THE RAILWAY BERVICE.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13728, 18 August 1908, Page 4

THE RAILWAY BERVICE.

Some weeks ago the secretary of the Tarannki Chamber of Commerce wrote to the General Manager of Itailways asking that the Chamber be informed of any changes in the time-table proposed to be made in connection with the services on the New Plymouth -Wellington section w.hen the Main Trunk service is commenced. The request seems to be a reasonable one, and after some delay it elicited a reply that when the new time-table was settled the Chamber would be supplied with particulars. This was kind of Mr. Honayne, of course, and it would perhaps save the Chamber the expense of purchasing a copy of the time-table — one penny, but it was scarcely what was desired. The object the Chamber had in view was to consider the alterations — if any — with the idea of making representations if they appeared to fall short of the public requirements of this district. When the timetable is finally adopted and printed it will be too late to find fault, hence the request for information before it was too late. Apparently the information is not to be given until everything is finally arranged, for the new service is expected to be inaugurated in about ten weeks. We cannot understand why there/ should be so much secrecy about it. The railways are supposed to be managed for the public convenience; certainly they are not run for! profit, for they show a heavy loss every year; and if the public are to have no opportunity of making their requirements known when important changes are being made, how are the authorities to learn what is wanted V For many years there has been a desire on the part of town and country for an earlier train into New Plymouth; It is now rumoured down the line that the speed of the mail train leaving here at 7.10; a.m. is to be accelerated, and that it will cross the slow i/ip train from Hawera at Ngaire, where a stationinaster is to be appointed. In passing, we mayi mention that settlors who are conccrnpfl in the railing of dairy produce to New Plymouth from that

[district are anxious to know whether ii is a fact that a station- 1 IP aster is to be. placed in charge at Ngaire, for it affects their consigning arrangements, but the Department maintains secrecy! over this also. To return to the crossing of the trains; to an outsider it would appear that while accelerating the mail train the up slow train ulsy might, be accelerated. TTie'lattef leaves Hawera at 7.20 a.m. and, Stratford at 8.50 : — au hour and a> half for eighteen miles. As a general rule the train is in Stratford within two or three minutes of $.30 a.m., and waits there fully a quarter of an hour. Why, if tho express is to leave Stratford a few minutes earlier than at present, cannot the slow train arrive there also a few minutes earlier, and leave again at 8.30 or 8.35, thus reaching New Plymouth at least a quarter of an hour earlier than at present? What is wanted more ; ? a train to leave Stratford, say about 7.30 a.m., for New Plymouth, reaching here at nine o'clock or soou after; but in the absence of that it would be a very great conveience for tlie present ■morning train to arrive here half an hour earlier. The excuse that these services cannot be accelerated unless stopping places are cut out cannot be accepted as satisfactory, for the slow trains are ridiculously slow and frequently have to "kill time "on the way. On Saturday evening last the afternoon train from town spent several spare minutes at Lepperton Junction and about a quarter of an hour at Inglewood. It is absurd for this train to take 3 hours 25 minutes to cover the forty-eight miles to Hawera — less

than fourteen miles an hour. It is even more absurd for the 1.40

p.m. train from Hawera to require 3 hours '57 minutes to cover the same distance, including a stop of twelve minutes at Lepperton Junction. Altogether the timetable fails in many respects to serve the public convenience as it should be served. Were the Department alive to the requirements it would foster a suburban traffic 1 by means of an early train into New Plymouth and a later train out. But when the head of the Department maintains secrecy as to lxis proposals, instead of inviting the assistance of repiesentative bodies in ascertaining the public wants, therG is little hope of a really convenient service being; arranged.

Visitors to the Mountain House are requested to apply to Mr Williams at the radius line for the key to the house, pending the appointment r.f a caretaker to succeed Mr Morris.

A seal between 9 and 10 feet in length became stranded on the Sands (Nelson) last week. When the tide rose in the afternoon, the seal returned to the Bay. Probably it was one of the Exhibition seals. — Evening Mail.

