The Taranaki Herald.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 11659, 19 January 1901, Page 2

The Taranaki Herald.

<>• RL'SHKC! DA:LY. SATURDAY, JANUARY 19, 1901.

Tm annual report of the Chairman of the Harbour Board, which we published oo Friday, was the most satisfactory ever presented to the local Board. In every respect it is encouraging, particularly so in respect to the expenditure during the past year upon dredging. Dredging for the three years, 1893-1895, cost about £800 a year, the cost per cubic yard ranging from over a shilling down to kbout fivepence, but in those years the sand encroached much jaeter than it was removed ; and for the, next four years the expenditure' tVaried from £1763 in 1896 to £2970 in 1899, the pgst per yard coming dttwn from over sixpence to just threepence halfpenny. In 1899 no less than 232,730 yards of sand was removed, and ' this heavy work seems to have broken the back of the trouble, for during the yeai just ended the depth of water has been more than maintained, while only 134,279 yards has Keen dredged, the tota" expenditure being only £1458, or less than half what it was in 1899, and the rate per ynvd coming down to twopence and three-fifths. This sectms to Indio te that the sand can be permanently coped with at nn expenditure of le.-^ than £ 1 5» '0 ;i year, though if it becomes necessary to dredge to a greater depth alongside the wharf to give accommodation for much larger steamers, then additional ex*

penditure will bo required. However, the great bugbear of the harbour is successfully overcome. The heavy outlay upon the sand piimp, which up to the present has given no return, has prevented the reduction of the overdraft, but notwithstanding that the expenditure on the pump has readied nearly £4000, the overdraft has not materially grown. The mole itself appears to be standing well and only a small annual expenditure is likely to be required to make up subsidences of the protective work. The wharves naturally show signs of decay and repairs will always be required, and the greater length of wharf the heavier the cost of maintenance will be, but the greater length of wharf required for the trade the greater the revenue and the better for the port and district. The trade,, which in 1899 was about stationary, increased materially during the past year, the increase being 3586 tons, or very nearly ten per cent, upon the previous year. This is partly, due to the reduced charges upon merchandise, which, however, only came into force during the latter months of the year, so that a greater growth still may be expected during the current year. The total revenue of the port, despite the reduced charges, was £44y greater than in 1899, and is now more than three times what it was ten years ago. The land revenue keeps steady and is not likely to be much less in future. Rates realised £4845 at one-farthing in the £, and there is net much pros * pect of a further reducti6n just yet. Still, the benefits derived by the district are well worth that amount. The Chairman is to be heartily congratulated upon the satisfactory statement lie was able to make, and the officers of the Board upon the successful management of its affairs during the year. A replace advertisement of the Cash Palace Co. appears in this issue. The native against whom a number of charges of false pretences are preferred will appear before the Court on Monday. Captain Edwin wired at noon: — Moderate to strong northerly winds; glass fall; tides increasing. The rider passed at the inquiry into the recent accident at the breakwater was forwarded to the Harbour Board on Friday by the Marine Department. > The rider pointed out the desirability of making provision against the possibility of similar accidents in the future. The. Chairman said the contract lot some time ago would .j. j x f end the wharf, and he' suggested the Board should reply to that effect and state that when the contract is completed action will be taken to obviate similar occurrences. The suggestion was adopted. Mr H. D. Coutts, who served with the First Contingent, will give a lecture on the South African campaign in the Theatre Royal on Monday, January 28th. Mr Coutts has already delivered lectures on the subject, and all who have heard him report that he gives a graphic and well-connected account of the campaign, dealing with events from Cape Town to Komati Poort. Mr Coutts can also give an excellent description of the country travelled over, and its prospects