TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1900.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 11573, 2 October 1900, Page 2

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1900.

It was,, we .think .a thqusand pities that the Counby Council , rejected Mr Horrocks' ■ motion, to procure ■ft modern road-making plant. In all departments ' of^ industry ie is found that the surest way to success is to use qnly tlie very best machinery, and though, the initial , outlay ' may seem large, results will invariably prove that it is the 1 only true ' economy. ,In the freezing industry it is quite a common occurrence to find companies throwing out machinery, apparently good and efficient, .and sacrificing it at the price of, old, iron, in order to instal at great, expense the most modern machines. Shipping companies are , constantly getting, rid of seaworthy vessels, which in their time have served their purpose ' well and earned good divi^ dends, in, order to replace them with others \vhicli,'by reason of their smaller consumption of coal and generally lighter expenses in proportion to their carrying capacity, will pay still, better.' In the dairying industry, to use an illustration that will appeal i more forcibly perhaps to country ratepayers, companies,both proprietary and co-oper-ative, are always replacing old machin-' cry, though not worn out, with new of the most modern type. 'As an instance of the wisdom of such a policy we may mention the experience of one company, the Chairman of which states that an 'exhaustive test had proved that it would pay the Company handsomely to discard a portion of its machinery and replace it at a' cost of £500; and this regardless of the fact that the j .machfhery'proposed, ,to bo thrown out was in good order and doing,its work well. Another 'type would --do it better and in6re cheaply. This, as we remarked abo^ej' 1 ' as- the experience in all trades and industries, and the same principle is npplicable to' road making. Mr 1 ' Horrockb, ! who has givjen the matter^|very bareful study, shows , conclusively, we ' consider, ' in another column, that the County Council would save, a large sum annually by investing in a modern plant for road-making, ' and if he had added another £700 for '.a ' roller the results would be even ' better, because the roads would last longer if thoroughly rolled when made, instead of being allowed to wear into ruts immediately new metal is put down. This matter of road construction and maintenance is annually becoming more important, and it behoves those charged with carrying out the work to study economy and efficiency, just as they would in the working of their dairy factories. The, County Council is charged with the maintenance of about 100 miles of road, costing annually under the present system from £45 to £50 per mile, or a total of anything between £4500 and £5000 a year. A. complete plant, consisting of traction engine, crusher, scarifier, and • roller, would cost, after deducting the value of the old plant, say £2000, interest upon which would be only £100 a year, and it is only folly to argue that this sum would not be Bayed many times over by the use of . the modern machinery, besides which the resulting roads would be much better, and wenr and tear upon horses and vehicles travelling ■ over them would be much lighter, not to mention the saving in time upon journeys. We think some of the Councillors have not given the matter the study its importance deserves, and we hope Mr Horrocks will persevere until he his convinced the country 'ratepayers that their interests would be best termed by obtaining the very best macl inn-; . <

M \Y years ago New Plymouth was the pr .lid poßaessor of n public museum, which, though small, contained a number of moro or less valuable and unique specimens. For some reason or other tho institution was broken up, and part o£ the collection was, we believe, taken to the High School, where every care haß no doubt been taken of it, but whore ill could scarcely bo said to ba open to tho general public. Tho result of this has probably baon the lO3S of many valuable specimens which would havo found thoir way into tho collection hid it boon a really publio

