Taranaki Herald. FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 1908. A CRYING WANT.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13661, 27 March 1908, Page 4

Taranaki Herald. FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 1908. A CRYING WANT.

The crying Wilt of Taramiki is •roac^s, and more roads; not summer roads, but good sound aietalled highways ttiat will carry traffic at all times, winter and summer, autihhn and spring. There are maiiy settlers in various parts of the district ik much tha same position as those on the Man#aere Ho#o\ " \vho are described by one of>'otir country correspondents* as being uuable to get stock- on to the clearings the Land Board has insisted upon their making on their, holdings, because another Government Department has failed to give them access by means of a road* l^rom ihis cause the clearings are said to be depreciating in value for want of stocl^ to keep down the grass and young growtli of shrubbery. Their position.,, we repeat,; is not singular, for in Other parts of the back-blocks of Tarannki there are settlers who . hare resided for years on their land, to which the only access is a bridletiack, and who have been forced td comply with the' conditions under which they selected the laud, while the samfe Government which forces compliance has failed to fulfil its own share ot the bargain by giving .proper access. We do not blame 'the ltoads Department, for the officials are anxious enough to. make the roads if Parliament woultV'mily vote the necessary supplies... But We do blame both the Government and| Parliament, the former for not asking the latter for. jauthority to devote larger sums to road-mak-ing, and Parliament for not paying more attention , to the expenditure of public moneys and the requirements <vf ' the country » Every Minister knows and admits that roads are wanted. Why, then, does not-Cabinet ask Parliament for larger appropriations for urgent works P It cannot be want of money that, stands in the! way, because the Colonial Trea-j surer for many years past has been practically assured, when preparing his financial Statement, of having a surplus of some hundreds of thousands of pounds after adopting very cautious estit mates of revdnue and providing

liberally f° r expenditure in other directions. In liis last Budget speech Sir Joseph Ward said that "with sustained perseverance and energy, and the provision of sufficient funds for the purpose, it is hoped that the roading will before long overtake- tile needs of settlement." Then he estimated his revenue to be about £212,000 more than his expenditure, though he prooably felt assured that his estimate of revenue was a very conservative one. As a matter of fact it has "been largely exceeded, and Sir Joseph lias lately proclaimed from numerous platforms the unprecedented prosperity of the Dominion. He provided last year, it is true, for a new vote of £25,000 from the Consolidated Estimates for the! maintenance of roads, bui that was a mere trifle compared with actual needs. If we turn to the Public Works Statement we find that in the year ending MareTi fllflt, 1007, the total net expenditure by the Roads Department upon road works, etc., was £415,0<ft. The great necessity for roads was referred to by the Minister, who proposed appropriations for the current year amounting to £488,551, or 4373,514 more than the actual expenditure in the previous year. It may be said thsd this was a handsome provision to make, and much more than was voteckyears ago.. Perhaps so, but it was not enough, and under the circumstances we blame the Government and Parliament, as we have already said, for not doing for the settlers. The Dominion's prosperity is, according' to the Premier, greater and sounder than ever; there is a recoril surplus; the revenue is buoyant; the money market is easy ; there is no lack of- funds ; and last, though not least, the needs of the settlers are great. Why not, then, spend some of the surplus thousands in doing work which will give a better return than anything else the Government can do? A prosperous settler is an excellent aßset to the State, and yields a substantial revenue through Customs, to the railways, and in othe* way». Xfcft. the other hajid, a settler whose lot is a constant struggle for existence on account of bad roads, who instead of contributing several pounds a year to the Customs and railway revenue, has to pay many pounds a year, where shillings snould suffice, for carrying his stores and produce over unmetalled roads, is a drag on the country instead of a help to it. In common honesty and decency, however,, apart from the question of economy, the Government ought to carry, out its side of the bargain made with settlers who have taken up land on the assurance that access would be sriven to it.

