The Taranaki Herald. PUBLISHED DAILY. FRIDAY, APRIL 18, 1890.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 8756, 18 April 1890, Page 2

The Taranaki Herald. PUBLISHED DAILY. FRIDAY, APRIL 18, 1890.

"The Wellington doctors," says a visitor to Wanganui, " havje their hands full just now, sickness of all kinds being unusually prevalent in the Empire City." We fear it is more than more " sickness " the doctors have to deal with, for typhoid fever and other contagious diseases are prevalent, and deaths from such causes are very numerous there. Visitors to Wellington generally recount on their return tho uncomfortable feelings they have experienced inwardly after a few days' 'stay in that city, and only get- relieved by leaving the place ; generally doing so quicker than they intended. "La Grippe" has got a firm hold in Wellington, and that, with several kinds of contagious fevers, renders the place a dangorous one to go to. If the authorities do not do something to find out the sources from which these diseases arise, and stop them, Wellington will have a plague in it, as sure as London did a few centuries ago. The smells in that city of a night are something awful; and the water must be bad, for strangers are warned not to drink any without they are sure it has been boiled. If some change does not fcko place for the better, Wellington wMI have to be isolated till it becomes purified, for at present it is the centre for distributing about tho colony bouw of tfco moist dangerously fatal discuses,

The Railway Commissioners a short time since sent to Mr Samuel Vaile— who, it is well known, has for years taken great interest in Railway Reform matters— an article from some newspaper showing that the " zonal " system was a failure. This article must have been altogether wrong, for it appears the system is a great success in Austria, the sale of the " zonal " railway tickets showing astonishing results. The Pall Mall^ Gazette says tho matter is producing quite a sensation in railway circles, and will be tho means of thoroughly revolutionising the inanagemodt of railways altogether. It appears that in the four months — August to November — the number of passengers has nearly tripled. During four months of 1888 the number of railway ] tickets issued was 1,616,000, while in the corresponding period of hist year 4,300,000 were issued. Tho tickets arc available within a certain radius or zone. No one had darcd_ to hope for such a happy result, yet, notwithstanding 1 a radical lowering of r.itcH, the receipts have increased from 3,188,000 florins to 3,784,000 florins. This is an increase of 600,000 florins, when a groat falling off in the receipts was cxpectod on till hands. No doubt this experiment of t\\G Hungarian Government will make a little noiso in Europe, and, indeed, all over tho world. What our Railway Commissioners will say to this it will bo interesting to learn, if they do say anything-. We expect, however, it is one of those things they will allow to " pass without comment."