The Taranaki Herald PUBLISHED DAILY. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1889.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 8628, 14 November 1889, Page 2

The Taranaki Herald PUBLISHED DAILY. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1889.

The strike by the journeymen bakers in London will be felt severely by the working classes, for their chief article of food will then be unobtainable. Discussing this matter an English paper says " the control sought is not over the material, but over the agents in its distribution," It appears that John Burns, the agitator, has been working up the men, pointing out to them that the large profit the bread companies were making was at the expense of the journeymen. The result has been that the master bakers have formed a Union, and have decided to rise the price of bread if they have to give higher wages to the men. This does not suit John Burns, whose cry is " cheap bread " and " high wages." The Times says :—": — " Mr John Burns' arguments are that such prosperous tradesmen can afford to pay their working hands a good deal better than they do. It is fortunate, however, that the bakers' high prices for bread and the strikers' no bread at any price do not exhaust the possibilities of the situation. The public has choice of a third alternative, which will make it independent of both parties. It can bake its own bread. If London bread is manufactured under the abominable conditions which Mr John Burns has described, and for which a general bread famine is the only cure he can discover, there is good reason for taking the business out of the hands which are now mismanaging it, and for entrusting it, not to a company, but to the more amenable domestic cook. People, in this case, will know what they are eating. They will have a pure loaf, with no alum introduced as a disguise for inferior flour, and they will get their good bread at a very much lower price than they are now paying to the baker for bread, which we may safely describe as not equally good. If the conBurner is too hard pressed it is to this that he must come, and we can safely say that if he once tries the experiment of baking at h ome he will not willingly go back to dependence on the hard masters and journeymen bakers who are now busily engaged in plotting against each other and against him." This would be all very well for the middle classes |who keep servants to do the work, but how are the poorer classes to be provided with bread ; those who have no appliances for baking, and those, too, who, perhaps, have not the knowledge necessary of how to mix the bread ? It is the working classes who will flour and water together to make the feel the effect of the bakers' strike ; those who have themselves been on strike — the dock labourers and the poorer classes — who John Burns is leading on to a socialistic j rebellion. In stirring up the bakers to stop work, he will be the means of bringing home to the labouring population themselves the disastrous consequence of a strike.

Mrs O. Stahl has been appointed probationary muse at the hospital for a month on trial. The racecourse is still the scene of training operations every morning. Nominations close on November 23 (next Saturday week.)

Mr E. M. Smith has forwarded further samples of coke, coal, etc , to Sir Julius Vogel, per Mr W. Courtney, who will leave the colony in about a fortnight.

Mr John Gilmour has taken one of the new shops " under the veranda" which he will open with a new assortment of books received by late steamer on Saturday morning next.

Sir H. Atkinson has returned to Wellington. A telegram states he is not much better for his trip, but the reports going about aa to the serious state of his health are exaggerated.

The following was the Btate of the hospital for the last month. In at beginning of month, 6 ; admitted, 8; discharged, 5 ; remaining at end of month, 9 ; daily average, 5-77.

The question of amending the pupil teachers' regulations was before the Education Board meeting on Wednesday, and was finally referred to the chairman, who will draft out a act of new rules for the next meeting.

Mr Corkill, acting for Mr W. D. Webster, who on Wednesday purchased the Bank of New Zealand's allotment in Currie and Courtenay-street, has to-day (Thursday) re-sold 33 feet of the Curriestreet frontage to Messrs Solo Bros, at a price showing a fair advance on coßt.

Mr R. Roca and Co.'s tender for three sections of the Midland Railway in Grey Valley, amounting to 26 miles, at £103,851 18« Bd, has been accepted by the company. Some necessary alterations are being made at the Springfield end, wheh have delayed letting the contract at that end.

At the auction sale at Christchurch of land in Lako Ellcsmero district, which has been reclaimed tlirough the works recently constructed by tho Government, out of 86 sections submitted 48 were sold, realising £11,476. The remaining sections failed to realise the upset.

The Ogden Dramatic Company are performing at Wanganui. On Monday they played East Lynne, when the theatre was crammed from ceiling to the floor, and tho police had to stop tho admittance of a large number of persons, the local papers speak highly of Mrs Ogden'a acting.

The Maoris are getting civilised in Auckland. A recent visitor to that city informs us that two native women, dressed much in the same style as they appoar in New Plymouth, wore seen in a draper's shop ordering goods. They paid for them, und then added, " You send them to our hotel — the Star." It is needless to add that tho Star is the leading hotel in Auckland.;

The latest idea in " sweeps" in Wnnganui is what is known as the "Pacific Slope" stakes, All the namen of the prominent business men are entered, and tho drawer of tho noxt person who leaves his Wangunui creditors and crosKea the Pacific scoops the pool. The Chronicle aiiys, "We hear the stakes are largo, so it may bo worth the while of the uoldet of them to do the ' tlopo' himself,"