LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 44, 11 February 1908, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Liardet-street footpath leading '■(> the Recreation Sporls Ground is to lie tarred and sanded right away. The New Plymouth Swimming Club has been granted the use of the municipal baths for its carnival on Thursday evening. On the motion of the Mayor, seconded by C'r. Bellringer, at the Borough Council meeting last night, it was decided in give bandsmen ill uniform free admission to the baths during Band Contest week "Whal, ho! she bumps!" The covert over the manholes of the sewers an being left high and dry by the wearing of the road-metal on the streets, am they cause a nasty bump to vehicle passing over them, they are to be fixed

An applicant for the erection of a I street-lamp on or near Woolcombeterrace waxed eloquent, thus: "... I trust the Council will grant my request, not only for myself, but more especially for lovers and others who do congregate on the terrace at the lime when the stars, ffiosc everlasting blossoms of heaven, begin to shed their silvery light through the ethereal sky." A Newman settler stated that a spark from a passing engine was responsible for .1 fire which spread over his pro |ierty and robbed him of his grass. The settler does not intend to sue the department for compensation, though he is of the opinion that sufficient seed should be supplied him to replace the grass destroyed, which is only a reasonable request. "1 want a special effort mad:' in the next week to clean up the streets 0! New Plymouth. They're weedy, dirty, and filthy, and I want to see then cleaned up before the Hand Contest,' said t'r. Mills at last nighl's meeting of the Borough Council. Cr. Cattley agreed, complaining that some of the back streets were very dirty. The chairman of the Works Committee said that there was a special stall' for stre-t----cleaning. and the Council authorised tlie employment of further casual labor, if accessary.

The annual harvest festival collections at the Whiteley Memorial Church realised about £l2. and about CI was taken last niglit at the harvon social. Mr. E. Cliattcrton presided. The following contributed to the programme:—-Vocal solo. Mr. Harris: vocal duet. Misses lluckman: vocal trio, Miss Buckmaii, Messrs. Guy and Jennings: vocal quartette. Misses Ibickiiian 12),' Messrs. Cuy and Jennings; viobn solo, Miss Johnson: recitations, Mr. M. Scott. At the conclusion. Mr. Fred. Asher successfully sold the produce at a Dutch auction. A concert was held laM night in St. Mary's Hall by the Kgmont Lodge, 1.0.G.T, in aid of the bazaar fund. The following programme was rendered: Pianoforte solo, Miss Roberts: reading. Master Harold Peale; song with concertina accompaniment, Mr. .1, A. Itoberts; comb- duct. Messrs. Wilcv an 1 Windier: club-swinging. Miss It. f,e.n, : short address. Mr. A. I!. Thomson, (irand Treasurer. 1.0. C.T.: songs. Mrs. White: whistling solo, Mr. Roberts: shadowgraph exhibition, .Messrs. Johnson and White and Miss White: recitation. Master Pellew.

The Mayor informed the Borough Council hist, night that at the conference concerning the Council's contribution to the cost ol the Hentii bridge en I lie Avenue road the county representatives doclini-d to accept any offer lower than half the cost. The county councillors, he said, refused to recognise the previous arrangements as precedents. They considered the Borough Council hud not received anything like its proper share of the cost or" tlie lleuui bridge on the Devon road, nor had the countv got what it was entitled to in the ma tier of the Waiwakaiho bridge.

One of the criminal courts of Paris has had to try a strange case of apparent kleptomania, the culprit-being a woman owning a considerable estate and having all income of £2400 a year. She was caught in an attempt to steal in one of tin- big shops in Paris, and was accompanied by her two grown-up sons, who displayed the same stealing propensity and acted as her accomplices. All three were tried together, and Iho mother was .sentenced to ten months'a'id the sons to four months' imprisonment each.

A new era has dawned for Waikato farmers. Hitherto it has been (heir lot. in consequence of the neglect of drains. to possess land which might be termed as "greeting" in winter, while, in consequence of the hifk of creeks, dearth of water has made stock-raising most unprofitable. Relief has now come to them in the shape, of water. Messrs. Sutelifl'e and Mounsc having been successful in putting in an artesian bore for Matthew Henrv. at Wailiou. where, at a depth of 26.50 feet, thev have secured a daily How of 1,500 gallons of beautiful water. The ,pot was located by the Rev. Mr. Mason, water-finder. Though many (Hals have been made, firs is the first time that water has been -irnck in the Waikiilo,

