LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81899, 6 December 1906, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Owing to the heavy sea at Manukau Heads last night, the Rotoi'ti, for New Plymouth, was unable to cross! the bar. The Tikorangi school was reopened last Monday, al-<r being c csed for some weeks on account <' the prevalence of influenza. It was reported yesterday that thiri> labourers were being disciiaiged fium the railway deviation woiks. The loco' engine used in the cuttings 11 not further required just now. An examination of school teachers in handuoik wil. be held on the 15111 tnst. at the Central School, New Plymouth, conducted by Mr E. iM. Isaac, in.pector in this department of the education system.

The business aspect of the thing. Speaking- of the recent visit of Hit Excellency the Governor, the chair man of the Recreation Sports Ground Committee said on Wednesday night: "He came, and we made £w o out 01 it."

The Education Board's chief in specto r and architect, Messrs Spencoi and Sanderson, conferred witti the inspector of teiicnical education ai Wednesday concerning- the details oi tne equipment of the New Pivmouti technical School now in course 0. • I-Vftion.

I'lie Moturoa dairv produce grading staff had a busy day on Saluidav when 2500 boxes of butter were )i*and ■ed. This is a recoid quantity 01 any one day so far, but as tiio flusi uf the season is yet sunie distance ii the future, Saturday's r ecoid wiJ piobabiy be beaten ere .ong.

The Abattoirs Committee' of the New Plymouth Boiougli Council me, last night to deal win tne complaints and cnaiges made against tne cui, eluct of the local abattoiis. The butchers and Stock Department were ooeii represented. Tne proceeding; were conducted "in camera.' The Ngaire School Committee it undergoing considerable change. M. Thomas (Jrr has taken the piace o, Air I'. S. Tarrant, who resigned. Alessis J. ]j. iiarlcyman and J. Biaku, members of the committee, nave lelt tho district, and substitute ale rcyuiied.

About twenty formed the committee which hrsi undertook the improvement of Hie "Kec" sports ground, Non-attendance thinned the numbei w ten, and ten remain. Of this number, an average ol eight attended meetings during the year. The sec tetary was present at 51. That's a geoii sort of committee.

A cycle race for boys under 17 from ■no Keel House to Bel: Block and "back eiiuk place iast eve-mug. Seven riders laced the starter, J. Hawke, uum tne scratcii maik, winning i -5i minutes. Stead (it mumies; and V. West (4} minutes) were seconei and thud respectively, finishing together, aboue three minutes after the -iiniier.

Just at this junctuie it is interesting to uoie tuat a faimer m tac Mango ,"oi district who intends to instal a milking machine for next season's, work intends applying to the New Plymouth Borough Council for eloc trical power to unve it. The growing popularity of milking macaine. and eectncily side by side shoulu opeil revenue for the e.ectric powc. plant.

County matters are ad at "sixes and sevens" in the (Jmata riding. There are three councillors rcpiesent jing the ratepayers there. Tiiere arc two road foremen. Two of tae councillors don't speak to one foreman, won't, give him instructions., or have anything to do with him. The fluid councillor veiy seldom sees the- man, who works on the road some miles from tins member's residence. Bu tie is just as unfriendly with tlie foiemaii who has junsdiction over 'he main road in his neighbourhood. \\ nats that they say about u house divided against itself? Bishop Wallis, i n the couise of a tuner to iu t - i'yst willi I'cfereiiie. lo hi:, eabled iunaiks at the Melbourne Congress, says: "Tne subject we weie tli tissing was obstacles to religion m Australia, and in the cuuise of tha. diuission 1 staled iliat the rn )sl for j iiiidable obstae.es m my own colony were the growing scui'cuy of religious uisiruciiun frcm the cunicuium ot our State sciiools, and tnat in consc(luence, despite all effort ot Christian ministers, a large part- of our population was becoming heathen." I'mBishop adds tnat he believes mis statement to bo ptrfectly true, anu that lie nad made it again and again in New Zealand. He liad had no thought of comparing this colony ivim Australia, nor was ne speaking unjunly or ungenerous. y of a land which had been his home for near,y twelve years, and had become very dear to him.

At the town end of the railway deviation gangs of men are engaged in clearing away slips that have come down recently and blocked the line. O-heis are bui.ding the budges in an. Sash and Door Company's yards. At Eliot street a coitage is being got lead) lor shifting to make way tor the cutting, and alteia.ions to one ui the homes puichascd ill Moieswoith stieel are progressing. Seven or eight men are woikiug in the big cutting near Hcbson street. Two trucks are being worked to ill a section, and another is responsible foe the gradual giowtli of the bank wiiicli now roaches out fiom Autcre sheet to the Henui stream. Piledrivers arc still at work on the Henui bridge, and large quantities of earth are being tipped over the temporary tresi.o way on the pitzroy side of t.ie river. Good ptogiess is being made with the Devon load. No announcement iias yet been made concerning the site of the new suburban station. 11. C. Poxcroff, in a paper in the "fortnightly," tells something about Booker Washington, the negro whom Ml Kousevell invited to dine at the While House. This distinguished Amciican is a mulatto, and was bom a slave. He claims to have derived from his mother whatever energies he possesses; but, as the writer says, die fact that he is not a pure black cannot be ignored by anyone interasied in the problem of potential negro capacity. On obtaining his Irecdom, he went to work in furnaces and mines, but contracted a hatred of manual labour until a New Eng--1 land lady showed'him the way to a 1 better view. At the age of 14 he went to the Hampton Institute with 2/ in his pocket, began by floors, went later on to a negro institute at Washington, and in IXXI the prir.rin.d »[ Hampton selected | mu t 0 organise a training college (or negroes at Tuske.uc.'C, Alabama. He began his life work there at the age of 22, and after 20 years the school owns 2500 acres and 2(1 buildings, numbers noo students from Africa, Cuba, Jamaica, e:c, and 16 industrial schools of some size inherit the Tuskegce tradition.