of 14,000.