Desjiile the fact that the Tradesmen's Association executive recommended that the hour of closing „n Wednesday. 2ljth Mist., the dale 01 the cliampionsh'ip athletic meeting. b P ■> „V] ot .k in the afternoon, it is understood that several shopkeepers have decided lo close at 1 o'clock, and allow their employees to attend th? sports. It is obviously impossible that grocers and butchers can overtake Hi -ir orders and deliveries in the forenoons of three successive davs. but in other Plies the town is more* likely than not to be deserted after about \1 oYlo-k. and 1 here i, not likely to be a lar"c volume „f business after that hour. The eouniry patrons will arrive by early trains, and the sport, meeting will commence not later than II o'clock. It can hardly be expeefed that visitors to town will put oil' visiting the grounds till 2 0 clock 111 the afternoon, by which time the events will he hail over!

s " overlapping has recently occurred in connection with the supervision of tho horoiigli sowers. The layin" ( ,f on,, sewer was delavcd and humbugged owing to [lk delay caused by the Health Department's officers being allowed to interfere in the work. It is complained that in connecting the White rfiirt Hotel wit'h (ho sow-era the (iovern. nient sanitary inspector ordered the use ol materials different from and more expensive than those usually ordered by the liorougb inspector. Cr. Bellringo'r made some strenuous remarks concerning tin-., saying that in his opinion il was dim. t| le Covernnieiit. interference ceased in these mutters. This matter of draining (lie hotel hail been dragging on j now lor several months, and Mr. Clark had bad good reason to complain. Cr. Colhs said the Council had in Mr. Kendall an officer perfectly competent and perfectly well able to carrv out all the. drainage of the liorougb. "If the Government want to run the show," be said, "let them rim it altogether." TbeMavor said the position was the outcome of the legislation which was designed to make the flealth Department "top sawvers." Mr. Kendall bad been considered one of the most competent men in the Covernuicnt employ until he left them. He thought that if the Cavcrnment insjieclor was going to „,,,„,„. in t]l( , ml , t)or the Health Department should do tile whole work. Cr. Mills was the first ready with a resolution, framed as fol-lows:—-That owing to Hie present dual | control proving unsatisfactory, the Ilea lib Department be requested to into™ this Council who is to be the controlling authority with reference to the sewerage connections within the ho'roii'rh ol New Plymouth—the Health Department or the Borough Council?" The Council was passing on to fresh business, when a councillor muttered sotto voce, "The way that yard was ripped up, and another chimed in, ••.Scandalous, disgraceful!" in a louder kev.

One effect of the continuous dry weather in the Waikato district is that many of the llax-millers are considering the matter of closing down, there being scarcely sufficient water available for their purposes. This is the way the "Bulletin " refers to the reception of Tresiddcr in Wangsnui: "The arrival of Tresidder in Maori- ' land was made bright with colored lights and sparkling music. They reck- ' oned Tresidder had come to be butelierI ed, and therefore he must be cracked ii]) as a mighty oarsman, a splendid fel- j low, a world's wonder, and then, 'What a whale our man niiint be. to beat such a marvel.' And if he doesn't beat the marvel, well, 'What the deuce could you expect ?'"—Arnst lias already a deposit of C2o up with the Sun to row for the championship of the world. This has been lodged for some weeks past, and Arnst is ready to row the winner, whether he be Webb or Tresidder. The ingenuity of the diving fraternity nt the baths is being greatly taxed just now. The swimming club has on its programme, an "awkward entry" event, the prize being awarded to the competi. tor who succeeds in making the most I awkward entry from the water-chute. Some of the intending competitors can hardly avoid awkwardness, but when they set out resolutely to make their awkwardness more awkward, the antics are really laughable. In they go, arms waving, feet Hying, and more often than not the entry is decidedly " awkward." This item, the tub race, ami the greasy boom competition should create no end of fun at Thursday night's sports. Th 're will be several Stratford and Ilaweni 0 competitors.

