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Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13635, 14 April 1908, Page 4

The mayoral election is apparently arousing more interest than at first appears to be the case, for nearly three hundred claims for enrolment on the register have been received. The Borough Council last night negatived a motion that steps should be taken to circulate among money-lend-ing' institutions an announcement that the Council had debentures for disposal. It is not often one hears a discussion nowadays as to whether or not a public body should adjourn for lunch. This, however, was so at a meeting of the Hospital Board yesterday, a division even being called for. At the meeting of the Borough Council last night a special rate of Is 6d in the £ to meet the interest on the loan of £90,000 was levied. It transpired that this gave an increase of 8d in the £ compared with last year, but that there would be no increase in the total rates of the borough, the general rate being reduced by a bkc amount. Mr W. Ambury waited on the Borough Council last night and presented a petition signed by twenty-tour residents "of Frankley Road asking that the electric light mains, should be extended in this suburb for a distance of three miles. One hundred and seventeen lights were guaranteed. Mr Ambury pointed out that in addition the Road Board was considering the question of street lighting. The question was referred to the Electric Light Committee. The adnnual meeting of the New Plymouth branch of the Civil Service Assocation was held last night. The report and balanc-sheet were discussed and approved, and severel remiis'to the Executive Council were framed. The following committee- w*s elected ior the ensuing year : — Messrs H. S. {Eiteherbert, S.M., W. A. D. Banks, S. Hill, F. Camngton, J. Fletcher, J. Hempton, W. S. Wiggs, J. O'Grady, H. Willis, and H. Bannister. The chairman and secretary will be elected from the executive. The extent of drinking among wemen has been inquired into in Dunedin. A Press, telegram says the police report states that the bars in Dunedin and suburbs are visited by women to a very, limited extent. Those who go into hotels to consume liquor on the premises go into the sitting-room and not into the bar, and 4 few other women purchased small quantities of liquor for consumption in their homes. This report corresponds with the personal experience of the chairman and several members of the Licensing Committee who have made inquiries into the mal?ter. A motion was submitted to the Borough Council last night to the effect that the appointment of Mr F. T. Bellringer as secretary of the New Plymouth Fire Board should be confirmed. Several members thought it would be unwise for the Town Clerk to take the position as his time was now almost fully occupied. Mr Bellringer explained that he had not sought the position and had only consented to take it subject to the approval of the Council because pressure had been brought upon him to do so. The motion was negatived. It will therefore be x neoessary for the Fire Board to appoint another secretary. The Taranaki Hospital and Charitable Aid Board yesterday considered plans for new entrance gates to the hospital grounds. Mr Andrews was opposed to the acceptance of any of the plans submitted considering they were too elaborate and that an outlay of £20 or £25 foe the purpose I would be ample. He thought if the Board was to expend money raised voluntarily in vthfs way the people would refrain from subscribing m the future. The majority of tlie members held 4i different view and said the public subscribed not towards the maintenance of the hospital but with a view to providing additional comforts for the patients and beautifying the grounds. Eventually tho, plan of Messrs Russell and Son was accepted. A meeting, convened by Mr C. E. Bellringer, will bo held at the Council Chamber to-morrow afternoon, at three o'clock, of those interested in making some, public recognition of the .many services rendered to the people of New Plymouth by the Mayoress, Mrs Dockrill. In drawing special attention to the meeting wo need scarcely remind our readers that for many years, whether her husband has ocmipied tho Mayoral chair or not, Mrs Dockrill has been one of tlie foremost in undertaking siio.h public and semi-public duties as it is possible for ladies to take part in. Whether as leader of a movement or as one of the rank and file, she has always been a hard worker for the public good. To name only one branch of usefulness, there is the annual Fire Brigade Ball. When Mrs Goldwater was obliged to give up the active direction of this popular gathering Mrs Dockrill took her place and for several years has beaded tho committee which has been the means of adding so handsomely to the funds of tho Brigade every year. No one, we feel sure, has ever more thoroughly' deserved some such recognition as is proposed of tho services she has rendered than does Mrs Dockrill, and we hope to see) tho suggestion taken up very heartily.