, ■ Tho banks tloing business throughout Taranaki will bo closed on Tuesday next, tbfc anniversary of tho founding of tho province. Mr J. D. Mitchell, of Manaitf, one of tho oldest and best known sportsmen in Taranaki, met with an accident ai the New Plymouth races yesterday. MiMitchell slipped off the short bwt steep flight of steps neat the stewards' stand and broke the small bone of his leg. He was attended on the course by Dr,s. Leatham and Fookes, and afterwards conveyed to a private hospital. Another phase of the,- goods shed trouble i An Eltham inerehanjfc ' has written to orte of the local shipping agencies stating that goods which arrived in New Plymouth by the Corinna on the 20th inst. are not yet to hand, and that the delay is causing serious inconvenience. The letter added that the writer was very much afraid that, unless he could pet more prompt discharge of gpods^from New PJymonth, he M'puld have 'to revert to shipping via Patea. The New Plymouth Homing Pigeon Club held a young btad's race from Waverley yesterday afternoon. Th< weather was favourable and an interesting race resulted. Three-quarter? of a minute covered the time of arrival of the first five birds. Fifty birds, representing ten lofts, competed. Results: — C. Dixon's Black Banner. 2 hours 3}min, velocity 832 yard? 0 feet U inches, I; J. Sparkes' IW Boat, 2 hours 3smin, velocity 829 — o—l0 — 1 2; G. A. Corfley/s . Avon, 2 hours 3] mill, velocity 828—2—11, 3; W. Boulton's Royal Buck, 2 hours 3min, velocity -828— 2—10, 4th. The coal man Who deals with fuel in a small way is looking black. Qne copiplained volubly to a Wellington Times man that the merchant was assuming a threatening attitude towards his stnfell brother. "The State entering into competition with us didn't «xaetjy make our fortunes, but when the merchant threatens to stop otir coal supply for the winter if we don't keep our orders up in the summer (when people don't burn half as much coal), vis red hot." The small coal-dealer also remarked that there was likely to be an all-round shortage of coal during the coming winter, owing to strike tronbles and the cantankerousness of the big merchant. He predicted a rise in the price of fuel and. the abandonment of the trade by the little men in the business.

'*< Tho unusual incident of a soiritSr'con- { stable being accosted by t\Vo Customs , officers and asked to submit to being. ■' searched was witnessed at Port Mel- | bourne last week. When they s^arghed him they found about 51b. of tobacco concealed in his clothing. The imports and exports -over the breakwater for the first two months of this year amounted to exactly 12,000 tons, as compared with 10,565 for the first two months of 1907. The revenue from port dues was £2395 as against ' £2380. The passenger traffic was rather less this year than last, when it was swelled no doubt by the Christchurch Exhibition. Taihape badly needs. a drunk. expert, say,s the Hunterville Express. .Last Monday evening two Hunterville residents got off the late train at Taihape, and walked into the first hotol tney came to, and called for whiskies; Imagine their surprise when the barman told them they were drunk and refused to serve them. At first they treated it as a joke, but the man behind the J bar was serious, and not a drink did they get. The amusing part of the affair is that tho younj; fellows had not tasted liquor all tliat day. Perhaps nothing in the April number of the Australasian lleview of Reviews will be read with s,o keen au interest as Mr Judkins' defence against Mr Dillon, .president of the Victorian Licensed Victuallers' Association. It occupies a great many pages. The frontispiece is a striking diagram ■ showing almost at a glance ton years' progress in trade among *se venal of the leading trading countries. Cricketers will- be interested in R. H. Campbell s article on International Crickot,, giving averages and analysis in connection with the rocent test series. John Oxonham's serial, "Carette of Sark M is continued. The book of the month is Sir Henry Drummond. Wolff's "Rambling Recollections." The otUer contents and illustrations are fully up to the high standard achieved by* this popular monthly^ An interesting, cas^ arising - out ' 0? the recent bush fires Vas decided fcSp Mr McCarthy, S.M., kb DannevirEe yesterday. During 'the firies in 'the We- , ber district one settler, todfc advantage of the, wind to light a fire *$o fight one approaching. After three days the wind"' changed, and the .fir|s followed the original course, extending to a property of a neighbour's, causing damage to the' extent. of £290 19s. After a lengthy