The Taranaki Herald. PUBLISHED DAILY WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1893.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 9825, 11 October 1893, Page 2

The Taranaki Herald. PUBLISHED DAILY WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1893.

The ratepayers of the Taranaki County have, at several meetings held during the past fortnight, very emphatically expressed their deteimination to oppose the imposition of a special rate for the purpose of placing the county roads in repair. So decided, indeed, has been the tone of the meetings so far held, that Mr Adlam, realising the uselesaness of proceeding in that direction, lias given notice to move, at the next meeting A the Council, for the rescinding of his resolution iv rogurd to tho taking of a poll on the question. The Colonial Treasurer has also notified the Council that tho application ior the balance of tho loan applied for under " The R jads and Bridges Construction Aqt" cannot be eutertained, tho Act having been loag repealed. This is exactly what might have been expected, and the position of affairs is now just what it was in August last, and a solution of the diffi- ,

cwlty ia just as far off. The Council appear to view the situation with the utmost indifference, and having nothing further to propose, comfort themselves with tbe thought th«t their term of office ia expiring, and while there is yet time, reward their Chairman for his r valuable services by voting him a substantial sum for travelling expenses. Nothing could more plainly demonstrate the incapacity of the present Council to cope with its difficulties than the fact that, whilst this matter of repairing roads and bridges so urgently demands their whole attention, they fritter away their time and the ratepayers' money in making tbwgs comfortable for the Chairman. TTie ratepayers will now have to provide their own remedy, and have indeed already suggested and discussed various means of raising money, such as by tollgates, wheel-tax, and by loan under the '• Loans to Local Bodies Act." None of those proposals seem to meet with ! very general favour, though it is abundantly evident that it is not so much thut ratepayers object to pay a fair price for the convenience of having good roads, as that they are dissatisfied with the manner in which their money has been expended during the last few years. Some there are, it is true, who are so blind to their own interests that they will put up with bad roads rather than pay for good ones ; but the great majority of ratepayers througho"t the county wonld be willing, we feel convinced, to p»y whatever ia necessary, were they satisfied that their money was being expended to the be3t advantage. The land is quite equal to the burden of supporting good roads ; if it were not, it would not be worth occupying. It is , the want of confidence in the ruling authorities that is the chief stumbling block in the way of providing the means lor putting the roads in good order. Were this distrust to be removed, we feel sure that the ratepayers would rise to tho occasion, and rate themselves to whatever extent might be necessary. That this is the case in the Farihaka riding has been shown by tho resolutions passed at the meetings held at Warea and Opunake, where the general wish was to get the management of the main roads under more local control, and then to obtain a loan to place the roads and bridges in repair. On one point there has been almost complete unanimity, that the present Council shall not be allowed to impose any special rate. That being so it appears to us that the best thing to be done is to put in an entirely Hew Council at the forthcoming elections, men who will possess the confidence of the ratepayers. In the Parihaka riding we understand that two such men have been fixed upon, and will be asked to contesk the election. Ratepayers in the other ridings should follow tbe example, and bring forward candidates in whom they can repose confidence. With an energetic Council, the difficulties now besetting the way would soon be overcome, and something like order [restored to County affairs. But one thing is certain, that so long as the present system, or want of system oi repairing the roads exists, sd loag will tha county drift further and further into debt, and worse and worse will become the state of the roads. The Parihaka Riding has suffered more severely from bad management than any other part of tho county, and during the past winter the road from Stony River to Opunake has been in a most deplorable state, and yet, we are told, during the past eighteen months the Chairman of the County, who was the other day voted a large sum for travelling expenses, has only twice visited the district on county business. Numerous complaints have been made of the manner in which the money has been thrown away in patch work, and of the authorities' neglect in various instances to make that 'stitch in time which saves nine ;" and personal observation convinces us that these complaints have been only too well founded,] We do not mean to contend that the present revenue of the County is sufficient to keep the whole of the main roads and bridges in thorough repair, but we do say, without fear of contradiction, that the best uso has not been made of the money at the disposal of the Counci, and until this is remedied ratepayers cannot bo blamed for declining to fi&d more money for County purposes than they are obliged. The matter now lies in the hands of the ratepayers ; they have very openly expressed their dissatisfaction with the present state of things, and the fault will be theirs if they do not put in the Council at the forthcoming elections men who will conduct affaira on a businesslike basis. Such men are to be found, and with a little pressing might be induced to come forward. With a new Council, many much needed reforms would be undertaken, and one of the first things to be done would be to have a detailed estiraate prepared by a thoroughly competent road engineer of the amount required to place the whole of the county roads in thorough repair, and to replace bridges where necessary. This done, it would be for the Council to endeavour to provide the ways and means, and as we have said before, wo are convinced that the ratepayers as a wholo are quite prepared to pay for good roads provided they feel sure of getting them at a fair cost. Whether it is by special rate, by more tollgates, by wheel tax, or by loan, is a matter of detail which would be decided upon when the amount required lo be raised was ascertained. We can now only urge ratepayers to be alive to their own interests, and to remember tha 1 ; on their action at tlje elections next month will largely depend tho state of the roads for the next three years.

