King Country Chronicle Saturday, June 11, 1910 TOPICS OF THE DAY.

King Country Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 267, 11 June 1910, Page 2

King Country Chronicle Saturday, June 11, 1910 TOPICS OF THE DAY.

The Borough of Te Kuiti is fortunate in its selection of its Council, which is going to work in a steady common-sense way to do all it can with the limited funds at its disposal. There is no waste talk at the Council table. When a member has something useful s to contribute he says it, with the result that a large mass of formal and practical business is got through without loss of time. It is not only the work done in open Council that is important. The various committees are always at work, and their labours, though mostly unseen, are by no means negligabl?. The question of finance

is, of course, the main difficulty at present. The Borough hopes to shortly have a sum of £165 from the Government, being the amount payable under the further £2OO loan for work in the special area where the £2OOO loan was first got for. An overdraft of £IOO has also been arranged with the Union Bank, and this, meanwhile, is the limit to which expenditure may go. As soon as the £165 is available that will be spent on the borough roads generally. A re-valuation of the borough is now in progress and when that is completed the Council will be able to get a further overdraft on the security of the rateable value of the borough. These are the bald facts as to the borough's financial position, and considering all the difficulties, the Council may be congratulated upon the value it is giving for the narrow margin it has to work on for the time being.

The letter from the Rangifcikei County engineer on papa burning for road metal which appeared in Wednesday's issue, should prove of considerable value to both the Ohura and Waitomo County Councils. There are many districts in these Counties, and especially in Ohura, where limestone is not available and where means of getting it conveyed, either by railway or road, are not practicable. The experience of the Rangitikei County Council in utilising burnt papa for its roads is very encouraging. On the Ohura main road we should think the County might very well consider further efforts to adopt this form of road metal. There are one or two very bad places on that particular arterial road where a surface of burnt papa would be like a thank-offering to the gods! Certainly, both coach drivers and passengers would rise up and bless the Council, and join in reflecting (if they happen to be children) that burnt papa is a great deal better than damaged parent. ******

The perpetual outcry that is coming from the over-worked housewives of the Dominion for some relief and help in their daily labours deserves sympathetic consideration. The scarcity of domestic help and the difficulties which mothers have to put up with in ordering their off-spring and their households are bringing many young married women to a premature breakdown. We are frequently told by writers who apparently prefer giving advice to acting upon it, that the nation's welfare is bound up in the rising generation, and that the father with the large family deserves well of his country. But what thought is given to the poor mother, at her wits end for help and unable to get it? It is said that a thousand suitable girls could be found occupation in New Zealand to-day. They would not all stop there. Probably many of them would marry. But some relief would come. Meanwhile a drop in the household bucket is the arrival of 40 carefully sel acted domestic helps by the Arawa, due now.

The Department of Labour is interesting itself in a scheme for the emigration of lads from Great Britain. The Department recently had a visit from Mr Thomas E. Sedgwick, who is anxious for facilities to be given to enable English town lads between the ages of fifteen and nineteen years to immigrate to the Dominion. Shortly put, the scheme propounded by Mr Sedgwick is to place these lads in agricultural districts, with farmers who will provide, in addition to food and clothing, a weekly wage and undertake to give them a training in farm work generally so as to fit them to become settlers. The Government, after considering the matter, has decided to institute enquiries to ascertain if there is a demand for the services of such lads, and if it is found that there is, to bring out fifty care-fully-selected boy 3 towards the end of September next. The lads are all town bred, and have followed such work as telegraph messengers, porters, errand boys, shop and office cleaners, packers in factories, etc., and, with few exceptions, do not know even the elements of farming work; but the boys are generally physically strong, robust in health, willing, versatile, and hard-working. They will be drawn from the large manufacturing towns of England, and will have, on arrival, good warm clothing and boots, besides a change for Sunday wear. If the Department finds that there is a desire to engage the service of such lads, the High Commissioner will at once proceed to select them, and in addition to satisfying himself that they are fitted for the work and free from criminal taint, etc., they will be medically examined by Dr Mason before leaving England. The Department will act as wards of the boys on arrival, and will be empowered to enter into agreement? with farmers and other employers of labour on their behalf.