hearing, lasting- all day, the Magistrate- gave judgment for £100 damages, holding that the/ farmer in lighting a fire on. an adjoining' property was responsible for p^aint&ff's loss, although there were many other fires in the district. The Magistrate expressed the opinion that legislation should -be passed providing for ;fche regulation of fire lighting. He -pointed- out that mtiny bush settlers and Crown tenants ing' was the only practical way. King Alfonso Dears a charmed life. He is reported to have had nrany remarkable escapes from death, including four deliberate attempts to take his life. When a boy he was attacked jn the streets of Madrid by a ruffian arm T od With. a knife, but escaped uninjured. Two shots were fired at him on June IJ., .1.903, in Madrid,, while he was drivings home from church, accompanied by His mother and sister. Both shots missed him. During 'his visit i;o Paris in June, 1905," a bomb was thrown at him as he was returning from €he opera with President Loubet. Two horses were killed^ but .the King escaped unhurt. The fourth attemi>t was made qn May 30, 1906, during his wedding festivities in BfacMd. He .j^*3d*ivss|; through the streets with his bride when a bomb was thrown at the royal carriage. Twelve people were killed and many others were injured, but the royal pair escaped.' The King has had many other adventured of this nature, largely due to Mis motoring exploits. ,i., A Dunedin telegram states that something in the nature of a strike occurred at Port Chalmers on Wedfaes r day evening, just as the TJlimaroa was about to leave for Sydney. The disturbance arose among the firemen, owing, it is said, to three of them having been paid off while the Company refused to pay off a few others. It ap» pears that the steamer had three fire-; men in excess of the required., nuniber.. At about a quarter of an hour before the time of departure, the firemen, numbering about twenty, informed the captain that the work was ±6o hard,, and, after some conversation, the whole number went ashore. Throe 1 men were engaged to fill the places of those paid on, and, after some persuasion, the others returned on boardVjust as the vessel was leaving. Two of -the n\en jumped ashore. It is understood. that . some of the steerage passengers-w ere prepared ta assist the firemen" in their work if necessary. The vessel was delayed About forty minutes. . ' *," • An effort, is being made to stop the , lucrative business of the beer depots on the border of the Invarcargill proh,ibition district. Some time ago the Minister of Customs, making use of the discretionary power's vested in him, issued instructions that no nft>re beer should be sold at the Collingwood depots. Time was allowed, however, for tho owners to sell stocks already collected at the depots, and in the meantime things are going on as usual. One of the depots (Messrs Roope and Company's) has already been converted into a breweix and it is therefore unaffected by the new regulations. The other two depots, owned by Messrs Whittinurham (Inveroargill) and Mc-G-avin (Dunedin). will have sold out their nccumulatod stocks shortly, and thon tho owners will have to shut up shop or build breweries. The latter course is being taken by the Invorcargill firm, which now has a builder at work in tho croetiori of a now browery, but un to tho nresent the Dunodin firm has taken no visible action. A charapnrrno industry has been established in Now South Wales. What may bo termed tho christening of tho industry was celebrated a fow days arco with muoh testing and toasting at the Minchinburv vineyards of Messrs J«mos Angus and Sons, at Rooty Hill. Those cntorpwhing vignorons and winemakers have succeeded faays tho Sydnov Telograoh) in producing champagne which tho Government wino expert and other competent judges pr<Wunee equal to tho best imported from Franco and Germany., There was the inevitable speechmaking j»t the lunehoon, and Mr Perry, rs one of tho loadinir speakers, naturally talked wino. When he expressed his partiality for good winV. and stated his conviction that it should , be more generally drunk, ho struck a rosponsiVe chord in the gathering, especially when ho emphatically announced his lank of timo for the perBon who would debar the people fihe , right to indulge in this invigorating and health-giving beverage at theirown discretion. Tho wine-drinking nations, ho said,, were overvwhere the soberest people in the world. Tn his opinion the man who could not drink wino had wo iporo rin'ht to force cold water down his (Mr Perry's) throat than ho had to jamb whisky and rum down tho throat of the temperance advocate.