Tho Rweption Ball to Mt E. M. StnilU. M.H.R., which will be given in the Drill Hall this (Wedaesday) evening, promises to be a great bucccssj.

A gcnoral meeting of the Volunteer Gymnasium Club is advertised for Thura day ovening, in orJer to make arrangements for holding an athletic display and sports on New Year's Day.

The New Plymouth Cricket Club open their seaßon on Thursday afternoon, when a mateh — married v. single — will be played on the Recreation Grounds.

The contractor for the enlargement of St. Mary's Church is makisg great progioaa now, and expects lo complete the work in a month or five weeks,

Tha Education Board have been notifi d that the building grant for this year will be £1350, aB against £850 last year

Mr Walton, at the Borough Council meeting, wanted to know if the Works Committee were in the habit of commencing work witho :t the sanction of the Council. He did not mean to make any accusation, but he had been approached by several ratepayers on the question. His Worship denied that the Works Committee started work, except in emergency caßes, without the Council's consent. He said that some persona must have been making Accusations to Mr Walton against the Committee. Other members spoke, and tho matter dropped.

.^JThe railway station platform on Tuesday nignYwas well patronised by the putlic, the main a 4 traction no doubt being the departure for the Mount Eden gaol in Auckland of Robert Hermann Wallath, lately convicted and sentenced to 8 years for intent to inflict grevions bodily harm. Wallath, who was dressed in prison garb, appeared to appreci ite the attention bestowed upon him, for ho bowed and lifted his cap deferentially to the ladies assembled, and when the train loft the platform for the breakwater he waved his hat as a general farewell. J. H. McLean, sentenced for horse and rattle stealing, and Arnold, a prisoner sentenced id Wellington, also took their departure by tho same steamer. Warder Houlahan and Const ablo Clarke, of Auckland, were in charge' of the three prisoners

At the Borough Council meeting on Monday night, Mr Ward wanted to know what use the Council li d for charcoal, as j he noticed there was on account in for a supply. His Worship said that it was for filtering the water at tho reservoir, two lots being used in a year Mr Teed wanted to ! know if they used animal or vegetablo charcoal. His Worship replied that vegetable charcoal waß used, whereupon Mr Teed remarked that compared to the animal the vegetable charcoal possessed poor filtering properties. Hia Worship Slid that vegetable charcoal had alwaysboen used, about 120 bußbele being required each year.

Under the heading "Here cornea the Bogey Man " the Canterbury Truth has an article on Wallath's case The writer concludes as follows :— " The majesty of the law has been evoked and the law con never be properly majestic if it exhioi'.sthe faintest sense of humor. Wallath was found guilty and promptly sentenced to eight years* imprisonment. In other words, a nervous, romantic, imaginative, semieducated hoodlum, whose moral BVPtem had beon drenched with doses of • Dick" Turpio,' 'Jack Shepherd,* and similar slush, and who indulged in what, at its worst, was a most foolish and reprehensible freak— of which the law would never have heard had Wallath s friends been rich and infiuenti .I— has been treated serously as a desperate criminal. If the authorities are barbarous enough to make Wallath eerve his full term, no doubt in a few year?, he r ally may become, if he dosen't die of tooth-ache or stomach ache in the interim — the desperate character he ia now represented to be. It is thus wo solemnly and seriously manufacture criminals, and it is thus we throw a halo of romance about a luny youngster who ought to have been well whipped by that calm New Plymouth landlady, ducked in the horsepond and sent about his business. '

Some discussion took place at the Borough Council meeting on Monday night relative to Mr Corkill'B action as Chairman of the Health Committee in caving certain work done in private property in Devon-street west in order to Fooate a drain, in which a stoppage had occurred. Mr Corkill explained that at the time he took the responsibility the Works Committee was practically defunct, Ilia Worship the Mayor being laid up with serious lllneßS, and the other members out of the Council , As the matter was one of urgency from a health standpoint, water having backed up on sections on the south aide of Powderham-streor, ho, acting in the best interests of the Borough, had the work done in order to remove tho stoppage and have the water drained away. The other members of the Council expressed the opinion that Mr Corkill acted for the best, and the subject dropped.

i During a heated discu Hion in the House the other night, the Hon. Mr Ward aaid :— " 1 wish to state that I have never been carried upstairs since I came into this House, and I hope I never shall be. . . . I think the lion, gentleman should withdraw the imputation that 1 was carried upstairs." To wl ich Mr Richardson replied :— " Of course I accept the lion, gentleman's explanation that he wan not tarried upstairs. . . . Perhaps he was only helped upstairs."' A teacher was instructing her children about how birds are covered with feathers, whilst certain animals had hail. "Now," she said, " tell me what a dog has ?" There waß silence for a lime, and then one little girl held up her finger and said, " Please, teacher, our dog has pups."