-museum.- A movement is now being initiated to remedy the defect, and the Borough Council has undertaken to provide one or two rooms in the Town Hall for the 'purpose. With the' idea of furthering the object in view,' a public .meeting will be held to-night, when it is ; hdped all interested will attend and assist in so laudable an object. Tho Supreme Court sittings at New Plymouth concluded to-day (Tuesday). Mr J. Patterson announces that he has opened a tailoring establishment near the Eed House Hotel. Folio wing,, are the , y^tal , statistics for New Plymouth , for S,ep,temb l er,, 190Q :— Births,' lß;. deaths, 8; marriages, M-."^ „ . - The' 'dance that was to have been hold " this evening atOmata has been postponed -for; a week or two. ' , - Captain Edwin wired at II 11I 1 o'clock to- , day: — Moderate to strong westerly winds; ■ moderate tides; , glass rise. * ''' , ' 1 ■' Laud Board, Tnranaki County Council, Spotting, and other interesting \reading, matter will be found on pur front page. r v A public meeting will be held in the Council Chambers this evening, in connection with ' the establishment '6f a museum in New Plymouth. 1 - ' ■ • "•' • < ' p, Several ',members;, of ' the" ' Tarana|ri SCouuty Council ,afe thinking of applying the tinie limit 'to their - discussions. The . talking capabilities of one or two of the speakers on" Monday "staggered even the Chairman. ( . At Stratford, on i, Mbnday; • Lucien Libeau, storekeeper, was charged iwith wilfully setting'fire to a wooden building 1 at Stratford, the property, of Charles Major. The case was adjourned till to •' day (Tuesday). >< , • „•( I, The Wellington f City Council tpok over the city tram set vice /on "Mori'day, !when free rides were 'the order' ''of the day. The Mayor handed Dr. Grace, Chairman pf the Company,, a cheque for iMr Kirkby reports, iaying sold, on behalf of MriTaunt'Qni, -iMt'lbeatitiful ' property at Fitzroy, known as, " Hilton , Crest," to Mr J. Hawken,' of' Patea 1 , who .intends to reside there. \ •''•'-' <• "/• •;i If'-,,' * '/! ■'■ . v,, <» . ), ■< ';, \ To-morrow afternoon Mr Newton King , >will sell by auction, at his mart, the whole, of the late 'Mr Hr-Jr Fisher's valuable 5 ,-bdoks, theological, historical, , scientific works, &c. The 'sale', will ddirtm'ence at i , 2.'30 p.m. -_ ; ( / „ ./, , |ir, _y^ Carpenters and others are reminded of the sale, of ■ buildings by Mr, Newton King, at -hi 3 ' mart, t .to-morrow ; morning, .on 1 I account of therHarbour Board?, , ,The . buildings are in Brougham-Street, , opposite the Taranaki and imust be removed within bix weeks from da^e.of ■sale. '■ ■ ■ -. ~ i i, • > i " 1 The attention of investors is drawn- to \ tho sale of 'suburban property < near Te J Henui by Mr Newton King on Thursday, afternoon. There are" ten sections,' each containing one-quarter acre or moro, and having a good 1 sea view. Two-thirds of i the purchase money can "remain on/mort- • gage if required. ) *. " < ' ' i In connection wi^h the ca.ritata, u David,' to be rendered on Thursday next, 'in' the Whiteley Memorial .'Church, .in,;aid of a memorial td th'ose'Tafa'riaki troopers whti i haVo lost their lives in the Transvaal warj [ a special parade oF'tKe"-Ta"ratfakf 'Guards' t 'has been called for 7'p.m^on?that day for ■ the purpose of inarching "wi£h',the"fTara-. naki Rifled, attended by the City' Band t to the Church.' *• \ ' ■'-« V.lh* i Tho annual meeting H ~of ~lh§ Mfingqrei ' Co-operative* Dairy .Factory-C ompany 1 was held at the Lower Kent Road school ; on Monday, when'ilcss^s D. Alexander i and H. King were ra-elected directors,', L and Mr F, Reeve was elected in pl&ijeVb'f . Mr A. Peers, who baa .left ,the district. Mr J. C. Da vies was "re-elected auditor. At a meeting of directors held Bubse1 quently, Mr Arthur Morton was re-elected r chairman. , w , , Mr Justico • Mathew, addressing the English Eomilly Society the other day on the criminal law and its administration, • expressed th,e opinion that it would be an , improvement on Ihe present- method if , Judges were informed