Mcass, which a Trinidad planter lias succeeded in converting into paper pulp, is the sugar cane after the sugar lias been crushed out -of it. At present it is generally used up as fuel in tn© sugar mills. As giving some idea of the fondness of New Zealanders for eggs, Mr D. D. Hydo, Government Poxiltry Expert, stated at a meeting °* P^ fcr^ a "*™ yesterday that over 173,600,000 eggs were consumed in the Dominion lastyear. ■'- The Australian aborigine has a mortal horror of the sea, and is o% tnat account rarely seen outside his own country. An exception arrived by the Mahen'o from Sydney on Wednesday (says The Dominion), in the person -tot a typical aboriginal girl, whoso flashing eves and gleaming, exhibited under a vvido-brimmed straw hat, .attracted sonje attention, and created not a little comment among thoso in wait on •tho wharf as the steamer vas being •berthed. It was ascertained on board that the gi^l was the servant of a saloon passenger. She had no difficulty in passing the education test to which aliens must submit. A strange objection to the renewal of a license was taken at Bristol (Eng.) , the other day. It was stated that the barmaid had been Seen kissing a,customer, and on another occasion she had sat on. a customer's knee. The lidensee's solicitor convulsed the. Qourt hv declaring that it was "simply Socialism up to .date. 11 The doctrine of the Socialists was to "share everything with oaoK other," and the barmaid was sharing the chair with the customer I As to the licntleman who had kissed, her, he was bringing himself dpwn to her level! Tho extraordinary argument was convincing, and the license was renewed. .' ' . Despite the fact that unuder thY new Land Laws Amendment Act, pr^B&rence is given to applicants who are landless, the number applying for Crown land" thrown open for selection is in no way lessened. An Auckland telegram states that applications closed at the Auckland Lands Office on Wednesday for an area of 16,998 acres open for selection, and the total number of applications received was just 700. The land in, question is situated chiefly in the Kawlu'a arid Waitomo counties. The Land Board sits on Mondtfy morning to consider the applications, and on Tuesday a ballot will be taken. Preference will in all cases be given to those who are landless. "I have been offered a position as a clerk, but I do not want to engage in . that occupation any more," said an immigrant, recently arrived from England. '"There is nothing in that occurpation. I have just, arrived from Lon1 don, where I held the position, in a large firm, of clerk and junior town traveller. I was in that position for 1 eleven years, arid it looked as if Ishould be junior town traveller until J: .- readied the age of Methuselah* The . old hands seems to have a spite. against the juniors," he jocularly remarked, "and refuse to die off, consequently there is no proaoect before the ; younger. , element, and I decided to come to New ■ Zealand and try my luck in a totally mew sphere."., He is about to begin work as a farm hand. The viciousJtawk is generally* regarded as the setine'r's enemy, but it is now . suggested that he might bY used to good purpose iri tho destruction of .small* birds. A Manawatu farmer, whY is growing a small quantity of Cape hartley, tho other day noticed small birds,, hard at work pulling up the crop. He varied their diet with some poisoned tfheat, which he. scattered aroUnd the Ne?ct'Vla> l aead: biras were, lyffig; . about in all directions, and hawks t were f>reying utkm them. The farmer is de% lighted with the result, because other" small birds were frightened to encroach upon the territory thus taken possession of by the hawks. He says he formerly looked upon the hawk as a useless member of the feathered, tribe, but he has . now changed his opinion. The solitary life of ,the lion at New- , town Park has had np effect upon his appetite (says The Dominion). He must have the largest meat bill of any individual in Wellington, for it amounts, on an average, to nearly £2 a week. Doubtless, he is, entitled to the "lion's share," but even the Rev.; D. C. Bates, who has a compassionate heart for lions, thinks that in this case the king of beasts is fed too royally. 