News of the Dominion.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XVLI, Issue 13, 27 September 1911, Page 4

News of the Dominion.

OUR WELLINGTON LETTER. WELLINGTON, September 23. Back to Winter. T Iliff week we have had a taste of real “Cape Horn weather.” A sou'-west gale swept up, and for tliree days and three nights howled around our hills with almost hurricane force—at any rate the wind was so strong that one wondered how some of the dwellings perched on the pliff sides and sharp hill-tops escaped being topped over into the gullies. Out in Cook Strait the weather was fearful, and the Wellington-Lyttelton ferry steamers and the larger of the steamers bound for Picton and Nelson were the only vessels that ventured out in it. Very high and dangerous seas were running at the rock-studded entrance to Port Nicholson, and just there a small coaster, the b.s. Kapiti, for Lyttelton, nearly met disaster. As she came abreast of Barrett’s Reef, outside the Heads, in a wild sea, a great roller pooped her. For a minute or two she was all under water except the bridge. The steering gear fouled, and the little steamer broached to, and lay beam-on to the sea. Fortunately she recovered herself quickly, but for some time—which seemed to the anxious crew inurh longer than it really was—she was in imminent danger of being rolled right over and foundering. The big sea that pooped her swept her starboard life boat overboard: it was afterwards recovered by another coaster. The Tarawera, too, had a bad time of it in the huge seas off Cape Palliser on the way down from Auckland.

Tho "rent force of the seas, which swept Cook Strait, wan particularly manifested at Lyall Bay. The surf there ran very high and came right up the beach to the sandhills, and did a considerable amount of damage. Bathing shelters and other buiildinga were clean destroyed, and the shore was strewn with wreckage. City Council’s property to the value of about X 301) is destroyed. The gale has now' moderated, and we have had some sunshine «by way of reminding us that there is a pleasanter time coming, but, as I write, it is coming on thick and “dirty” again, and it looks very much as if another Mr. Bates’ southerly busters were at hand. At any rate, it is not exactly the kind of weather to go surf-bathing yet. The Late Mr. Flatman. The late Mr. F. R. Flatman, one-time M.P. for Geraldine, for whose death Parliament adjourned a while this week, was an old Parliamentary hand. Ho was a farmer at Woodbury. Canterbury, where he died. He was a Suffolk man, ami when a youth of nineteen came out to Canterbury (in 1862), and turned htis hand to sawmilling and storeIkcQping*, and ( forwards to (farming. Eighteen years ago he entered Parliament as member for Pareora, and later ho became member- for Geraldine, retiring into private life again in 1008. For some time he was whip to the Liberal party. Sir Joseph Ward, .Mr. Massey, and other members—inducting Mr. Nosworthy, the present member for Geraldine, said some appreciative words about Mr. Flatman. Mr. Massey said that be and Mr. Flatman were two of tfm band of members who took their peats in the House in 1894. Mr. Flatman was an enthusiastic practical farmer, an enthnsiatiic ami conscientious poliiudan. Our Oldest Legislator. Sir William ikes M.P., the oldest sitting member of the (Jenera 1 Assembly, who is retiring from the House of Representatives this year, and who will no doubt be appointed to the Upper House Jias been telling some intcreHbing yarns of his early days, and of how he laine to set foot in New Zealand. It 'was the toss of a coin that decided his destiny, and provided New Zealand with a real good settler and. law maker. In 1862 he decided to emigrate; he was then a young fellow of twenty one, “I had been readinp up about Vancourver’s Island and New Zealand, mid I could hardly make up my mind hr to which I would go to. *So uncertain was I that chance had to decide —I tossed a penny, ‘heads’ -New

