Untitled

Taranaki Herald, Volume LV, Issue 14111, 18 January 1910, Page 2

In tho Magistrate’s Court this morm ing, before Air. IT. S. Fitzhcrbert, S.M., a first offending inebriate, was convicted and discharged. Mr. Peter AA’iss, Ivho is a recognised diviner of water with the willow, was telegraphed for last week by Air. Stirling, of Raumati (says tho Alanawatu Evening Standard), to find water on his place. AVe may state that none of the laud at Raumati is too well watered. Indeed, Mr. Simpson had gone down sixty feet without striking any. Air. AViss , had no difficulty in locating a spring on Air. Stirling’s property, water in abundance being tapped at a depth of 28 feet. ' Another settler, Air. Goggiu-, got five feet of water at a depth of only Bft. Gin. Both these boros were put in with an ordinary post s-ugur. Since then Air. AAfss has found water for all hands on the settlement, and his fame has reached Piri Piri, whore his services are in urgent request.

AATiting of tho Lords and the Budget in-"the Sydney Alorning Herald, Sir VA r . H. Lucy says:—Tho situation recalls a witty, trenchant remark of Lord Rosebery’s which, as far as I know, lias not been recorded in print. After the defeat of the Liberal Party at tho polls in 1895, a friend talking with him argued against his then half-formed resolution of withdrawing from active participation in the affairs of the Liberal Party. “Now Gladstone is gone,” said he, “yon are, in spite of tho Peerage, our only leader.” “Leader!” (-echoed Lord Rosebery, scornfully, .“AVhat the Liberal Party wants is not •a loader, but a football.” AVhen on tho retirement of Sir AVilliara Harcourt from'the leadership of the Opposition in the House of Commons Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman was induced to succeed him, none more . fully than he realised the truth of this bitter axiom.

Last year there was a largo amount of building carried on in and around Auckland, and at the present time contractors have enough work in hand to keep them busy for a good while. Last year the Auckland City Council alone issued permits which represented over £140,000, to which must be added the two big contracts for the Auckland Harbour Board and the- Auckland . railway station, neither' of which came under the jurisdiction of the council. The total for the year would in round figures bo over £260,000. The permits issued from the Auckland engineer’s office include: 93 dwellings of the value of £18.852; t'ght Tactile value of £37,18,852; eight factories, £5889; 11 shops, £8562; nine miscellaneous buildings, £5730 ; Technical College, £20,889; Spedding’s now blocks of offices, £15,000; 60 alterations costing over £SO, £33,873. • In addition, there are the ferry buildings for the Harbour Board, to cost £55,000 ; and the post office, the contract for which wits £96,000. Among other big works now in progress is the Auckland Town Hall, costing somewhere in the neighbourhood of £87,555. Dr. A. Paterson, who has just returned to Christchurch from a six months’ visit to America, during which he saw most of the groat cities, says that the whole atmosphere in the United States seems to be filled with electricity. It is in the hotels, the restaurants, the trains, and the streets —everywhere, in fact, where two or three men are gathered together. In most of tho •argo hotels, for instance, each table is equipped with long-distance and short-dis-tance telephones, which give communication with the whole city and with other cities many hundreds of miles away.. On some of tho railroads every seat in the train has a telephone,_ which may bo used while the train is in motion. Electric elevator's, of course, have ceased to attract any attention; they are now regarded as an essential part of tho fitting of an up-to-date building, and builders would sooner_ think of doing away with doors and windows than the essential elevators. Electricity has now taken a recognised place in the household. It is used for cooking, ironing, washing, and for discharging many other duties which for centuries have been discharged by human hands. The suction squeeze is tho housewife’s frioiuh It_ cleans the oilcloths and carpets with dispatch, and does its work marvellously well, , leaving behind not a speck of dust, and, making the material it is passed, over now again. Tailors are beginning to use it also. On a dirty day a man may drop into a tailor’s, and in about three minutes tho suction cleaner is passed over his clothes, and ho comes out on to - the street_ as spick' and span as a now-made pin.

Some vegetable marrow seeds were planted in Raliotu by Mr. Hood six weeks ago (says tho Opunako Times) and one of tho marrows was cut on Wednesday and weighed 15 lb 14 oz.