from a settlement standpoint. Full particuluars of the lecture will be advertised next week. /' Here, says the Educational Times, is a good instance of a child's anthropomorphism : A little boy's jacket was to be sent to Scotland as a pattern for £ new one. He was observed putting into its; pockets a pincushion, a toy dog, and a penknife. He explained that he hjuTforgotten to take them with him in the! summer, and that they had missed: their, holiday, and he felt sure they were disappointed — the journey to Scotland, would make them all right. . We fear we cannot cull any scientific lesson from the follow-* ing, unless it illustrates a deep-seated distinction between the boy and girl mind : Overheard on the way from Sunday School. Boy: ," I say, Sis, if you had, been Solomon, would you have chosen wisdom ?" Girl : " Oh, no; you see I've got wisdom. I should have chosen a doll's perambulator." j A resident in the west end got a bit of a stare the other flight. ' In the' absence of his wife, who is away on a visit, he was entertaining a few friends at " a small game." As the night was cloefe and sultry the front door of the residence was left open to admit fresh air. A neighbour ou his way hone "after closing hours" took in the situation, and being in a humourous mood' he ran up to the open door, and yelWd with Well-feigned alarm, "I say Harry your blanky house is on fire !" There was indescribable confusion for some' minutes following the announcement. The proprieter of the house nearly took a fit, his brother, who was at the time in a semnolent state, made his appearAnce in a pyjama suit, and with the aid of the small party started to locate the fire. The humourist in the meantime had fled into the vasty night and escaped the vengeance of the coterie when they found out ' they had been duped. ~ We are requested by the executive of the United Sunday Schools' Annual Picnic, to draw the Attention of our readers to the fact that the tickets for fchfe 'scholars (who of course, are taken free) will be distributed at the procession, which is to form at *St 'Mary's at 11 o'clock on the morning of the picnic, Thursday 24th inst. Elder scholars who may not be able to gb out by first train can seoure their tickets by applying to the superintendent of their school. In view of the heavy expenditure which this excursion involves the cordial and numerous attendance of all friends who can spare the day is hoped for. The Sports Committee met on Friday night and completed arrangements for an energetic carrying out of an attractive programme. Scholars who are fleet of toot and who have gifts in the direction of physical exercise, will find induce j ments to put forth their best efforts in I this direction. The grounds tft Bell Block are so well known as to need neither description nor., puff, though small they offer a variety which is not always to be found in the same compass. Friends and parents should need no special inducement to attend, but' in the multitude of fixtures it may be well to sug gest they should keep this day opea in view of their Sunday School outing. The Hawera Star has the following appreciation of Mp B,ellringer :-- " All who have watched the tyqr-k done by the Taranaki Hospital and Charitable Aid Board since its inception will endorse the appreciative resolution passed by the Board at its meeting here oa Tuesday, in reference to the services of Mr James Bellringer. He has always taken a keen, direct interest ill the particular phase of public duty which the Board had to discharge, and he has ungrudgingly given his time and ability to the work he had taken up. The result was credit to him and satisfaction to the ' public. We speak generally, but may be forgiven in making special reference to the part he took in connection with the establishment of the hospital at Hawera. Throughout he wai> in economical administrator, and it took i good deal to convince him that . a hos pital was required here, but when he saw hat the time had arrived when an insti ution was really necessary for South Taranaki, and that the people were pronared to liberally assist with the needed funds, no member of the Board was more ' loyal to the project or took more care to see that the proposal should be suitably given effect to. We are sorry Mr Bell ringer is retiring, but after so many years tvork he is fairly entitled to relief fron service." Accuracy and qaick despatch given tc all prescriptions dispensed at Sykes Pharmacy (opposite Theatre Royal).*