Zealand, ‘tails’ Vancouver’s Island.” The coin came down heads, and our young Steward came to New Zealand, by one of the old-time sailing vessels, the 700ton barque Mersey. “The Mersey,” said Sir William Steward, “was bound for Lyttelton; she carried 280 Government immigrants, six second-cabin passengers, a few firstcabin passengers and the crew, so that in this vessel of 700 tons there were over 350 souls. Our voyage lasted 130 days. There was no such thing as fresh meat in those days on board ship. Our stand-by was what everyone called ‘salt horse’ —salt beef and pork—peas, and stuff called ‘soup and bully,’ served up in sufficient quantities for the whole mess. Naturally, there was a considerable amount of sickness among the children on board, greatly arising from the fact that the provisions were very bad indeed, particularly the flour. I have, I believe, now, a lump of that ‘flour,’ -which had to be chopped with an axe. It appears to have contained a lot of plaster of Paris, or something similar, and no wonder it caused a good deal of trouble with the children. I acted as chaplain on the ship, and it was my lot to bury two children and a sailor at sea.” That High-level Lift. The Wellington City Council has at last approved of the idea of constructing a subway and elevator at Church-street, to spare the residents on The Terrace the daily and nightly task of trudging up and down t'he long and lofty row of steps leading to the higher levels of the city. Those steps have not been altogether a bad thing. They have helped to keep the city climbers fit and muscular in these days when much train-riding is tending to atrophy t'he town-keeping man and woman. But the Terrace dwellers, headed by Mr. Jack Hutcheson, think that one can have too much exercise sometimes. The idea is now to get Parliamentary sanction to the elevator scheme, as a public work, and to impose a special rate over a certain restricted area to cover the working expenses. It is proposed to make the stephating public of the upper levels pay a penny a ride for the joy of being lifted easily and expeditiously on to The Terrace. • The Waikanae Centenarian. The local papers have been in disagreement as to tlic exact age of the late Mr. Henry Burling, the Waikanae centenarian, whose death occurred since my last letter. The estimates of his age ranged from 104 to Ml years. Now, however, the matter seems to he set at rest by an inspection of the ancient man’s marriage certificate, which is in the possession of Mr. Arthur Burling, of Waikanae. The certificate show's that Henry Burling’s father’s name was Thomas, not James. The "Dominion” had stated, on the authority of Mr. Guy Schofield, late of Wellington, now of Auckland, that, the parish church register of Stratford, England — Burling’s birthplace— —showed a baptism of one Henry Burling, the child of James Burling, in 1807. The old identity’s relatives state that he was born on May 1, 1801, and this is evidently correct. The deceased's son, Mr. Arthur Burling, celebrates his golden wedding at Christmas time. There are six hundred descendants of Henry Burling in New Zealand. He was truly a fine sample of a colonist, if fruitfulness and multiplication are any criterion. Wanted, Trees and Flowers. Our bare hills and ugly raw cuttings continually cry out for something to cover their nakedness. A good wholesale scheme of tree-planting and flower-plant-ing is needed about Wellington. But the municipality doesn’t seem interested in the matter at all, and another spring will pass without anything being done to beautify the local landscape. A place that is in much need of flowers and trees is the bare clay land surrounding Kelburne Park, up on the heights. Surely something can be done to hide the unsightly yellow clay banks hereabouts! I have just read in a Dunedin paper a letter from a correspondent that is worth quoting for the benefit of those whose duty it should be to see to the beautification of our public places. The point the writer makes is that something should be