Immigrants by the last two steamers from London — the Mamar-i and Norfolk — seem to have been absorbed by New Zealand without difficulty. A very small proportion of them have been seen at the Labour Department offices. and\the belief is that most of them nave gone to their friends who nominated them, and have been already placed in employment. The monthly meeting of the Moa •Dairy Company was held at Inglewpod yesterday. There were three butter buyers in attendance but no business was transacted. It is probable the Company will join in the co-operative marketing scheme of the National Dairy Association, but should a very tempting offer* be received in the meantime it would, no doubt, be accepted. During Fleet Week at Auckland the British bluejackets, in spite of expectations to the contrary, did not seem to fraternise with the Americans to any extent. Men from the two fleets were seldom seen together. On Tuesday night some bluejackets from ono of the British cruisrrs tried to enter a hotel bar occupied by American seamen. The police had to interfere and close the bar on account of the disturbance that resulted.

An officer of the Wellington City Council tells a story of the manner in which the generosity of a thrifty housewife in the city was abused. He is a superintendent of hawkers' licenses. The housewife asked him to estimate the weight of a sack of potatoes that a hawker had sold to her. He said the weight was 801 bor 901 b. She said it had been sold to her as a hundredweight. The officer, who was once in the police force, wont after the hawker, caught him, made him weigh the potatoes, and they turned tho scale at 841 b. A few days afterwards another hawker came round. He also had potatoes, "nice floury ones." "Be off with you," she said. "I know you hawkers. You're all of a piece. I had one here the other day, who sold me 841 bas a hundredweight. I'll have no more of it." With a look of injured innocence, he protested that it was "the likes of that feljow that prevented honest men getting an honest living." Tho housewife relented, and the man struggled in Avith a sack of splendid floury potatoes. The officer lifted it, and found that it was over the hundredweight. The housewife was delighted with the splendid quality of the potatoes, as well as with the honest weight, until she had used them four rows down, when she came upon rows of rotten onions and other decaying vegetable

At a meeting of Kapuni ratepayers on Saturday a motion was carried against the proposal to borrow £60,000 for the Hawera-Kaunokonui tramway.

The new Customhouse at Patea is completed (says the Press) as far as the builders are concerned, and tho fittings are at present being put in. The building is compact and will be a marked improvement for shippers and Customs officers alike on the exisling conditions.

The visit of the American fleet to Auckland was expected to bring in its train more crime than the augmented detective and police force could handle. But the unexpected kas happened. The police report a reniarkable absence of crime in the city. Drunkenness has been the chief offence. There have been only two cases of pocketpicking reported.

A good Fleet Week story was toll at Auckland by Mr A. J. Black, an American at an entertainment given to the visiting mariners. Mr Black, an American, and a typical Maori met "wayback." The Maori in his droll way, modestly told his audience that his father owned that, and that oection, and the possessions of the progenitor extended as the Maori proceeded with his story. "Did ho own Auckland?" "Oh, yes." ".Wellington:-— Yes." "The South Island:-' — Y-e-s." "Say!" said the Yankee, "does he own Australia: 1 — Yes." r.r .l he Yankee, astounded: "Say! does he own America?" The Maori: "Ah! ah! oh, yes; he own America, but gave it away."

During the performance of the ''Private Secretary,"' in Hastings, recently,! an incident occurred which, but for the presence of mind displayed by Mr.] Charles Stone and Mr Templer Powell, might have caused a small panic. j While these two actors were at the front of the stage, the audience saw a flare through the curtained doorway at the back of the scene. Messrs Stone and Powell behaved as if it were all part of the performance. They rontinued their parts, stepped back, threw back the curtains, and pulled down the flaming material before the public realised that anything unusual had happened. For their calmness and tbeir prompitude thoy were rewarded by hearty applause.