According to a return submitted at the j Harbour Board on Friday, at the request j of Mr Sarten, the total cost of the fixed j sand-pumping plant to 31st December is £3876 Is Id. The Wanganui Herald devotes a leading article to the suggestion that the j Imperial troops who are about to visit the colony should divide into two contingents at Palmerston, half coming up this way and the other half by way of Napier. Otherwise our contemporary fears local jealousy will be excited. The gold and silver medals awarded at the Paris Exhibition were endless, says the Daily News correspondent. When the vast number came to be looked into the Government shrank from the cost. It is now decided that bronze medals only can be given, but those exhibitors classed as gold and silver medallists can take their bronze ones to the Mint, and at their own expense have facsimiles struck. " Boys of the Empire" is the title of a green-papered cover magazine just to hand from London. It is an excellent penny's worth — well printed and illustrated, and with twenty- four pages of good healthy reading matter, comprising stories and articles that will be enjoyed by every lad the Empire over. Such a magazine should be welcome, as it can only do good, and will act as an antidote to much of the pernicious stuff that is so widely circulated in big cities. At almost every meeting of the' Borough Council there are complaints about the waste of water by consumers, public and private. One of the greatest sinners in this respect is the Borough Council itself. A plug at the intersection of Liardet and Courfcenay- streets has been leaking for a month, and on Friday night quite a stream of water was running from it. This morning steps were being taken to Btop the leak. We notice, however, that frequently le,aks occur at plugs where the water oart is filled. This should not be so if the plugs were not defective. One great building in Cbicagp, the, Monadnock Block, has a daily population of olose te, if not quite, 5000. So vast is the postal business of this, human hive that it was found necessary to establish on the main floor a branch, post office with four mail carriers. The Monadnock Block is 400 feet long, 70 f ee,t wide, 16 stories high at one end and.l 7. at the other, and baa in all 1200 offices. In one day over 20^000 persons passed through the Jackson Boulevard entrance, alone. Mr Sarten had his equanimity die-y turbed at the Harbour Board meeting on ' Friday afternoon. He mentioned that a number of people had offered him subscriptions to defray the cost of obtaining an expert opinion ' on the hole-in-the-Break water question, but until word was. received from Mr Bell he did not care -to accept the money. Mr McLean facetiously interjected si suggestion that Mr Sarten should put the money iv his pocket. The advice, however, was not kindly accepted. -"I'm not here to be jeered at," angrily said Mr \ Sarten, <' and I won't put up with it." He thereupon resumed his seat, and despite the asiurance of Mr McLean that he had no; intention of peering at anybody, Mr Sarten refused to be mollified. Members of the Peace Soaiety ought to be pleased to hear that the Vatican authorities, tired of eternally polishing up their armoury,-are about to melt' down the entire collection of swords, halberds, spears, and battleaxes. The weapons, it is said, number about 150,000 imallt and, are to be converted into pig metal in a' cupola erected for the purpose in the/ Vatican Gardens. It is not very clear, (remarks The Ironmonger) why this ex* pease should hare been incurred, as there must be plenty of founders in Italy who would be glad of the material as scrap, and who would hare saved the Pope all trouble in the matter. Besides, . one, would hare thought that -the collection would be worth more as curios than in the molten state. We bare to acknowledge receipt from Prpfesspr Holibway of a copy pf his Illustrated Australian Almanac tor lsol.i Li addition to ,a quantity of useful information usually found in such publications, the^e.are a number of illustrations with short descriptions of a number of thd chief cities of the Empire. Accompanying the Almanac are specimens of/ the latest advertising idea adopted by " TJhe fathar of modern advertising." Xws are beautifully coloured and insVuciiue cards, illustrating the sports and Panama) of many nations. A complete set of fifty of these will be sent post f re# ( to/ anyone sending fivepencfrin stamps' "to Professor Holloway, 78, New Oxford-street, Lon* don, W.C. There is a story told (St. 'James's Gazette says) of a supporter of Cardinal Mazarin who often reminded the Cardina of his many promises and his -dilatory performance. That statesman, who had a real regard for his faithful adherent, and was unwilling to lose bis friendship, finally took him by the hand one day and explained the many demands made upon a person in his situation as Minister, whjch ( 4t' would be politic t$ satisfy ,previbusry to other requests, is they were founded on- services done to the State. The suppliant for his favours, not very confident of Mazarin's veracity, thereupon ror»lied :— " My lord, all I now ask is the l<,v>nr that whenever we 'meet in public you will dp me the the honour to tap me on the shoulder in an unreserved manner/ • The Cardinal smiled and assented, and in the course of two or three years public tapping- Mazarin's supporter became a wealthy man on the credit of these attentions; which cost the Minister so little and the State nothing. T£ tfe may believe'an'announcement in the Photo 1 gram it is likely (the Daily Graphic says) that in a few months' time photographers.— amateur and professional — all ' over- the wor|d will be printing photographs showing the natural colours of the original subjects. Ik seems that the process which was patented six years ago simultaneously in Britain anq the United States by Professor Joly, of .Dqblin, and Mr J. W. M'Donough, and which was described at the time, has since been go greatly improved and simplified that the practice of colour-effect pnotography will soon be within the reach of everyone who understands the use of a camera. Briefly ? the operation is as follows : — The sensitive plate is exposed in contact with a light-filter consisting of a plate of glads ruled with parallel lines, 300 to the inch, alternately of red, green, and violet. The negative is of the ordinary black colour, but anyone who has dabbled in optics and photography will understand that if a print he made from it upon paper which,, before being sensitised, has been ruled with Hues of the same colours and the samo distance apart as the filter screen, and if the colour lines of the paper exactly " register " or coincide with the Unei made by the screen upon the negative, the result will be a picture in coloured lines. If the process is as simple and as satisfactory as the Photogram declares it to be, it should give a great stimulus to all branches of photographic work. Whiteley Memorial Church, Sunday, Jan. 20th. — Rev. 8. J. Serpell will preach: II a.m., subject " The Confessiqn of Thomas"; 7 p.m., "Christ and the Woman of Samaria.' 1 * At the Baptist Church to-morrow the Bey James Ings will pro ich in the morning upon " Life and Growth," and U) the evening will confine himself to the solitary wora "But." Strangers are always cordially welcomed. 0 The Primate of New Zealand will hold a confirmation in St. Mary's Church tomorrow afternoon at 3 o'clock. All aento vill be free for this service. The Pirimate rill also preach in 9t Mary a at the morning and evening services.* In consequenccof the prolonged sittings of the Primitive Mathod-at Conference, the ministers will not reach New Plymouth in time to preach to-morrow, i s announced. The Rev. J. Nixon will preach in Queen-street Church, mornii g and evening. All seats froe. 0 4