'He says that there is no reason why Jiia_daily menu should cost more - than sixpence. A lion does not need the choicest morsels, and a plain-food diet of bullocks' heads and other parts of the meat, which usually go to waste, could be provided at the sum mentioned. It naturally occurs to one that such a saving on his appetite would go far to buy the lion a mate. It would also reduce considerably the boob cost to the.Corporation, which last year was £800. "Race prejudice counts for little in the * Transvaal" (says the London Times) "so long as the Asiatic is merely a coolie doing work for the capitalist which the white man does not care to undertake, and doing it dirt cheap. That is business. But when the Asiatic becomes storekeeper, commission agent, baker, tailor, shoemaker, and, in fact, anything and everything, making money at them all, then he is hated with an unspeakable hatred- I—which1 — which is also business. It is most regrettable that he should not remkin content with being a coolie; but his ambition is boundless, possibly because we have taught him the absurdity of the caste system and the perfectability of man. So he. inenrs the business hatred, far deeper and more deadly than race hatred can be represented as an ordinance of nature — primal inexorable, and rooted in the order of things. That business hatred is what we hare to deal with in all these cases of race difficulty, for there is no race difficulty until it arrives." During a recent tour of .the King Country, Mr W. T. Jennings, M.P., came across two farmers from the Old Country who wore looking for land in the Dominion. One of them, aMr Smith, who comes from Lincolnshire, told him that he had experienced great difficulty in getting, suitable land on which to settle, as the price asked was too high. He and his friend had each brought £2000, but felt that they could do no good at the prices rulingt Mr Jennings advised them to go to the Lauds Department at ' Auckland to enquire about some of the blocks open for selection, more especially as they said that they did not care much about the remote chances of the ballot., but preferred buying land. They had, they said, been to Wellington and Hawkers Bay districts, but found the price of land prohibitive. Mr Smith also stated that before leaving England he had made inquiries at the offices of the High Commissioner in London, and had been given books containing particulars of land suitable for taking up in the Dominion. When he arrived here he found to his disappointment that the information contained in the books was obsolete. Mr Jennings intends (says tho Wellington Post), to biting the matter under tho notice of the Minister for Lands.

On learning that the sairmillers \vore in confftreuco in New Plymoutli, tho {Stewards of' the Taranaki Jockey Club fcenfc tU4 members complimentary tiesketS for the recent rate meeting, as attention which was appreciated by 'alt. Hjow # to succeed: A novel recipe is given ih a letter sent from an English fawner at Pok-eno, New Zealand, - the Hereford Times. Advising young English farmers to take up land in Zealand, he says: "The best way is to work first for a big farmer; then marry Jus daughter." • , Mtfn should take women as they are, and not expect them to:be angels.- If a man truly lovos a vrotnan ho ought not to compmin of her feminine shortcomings 1 , -but' have patience with her whims and try to understand her. It is not s6 vfcry difficult. — Familien Xcitung^ Haoibttrg. The very unusual spectacle of a defendant (a pa,k<sha) acting as iutorpreter for plaintiff (a Maori) was witnessed ill. t-he Magistrate's Court at Mastortoji last week, reports the As**. Counsel for plaintiff (Dr. Temple) expressed ' perfect confidence, that this cliont's evidence wotild be correctly i 11— ter'pretedj and the case proceeded in a satisfactory matiittr.' , Servants have seldom been so fortiin- . ate as havo thos^iQf,.the t hjte Major Christopher Brickm'ann, xif Bath (Eng.), whose employer has left tl*>ni legacies of ,)u>tisc property, ground rents, railway stock, brewery, ironworks, and . other shares, and annuities. Altogether the servants comprising two families, named Doel and Kelly, will benefit to the extent of ,about £25*000. Ono of. the sufferers hy the ravaged of tli? -recent bush fires is the teacher in charge of tho small school at Manga- • raaire, in the Forty Mile Bwsh district, near Pahiatua. Tho whare ijn which he . was. "baching" w.as .burnt, arict"th«» \mfortunato teacher lost everything. There was no