"A most striking feature is their youth — the average cannot be twentyfive." Thus a contemporary, commenting on the youthful look of the American tars at present in Auckland.- An old story bearing on the youth -of the avorage man met in American cities is worth reproducing. An English visitor was being shown over a big American factory, and was so struck with the youth of tho workers that he remarked to the man wkho was doing the honours that there appeared to be no old men about. "No" replied the pilot, "Ij guess we keep the old men in anotherj factory ;, come along here ,and I'll let you have a sight." The visitor followed forborne distance, and was at length shown a cemetery. 1

An officer of the American flee^, talking to a press reporter, told of an incident at a bull-fight at Lima. A picador struck one of the bulls with two darts, which, as the barbs w,ent home, unfurled the Stars and Stripes. The American sailors wore not verj, keen on the Spanish sport, and this incident was greeted with a deadly silence. In a tew moments one of the darts came out, the flag fell in the] dust, and the bull stepped on it. That was enough for one bluejacket. Like a flash he vaulted over the barricade into the arena. It was against all the rules of the game, but he was not going to have the American flag trampled on by any Peruvian bull, and he rescued it amid the cheers of thousands of his brother bluejackets. Even the officers joined in tho cheering. A large number of Irish citizens of Auckland met on Friday last to bid farewell to Ensign Robert Emmet, of the U.S.S. Connecticut. Mr W. T. Jennings, M.P., was in the chair. Mr Jennings, on behalf of the Irish citizens, presented Mr Emmet with a gold sovereign case, suitably inscribed. He referred to the historical name revered by every, Irish heart. 'He hoped the present Robert Emmet would, in the service of his country, emulate the i deeds of his Brave ancestor, and wished him success in his great profession. Mr Emmet, who was visibly affected, thanked the donors. He would cherish •the gift as long as he lived. He had no idea when he came out here that he would meet wjih so many kind friends. He hoped that at no distant date he would revisit Auckland.

Some curious facts have come to light concerning a venerable and amiable gentleman, much respected by the inhabitants of one of the most picturesque suburbs of Paris. He is seventyone years old, and of benevolent aspect. Possessed of private means, he lived in a pretty villa, his own property, with an elderly female relative and a servant. He passes his apparently uneventful life in • tending nis rose trees and rearing rabbits and chickens. The police,, who arrested him, allege that Jie is the most expert confidence trick j man in France. A man alleged to be a well-known exponent of the same art, was visiting the villa, when the police entered and captured both men. It is asserted that the venerable gentleman's investments and the villa, itself are the proceeds of the confidence trick. The particular charge which is to be pressed against the two men is one of robbing a bank messenger at Nancy of £760 by means of the confidence, trick. Some interesting remarks concerning the finger-print system are made in the annual report of the Police Department. The finger-print collection on March 31 last consisted of the impressions of 7622 offenders, showing an increase of 1471, as compared with the previous year. During the year 123 persons, claiming to be first offenders, were, by means 6f their finger-prints, identified as previously-convicted persons, an increase of 19 over last year. Finger-prints of persons in custody in New Zealand have, since the previous report, been identified in England, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart, Adelaide, Perth, and Johannesburg as those of criminals previously convicted and finger-printed in those places. Two cases occurred in the Napier district which demonstrated tho importance of the finger-print system of .dentification. Two men were arrested at different times and on different charges. Their finger-prints were taken and forwarded to the finger-print branch, where they were identified as those of persons previously convicted, and tho police of the district were so informed ; but on the accused being brought up on remand they both denied on. oath having been i reviously convicted, and were discharged. A prosecution for perjury (denial of previous convictions) was instituted. Expert finger-print evidence was adduced which conclusively prove J that hoth the accused had been previously convicted, and this resulted in their admitting the previous convictions and being convicted for perjury.

Funds are coming in freely for the Labour Parliamentary Representation Committee (says the AVellington Post). On Saturday the Trades Council voted £5 and the Seamen's Cnion £10 for theLabour campaign funds to be mauaged by the above committee.

A petition asking the Government to establish a Maori hostel in Wellington will be presented by Parliament when it reassembles. Petitioners state that they "have found by actual experience that the majority of natives cannot find accommodation in Wellington. It is very difficult indeed to get private hotels and boarding-houses to receive Maoris, and the matter is becoming so serious that the Government should deal with it without delay."

A candidate for tho Egmont seat (Air G. P. Wake) was asked at one of his meetings if he thought Eltliam would be adversely affected by carrying no-license while other towns remained under license. Mr Wake said he did not. If the people of Eltham spent £5000 a year less on beer they would buy more boots. If no-licenso were carried there would bo fewer debtors to prosecute. No-license only affected solicitors, second-hand furniture dealers, and undertakers!