done to sprinkle the English wild flowers about our public resorts, and so make them really delightful to the eye. Writing of Dunedin’s play-places, he says:—"Many of our beauty spots compare with the best I have ever seen, but there is one great fault which they all possess without exception, and it is to rectify this that I have brought the matter before the people. They one and all are absolutely devoid of the beautiful wild flowers which have made English and Scotish scenery famous in song and story for centuries. Only those who have seen the magical effect of an Old Country meadow strewn with wild flowers can realise how much more beautiful the upper reaches of the Leith and Waitati would appear if their green and mossy banks were studded with primroses, poppies, buttercups, Scottish bluebells, wild hyacinth, and lilac, while tiny pansies peeped from under every mossy stone, and tall, majestic foxgloves waved to and fro with every breeze. These are only a few of the many hardy wild flowers which flourish to-day in every Scottish glen and gladden the hearts of young and old. I would therefore suggest that all persons who would like to make the world a little more beautiful should begin right now, arid never go out into the country during the spring time without taking a few spare roots from their garden or a packet of assorted seeds and plant them in the highways and the byways, so that in a few years the present dullness of our countryside may be brightened by coloured gems of all shades.” An excellent suggestion, and one that every flower-lover and beauty-lover should try and carry out. But flower-planting in Wellington’s public spaces will have to be carried out by the municipality, under some well-eonsidered scheme, if it is to be of any success, for our soil is not as kindly as that of Dunedin, and its preparation is a task for expert gardeners. Nevertheless, the work will have to be done to take away the glaring reproach of our stark, staring, eye-offend-ing clay banks and hills and cuttings.

Fall of Canadian Liberals. The rout of the Canadian Government at the poll last week was the subject of an interesting interview which a "Star” representative on Monday obtained from Sir John Findlay. Sir John said that he landed in Canada on April 2nd of this year, and spent some little time at Victoria, and aiceiwards at Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal. At all these centres he met representative men in public life, and at many of the gatherings which he attended in company with Sir Joseph Ward they had the privilege of listening tex speeches from different party points of view. Subsequently, in London, they sat at conference with Sir Wilfrid Laurier and his colleagues. As the result of the observations he was able to make, Sir John believed there was a strong feeling of resentment growing, particularly in Western Canada, against the adoption of the reciprocity treaty. This turned upon two distinct grounds. First, the people recalled, with some bitterness, the effects of an earlier reciprocity arrangement made years ago between the States and Canada, in which the producers and manufacturers were induced to develop their businesses along certain lines, only to find a few years later that the States terminated the agreement when it suited them. In April last, while Sir John was in the Dominion, the Canadians were freely using it as an argument against the new treaty that America would repeat the happening of earlier years should it suit them to do so. The second and broader ground, said Sir John, was the contention that commercial reciprocity with America would inevitably lead either to a political union with America or to a wide separation between Canada and the Mother Land. Admittedly, strong arguments were advanced to refute both these views, but one could not help feeling that this belief was growing in strength and area, and results to hand now show that it apparently dominated the election last week. Moreover, it was impossible to escape the conclusion that Sir Wilfrid Laurier’s Imperialism had undergone some change. Sir John met Sir Wilfrid Laurier nine years ago in Ontario and London, and heard him speak in both places. Again, this year, in our own great Empire metropolis, he heard the Canadian Prime Minister, and at last came to the clear conclusion that Sir Wilfrid desired to maintain an attitude of detachment from proposals

