DISTRICT NEWS

Horowhenua Chronicle, 9 December 1913, Page 2

DISTRICT NEWS

A EVENTS IN SHANNON. (Chronicled by our Resident Kβpreaentutive). Mil VENN'S TlilP.

Mr Venn, who has just returned from a journey to the Old Country, gave our representative some details of his trip, which will be of interest to our readers. Several icebergs were passed on the way home, but they were not near enough to cause danger. The place that attracted most attention en route was Uio de Janeiro, which, Mr Venn says, has immensely improved and promises to become the finest city in the southern hemisphere. "Wages are high there, and money apparently is no object; but the big enterprises are in the. hands of ■Jewish speculators, and the place is over-capitalised. The army and navy are the. highest paid and ui. , best dressed in the world.-At Plymouth the voyagers were met with a sea sham fight an imitation of a night attack by (ierman waiships, which w;is so r-'iil that th ■ passengers though: they would all have to go to a (:i< rman gaol. These sham light> at sea fake place very frequently, and are looked upon as good training for the real thing wheuf\cr ii comes. Mr and Mrs Venn nn.l a haiitiful summer in tir , Old Country, and there was a go <! hiuvest: .Mr Venn found '.he a , . ,, - rifcllural methods far b-'iivi 1 Xc .• Zealand's. The h.homers work 1.4 to IS hoins ;: day for 2s (id or -is and a dinnei. and the farmers themselves .r not much better off for t'; , lords and dukes squeeze evervtMiA , '>n( of them in rent. Mr Venn added "Yet the labourers -ui ' farmers stick up for

THE BIG LANDMYNKaS, because in winter they ;;■■ a- their labourers soup and blankets if the labourers are hard up! , ' VI: if is wanted, lie continued, i> a ?hli lax on unimproved values, and f , i (his the long-promised Land Bill of Mr Lloyd George \s a lailuie. The big wealthy landowners have hundreds of paid lecturers ir.nng round Britain trying to .show <ha' a tax on food stuffs will r.-al-.r I hem cheaper. Old age pension:. l;a\'( reduced the number of ir.maies of the work lions , "?, but have increased poverty, and t'»c numbers of paupers outside the work houses. The old age persicn is only -"is a week, and it cosis 1 !■•; a week lo keep a pauper ;i: the workhouse, so that ii> one sense the Government saves The relatives and friends of the recipients of the pension who arv themselves poor will stint themselves to aid old age pensioner.-; and supplement the ;>s -a week wi' l ; what they can afford so as to keep the old people out of (he wni l< house: but the effect is that von find numbers of paupers in

e\ery town begging under the pretence of selling photos or matches or laces or what not As to

HUM l<: JiI'TYK KOI! IRELAND. Mr Venn is convinced that if tlh , question was put before the people of Great Britain li would b. , rejected, anl he believed it woul ' cause the downfall of Mr As(juith's Go\ernnieiit at the ne.\'. election. As to .Female Franchise, he thought that if the Suf Iragi'tles had not taken the foolish sleps they had taken in damaging property they would have ha i il long ago. The roads in Kngland have improved enormously dunng the past sixteen years They are now as level as a liowf. iiiL ,, green, and in beautiful order. In the big cities they look jus , , like polished ebony; but they ai\ so slippery that in London it is proposed to do away with hors. , Iraflic altogether. The mileau;-} id the railways has largely increased and at one station (C'hapIr.uu .function) no less than ?500 trains pass through evei'y day. Fifty years ago this place; was a cricket field. Mr Venn met several New Zealanders in the O'.il Country. One,

A SHANNON MAN, was making money fast. He had got into a splendid position, and his last speculation will give hi'.i i'SOOO clear. In many may be seen New Zealand plaids and shrubs, and at once place in Torquay Mr Yenn almost lieli/<'• ed he was looking at a bit of Ncv Zealand bush. Germany keeping quiet tell her opportunity came. There was compel if i-.m between the Governments of Kngland and Germany in the building 'of warships, and in the nuicantile jnarine in the constrnctioj! of huge liners, such as thh Olympic. Mr 'Venn went over this enormous steamship ; and hoard that her electric lightm.: installation alone cost over =£100,000: but these big vessels weie not paying at all. . As to the emigrants that were coming to the colonies now, they were a h° Uhy strong-looking lot, but then , ohjec< Mas rather to get easy work in the towns than to go into :nc country districts like the Giviigranfs of former days and found homes there. There is j'.is* one one other thing to which Mr Venn referred to: it is what he called

"THE POODLE CCKSE. ,, lu the big cities may bo seen ladies leading' five or six poj<:|?.<j all at the end of string's, ami they make the footpaths filthy Ihon when one travels by rail one -ecs these- poodle-loving: ladies .-i'.-tin : they will pick up each poodle and kiss him, making , endearing , remarks at the same time. I nsie.s differ, but. I think most sc.isibbj people would be inclined to agree, wit! Mr Venn that these exhibitions of afVeefion I'm , poo '[os an; not to bo commended.