STRATFORD NEWS

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 10478, 2 December 1895, Page 2

STRATFORD NEWS

[PROM OUR RESIDENT AGENT.] November 29. — Mr Wm. Monkhouse was re-elected chairman of the County Council on Wednesday, and was also appointed the county representative on the Charitable Aid Board. There was no opposition ; ambition, that lasc failing of noble minds, not being a very marked characteristic of our County Councillors. Let no one infer, however, that the nobility of mind is not there. The chances of the coming general Parliamentary election are already being canvassed, and likely candidates for Egraont spotted. So far I have only heard mention of Messrs McGuire, Marchant, Major, Monkhouse, Malone, Mackay, Harkaess, and Rohbins. That ig all. Still, drop five of the M's, and even then there is an M.FI.R. left. Your leader, Mr Editor, on the duties and responsibilities of company auditors should specially oommend itself to the ! attention of shareholders in local compiusion. In thi-( district there exists a very imperfect notion of the duties of an auditor for a joint stock company. The view almost universally taken being that he is a sort of detective to soe th.it tho socrecary is not robbing tho safe, it will come with a shock of surprise to most people t-> learn that ho is respousible for the actions of the company it-self as represented by the direotors. His first and foremost duty is to sec that tho company's creditors and the public are not led by a false bal.iucesheet to suppose tho position of affairs to bo other than it really is. He must also not allow without public protest the distribution by way of dividend or bonuses of any part of the capital of! the concern. Failure in either of these duties may lead to very unpleasant personal consequences, as the recent English case quoted by you shows. A little study of the subject on these linos may prevent the audits of some of our local companies being quite so perfunctory as they have hitherto been. The duties of an auditor will als9 be not quite so lightly undertaken. The time of the S.M. was taken up this morning with a pretty little quarrel between two good ladies residing on tho Waingongoro Road. It appeared that one had addressed the other in terms implying some resemblance, mental or physical, t» an aged female of the canine race. Properly considered thero is really nothing so very derogatory in the comparison for the dog, allowing for his long and, clnsic association with humanity, is 011 the whole an animal of respectability. Industry and honesty are not uncommon virtues and he rarely descends to alcoholism. The character for pugnacity, on which Dr Watts insists with unnecessary emphasis, is much exaggerated. Ho is not addicted to litigation. But to roturn to the Waingongoro Road. The S.M. fined ono of the parties, and hinted that it was in his opinion very much a case of Coßßar and Pompey — very much aliko.

The School Inspector, Mr Spencer, has finished his annual examination horo, and the result I understand is satisfactory.

Those in Australia and New Zealand who saw much of the Rev. H. R. Haweis will bo aware that a favorito subject of his both in and out of the pulpit is the feeblo intellectuality and preaching capacity of the church clergy. How right the li,ttlo rn.au js, says, the London correspondent «f the Bunedin Spur, may be judged from the fnot that ho him-elf though far from an idoal orator — stands admittedly third on the list of great preachers in the Establishment, and that one could count the rest on one's fingers. Mr Haweis recurs to this favorito grievance' in an article on the 'Now Clergy 1 in the Contemporary Review. "The Established Clergy," says he, " need not be able to preach at all. or even to speak audibly. They are not authoritative liko the Romau Catholic, nor eloquent like the Nonconformist ; they are endlessly apologetic and habitually dull. Their sermons are stuffed with urguments which prove nothing and apologies which require to be apologised for. Tho Anglican Church is orthodoxy without unction and ritual without lifo. The new clergy have got to alter thai." " What wonder,'' asks Mr Haweis, in conslusion, '"if tho Nonconformist preuchors walk ovov the courao and tho chapel is crowded while church is empty ?"