The superintendent of the Women's' Homo near Auckland, which was inaugurated many years ago by Mrs Cowie, the noble wife of the late Bishop Cowie, is visiting Taranaki with tho object of creating a wider sympathy for tho work of the home. Miss Hudson was here about eighteen months 1 ago, and her address in St. Mary's Hall made a lasting impression upon those who were present. Another meeting for ladies will be held in St. Mary's Hall on Wednesday afternoon at 3 o'clock, and a cordial invitation is extended to all ladies interested in the work among young , women to bo present.

Several Canterbury farmers who have been in search of land have been induced recently to visit the Darljng Downs in Queensland, where it has been reported that excellent agricultural and pastoral land is to be had at very low prices. Mr B;< B. Coward, a Tinwald farmer, who fyas just returned to Canterbury from a trip to Queensland, expresses disappointment at w;hat he has seen. Ho says that the land at Darling Downs is undoubtedly cheap but he has come to. the conclusion thai those who have any intention of purchasing land will be wise to invest their money in New Zealand in spite of the high values ruling in the Dominion. The best of the land on the' Downs has already been taken up, 'and the land now on the market is of poor quality and remotely situated. . The coutnry was just recovering from four drought, and feed was scarce, and the stock in exceedingly poor condition. Past droughts have been disastrous, f'and Mr Coward prefers the more equable climate of New Zealand.

There is now being erected at Island Bay, Wellington, theft first and only building of its kind in the "world. The proprietor and others interested are not concerned about the price of timber, and care nothing whether the ditty on Oregon' pine be increased or^ abolished. For their building is tixnberless» with the single exception of the plates on which the roof is to rest. The building is to be a private residence, and is entirely in the nature of an experiment. The material used is a combination of asbestos and ferroconcrete, and the scheme is the inven- ; tionof'Mr Yourelle, an architect. Me and Mr Bellingham have patented their method of building throughout New Zealand and Australia, as they hope to prove the pioneers of something like a revolution in the construction of all kinds of premises — residential, , business and otherwise. The sheets of asbestos are. imported from Austria (duty free). Concrete is placed between walls of asbestos and iron rods take the place of scantling. In the house now being built the door frames and window frames are of wood, but the syndicate has in view the substitution in future work of aluminium. The roof- will be of asbestos, and the floors of petrified sawdust.

An assault with a somewhat interesting sequel was committed in Epsom Road, Auckland, a few nights ago. According to the Herald, a y,oung lady was proceeding along the road, when she was accosted by. a young man* who behaved %itb undue familiarity. The stranger placed his hand over her mouth. Tho young lady, in turn, retaliated by biting his thumb, and this so infuriated her aggressor that he struck her a severo blow. At this the young lady gavo a loud scream, and her assailant n:ade off. His flight, however, was destined to interruption; for a strapping young fellow happened, tb be coming* alpiig in the opposjte direction, and hearing the scream and seeing the man run collared hold of him. The two rolled in the mud, and were still struggling ..when ,qth%r pedestrians cam© up, and the captor appealed to them for assistance. But the lady's assailant was equal to the occasion. He declared that his captor was the man who was »vanted. To settle the confusion the latter suggested that they t be taken before tile distressed young' lady, and this course wafc followed. The lady, however, was unable to distinguish 'between the two, and at last hit upon the idea of examining their fingers tb see upon which she had left the imprint of her teeth. There was lao getting away from this," and the marked man was apprehended while the police were communicated with. He escaped, however, but a vig^ orous search resulted- in his arrest.

From Blenheim (which produced a set of triplets some months ago) comes another scheme for improving the birth- i rate. Mr George Turner, a candidate for the Wairau seat, believes in a young-age pension scheme. He advocates "giving to each child a pension of, say, five shillings a,weck, payable to the mother or v< sueh person afc may be discharging the duties of a mother, who will be required to nurse, feed, and ckrthe-the infant according to a medical officer's advice; whose duty it shall be to see that they are , fairly carried out, or under, the inspection oi a certificated nurse. I am of opinion," he continues, "that the effect of this pension system would be in. every way beneficial as regards the welfare of the people, physically, morally and numerically, that the pensjons to 'children will be a step towards the distribution of the national wealth more equally among the people; especially among the worse-paid classes." Mr. Turner contends that his proposal would considerably augment the number of marriages, and fill the land with the pleasant prattle of children. "Women of marriageable ago will be more sought after, if that is possible," he says. "Widows and old maids will decrease m number. It is the ambition of a well-constituted woman to be a happy wife and mother of a rollicking family, and the family life for both is the happiest state that can ever be attained by either in this world." He is willing to see a modification of his scheme, if the means of the country will not permit the full scale.

