LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 59, 29 May 1907, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Owing to the continued rough weather (he Uarawa was again barbound at Oiu'lmnga yesterday. It is expected that :he will cross the bar this morning, arriving here this evening, and leaving as near as possible to advertised time. The Recreation Sports Ground Committee wish to acknowledge a donation of CI from Messrs. Wake ami Brown. Captain Kdwin wired at 1.30 yesterd.iy iii'iernoon: Moder"*e to strong ■•outherly winds; glass rise; tides high'; sea d-civ;!s!ng: probably frost to-night. The Exhibition seals, recently liberated, are destroying large numbers of

ii-uiit i:i (he Wainmkariri Eiver. The Acclimatisation Society lias written to l.lie Colonial Secretary asking that steps !>; taken to protect the trout. The seals are i|iiiie tame, ami when they come a.-liorc allow themselves to he handled. Itev. Spencer is most optimistic in regard to the racial question in South Anna, nlthougli the ative race is multiplying itself with three times the rapidity of the European people. His safeguard is to Christianise the natives, believing that then they may safely heallowed to become the predominant element.

Many settlers who are already paying high rates (says a correspondent of the lluwcra Star) view with disgust the luil-gate system which the Hawera County propose to establish on the main roads. Were a less enlightened bo.ly than the Hawera Council to suggest such a thing at this stage of the colony's history they would be laughed out of existence.

The sub-committee appointed by the Central School Committee to carry out the school concert, met in Mr. F. P. Corkiil's office last night. It was decided to hold the concert in the Theatre lloyal on Thursday, the 27th of June. I lus being the day the school will break u]> lor mid-winter holidays. Many of our hot singers have promised to assist, and those, together with several items from the school children, should provide a lirsl-class entertainment.

The audacity of some sneak thieves is notorious, and this was exemplified lately in. the Auckland district, when a lot of pumpkins and melons were stolen from the garden of a resident in the Otahuhu township, an apron hanging i ,i the clothes Jinc being borrowed in which to mere conveniently remove the booty. The apron was subsequently replaced with a note attached expressing the thanks of the depredators for the assistance it hail been to them.

There are few, who will find fault with the action of the New Plymouth Borough Council in making a substantial additiim to the salary of its engineer anil inspector. In Mr. Kendall the borough has an excellent officer. He has this great advantage over many other

inspectors Unit his know-edge does not consist wholly of book-learning. The nflice-raised or library-developed sanitary inspector is generally one of the biggest, nuisances that the'ratepayers or I lie general public might lie a'll'licted with lor the scholar-inspector is often unable to apply his learning to practical everyday a Hairs. The man who can meet builders Mini plimilKM-s, and lirmseholdeis. and talk plain onnimonsonse, explaiinn-.: liie why and the wherefore of our sanitary regulations; v' ■ has hail practical experience ill buihb : :i,irnelinn: who lias a big fund 1.,,.,, an- nlenty of tact, and a .. ■ ' ■ per-is-li'in-y in gelling things (bin.- liie ri".h( way vilhout inllioling unnecessary veals things fvom lining doii-. in a .faulty bcry" after work is completed conjlrnry to tie- laws of hvc'ion- or the '-■mfary reflations Ihal'ls the men I" ! '" uitrnsted with the duties of an nrpcctnr dealing with the conditions af•''"■■ting the public health. Such a man " -Mr. -A. 11. Kendall. Since his appointment complaints against the en-

ameer or inspector, bad feeling between (he Council and house-owners, quarrels about undue harshness in enforcing the borough by-laws, all so common in the !>a.-.. have been unknown. Hut for the improved sanitary conditions one would hardly know (here W as an inspector :i'"mt: for one m . V cr hears him abused. »ur borough engineer, for such lio reallv lis is ihe man b, the right place. Helm's had the. re<|uisile training and experi- ••»«•; ■>«< l (-'iv's the best of his brains in i lie interests of the ratepayers.

