The Taranaki Herald. PUBLISHED DAILY. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1898.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 11341, 6 October 1898, Page 2

The Taranaki Herald. PUBLISHED DAILY. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1898.

The case of cruelty to a horse decided on Monday by the S.M , Mr Stanford, naturally leads to the reflection that the meaas of securing informations and subsequent convictions against owners who ill-treat their animals are slender and inadequate to the last degree. As far as can be seen, an information rests merely on the remote chanoe of the offender coming under the eye of the police. But the police are a very small body, and are not— so far as we are aware — gifted with more than the usual complement of eyes ; so, however observant and zealous they may be in the executioj of their duty, there must be a large number of instances or brutal cruelty to animals where the in human offenders go unpunished. The officers of the law are practically powerless unless they have at least tha moral support of a public whose feelings recoil against any display of brutality. But the public should go further. In other ' centres there is uaually a section of citizens who organise themselves into a socioty for the determined suppression of all cases of wanton cruelty. Its members can in this way be of great assistance to the police by laying any caße that comes under their notice before their Society, which, after having the evidence properly investigated to see if the charges are well founded, communicates with the authorities. Individual members are thus guarded against the imputation of officiousness, aud a further advantage lies in vh« fact that policemen are insured against the annoyance of being obliged- to enquire into trumpery cises, while the owners themselves escape the chance of having charges brought against them from motives of personal spite. The' mere existence too of su«h a Society indicated* above wonld go not a little way towards engendering a more humane feeling in the minds of people in general. It would not be possible to raise all at once a body to the same standing held by larger centres, where the subscriptions are large enough to pay for a regular Inspector. But since from small beginnings great things come, it is quite within the power of a few earnest men and women to organise themselves into such a Society. Humane feeliug, we fear, is too often held in contempt by some who pronounce it as childish and effeminate, but if childishness and effeminacy imply a prope treatment of dumb animals, we prefer to remain under the stigma.

A ficul reminder is given of the opening of the Swiss Village at the balvation Army Barracks to night. At the inquest on the body of MoUormick, who died suddenly at Hawera on Tuesday, a veidict that death resulted from apoplexy was returned. The three natives, charged with doing damage on Bora's property at Pihama, have not yet entered into the bonds to keep the peace. It is understood they decline to be bound over. Captain Edwin wired this afternoon : — Wind : Strong from between West and and southwest and south at all places northward of Napier and New Plymouth, gale from between northeast and north and west after from ten hours to 16 hours at all other places. Barometer : Further rise north ward of Napier aad New Plymouth, fall again soon at all other places. Sea : Heavy on all western coast and after 20 hours on east coast of East Cape Tides : High on all western coast and good on east coast south of Napier. Mr Frank W. Watts, of New Plymouth, writes the Wellington Post's London correspondent of August 27th, called on me a day or two ago, Mr Watts came Home mainly on account of his health, having suffered i great deal lately from asthma. He tell* me he is immensely better for the sea voyage, and he hopes to return to New Zealand by the s.s. India, leaving in October. He is at present Btaying at 1, Colville Square, Bayswater. Colonel John Hay, the new American Secretary of State, obtained his diplomatic experience as Secretary of Legation at Paris and Madrid and Charge d' Affaires at Vienna This was previous to 1870 On his return to the United States he accepted an appointment as an editorial writer on the New York Tribune, and remained there for five years. It was for the Tribune that Colonel Hay wrote "The Pike County Ballads." He became United States Ambarsador to England on President McKinley's accession to office. The complete railway returns of the United Kingdom for the year 1897 re* cently published show the total receipts from passenger traffic were £40,518,064, against £32,886,345 in 1896. The goods traffic contributed a total revenue of £47,857,172, against £46,175,335. The total receipts from all sources were £93,737,054, against £90,119,122. On the other hand, the total working expenditure rose from £50,1v2,424 in 1896 to £53,083,804, being 57 per cent of the gross revenue. This year it is expected there will be a marked inorease it) the expense riWo, so much indeed having been shown from the returns of many of the leading companies. The Auckland Star has somewhat modified its demands in the matter of the main trunk railway, and vow consents to the question of route standing over, as suggested by the Premier, until the point of divergence of the rival routes has been reached. The Star wants a special vote of £50,000 to complete this work, adding that, when that sum is obtained and the work proceeding, it will be the duty of tha Auckland and Taranaki members and of the public in Auckland and Taranaki ' to keep before the Government the main question of railway connection with Taranaki. Ie is very good of our contemporary to point out tha duty n£ the members for this district and of the public of Taranaki, although it is a matter upon which opinions will differ, our first duty here being, in the opinion of many people, to secure the proper roading of the country through which the Ohura Road passes.