Mr Rolloston was spenking the other night, and complained of the attitude aßsumed by the honorable gent'eman in charge of the Bill. Atfced W P. Ree\es : " What attitudr ? Mr Rolleston: " Partly out of tho House and partly lying at full length, and generally showing a care'eas ness of attitude.' Mr Reeves thought the accusation of lying at full length was vcrv rude. But, says 2ruth, considering that Mr Reeves has publicly 8 ated that lying is the duty of a politician, wa hardly see where Mr Rollestons offence comes in

Mr R. if. Glyn, who has recently visited New Zealand, has brought back with him come bright itnpressi ns of his experiences in the Bri'ain of the Sou Ik Mr Glyn unhesitatingly aeserts that the colony wants population, which is tin questionably the case, and it were -veil if the Government could inaugurate somo economical means for introducing the right sort of industrials. Tho prosperity of the wholo community would bo graatly enha- ced and quickened if only a stream of the right Bort of sottlurs could bo diverted that way. Of course they must be men of muscle and of in ral grit, and ready to go right out on to the land

In referring lo the reconstruction of the Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, the Financial 2\nUtß says :— " Tho stumb ing- block seems to bo the exiptence of the debenture sock, especia ly secured by hypothecation of the uncalled capital, and Sir James Fergusaon says that tho holdeis of that stock are to bo called upon to tsuko large concessions in OTder to pormit df reconstruction. Thiß will be very kind of them, but the proposal is, all the same, a vorv curious one If these debenture holders have a valid security, its extent deems to be ample, and we should imagino that a considerable proportion of them would refuse to make any concession If tho security is not valid, or if it i 8 not ample, further oxplanutiou ia required from the directors and trustees,"

A farmer told a friend of bis, who had come from town for a few days' shooting, that ho once had an excellent gun that went off upon a thief coining into the lioubo, although not charged. ' Wonder ful gun, indeed !' said the sportsman j but how did it happen ? Must have been an Irish gun ' ' Not at all,' eaid tho farmer ; ' the thief and it w- nt off together, and before I had time to charge b,im with it.

SUPREME COURT.— In Bancd. Tuesday, October 10.— Before Hia Honor Justice E. T. Conolly.

APPEAL CASE,

Borough Council (appellants) v. Alice Reynolds (respondent). Mr Govett for the appellants and Mr Roy for the respondent. This was nn appeal from the decision of the R..\l. who had awarded the respondent £25 with costs for injuries suetained through tripping over some roots, running from trees growing on private property across the footpath in Devon-street east. Mr Govett for the appellants contended tbat the Council was not liable for damages as the roots came from trees that wore growing on private property. Mr Roy contended that the Council were liable, aB they had the power to compel the owners of the property to remove the roots.

Hiß Honor, in a long judgment, dismissed the appeal, with £10 10a costs against the Borough. Tto Borough, lie held, had the power to construct and maintain footpaths, and once having undertaken that duty it was their duty to gee that the paths were kept in proper order. The Court rose.

AN EMPLOYEE'S COMPLAINT. At the Harbor Board meeting this (Wednesday) morning a letter waa read from Mr Shaw, a carpenter employed by the Board, complaining about his wages being reduced from 8s to 6a per day. — The Chairman said that the Works Committee had decided that Mr Shaw was only entitled to 6s per day on account of his infirmity — MrCoNNfcTTsaid (hecoramittee were unanimous on the reduction — Mr Smith asked whatCapt. Holford's and the foreman'Bopiuionßwere on the ability of Mr Shaw. — The CnAiBMAN said that Capt. Holford had stated that Mr Shaw was competent, but was slow. — MrSMiiH moved, " That Mr Shaw be retailed in the Board's employ iit tho old rate of wages. 1 ' — Seconded by Mr Sarten. — Mr George said if he were h candidate for Parliamentary honors, he hoped Mr Smith would pardon iho joke, he might support the retention of Mr Shaw at the original wages, but as he was not, for he did not consider Parliamentary honors worth the candle bo far aa he waß concerned, he could not do bo. — Mr Smith said that he could inform Mr George that he had no reason to tout for Mr Shaw's vote, for if Mr Shaw died to morrow it would not affect him, as he would be returned to Parliament by a sweeping majority. — After Eome further discussion, Mr Smith agreed to withdraw his motion, it being pointed out that Mr Shaw could if bo liked accept the situation at 6a per day.