as to the careers , pf convidted persons, and of their efforts obtain an honest living, and , auqh other matters as Svould assist^ them in ', awarding a -fitting punishment. He was • opposed to flogging — it was no deterrent. Lord James of Hereford is' 'president of i the society, which exists -foe the reform^ of the criminal law 'and punishment In" jtho' direction of a wise and sound humani- . jtarianism.' ' ' -' Whatever may be their ethical shortcomings, tho JUtualists- (remarks., the ' :Daily. Telegraph) appear, 'to', 'possess a keener sense of' humour than their tn'eoi logical , opponents. A bishop recently' i stigmatised as '^distinctly, unwise" the continued J' ceremonial " use of'itfcehae ' -and processional lights, ui.' ! de'n'aniie'4f , the, , '" Archbishop's " " opinion," , butAlheVjfeca'li citrant cleric who '.was ,tti us adhibnished | promptly demurred fo the charged. ' "In ' the New Testament," he said, •" only two 1 ' classes' of people are specially termed : wise— rth,e- "\yisb Men/wbo'qfferedincenste ; aeremonially, , and" tho , Wise Virgins who i earned processional' lights.** '" 'The" gdo'd i i bishop ;has ,retired for the present from , ' the encounter. . ~ '".,,,' '- | ■ Several of tl»e army surgeons ha^ve tried j the Kaffir cure for dysentery with marked success" in som"o very; bad cases:.. It con- ' sists (says, the Physician, and, Surgeon-) of 1 a decoction of- the- -root '6l the pelnrr gonium or gefaniiim. ' There £te upwards • of 150 different 'kinds of .wild geranium ; in South Africa, and oaclLseoiqs equally [ efficacious in cutting short an attack of 5 dysentery., The Kaffirs and Zulus simply chew the geranium root, : but a niore ( elegantpreparation is made byboiling'tne root in milk. One or two tablespo6nsf ul ' are given every two .hours, till the symp- ' toms of ' dysentery * have ' disappeared. ' The result ia generally attained in from i thirty-six to forty-eight hours, and so far [ no failures have beeu recorded from this r method of treatment. [ There was a good deal of concern about i a pound note that had been placed in the hands of the jury, for exhibition, on tho '■■ alleged stealing case re-heard on Monday. I When the case was over the foreman had t the note, all tattered and torn, in his pos- ) session, and as no one asked him for it ho • placed it in a big box, one of the appoint-, ; monts of the Court. Tho foreman had just cleared the town on his way home when a "Kaiserman" gotscurriyng round for him to enquire about the noto. The i policeman met a friend to whom ho un- > folded his tale of woe, tho friend had mot i the foreman, who had explained to him l all about the note; and the friend told ; the constable where the foreman had put , it. Tho constable rushed back to get safe de'ivery of the precioia note, as if he feared that, ovon in the sacred precincts ' of the Court, tho flimsy was not safo. 1 The repeated annoxation of the Omata 1 tollgate does not seem to disconcert the ' County Councillors. At the meeting on • Monday, a letter read from Mr ; A. l Bayly, stating that his gate had been , taken by a county employee and placed . at tho Omata toll, and in consequence ho t claimod 10s a day for tho unlawful removal of such gate. The Clerk stated ! that ho had replied to the letter, informing Mr B lyly that the matter was in the I hands of the police. A further letter ■ was then received from Mr Govctt, on behalf of Mr Bayly, claiming £4 18s damngcH, to which a si'nilar reply was sent by tho Clerk. Mr Bayly also wrote stating that it was tho wish of tho rute- > payers that tho Omata tollgate should bo ' abolished. Several councillors comi men ted on what thoy termed the undor- , hand methods of protesting against tho : g:ito, and eventually, on Mi* ilorrocks's motion, it was deuidod to inform Mr 1 Bayly that" tho Council cannot see its way to discuss tho quostion until tho matter is brought before them by a petition signed by a largo majority of ratopayeis throughout tho County. Tho news that the <£ite had been removed again that mor.iing causod a laugh. Tho Counoil decided to leave the wafer in the bands of tho police, t