A reminder is given of the Frankley Road School Picnic to bo held at Mr. Downo’s residence on Thursday afternoon next. During tho afternoon an interesting competition will be hold, the subject of which is to be a greasy pig. There will also be a full programme of children’s sports.

AVriting about tho mail train service tho Inglewood Record says: “When New Plymouth started off its deputations to tho powers that bo to impress upon thorn tho necessity of people being able to roach there from any part of the Island in a day,” etc. Our contemporary labours under a delusion. New Plymouth did not start off any deputations for that purpose and took no part with the Palmerston and Napior deputation which waited on tho Minister.

An octopus paid attention to a bather at the Port (Nelson) one morning last week, when ho was taking his morning dip, and proved rather unsatisfactory company for the swimmer (says the Mail). AA’ith tentacles outstretched and an ugly gleam in his "eye, this “nightmare of the sea” sot sail for the' bather, fixing its eye on tho fleshy part of the log. A closely-contested race ensued, and fortunately tho. octopus was an “also started,” but there was not much to spare. Mr. C. Murray, of the Port, was near by, and estimated that the octopus could cover a line seven feet in length.

In connection with the proposal of tho AVaihi Gold Mining Company to harness tho Hora Hora Falls, and generate electricity, which ,will bo transmitted to AVaihi, and there provide motive power, the Thames Star says there is a phase of the'matter that has an important bearing upon the future lighting of Thames. Under the concession power is given, to the Wnihi Company to contract with local bodies, snob as the Thames Borough Council, for the supply of electricity for lighting and domestic purposes, and seeing that the secondary source of supply roust necessarily ho brought to Paoroa, which twenty miles distant from Thames, there will be little difficulty in tho way of obtaining connection, and in this manner provide the district with an np-to-dato electric lighting service, which would he gradually extended so ns to supply all the motive power required.

, Tho cab proprietors and carriers in Napier are petitioning the Minister for Railways regarding the new railway time-table. They allege that, owing to the late arrival of the Wellington train, they have to work four hours longer than before; that under the old system they were enabled to concentrate their attention on the two principal daily services, but under the now arrangement the passenger service has been disorganised, and petitioners’ takings have been, consequently reduced by some 25 per cent. The service between Wellington and Napier is now the slowest hi Now Zealand, and this fact has a harmful effect on tho tourist trade, and contributes to tho abovementioned diminution in the petitioners’ earnings. . They also state tliht they wore Ted to expect sympathetic treatment frolh the present Government, which has always'evinced as■ part of its policy a desire to shorten the hours of tho working classes, and they ask that a more convenient time-table should bo adopted. Much satisfaction is expressed by the Hon. G. Fowlds, Minister in. Charge of • Hospitals and Charitable Aid, at the attitude of local authorities and others towards the now system of administration, as gatherecßfrom the meeting addressed by hiip at New, Plymouth, and from other indications. Local bodies, Mr. Fowlds stated to a Dominion representative, are generally in sympathy with tho new scheme, which it is expected will come into operation without .friction. There were some fears at, first that the cost would bo increased, hut the answer to those fears was that it was not intended to extend the work of the hospitals all of a sudden. The district nurses, whom he hoped to see provided for alt the outlying districts of the dominion, would,not,: he believed, cost the bdards very much, since the fees derived from those able to pay should pretty well recoups the boards for their expense. The presence l of these nurses would bo of great advantage in. districts where ho doctor - was' available. Considerable economies should be effected in the cost of hospital management if a number of the public 1 health powers of the local authorities are transferred to tho boards, who should be able to do the work more cheaply and also reduce expenditure by reducing sickness. Hitherto there had been a great deal of wastbrin the administration iof boards and duplication of institutions. In the case of one hospital which the department had boon urging to change its system of administration and secure hotter" supervision of the issue of stores and medicine, an alteration has lately been made, which Mr; Fowlds was told is resulting in a saving of £IOO a month. “AVe know,” tho Minister added, “that there has boon a good deal of waste by a good many of tho hospitals, and Tho prices paid for both stores and medical necessaries have been in many' cases outrageous.” If a uniform system of keeping accounts is adopted by the hoards, it will bo possible, by making comparisons, to doteot leakages when they occur and put a chock on extravagance. •AVTiting in tho Standard of Empire, Dr. Chappie, ex-M.P. for Tuapeka, says that, in order to promote the immigration to New Zealand of British lads willing to learn farming in its various branches in this country, he has made tho following suggestions to the authorities; —(l) That the New Zealand Labour Department bo empowered to receive applications from farmers who are willing to take British lads as cadets for a term of two years, providing them with _ food, clothing, and a nominal progressive wage of, say, from 2s 6d to 10s per week after the first six months’ cadetship; (2) the farmer to contribute one-third of the pas-sage-money, the Government one-third, and a British immigration, or other society the other one-third; (3) the cadet to be a ward of the Labour Department, and subject to its jurisdiction, direction, and control; (4) the Labour- Department to have the power to remove a cadet from one farmer to another, or to return him to his native country for sufficient reason ; (5) cadets to be of tho ago from 14 to 19 years; (6) tho acceptance of cadets in Britain to be subject to an examination as to health and freedom from criminal taint or detect by an,officer of the High Commissioner’s office for Now Zealand, and those accepted to bo under the protection of a teacher from one' of our hoys’ institutions, or other guardian, and to be instructed daily on tho voyage out in some branch of agriculture,; (7) tho engagements to bo made with each individual farmer by tho Labour Department, and tho department to bo responsible for tho humane and proper treatment of tho boys, and to see that tho terms of engagement on both sides are fulfilled.