Tin Otago Daily Times is now dovo tin,;' a column weekly to lessons in Ks pcranto.

Tin! Taranaki County Council has received provisional consent to the loan to bo raised for the erection of the Waipukniti llridgc, on the Mountain itoad.

Pedestrians to and from Filzrov bv the Devon road have had anything iuit "a pleasant time in the recent wet weather, the. roadway a! the railway deviation works being in a very niiuldv slate.

The nfterinalch of a I'arihaka taniri. Certain persons will be charged this morning with having supplied liquor to Maoris for consumption off the premises.

The recent heavy seas have gobbled up a further portion of the'foreshore ill front of the Hast End bathing shed. Unless the erosion ceases, or is moved further on. I her. 1 will soon be need for protective works at this point.

The dre-.s circle ticket olliee at the Theatre Royal was hardly a place for silken robes last night. Tenants of various rooms in the buildings seem to have been it as a rubbish depot laii-lv, and the' den was hardlv lit lor human habitation in fact, the ticketseller declined to use it.

The (las C pane's staff has nearlv completed the laying of. a main in afolesworih s.reei. from Kliot street to Itobsou street. Its completition will mean a line h belter pressure of gas in that locality, making a circuit of the

ends." Another gang is at f'itzroy. and these .are to he shifted to "The I'iiies" to lay mains and services,

When the new Legislative Assembly of the Transvaal met lor the first time at Pretoria, the committee of the liible .Society provided two llibles, one in English and one in Dutch, to be used by the members of the Assemble in taking the oe.th. These books will 'be suitably inscribed, and afterwards presented to (leneral Hotha, the first Premier of the Transvaal, as a souvenir of this historic occasion.

There Has an exciting period last night at the Theatre Royal. A man in the pit was making too much noise. 'The manager threatened to put him out, and another of the company started to put the threat into execution. The night was cold, and about a dozen joined in the melee as though to warm themselves. The police were sent for, and four constables arrived ju*t after the row liail finished. 'There should be no necessity to send for police from a place of public entertainment.

ik'twecn seven and eight o'clock on Monday evening (says the Stratford Post) the heavy, rains and violent hail storms ceased, and in a very short time a. thick fall of snow followed. It did not last more thau an hour, hut the country side was soon carpeted with a while mantle. About nine o'clock the weather cleared most brilliantly and in the onlight the scene was one to be remembered. A frost followed, and in the morning in the bright sunshine snowballing in the good old English style was indulged in by the boys and girls of Stratford. Know also fell at Eltham and in the districts adjacent to the mountain.

The railway deviation works are still progressing. A large gang is engaged in taking down the banks to the permanent batter in the cutting between Eliot and Hobson streets the spoil being used in tilling a section on Hobson street. The retaining walls of concrete are ready for the erection of the overhead road bridge at Hobson street, and there is a gang of work in building the walls for the Gover street bridge. A good length of concrete retaining wall has been erected to hold the bank of the cutting through the Sash and Door Company's yards. The nallnsling Ins been done for a few chains. At the Henui a crane is being used to place in position the steel gir° ders of the new railway bridge.

'Takcha" writes: "Your leader of Monday morning, dealing with tile native question, recalls to mind a happening of some years ago at the opening of a hall in one of the Taranaki kaingaa. There was quite a large influx of Europeans. The Maoris seemed to have developed a craze for "change." Visitors were approached by a Maori in this wise: "\'ou get to two single shillin' and te ikipenny for te half-crown!" And (lie change would be given. Others wanted two sixpences for a shilling, two shillings for a llurin, two threepenny pieces for a sixpence, and so on. ISy-and-by« came dinner time. The pakchas I moped in, and enjoyed their feed. A collection was taken up. Geo whiz! Not a soul of them had anything smaller than a two-shilling piece. That's how the "child of Nature" got home on the civilised prodncl."