for closer association between the Overseas Dominions and the Mother Land. The Statute recently passed providing for the creation of a Canadian navy especially stipulated that the navy must not take part in any Imperial war without the consent of Canada. Sir Wilfrid declared while in London that Canada would hold herself free to consider herself at peace should she not approve of any Imperial struggle on which Great Britain had entered. This among other things created amongst Canadian public men visiting England some feeling of alarm, and some determination to oppose Laurier at the elections which have just terminated. Sir John’s impression was that if the statesmen of Great Britain would take the present opportunity by the hand there was a splendid chance now for closely organised unity between the United Kingdom and the great Dominion of Canada. If such organised unity could be brought about it would, he thought, lead to Imperial federation along the lines Sir Joseph Ward had suggested at the recent conference in London. He had met the Premiers of several of the Canadian provinces during his recent; tour, and found that they enthusiastically welcomed the proposals for a true Imperial system, whereby not only the drift towards separation which had been going on in Canada would be arrested, but true Imperial solidity would bo established. “ In my opinion,” said Sir John Findlay, “ the defeat of the Laurier Government was mainly due to the dwindling and weakening Imperialism of the party in power. I believe that Canada, like New Zealand, is anxious to maintain a union of Empire, and if one thing distinguished the Prime Minister of New! Zealand from the Prime Minister of Canada at the recent conference, it was the contrast on the question of unity displayed by these two leaders. If, then, the Canadian elections have any lesson for this country it is this: That the public men and the party which stands staunchest for Imperial unity will receive the most widespread support of the people. If this test is applied to New Zealand we need have no doubt as to where Sir Joseph Ward and his party will be after the next election. This matter has been engaging my very closest attention, and 1 am publishing a book in London during the next few weeks upon the history and probable outcome of recent Imperialism.” New Zealand Birdman, A tall, lean and alert young man, over six feet high, with long supple fingers, two of which are missing from the left; hand, and dear eyes that dart here and there with quick nervous glances, such is J. J. Hammond, the New Zealand boy, who has gained some repute as a birdman. Mr. Hammond arrived in Auckland on Friday morning. After a tour of Australia, in which he gave numerous exhibitions of flying in Australia, the aeronaut decided to visit his home in Feilding, after an absence of five years, and tor this purpose he landed in Wellington on a certain Thursday about three .months ago. Proeeedling straight to Feilding, the joys of home life did nob claim him long, for in two days ths intrepid flyer was subject to a bad attack of appendicitis, and had to proceed to the Palmerston Hospital, whero he has lain until a day or two ago. Now, he is much recovered, but is only able to limp about, his left leg being still crippled, as the result of the. illness. Of peculiar interest was a chat a "Star” reporter had with the aeronaut on Friday. Modest and inclined to be reticent about his profession, Hammond nevertheless talked on a subject which creates interest the world over, and no one can talk of his chosen profession without warming to the subject, and when such names as Vedrienes, winner of the Paris-Madrid race, and second in the last “Daily Mail” and Beaumont, cropped up the speaker showed no backwardness in speaking in praise of these. Hammond is well acquainted with the former, whom lh« describes as a real likeable fellow, and an expert mechanician, 'and a man who has sprung into fame entirely as tha result of his own ability. "Doing, not talking,” is a motto Hammand has always borne in mlind, ana ho showed no liking in the discussion, when it centred round his own feats. Asked liow It feels to fly, the airman S description was that it was similar O the first ride In a fast motor-car, 0? going up in a quick lift. Why did you take it up!”

••Oh, just inquisitiveness” was ./the rcp fy ’and then the birdmaa launched out and told how a liking fur adventure had always possessed ham, ana with if a natural aptitude for mechanics. He learnt his flying in France, and although he had a professor did most of the teaching himself, and in less than three day, was able to emulate the birds. ,\o, he had no fear of accidents, answered the young aeronaut to a question, and he believed that all the accidents that had occurred in this hazardous field were preventable. In many rases the flyers lost their heads, he considered. Hammond himself must have a particularly clear head, for he pointed ont, although it is possible to smash up a thousand pounds in a second, he has never had to expend a penny for’accidents yet. It is a strange peculiarity of flying, said the airman, that while an airman at 1000 feet looks to a spectator on the ground a mere speck, the airman can recognise anyone he knows well at that distance. Another peculiar thing is that from a thousand feet the flyer can Bee About 15 feet into water. The New Zealander has given flyirg exhibitions in France, Germany. England, and Australia, and he certainly thinks there is money in the game. In Australia it was quite new to the puhl-ie, (but while there under contract to the British and Colonial Aeroplane Go. large crowds assembled whenever a flight was to be made. On the Continent and in England aeroplanes are quite common, “almost as common as motor cars,” saiid the aeronaut, but in Australia he was the first man out, and the reason why more have not gone in for it there, he thinks, is because they haven’t realised the great possibilities in the game, and are frightened to take up a new thing.

As an adjunct to war, Mr. Hammond thinks the aeroplane will be invaluable, and as an instance of the control the aeronaut has over his machine it was Stated that a cwt of sand could be dropped from a flying machine without Seriously affecting the flight. In addition, for scouting purposes, there was no better medium, and no movements of armies could be hidden. Photography to assist in this would soon be largely taken up, and Mr. Hammond has himself taken several views from above.