Tlio Kaipara which is at present ashore in the Auckland Harbour, according to Mr. Charles Rhodes, a director of the Waihi Gold Mining Company, took away bullion from that company’s reduction works valued at £35,000, in addition to bullion shipped by other mining companies and banks, bringing up the total value of the specie carried to £50,000 or thereabouts. The vessel’s freight therefore when she left the Railway Wharf was worth fully £135,000.

A gentleman who was fishing in the Waimakariri relates a somewhat extraordinary incident which came under his notice (says the Otago Daily Times). A young fox terrier he had with him discovered a nest of Californian quail. There were several young ones and the two parent birds. On going up to them he expected that the parents would take wing and fly away. Ho was surprised to see that both of.them werd standing up to the dog, and were making a valiant fight in defence of their homo and family. Not content with coming out to meet the dog, they offered fight to the other intruder, threatening him with all kinds of penalties in the way of pecks from a pair of sharp bills. The dog was called off, and the courageous little birds were left in possession of their treasures.

Mixed bathing is becoming extremely popular in Napier. It was recently decided to reopen the baths from 7.30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and to allow mixed bathing on the Wednesday night. It is stated that this has not proved sufficient to meet the demand, and a large number of women' havp asked the authorities for an extension of the hours. It is understood that in order to meet their wishes the Baths Committee will recommend the Borough Council on Wednesday night to allow mixed bathing on tho three nights. The: pastime is becoming .very popular these warm evenings, and many people who would otherwise stay on the Marine Parade pay their threepence and enter the baths merely to look on and enjoy the spectacle, thus contributing materially to the daily receipts. A correspondent, writing to the Ashburton Guardian upon the subject of profit-sharing as “an industrial solution,” says;—“ln my own small way, on my farm, I have tried profit-sharing, and I know it pays. One concern of which I ami a director pays bonuses each year to a large number. My vote would always be for extending it to the office hoy and, the charwomanevery one to participate. The profitsharing idea is spreading in England and tho United States. It is right, and it will spread, though slowly; It pays the employer, for he gets enthusiastic support. It is fair that those who work should have some of tho spoil. A share in profits makes work less of a drudgery, and more of a pleasure. Tho plan will, when widely established, lessen strikes. It will allay iomething of the bitterness between employer and employed, and it is a reform that must con'e. II It's everything in its favour, and no real argument against it; but old-fashioiied ideas and prejudices take a lot of fighting before they are beaten.”