Mr Tom Mann is expected in Wellington this week, and will tour tno Dominion. Four hundred and forty thousand feet of timber were shipped by the Mokoia, which left Auckland for Sydney last evening. Mr Hawke is the successful tenderer for the bookstall rights at the NewPlymouth railway station. Mr Belts secured the Stratford rights. The Borough Electric Light Committee last night withdrew from its report the recommendation to the Estimates Committee to favourably consider an increase in the engineer's salary. An endeavour is to bo made to secure an interview between tlie District Engineer of Railways and representatives of the Borough Council with regard., to Waimaau Street. An error apr>earcd in our Inglewood correspondent's report of the ; local * Borough Council meeting. The n«mo of an applicant for charitable, aid was given as William Day instead of WiK liam Banks. . . The amount of rates levied forjilio borough of New Plymouth during the year ended March 31st, 190&, was £7731 i9s 2di' The amount collected was £7718 13s Id, leaving outstanding £13 6s. Id. The retail butchers in Wellington re- , ceived notice yesterday from tho whole- - sale companies supplying them thai/ on and after that day prices would 'be raised Is per 1001 b for beef and id per lb. for mutton, bringing the charges to 20s and 3id respectively. i The election in connection with the ~Carrington Road Board takes J place early in May. There will be^ three vacancies to fill. Messrs C. Carter and J. Lashbrook retire by rotation but will, i* is generally expected, offer themselves for re-election, and Mr J. Pepperell has iresigned. "How shall we spend our Easter holidays?" ii ; a Question being asked in nearly every home. The greatest difficulty in solving this matter is in most cases the expense. Knowing this, the Recreation Sports, Ground Committee has arranged- for an open-air concert to be held in the ground to-mor-row, commencing at 8 p.m. Discussing the past year's receipts and expenditure at the Borough Council meeting last night, Councillor Mills said the weak point of the year's operations was that the full amount of I money for the streets had not been "expended. + The Mayor saicL-tp-tensive improvements bad been made to. the streets of the Borough, but they had been effected economically. > A meeting of the Carrington Road Board was held lasjb night. Mr C. Carter (chairman) presided. A letter was received from the Government stating i that the rate of interest on special ! loans" had, been- reduced to 3 I^3 *per cent. It was explained that this would mean a saving to the Board of £500 on the loan of, £2700 recently raised, repayment of which extends over a period of 41 years: The chairman submitted a report of the proceedings, at? the County Council in reference to the Road Bdard subsidies. Work on the contract on Brooklands Road will, it toanspired/ b© commenced this we^kl The clerk reported that with the, exception of a few pounds, the wholes of the rates for tho 'past year had ' now -been paid. The. price of Mr E. Wells to form an entrance dn the side road leading to his property was accepted. It was reported that the bulk of the stone required for Ratanui was now broken and would be spread without delay* ■< , A visitor lo the Backblocks o'f'T«H-' ! ' naki writes: —^During a recent visit to the Waro Survey District by mean*, of the ; pkau and ! Mangatoro roads I came across »a public works pu?sade wliich, as such, I, feel sure, is destined "to become famous if it remains where it is. The puzzle in question consists of a fair-weather low-level bridge, which was erected, after oft-repeated prayers of jiipneers, some, three years ago over the Tbngaporutu River at the junction of Okau and Mangatoro roads', and ihe problem is' *o discover the 'purpose of such a bridge. I found the place 1 swhere the deck of the bridge ought to be on April 2nd and there was just about 5 feet of spape and 5 feet of water 'from that spot to where, as I afterwards discovered, the deck actually was. I was -informed by weary-of-waiting . settlers" that this structure was- intended to represent an example of public works economy, and there is not the slightest doubt that it does. I understand that a petition to the Public Works Minister is at present being circulated to get a high-level bridge in place of the afore-mentioned puzzle, as the' latter is &' serious draw- ; ' back and ' inconvenience to all the struggling pionee*rs concerned.