“Never criticise in your own profession,” said the flying man, when asked would he give an opinion as to the feasibility of Dr. Mawson’s plan to reach the Pole by aeroplane, but he struck a pertiment point in this regard when he explained that under ordinary conditions the petrol froze in the aeroplanes tank when up 7000 ft or 8000 ft, and he added: “You’ve got it cold all the time in the Polar regions.” As an instance the Pressman was invited to take a motof ear and let it stay in a freezing chamber for some time, and then try to run it. The invitation was declined, but tho illustration was apt. Several attempts have been made by amateur airmen to fly in New Zealand, but so far very few of the public have ever seen an aeroplane, therefore, the opportunity would be eagerly grasped should the New Zealander, a professional at the game, decide to give exhibitions here. The visitor was asked his intentions in this respect, and the reply was that the question was purely one of finance. He would want a guarantee — some £3OOO, to bring his machines here, for, as he naively intimated, “You can see flying as well outside the fence as

It is a big undertaking to conduct flying exhibitions. Hammond has one monoplane machine in France, with a 100 horse power Gnome engine, which alone cost £960. If he came to New Zealand he would require to bring two •u r hines, which would run into a cost of £2400, and. in addition, a couple of Skilled mechanics. Of course, as he sail, he could bring one machine, but that would possibly lead to a lot of trouble and disappointment to the public. It was possible in an instant to break some part of the machine, Waich would take five or six hours to reP? lr - If there were two machines the airman could at once change, and save the public from disappointment. i,mmon d is staying in Auckland, »t the Central Hotel, for two er three ’Dvs, and will then return to Foil ding, sufficient inducement offers for him Rive exhibitions in New Zealand, he will either proceed at once to Europe, or cable for mechanics and machines. Telephone System. An important announcement was made / Nir Joseph Ward last week respect-

ing concessions in the telephone system Interviewed subsequently, he explained that uniVr tho concessions proposed, country s ibscri'bers should join together to obtain connections on one line. In this way five subscribers could be connected at a line two and a-'half miles, or six on three miles. They will pay a uniform rate of £3. Instead of limiting the length of the lines to three miles, as at present, he proposed to extend the distance to nine miles. The rates over three miles cannot, however, be kept as low as £3. Five subscribers on a fivemile line would be able to obtain concessions at £4 8/ per annum each, and five on a seven and a-half mile line at £6 8/ eaeh.

Regarding exchanges in large towns, the subscribers would be allowed to join in party lines in the manner described at the same rates. Persons requiring an exclusive wire for a long distance must pay the regular rates. At the same time, it is hoped, with the introduction of more modern exchanges, to treat the large cities and suburbs within a reasonable distance as one exchange, and the rate made uniform throughout the city and suburban areas, irrespective of distance from the central office. This, it is thought, can be done on t’he introduction of the automatic or semi-auto-matic telephone exchanges. Under this system a city like Wellington or Auckland will have a number of branch exchanges within about two miles of each other. These branch exchanges, on the automatic or semi-automatic system, require no attendants, while at the same time the advantage to the Department of short wires radiating from each of the sub-exchanges keeps the cost of construction at a minimum.

