THt PRINCE'S t>LUrfS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LV, Issue 13929, 12 June 1909, Page 5

THE PRINCE'S CLOMS.

According to a iccent cable 111 . o the leases ut tiie j/riiite ot V\an» piopoiues m .London will bhuitly :,al Hi, ami tJiL I'luue piopusts, tJ i,,,.|i down lio old buildings and i.-j-iaco tlii'iu \.itli modern toueiii (..!..», i, UK ii viii scivo as a moiled ior tho rev. H i».naoii. .The decision is a bt... L eu i>i.e, but it is none the less welcome, lh-i-nsli joi.rii'»h, commonly leave- mo ( >.iwito ..Ij.i.is oi piiiicea aioi.L-, bit \io AijiLri'.m m uspapers haio .ie \-<y lutio things 10 tut? Prince oi Vdi., a concerning the* disgiacefui condition oi >h|« Cornwall ptoporties on tho south t' : « 01 Waterloo Biidgc. Cori.,» ,-i PJ.'co and dalutation Court aro tk'S<.,-i!.-(1 'i- \] 1 woiit iKuns in l.o! (]«>; i. i'iio 1101 10 :(. ue<o built adout ono i-.r.'MU ■< ' 1 i.ii\ yejis ago. and m.'y tiv/i 'lino l,i 1 11 vlesiiablo residence-.* >■■>( i«w tones have crowded aroi nd t' .m, tho ho-r-e, ha\o fallen into <'-;ei v ml 'ns k.vo stcadilv m'-t .'■'■>!.

!"\ « : imii-ipic-tf '}, disease-rui<i»n, a. id, j yield. i>:4 a death rate in excels '<{ tho lost ot the great city," '.\rot.- a corI 1" poi.ueui ot the Chicago lubune in I Fob', nary, ''the houses of this I quarter are totally unfit for human t habitation. Their counterparts «<»uld not be countenanced for a moment in any Amencan city, and anything np-iM-oiuh'ng them would be the signal for a public outcry. Rents are .mi! in order to obtain them, ciqht, ten and twelve people are crowded Miio single rooms. Men, women aud children are promiscuously herded tosether at night." Tho description follows ilong lines that are unlortunately familiar. It might apply to any slum property, except" that the correspondent thinks tho Cornwall slums to be rfthe"r worse than the others. "Out of tPfje pink's of human rni.-erv and degradation/" he says. ' tbo Prince, through the, dueh-r- of Cornwall, receives a vcirly income approaching 350,000 rlolltirs. The amount was less in former years, when the district was a fairer pi nco and more suited to humnn habitation, but as conditions grew worse, buildings older and more dilapidated, and sunshine more scarce as the result of the encroaching of immense factories, rents increased, and the amormt of 'blood money' wrung from the inmates of this hell-hole grew by leaps and bounds. To-day it enables its recipient to live in unlimited luxury." This is perhaps not quite a fair way of putting the position, but after all the slums are there and have been permitted by their successive owners to ro* main untouched.

A city business man, when talking about young business men, said, with somo disgust: — "Sou know, there are no good office boys nowadays. I mean nervy bttte chaps who will come for * j few shillings a week, and make tlieiuI selves part of tho business. You might almost say there aren't any office boys nowadays. If j'ou advertise for ono you get a whole flock of hulking eighteen-y ear-olds with high collars, who think they're worth a man's salary when they aren't worth their salt. They arc too old to bo office boys, and too young and callow to be anything elto. The school system is to blame for this. There are too many secondary schools, and they are turning out regiinonts of incompetents. A cdtanion school education without frills is all a boy needs to succeed in commercial life. He ought to go into business at 14 to fit himself for even a clerkship at 18, and yet he is encouraged — 310 matter how poor he is — to spend those four years :n school, acquiring a taste for neckties and fancy shirts. What good is ho when lie goes into a business house .-* And yet he thinks he can walk right into a clerkship, if, indeed, ho is as modest as that, and doesn't want to be , a manager 1"