The best part of a modern house (says Good Health) is its windows. v keep these open day and night, and lo make the air inside approach as neai h as possible the air outside, should t>e the first business of the housekeeper. Everything else should be, held suuservient to the need of frdsh .air. Owing to the visit of the American fleet to Auckland a widow (Mrs HArris) has received intimation of a windfall. 1 friend of Mrs Harris' late husband, who is at uresent in town owing to I the presence" of the fleet, made a point of finding her out, and after a, lapse of five years he has at last, through advertising, obtained her address.

A shipment of Japanese onions is to reach Wellington, via Australia, next week. The present wholesale prico of oversea (Victorian) onions is from £12 to £12 10s per ton, and there is said to be nothing "superior in quality, so (says the Post), if the Japanese article proves as good as advance notes claim, ;»theni to be, the invasion should prove profitable for the brown men.

There will be at least one right-JTank - revolutionary Socialist out at the^general election! This is Mr Robert Hogg, . of Wellington, . who will contest the * :- .Wellington South seat against Mr W; : H. P. Barber, M.P.. Mr Hogg came from Home as a Socialist and has talren . v a prominent part in the work of the ~ Party since his arrival in New Zea- 1 land.

Concert-goers will regret to learn that Mr Charles Saunders, the great tenor, who was to have given a concert here next week., is suffering from a con- „ gested 'throat, and, on the advice of $r. Kingston Fyffe, has postponed his "visit - until late in September. Mr J. .T. . Muir, who is directing bis tour, informs us that Mr Saunders is "absolutely the best tenor" he has heard, therefore hi 3 visit will be looked for with pleasurable anticipations. /

A schoolmaster was prosecuted in the Magistrate's Court, Wellington, on Friday last for having hit a girl pupil with a cane. The mother of the girl, in answer to a question from the Magistrate, said ."she did not-, approve her children being punished at all at school. "Do you punish them at home yourself?" asked- his. Worship. "Oh, no!" was the answer of the shocked parent. , "Well, if you did," was the reply, "thgy would behave themftelves a good deal better than they seem to dondw.'''

Under the recently amended regulations Jor the establishment of cadet corps, provision is made for the formation in each volunteer district of a garrison artillery company, a field artillery company, and an engineer, company, to be attached respectively to the local garrison artillery, battery of artillery, and engineer corps. , The maximum strength of each cadet corps has been fixed at 63 and the minimum strength at 33. The capitation allow-, ance is to be 12b 6d per annum. In thef case of a corps which is not attached to a school an annual grant of £"10 for drillshed expenses will also be made.

Yarmouth's last "post-boy," Tom Codnian, lately died iv his eighty-fifth year, - He started his career for a local hotel proprietor, who ran coaches and conveyed the mails between Ipswich and Yarmouth. Codman had to be sworn in as post-boy before the magistrates. He recollected tho first tram travelling to Yarmouth. Iv winter he had often, owing to deep snowdrifts, to leave his vehicle behind and ride forwards on his horses with, the to fetch assistance. When road posting ended, Codman took a licensed house at Yarmouth, and afterwards ?>ecame a cabdriver.

The American officers were most struck by beauty and cheapness of the New Zealand rugs. A thrifty woman, distressed- at the apparent waste of money in mere. show,, thought that the Government plight haye 1 spent it more \uisely in giving each man a New Zealand rug. As. regards the officers, i there is hardly a man who has not ! bought one. Tho Lieutenanf-Comman-der of the Minnesota showed a lady journalist at Auckland four which he was taking home. as. presents, one in particular he declared to be "the^ top of the basket" in expressive America nese. He stated that foe had saved money by buying these, ,as each was far I below tho twenty-five dollar limit he had promised to »keep to.

