THE KING COUNTRY CHRONICLE. Wednesday, April 20, 1910 TOPICS OF THE DAY.

King Country Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 253, 23 April 1910, Page 2

THE KING COUNTRY CHRONICLE. Wednesday, April 20, 1910 TOPICS OF THE DAY.

The comments of the Stipendiary Magistrate on the practices of certain individuals in bringing intoxicants into the district and making a nuisance of themselves in other people's houses are not one whit more than are deserved. The good name of Te Kuiti suffers under the objectionable practises of a few, very few, it is pleasant to say. It is to be hoped those guilty of the actions referred to will take heed and amend their ways, lest justice overtake them, and they are led, unwillingly maybe, to a place where neither whisky nor water is available at call. The reply given by the secretary of the Auckland Acclimatisation Society to the enquiry made by the president of the King Country Acclimatisation Society will scarcely satisfy sport jmen in this district with the action of the Government in fixing the fee at one pound for one month's shooting. If in an ordinary season it is possible to have a license to shoot game covering three months for one pound, by what process of arithmetical reasoning is that identical charge laid down for four weeks' shooting? As Mr Moorhouse points out, it means not more than a couple of days' shooting for the average sportsman. It is to be feared that many who would otherwise have taken out a license will look twice before they ..pay such a fee.

Mr H. G. Wells once wrote a brilliant novel entitled "In the days of the comet," picturing a number of those strange happenings we always associate with the writer upon whom the mantle of Jules Verne has fallen and been embellished. We are living in the days of Halley's comet now, and each morning brings that wonderful celestial object a matter of three million miles nearer to earth. We need not be alarmed, however. The comet in its stately course through the universe, describes a huge circuitous course, taking over seventy years to cover, resembling a hank of knitting wool extended, to put it in homely phrase. Its course is fixed, and bar remote accidents, safe. It will not come nearer to earth than fourteen million miles, reaching that point on May 20th. Then it circles off again on its long and lonely journey "through pathless realms of space." What will have happened by the time it next returns we would not care to predict. Possibly many burning questions of to-day will be relegated to the obscurity they will have been found to deserve. And politics, where will they be? It reminds one of Tennyson's lines "Raving politic l ?, never at rest As this poor earth's pale history runs. What is it all, but a trouble of ants In the gleam of a million, million of suns." The replies received by the member for the Taumarunui electorate from the Ministers in charge of different departments relative to various needs of the King Country are satisfactory so far as they go. Otorohanga is to get improved cattleyards, but will have to be content with its very inadequate station accommodation. The grant of £IOO to the Waitomo County in order to ring-bark willows in the Mangapu and Mangaokewa streams is a considerable help, though it will scarcely complete a very urgent and formidable task,. Telephone facilities are to be further extended to Honikiwi, Waitaangi and Awakino North, and this will be a boon to the districts served. The prompt action of Mr Jennings in telegraphing to the Minister of Public Works last month was another piece of useful work our member did for this district. The work on the Te Kuiti-Awakino road had been suspended, and settlers were aghast at the prospect of another winter with such a short length completed. It is gratifying to find that the action of our local Councillors/ together with that of the member, led to a prompt re-commencement.