[ A Lancashire commercial traveller made a trip to Southland, and in Aber- , deon was asked by a prospective buyer to subscribe to the prize fund for the local golf tournament. He parted with five shillings, and as he was interested in golf he remarked that he would like to be kept informed of the progress of the tournament so that he conld look out for the result. "Oh," said the customer as he took up the fir© shil- 1 lings and placed it securely in his pocket, "ye needna dae that. The tournament was held last Saturday." This was rather a staggerer to the latest contributor to the prize fund, but he retained curiosity enough to inquire who had proved the happy winner. The guileless solicitor for subscriptions was quito undaunted, however. "The winner?" he said, coyly, "O, just mesel\" :

"Mamma, I want some water to christen my doll," said Ethel . "No, dear," answered her mother, repror'Qjly» "it's wrong to make sport of such things." "Then I want some wax to waxinate her. She's old enough~to have something don©."

Mrs. Blunder has just received * telegram from India. "What an admirable, invention the telegram is!" she exclaimed, "when you come to consider that this message has come a distance of thousands of miles, and the gum on tho envelope isn't dry yet." -

A favourite topic with a local preacher in the county of Durham ..as Peter's wife's mother. On a Monday following a Sunday on irhich a. cony resat ion at rho * Methodist (V.apcl had heard a sermon on that il:"ine ozico more, the local preacher in question mot a follow GeorJie just as a funeral piocession was approachJnc. " Who |s deed- " askod tho local. "Aa hosxi- it's Peter's wife's mother," replied Gcordie, "so thoo'll liev to give up preachin' noo."

Priest: "Pat, I believe I saw you asleep in the church last Sunday." Pat: "No, indade, your riv'rance didn't. You moight 'aye seen me with me oiesshut, but nirer a bit o' sleep could I Set anyhow, wid your screechin' an' your thnmpin' of the cushions — long life to ye."

"Mr. Chairman," began a man who was unaccustomed to public sneaking. "I — cr — I—c1 — cr — I — er — " "Go on," interrupted the, chairman kindly, "to err is human 1"

Polito Interruptions: And it's awfully impolite to interrupt one who is talkiut 1 ;, isn't it. mother? Except when ■ a woman is describing clothes, my dear, and then it is polite to constantly e.jac-ilate, "How lovely!" or "How riduculous !" as the case may be.

Unsuccessful Sportsman {to gamekoeper) :''When I was in Australia I shot -the biggest kangaroo the natives said they'd over s«4MI." GomelcfOppr : ''rhndood. sir! What was you a-haim-in' at ?" - —

Miss Fisher : "I really don't think I shall take part amain in the theatricals. 1 ,i!wavs toel as thouah I ir A rc mak'ng •\ tool of myself." PiMcins (who always •-ays tho wrons^ tliiug): ''Oh, cveryho.lv thinks that."

Tho Queensland Government lias decided to prohibit the issue of hotol licenses for a period of five ye^rs within five miles "on ench side of certain rrilwav lines now in ee.nrse of construction." This action has lieon taken ip con c on,noi'C<» of complaints concorniti'? nioc^'-liivs which li-Tao followed th- iv mi ■ ■■f lic-on^o- on some railway works.

"\m"-, Mr. Hl-rnU.'' <-nkl n tompor■in,-"> ,>d\or^to to i errdidAte for lnnn!cip<! lion.HMS, "I want to ask you a our tin.i <n. !>o over taKe .-Icnliolie .lrii'k<- " "Before I answer the o» -- 'ii.»" if ponded the wary o.T'didate, ••I vni't to know whether it h put as "•i inciiirj or as an invitation!"

Zvtnolo. TroVcrs* strengthen the voice, piov-Miti-'j; the irritation wVirh f') 11r > >s - Idj,^ =tr^in on tho voool cords. Tl *v •irc> 'nvalnnble to public speakers cvd singers.