Under this arrangement a subscriber at Onehunga desiring to communicate with a subscriber at Ponsonby turns the indicator on his telephone to the number of the Ponsonby subscriber, and by electric impulse his wire is connected with any vacant junction wire running to an Auckland exchange wire. In its turn a vacant junction wire to Ponsonby is picked up, and, finally, the Ponsonby subscribers’ wire is connected. When conversation is finished, the mere act of the Onehunga subscriber in placing the telephone on the hook frees the connection, and leaves the junction and other wires again clear. Under another system, t’he semi-auto-matic, a limited number of girls is pt iced in the central office. In this case the Onehunga subscriber would simply lift the telephone, and inform the attendant of the number required. The number would ‘be set up by striking keys in the central exchange, and communication with the required subscriber in Ponsonby or elsewhere obtained through the branch exchange. The automatic system will in course of time be utilised for all important places. Electoral Boundaries. The report of the Representation Commissioners was gazetted on Monday, and is now law. Pukekohe has been taken out of the Raglan electorate and replaced in Franklin. The difference has been made up to Raglan by the inclusion of Pokeno and Mercer districts, which were formerly in Franklin. The next important change in tha North concerns Ohinemuri and Tauranga. Te Arolia has been taken out of Ohineinuri and put into Tauranga, thus saving the lives of the three hotels which had been transferred to a dry district. Katikati has been included in the Tauranga district, thus saving the only hotel between Waihi and Tauranga, a distance of forty miles. Waiorongomai hotel is still left to go “dry” in the Ohinemuri district. A fresh alteration has 'been made as between Egmont and .Stratford. A petition was sent in from Stratford, with the result that West Riding has been transferred from Egmont to Stratford, -and the whole of Stratford County is now included in Stratford electorate.

In regard to Oroua electorate, a big petition was received praying for inclusion in the electorate of the whole of Mount Rtewart riding, formerly proposed to be included in Manawatu electorate. That request has been acceded to, and ■Uie name of the Manawatu electorate has been changed to “Rangitikei,” while the proposed district of Rangitikei has in turn been changed to “Waimarino."

In regard to Wanganui, a change has boon made so as to include in its boundaries Castlecliff district, which it had been proposed to include in Patea, and.

to make up for the loss, that part of the borough of Wanganui lying to the north west of Wanganui has been put into Patea.

A small area east of the Hutt railway affecting about 140 souls, has been re transferred from Suburbs to Hutt electorate.

Very few changes have been made in the South Island, ths chief one being that the name of Geraldine electorate has been changed to Temuka.

The South Island Commissioners explain reasons for naming a new electorate “Otago Central” by stating that the boundaries of Tuapeka and Taieri electorates have been so altered as to render either name unsuitable, and they also decided, as Geraldine electorate has been altered to exclude Geraldine town an<! most of the country electorate, it should be re-named “Temuka.” The North Island Commissioners have no comments to make in regard to the Ohinemuri electorate. Mr. G. V. Stewart, the Katikati Farmers’ Union, and 178 residents of the district, petitioned that Katikati riding should remain in Tauranga electorate, as did also the Tauranga County Council. This request has been partially complied with. It is understood that the main road is made the boundary, instead of the creek, a portion of the district east of the road, includ ing the hotel, being restored to Tau ranga.

Te Arolia Borough Council, Chamber of Commerce, and 333 residents petitioned for the retention of Te Aroha in Tauranga. This request has been complied with. Messrs. Gaum and Gilchrist requested that Te Aroha township and a portion of the riding should be exeludeu from Ohinemuri. This was partially complied with, but a portion, including the Waiorongomai hotel, has not been restored.

A request that the polling place for Taumarunui electorate should be at Taumarunui instead of at Waitara, was referred to the chief electoral officer. In response to a request made by the Pukekohe Town Board and Mr. W. F. Massey, the district of Pukekohe, including the township, has been restored to Franklin. Worst on the Statute oßok. The New Zealand Employers’ Federation Conference opened Wednesday. Referring to industrial legislation passed last session, the annual report describes the Shops and Offices Amendment Bill as “easily the worst ‘Act on the Statute Book. Many of the clauses are inoperative, and some of them the Government dare not put into operation.” After reviewing other legislation, the report concludes: “The executive cm phasises the need for continued watchfulness in the interests of employers generally. The evidence of industrial unrest in the Dominion, in keeping with the dissatisfaction of workers throughout the world, indicates the need for the closer combination of those engaged in trades and industries. The organisation of workers and the movement towards federation of the various unions through out the Dominion calls for still more eon certed action on the part of employers in connection with legislation in industrial disputes.”