THE KING COUNTRY CHRONICLE. Wednesday, April 13, 1910 TOPICS OF THE DAY.

King Country Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 250, 13 April 1910, Page 2

THE KING COUNTRY CHRONICLE. Wednesday, April 13, 1910 TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Our old tamillar friend "the man in the street," would be hard put to to define exactly what are the voting qualifications necessary to enable a resident or ratepayer to take part in the coming Borough elections. There are three qualifications: Ownership, ratepaying and residence. Any registered owner of freehold land has a vote. Any ratepayer, whose name is on the ratepayers' roll, has a vote, provided he had paid his rat?s. As this is a new borough, however, and no ratepayers' roll is yet in existence, anyone liable to pay rates is entitled to a vote and should be on the roll. And any resident who has occupied a house, or even a room of the value of not less than £lO a year, for not less than three months previous to the making up of the roll, has a vote. The husband or the wife (in the case of married people) may hold the qualifications, and the vote is given to both, presumably in the belief that two joined together in holy matrimony become one, with two votes for electoral purposes. ****** Hamilton got a severe lesson in the necessity for the careful safeguarding of its ratepayers' interests, when the Privy Council gave judgment in favour of the gas company and nearly doubled the amount that the town has to pay for the plant and goodwill of the company. The Mayor of Hamilton is most emphatic in his advice to other boroughs contemplating installing lighting. "Don't," lie says, "allow any company to step in and monopolise your streets and take away the profits that should belong to the people of your borough. But should you be so inclined, don't permit any claim for goodwill to crop up by reason of lack of a clear understanding on the point." The Mayor of Hamilton claims that the borough will survive even such a heavy charge as is now laid upon it and he predicts a reduction in the price of gaa before very long. ****** The merits and de-merits of gas and electricity will be one of the topics for Te Kuiti at an early date. There is an abundance of water power within a short distance of the borough, and a very economically built plant could be provided. The possibilities in electricity are immense. IP we can get cheap lighting and cheap power it attracts new industries to our district. It would pay us as a community to even sacrifice a, little saving as compared with ga§ if 3 cheap power service were brought to our doors. Electricity is destined to play a larger and larger part in the work of the world, Edison is even now perfecting his new electric motor, which he promises will effect a revolution in transit cost, and it is not locking too absurdly far into the future to anticipate the adaptation of this wonderful invention to tram services in towns in New Zealand. House cleaning, butter making, sewing, washing, cooking and a dozen other items of domestic or conuneiscial activity are being lightened relieved through the applica-.

"An epidemic of scarlet fever of a j mild type, but very difficult to detect, is at present prevalent in Auckland, principally amongst children," says the "Herald." "In many cases the parents do not recognise the fever, or else think it so mild that it is of no consequence. The result is that the children are allowed to go to school, where they infect others. There is not much cause for alarm, but parents and school teachers should be on the look out for signs of the fever in the way of rashes and sore throats, and take precautions" accordingly. Though the fever has only been attacking its victims in a mild manner, parents must not assume that there is no need for taking precautions, for although one child may have a mild attack, another child to whom it may pass the fever may be in a poor condition of health at the time, and, consequently, have a very severe attack. The epidemic is not confined to Auckland, but is also spread over the country districts." One case has been notified in Te Kuiti. There is little doubt this being the first case in the district, the infection has probably been conveyed into the borough in a letter. This is a common way of transmitting infection, and can easily be obviated by baking correspondence from an infected area. The country Health Inspector states that there has never been an infectious case in Te Kuiti before. Great precautions have been taken in the particular case mentioned. * * * * * Sir John Dickson-Poynder, New Zealand's new Governor, is a man who will prove himself popular when once he is known here. He has been both soldier and politician, serving through three actions in the South African war, and gainiftg the D.5.0., and first as a Conservative and afterwards as a Liberal member, representing the Chippenham division of Wiltshire in the House of Commons. He wa3 a member of the London County Council from 1898 to 1904, and was chairman of the Traffic Commission for London, being a strong advocate of electric traction. He is a Free Trader in politics. A land owner and very popular at that, he should recommend himself to the people of New Zealand as a worthy successor to Lord Plunket.