insurance? He has applied to the Wellington Education _ Hoard for relief. Three of the Dominion's lighthouses are- i&qw filled with incandescent burnera which give a first-class light and consume less than half the amount of oil required for the. old burners. The new lights are at Pencarrow Head (Wellington), Jack's • Point (Timarti), and Stephen* Island (Cook Strait),, where the latest has just been installed. An incandescent has been ordered for the new Cape Brett lighthouse. Mr W. T. Jennings, MJP., is at present in Wellington on business in connection with his constituency^ He has interviewed the Minister of Railways regarding -the, Stratford Qngarue line, and th©; Waipuke-Egmont iiraneh htfl- - way, He also nrged the necessity for • erecting a station at Old Sentry Hill, the junction there having been done 4way with. The matter of providing better facilities for railing cattle at Midhirst was also . urged upon the Minister's attention. ' On Thursday morning there was dis<jovere4 in some trees near the bathing house in Pukekura Park some boys' clothes consisting of a good coat, Ifith belt, knickerbpekers, and a pair ef stockings. The discovery caused considerable uneasidess. The matter' was promptly reported to the- police., There is now reason to believe that tbp clothing belonged to a boy who. was bathing in company with some, of, his school mates and iliat they '-planted!' the garments leaving the boy to ; firid his way home in cap, shirt, and boots. The Wanganui Garrison Band' -is threatening, legal proceeding^,- to- -lie* cover the medals which were awarded to Auckland First Battalion Band, on protest/ in connection with 4 the trio competition at the recent contest.' 'The Wanganoi, representatives' were placed ''first by the judge, but wer^ disqualified, on the ground that they played . the uSame piece as at Chri?tcliureh . w^ere they also won. The medals were . then awarded to .Auckland, who came second. It is the rule of the North _ Island Brass Bands' Association that three years must elapse before the ', same' piece can again be rendered by a winning band. "Imagination and what it , conjures np.rhave a great deal to do with some cases o| ysiekness?; 7 ' says a medical correspondent of Popular Science Siftings. , 'There was a woman who used to come to this hospital regularly complaining that she had swallowed a pin and that it was stuck in her throat, hurting .her .dreadfully. Week after week we assured her that we could find nq pin, but still she came. At last we deter5 mined to satisfy her, ao we told her to .open her mouth wide and shut her Then/ we placed a pin between a pair of long forceps and ran it down her throat. After a while we drew it out and declared that he had at last succeeded in extracting.' the trouble.Borne pin. She got tip, declared she felt better, and went away. I saw her later, and she declared that; the pain in her throat had entirely^ disappeared." \Doubte having been openly cast upon „ the bona fidee of the sword-swallowing performances at Fuller's Opera House nk Christchurch, . several members of the Press and some prominent citizens mere invited to attend upon the stage at the theatre and judge the, perfor- . mance for themselves. The result,, ac- ■ cording to the Lyttelton Tiroes^ whs eminently satisfactory to both the performers and the management. The 1 swords used, varying in length from 12 inches to 22 inches, were carefully examined, and found to be solid and fcee'Trom springs or other "fake" accessories, and Professor Reggiardo legitimately swallowed them. A doubting pressman was invited by the performer to put one of the weapons down the professor's throat himself, but was content only to the- extent of withdrawing it. Those invited came away ' satisfied that the performance .was an absolutely genuine one. - A notice to the next-of-kin of the late Alexander Martin appears fn this issue. • • The Taranaki Rifles have decided to hold their annual military ball in the Drill Hall on Monday, May 2«th (Em- . pire Day). In this issue Mr J. Haydon, who hat .had Sixteen years' experience in some ' of the English and colonial houses, notifies having purchased Mr F. Heldt'f Red Post Furnishing Warehouse. Tho^ Taranaki Rifles Assemblies Committee will a>tain conduct a series of dances ' in the Drill Hall durine the winter irijbnths. The first of these will ho'lidd dn. April 15th.