Mr. G. W. Algor tells, in tho November Atlantic, that over ayear ago ho listened to a lawyer arguing an appeal in the Appellate Division of the Supremo Court in New York. ■ It was about the title to a small plot of land in tho city. At tho close of bis argument, the lawyer said; “This caso has been tried three times in the; lower courts by juries, has been heard, on appeal in this court twice, and once in the-Court of Appeals. The expenses Of the litigation already have absorbed the value of the property in dispute. If there be some way. which the Court may find for deciding finally this dispute here in this Court without requiring it to be tried over again, it will he a blessing to all concerned.” This blessing the Court found itself unable to' confer, and six' months; later the case again was on the first round of the judicial ladder, for a now trial in the lower court, and has been recently once more decided in the Appellate Court, and is now on its weary way to the Court of Appeals. This is said to he by no means an exceptional case. Consideration was given by the Professorial Board of Victoria College, Wellington,, to tho recommendations Af the committee :sot up at the 'college to report on proposals for military instruction. The committee had suggested that military science should bo on optional subject for tho Arts course, and that a Chair of Military Science should bo established at each of tho four university colleges, the Government to, bo approached to provide a sum not .exceeding £3OOO per annum to coyer salaries. Tho board passed, a motion, expressing its willingness to do all in its power towards tho provision of satisfactory military instruction, both theoretical and practical. , It was not prepared to say whether the Defence Council or the" colleges should control the Chair, but it suggested that tho question of direct control might bo submitted to military experts, or to FieldMarshal Lord Kitchener ._ There was not a unanimity of opinion on the matter, but tho resolution embodying the above was carried. Professor Mackenzie argued that it should be made compulsory for every male student to take the 'theory of military science as part of his course, aqd ho thought it would hardly bo fajr to load the faculty with tho responsibility of this extra subject. . ■ ■ i . ■ Mr. J. M. Shields the general manager of tho P. and O. Company, arrived in Auckland last week. Speaking to a Herald representative about his visit to New Zealand; Mr. Shields said that, primarily, he came' out on a pleasure trip, and had hoped to get about three months here, ~ but the coal strike in New South Wales had detained him there for two months. The running of the P. and 0. boats to and from New Zealand did not, he said, really concern him, hut., while here he had seen the harbour master authorities and the P. and O. agents in regard to tho arrangements. The P.and O. Company had always had a certain interest in , tho New Zealand passenger traffic, and they thought that if their vessels wore actually brought to New Zealand it might attract still more of the traffic, as the passengers would avoid the otherwise necessary transhipment at Sydney, and if tho results of the experiment were satisfactory they would continue it. For tho present, at all events, they did not intend to go in for cargo traffic, because there was no time to do anything, and the mail boats being small carriers could get all they wanted at tho Australian ports at which they were bound to call under the mail contract. In answer to a question as to what ho thought would bo the probable result of the experiment from a business point of view, Mr. Shields said that tho Australian agents of the company were very well satisfied with the prospects, the bookings up to date promising well. Speaking of faros, Mr. Shields said that at present tho comjiany had no intention of raising the fares between hero and Sydney on account of the coal strike in New South WaleSj as the strike had affected them so little that there had been no occasion to do so. Mr. Shields loft Auckland for Sydney yesterday.

His Worship the Mayor has made application for an award of the Royal ■ Humane Society for Mr. A. Hardgrayos, who has been instrumental in rescuing several persons from drowning along the beach. The application will bo considered at the next meeting of the So-; ciety which, unfortunately, does not take place for a month or two yet. In- coAnection with the mishap to the Kaipara, it is stated that the Misses Duolnvorth, two ladies visiting the dominion, who wore on board the Takapuna when she struck a rock between Nelson and Picton recently, and on the Waikare when she was wrecked in Dusky Sound, had engaged passages by the Kaipara for their return to England, but at the last moment had been unable to catch her, and had therefore cancelled their passages.

The automatic doctor has made his appearance at last— in America, of course. There an ingenious inventor has patented a machine representing a man, having in the region of each organ a slot into which a coin may be dropped. The patient diagnoses his own complaint,, drops the prescribed fee into the corresponding slot, and learns at once what moans ho should adopt to got rid of the trouble. The idea is excellent; but think of the reckless extravagance into which it must tempt the hypo-chondriac, of the unpleasantness that may occur when tho careless man uses tho wrong slot and is advised to take a sedlitz powder ns a cure for a sprained ankle, or of the disappointment of the - thoughtless patron who mistakes it for an ordinary automatic machine and receives a recipe for making a corn plaster when ho expects a cigarette or a bottle of scent 1