IN OTHER CENTRES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 209, 28 May 1908, Page 9

IN OTHER CENTRES.

(BY TELEGRAPH—SPECIAL CORRESPONDENTS.)

— -4AUCKLAND. May 27-. ■ The writer of a special, article - in t-ln "Herald" reveals' as the result of .'a rail to the Costley Home'a stato of affairs thai would seem to call for alteration. Ho says "A fact that will strike't-lio,observant, visitor to tho Costley Home, Epsom, is that in thii refuge-for the indigent and deserving aget there is a hoterogenooiis mixture of. humanity Respectability rubs shoulders with roguery tho well mingle with tho infirm ; tho intelligent hobnob with the weak-minded. There i: no classification, and the Homo is apparently becoming a haphazard dumping grount for all sorts and conditions of society's burdens.". A "Herald" representative,'who paic | 'a 'visit' of inspection to the Home a couple ol days ago, learnt from sbmo of tho inmates that there is a very soro' feeling amongst the old folks with clean, records (who include GO or 70 old age pensioners)., because the} aro compelled to receivo ■ as fellow lodger; men and women whose past careers have beer stained—gaolbirds, rogues,. aiid vagabonds. One: of those sufforing from this grievance expressed a fervent wish that the -Hospita : and Charitable Aid-Board would-emulate th< movement reported as being carried put ir Christchurch ; to lionise separately tho ,pcor who have remained honest, and against t-lit poor who,have blots against their names Tho writer refers also to a pitiable feature 'in connection with the sick who.are,house.at tho Home. Ho says in.this connection: "A visit was paid to the consumptive tents. In tho first three young girls, afflicted with the disease were playing-euchre, a fourth, lying helplessly in bed. A cheery greeting to the visitors and a'chorus of awful coughs 'was, tho impression left. In the next tent, there lay a young, woman pale as alaHaster, her skin so .white and clean as to be almost 'transparent,.; She was pitiful -to look upon, lying 'there alone. Her .form ' was• fearfullj attenuated,, hef .. poor ' face . drawn in the effort .to .... breatho./' in - that dank moist'- atmosphere. ~ No,;' slit was not quite/so .well, to-day, she brightcn&l' at, the. suggestion that perhaps next day it would be fine, and the front and bacli .of the tent could be raised,.; Both .these tents were quite near; tho women's portion of the main building. . No attendant was to be seen, .and it was explained,that she was'probably away on other .duty at the time. The'sides of the tentsWero open. ..Tho rest of them flapped wet-ly in ' the , wind, soaked through • and through by the rain. -The wooden ,floors near, the side- openings -were., wetland the wliolo surroundings permeated with dampness. It was-infinitely sad .to hear that the five women inhabiting these tents, doubt-less excellent-consumptive-abodes in fine weather, had sent, 'there. from'., the Cambridge Sanatorium as hopeless case& It was something to,be, assured' that; they get all comforts. Two men suffering from tho sanic ;dread •; disease were seen, one - lying ' smoking ip his , wooden hut, .the, other chatting with a-lad'also afflicted with consumption. These ,last wero.in' a: room at tho end of the new . i.ncurablp; ward.;' At tho other end,- isolated in , ! a'way also, I were two men '.suffering from caliper. Nearly every bed in tho; w\i'rd contained its' incurable froth; the ■old. man of ;90, who . dozed silently till tho; end should-' 1 come,''.to the rheumatic' cripplc with misshapen hands and limbs.'. .Bed-riaaoii men just lingering.in the. last, stages; of old . ago smiled. '.feebly • as tho A visitors l • passed : along. It was a. sight burdened with pathos ■ and replete with'food for philosophy." ; 1 Rabbits.'