Fle^t Wteek in Auckland was like Christmas week from the point of view of "the banks. A bank official told a New Zealand Herald reporter that the difference between the business of Fleet Week and that of the preceding Week was e^fc»aordinary. Speaking on Friday last he -said: 'JLast wfeek people were drawing out money €o spend -in Fleet Week. This week they have been doing nothing but pay, pay, pay— in. All classes of business have done welt, bu^the fleet, visit has been a perfect boon to those smaller 6-ade'spebpie who have a trouble to tide- over the slack period between now and Christmas." As an indication of the volume , of trade done by some of the big city hdtels it may ' be mentioned that the brewer's bjll of one hotel, usually about 1 £tW per week, was last week £450. '

One of the best /stories .concerning Mr Groyer Cleveland's, sturdy honesty [in politics is told, 'on the authority q£ I a distinguished man of letters, in Dr H. T. Peck's "Twenty Years of the Republic." At the Presidential ,eteetion in 1898 it was hoped that a\ rich contractor of Irish origin might be pershaded, to influence the Irish vote of -"^ New York in Cleveland's favour,. So the literary light, who was a friend of both, brought them together and left them alone for half an hour. Th» Irishman came out beaming and reported thus of Cleveland:— "Ah, sure he's the grandest man I ever saw. He's a fine- man — a grand man.. He wouldn't promise to do wan d: d thing I ask 4 - ■,- ed him!" And from that moment to the election day the contractor worked v. with .might and main for the" candidate ) . , -who had refused to pay a isngle promise as the price of his support. i The extent to which some students, carry their jokes (so-called) approaches the 'incredible (comments ihe Otago Daily Times). At the last aioetfrig of the Otago University Debating Club a , number of the guests and visitors less experienced in the peculiar Subtlety of the students' faculty of humour "were unwise enough to leave their <x>ats and hats in the entrance lobby, and at the conclusion of the gathering at a late hour had the experience of rescuing the^r belongings from an adjacent tree, whither they had been cast by some joker. A more glaring piece of student diversion of wit was afforded at a social gathering some' weeks ago, w hen the guests of the* function— some 200 ** odd — were reduced to the task of extricating their personal belongings from a mixed heap, of coats ?nd nrnceK laneous hats at the hour- of 2 a.m. On this occasion the jokers had *yen gon«f the length of transferring the contents of one person's pockets to those of another, thus rendering doubly difficult the task of establishing rwner3hrp. Some still possess coats other than their own.

A Shanghai correspondent reports that a fissure several miles long has opened ;n a mountain near Chang, and &v allowed hundreds of families and their houses.

The steamer Oswestry Grange, which is to arrive at Wellington from Liverpool about the beginning of next month, is bringing tiftv-seveu nominated passengers, including eight domestic servants, seven farmers, and several farm labourers. A niother and her two daughters, who are domestics, havo a declared capital of £1100? Tlrey are booked for Auckland. — Press telegram. A par€y of gipsies recently encamped on vacant land at Hast Brunswick, Melbourne, much to the disgust of residents in tiit> vicinity. One evening recently (says the Argus) a party of young men who were prying about tho tents wound up by attacking the gipsies with palings and thriving stones. A child belonging to one of the gipsies was struck by a stone and stunned during the. melee. The gipsies at'onco turned to defend themselves, and drove their assailants off. It appears that the presence of the gipsies is objocted to ou sanitary grounds, while there are also complaints as to the. disappearance of palings.

At the last meeting of the Fitzroy Town Board there were present Messrs Cuth'eld (in the chair), Jackson, Griffiths, Steele, and Ramson. A. rate of l^d in the £ was struck for the year ending March 31, 1909. The question of cattle straying on the roads was brought up. It was decided that the ranger (Mr Old) should be instructed to impound all such cattle. A resolution was passed to notify ratepayers that trees overhanging the footpaths must be cut. A notice was sent to the owner of the property from which the drains were running on to the footpath, that immediate steps would have to be taken to remedy this nuisance. Accounts amounting to £75 were passed for payment.