ELTHAM.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 144083, 30 April 1913, Page 2

ELTHAM.

(From Our Own Correspondent.)

April 28.—0 n Wednesday the ratepayers will elect their council. So;far,, despite the fact that 14 are out for the nine seats, little comment is made. Last Friday the retiring council held the last meeting, during which the Mayor outlined the past twelve months’ work, and also what he would like to see taken in hand during his next term of office (Councillor. Crump is re-elect-ed Mayor unopposed). The receipts for 1913 are £7614, against £7352 for 1912, whilst the expenditure totals £8892, against £7llO for 1912. The increased expenditure is accounted for hy increased subsidies £l7O (£62, 1912), Public Works £3159 (£1342, 1912). On the receipts side, gas works income stands at £1767, against £1039 for 1912. The town hall figures arc: 1913, £354; 1912, £332. The ratepayers here should be on good terms with themselves, as most, if not all, of the loan undertakings are now selfsupporting, and this leaves little for anyone to growl at.

Our school committee election is being held to-night. The balance-sheet does not look flattering. The receipts total £356 7s Bd, including subsidy of £74, and the expenditure £393 15s Bd, a deficiency of £37,85. Last August the committee appealed to parents and gathered in £ll, and again to-day made/ another appeal to build up the funds. : Running a school must he a very difficult matter to some people; as a few years hack the committee had a generous credit balance, but with the change of control that has disappeared, and now even with appeals to parents those in control are not able to make ends meet. Probably the reason ffir the present position will be placed before those attending to-night; The Eltham footballers had a day out here last Thursday, when they apparently ran a net round the town, and as' a result secured sufficient players to make up five tournament teams. There were some remarkable costume parades, and, shall I also say, remarkable specimens of the Rugby hero. Still everybody enjoyed himself, and out of the motley collection of hookey, soccer and Rugby players and the barrackers assisting, the committee .may be able to do something by the time the competition opens. The soccer players threaten to play this season. Leastways they have held a riieeting and some enthusiasts attended, and judging' by promised support should have not trouble in securing one full team. I am told there are several good players keen on the game having Eltham their headquarters. April 29. —The Sohooi Committee meeting last evening passed off most successfully. Over 100 householders were present, and as a result of the voting. a very useful team lias been selected to control school matters for the next twelve months. The Rev. G. W. Dent is the new chairman v and Mr. R. J. Carter the secretary. Whilst wailing the result of the voting, a collection in aid of the sohooi funds was taken up and £4 gathered in. This “sond-oft” by the citizens to the com-, mittee should cause them to '‘buck up” and endeavour to secure the best results. It is stated that some of the gentlemen nominated for the council will air their views at the Theatre Royal tonight. The notice is rather short, but this sort of news soon gets about, so there will probably be a fair attendance of voters to hoar what the new men purpose doing in borough matters should they obtain sufficient votes to place them at the council table. The American Court of Oddfellows have got moving here. The installation was made last week and 27 brothers placed on the membership roll. Things hero in the society line should be brisk, as competition for members is keen, ad the societies being out for fresh faces to introduce to the lodge-room. The telegram from Wellington re-> garding the employees’ manifesto and laying stress on the fact that the working man /generally leaves too much to the other fellow—the agitator in this case—makes good reading. The writer is an employee, never having the luck to be an employer, and recognises that in too many cases a discordant note enters a workshop or factory through some blatherskite moving round .the country and talking rosy dreams that if they ever are accomplished must Ire at considerable sacrifice to somebody and in this case that somebody is the boss. Big- wages naturally makes the employer look only for the best, and he wants the most, too, of the man’s time. The worker on the other hand is just as particular to give value up to the wage received, and this leads, to the friction that leads to something worse later on. Eliminate the “chattermonger” from the horizon and it is a safe bet no one would be the loser. Labour Unions can, and have done much for the worker, but as a worker I honestly believe it a bad policy to possess “leaders” or “chattermongers” to prowl round the country, ostensibly to build up union membership, but also sometimes to cause friction between workers themselves and their employers.

This evening the municipal and hospital election returns will be awaited with considerable interest. For the convenience cf the public Mr. C. Carter has arranged to have the returns posted in his window directly they are declared. The window has been s'et out to, represent a polling-booth, and character sketches of aspirants in joyous moods and otherwise will be depicted. A male giraffe was born in the Zoological Gardens last month. The little animal is not at all shy, and allows hiraolf tso be handled freely, so that there was little difficulty in getting him to take milk from a- bottle. The mother has now been placed with her calf, but, although she licks it and appears to! be fond of it, resists its attempts : to- obtain milk. , The Society has now a very fine little herd of giraffe, and, if there is ordinary good , luck, should he able to keep up Lbe . stock for a number of years. The position is becoming increasingly serious with regard to the typhoid fever epidemic in Gisborne and district, and i t is to be hoped (says the local Times) that householders will heed the warning sounded by the Borough Council and take steps to cleanse the town. Dr. Chesson, .District Health Officer, arrived on Sunday on a special visit, to deal with the position as requested by the different local bodies, and he will make thorough investigations during the three days he intends to remain in Gisborne. The official, soon by a Times representative, was ! disinclined to dis-' cuss the question until after he met representatives of the Hospital Board. He pointed out that autumn, especially when the preceding season was a dry one, was tile particular period of the .year when typhoid, should it ho«in existence, would make its presence , felt. It was essential in a climate such as .that of Poverty Bay, that a town should bo well-drained and kept scrupulously clean. Typhoid existed and might, to some extent, always exist in the district, and it was, therefore, absolutely necessary for the safety of the residents that every possible precaution should be takexy to combat the igcmifi.