.' ,i-v. Some; views on the presentposition of ; thc rabbit; nuisance ..in.';; Now Zealand and the .possibilities, of-'. " Bunny " as." a/commercial ;nsset wero expressed by Mr. E. Clifton,"Chief Inspector of the''Department.,of-'.'Agriculture, in ';tho !coiirso ,of ,a conversation .with'. a " Herald..'fepresent-ative'. ,' I'." The position,",. Mr.; .Clifton,'said,'Vis' this: The rabbit nuisance , is in the; greatest evidence ill districts-; where ; trapping"' is prevalent. : What tho farmer has to realise is.that;sheep, .cattle, and rabbits ( live on grass, •and : he must consider which' is tho, most profitable." As to the attitude .of-' tho Department, lie •said that it required,'that'the rabbits' should ,bo kept down. ,-Poisoning was preferred by tho Department, because presumably it destroyed more rabbits,, but so long as the numbers- were", reduced the Department did not c3.ro what, means'.were adopted, to secure 'that end. It was, not a fact that rabbits .would ;tako-. poison, only when no other, food ;W,a's available; -j 'When .poison was ; , carefully .'laid t.he ' rabbits- ,would take--it' even-'"wheri there.'was other, food about; . It- was hot true, ilie said, that 'the largo runholders in- t-he South allowed trappers on their estates, and the great bulk of the rabbits for, freezing werri coming from, tho semi-agricultural and , semi-grazing farms of from, say, 1500 to 2000 acres. He recounted-what had occurred in t,ho Marlborough, Wairarapa, and Hawko's T3ay districts,;- ais ■ showing the good work accomplished by poisoning. As to tho argument that poisoning was not likely to/bo successful in' tho Auckland: provirfco owing to the-luxuriant growth -of grass', Mr. Clifton said it would .he'generally admitted .that Hawko's - Bay was equal in grass producing to. tho Auckland district/ and yet -poisoning had pi'oved. to bo effective in tho former district. . Another , aspect - was the, greater probability of rabbits being mpved from.place to-place by human agency should tho ifreez.ing of them bo largely .entered into.' "That ;the'rabbit has already been transported from place to place," lie said," is indisputable, and how much more likely is. this to bo the case if ra'obits are mado an'object of profit? .It is really for those who contemplate raising them for freezing purposes to consider which .will • pay best—the rabbits or sheop and cattle—and it may bo submitted, that sheep and cattle are the better investment." Trams, to Takapuna. -. .Matters, iu connection with the Takapuna Tramways .and Ferry Company have been advanced ..-a'further and important stage, inasmuch as the -draft Order-in-Council has been forwarded .to the 1 Minister for Public AVorks, together with - the memorial and plans of the proposed lino between O'Neill's Point, and.Takapuna. '\ Heavy Rain. . The recent rain has made itself felt in. the Waikato district, and yesterday, afternoon the river was . running' almost bank ' high; All along tho railway route paddocks could bs seen covered with water, and this was especially noticeable at Mercer,, where quite a small sea had formed. No serious damago, however, has been; reported; but a few fences have been destroyed. Tho' local railway- office has received no; information as to any washouts or, other damage having occurred along tlio line, • and the . trains arrived in town promptly to'time, so it is evident that the permanent way has not been affected. Cranes. ,' ■' '''■ i' -The recommendations of the snb-committee of the .Auckland Harbour, Board in regard to t tho purchase of electric cranes , for the railway wharf came boforo the Board yesterday for confirmation. The; Board in committee had, already recommended the reduction of the number of cranps from 20 to 18 by omittiug two cranes of tho "A" class. . At yesterday's meeting the Chairman (the Hon. E; Mitciiolson) moved that tho-'number he further reduced b.v, the omission of two cranes, oiie each of two other types. This was carried . without discussion. "7" DUNEDIN. May 27. All the available' power from the- municipal ' electrical works at AVaipori has now been sold to private consumers, and if -it is decided t-o sell anymore consideration will have t-o bo givon to the matter of again utilising the steam plant-for a. few hours each day for-the running of >. ( tho-tramways.