A curious thing has happened in relation to butter. Canada has always been a large exporter of dairy products, but of late the domestic demand has been so large that importation has actually taken place. it was announced that a Toronto linn had given an order through an English house for 500 cases of Australian butter. This is most surprising, and its significance applies as much to local conditions as to trade possibilities. When facilities for ready exchange are provided it is astonishing in what directions trade develops. We are accustomed in discussing commercial problems to limit possibilities to such articles as are not produced in either country; but cases like this importation of butt:-r, small though the amount involved may be, plainly show that we should not be dogmatic about such tilings. Since the collapse of the great cantilever bridge at (Quebec some months ago a commission of expert engineers has

been taking evidence, and it is now reasonably clear that the disaster, which cost over seventy lives, was due, to defects in the plans. Changes were made by the New Vork engineer in the unit stresses, and these changes imposed a strain on the steel beyond its strength. So far it has not been demonstratedth.it any fault in construction or in the material used occurred. It is held that the consulting engineer responsible for the changes was the employee of the J.nninion uovernment, and if this liability is established the damages will fall on the public treasury. They will amount to many millions. Meanwhile, the engineer at whose door the blame is laid has broken down under the ment:il worn- brought on bv the failure of the bridge.

At the annual dinner of the London District of the Institute of Journalists recently, Mr. 11. G. Wells, in proposing the " London District," resented the divisions which were insisted upon between [ one csort of writing and another. There was something called literature, something called journalism, and something i called light fiction. As a novelist he pas. sionatcly claimed to be counted as a i journalist. Although fiction was jour- . nalism. he did not wish to suggest tint ; journalism was fiction. (Laughter.) I .Nevertheless, a good novel was journali ism. Journalism did not pretend to im- , mortality, but literature did; it was n hardy evergreen, and went on for ever, • Journalism dealt with current literature in terms of current thought, and ap- ■ pealed driectly to living and acting readers. It discussed the things of the hour. There was a kind of cant against the novel with a purpose, and directly a reviewer discovered that an interest- | ing reality was being revealed it was his practice to affect a dreary fatigue. There was a disappointing muster oi the Taranaki lliiles on Sunday for tlie march to Mahoetahi. The eight miles march was concluded about an hour Vefore noon. A plan of the battlefield was produced, and the positions and movement* of the troops located and discussed. Afterwards an adjournment was made to the fringe of the bush, and , lunch was partaken of. After lunch, a brief church parade was held at Mangaoraka, the Rev. F. <>. Evans preaching a sermon suitable to the occasion. The return journey waft broken at Bell Block for afternoon tea, and the company reached town about 5.30 o'clock. It had been understood that the Waitara Rifles would have liecn present, but they did not put in an appearance. Major Sandford attended the parade, which was in command of Captain Bellringer. The Rev. H. J. Fletcher, of Taupo, has written a chatty letter to the Young .Man's Magazine on missionary work amongst the Maoris. He points 'out that the Maori people at the beginning of the nineteenth century were at about the same mental state as the Britons at the. dawn of history, so that it is sometimes possible to find in one pa an old man or woman whose training in early youth was that of an inhabitant ot Britain 2000 years ago, plus cannibalism and other horrors, Their grandchildren, he adds, are holding their own in the public schools with the children of Europeans. This means, he says, that the gap of 2000 years is bridged in the liletime of a single person. Mark Twain wrote a book called "A Yankee at the Court of King Arthur." That which the great humorist wrote with such quaint humour is enacted almost every day in some .Maori pa when a travelled Maori goes back to kaiiiga and tells his stay-at-home friends of the pakeha wonders, "ho can tell us of the strange mental slates that must exist under the circumstances ■'. At one ,end of the district there may be a pa whose approximate date might be 1000 A.D.; at the other ■ end one anywhere between 1000 and 1500 A.D. 'The preacher will find it dim. cult indeed to adapt himself to both cases.

Mr, A. L, Cooke has now on view the -noosey" shield for the forthcoming Band Contest, It is really a handsome and valuable shield of polished oak, with, embossed silver centre. This is ornamented with elaborate scroll work, embracing two smaller shields to be inscribed with tlie names of the first two winning bands. There are twelve other small shields affixed to the wood surrounding the centre place, this bearing the inscription: "Presented to the Norlh Island Brass Bands Association bv -Messrs. Booscy and Co., London, fir competition by th,. -1!' R1 ,.„ 1e ~.„„, I'cl.riinrv. Illlis.-' Tl,i s s |iield i, indeed to be better than thai held by Waneanui as the leading- "A' grade band. It is a challenge shield, and under present conditions can never become the property of any one band, tor upon \vinnin» it the winners are immediately classed in the "A' grade. There are also on view the association's medals for the mar-h----ing competition. These are of silver with a crown at the head and the initials "V1.15.8.A." A circular raised centre hears a small imitation of a cornet in ?o!d. The form of the medal is a serrated St. Andrew's Cross.