LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 180, 21 July 1908, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Mr. Newton King Ims received the following cable lroin liis Sydney agent re hides:—'"Prime butchers' firm." • It is claimed that there are more individual employers and firms enrolled as members of the New Zealand Employer;,' l'cdeiation than in any other similar organisation in Australasia. Within the next day or two the Postal Department intend erecting a postingbox at the junction of Frankley rood and Govett avenue. It will be cleared daily at noon. , Considerable improvements have been made latterly at the entrance to Western Park. The chairman the committee is out on the warpath to collect i funds for the erection of suitable entrance gates.

At u meeting at Waroa on Saturday a resolution was carried i n opposition to the Optmako Harbor Bill, and Mr. James Burgess was deputed to go i,o Wellington to oppose the Bill before! the Local Bills Committee. Mr. (J. Andrews, (if Oka to, with seven others, guessed the exact weight (!)4lb) of the pig in the pig-guessing competition at the recent agricultural show at Palmerston North. The three prize.;, ■tat in all, were equally divided amongst tin l eight successful competitors. The road to the New Plymouth Hospital through the grounds has a steep grade in one place, which is trying to many of the people wlio have occasion to visit the institution, The chairman of the Board has plans for improving the grade by filling between the gardener's cottage and the main gate. ilie shrubbery and winding paths in the Hospital grounds near the main entrance are now in the hands of Mr. Byrne, one of the inmates of the Okl I'cople's Home. He takes a great interest in his new duties, and is making the care of this lovely little spot quite a hobby, with the result that the place is beginning to look quite attractive. The Borough Council's streets department has effected considerable improvements for pedestrians by placing crossings on footpaths to the roadway over the side-channel. The diange is much appreciated by pram-pushers. There is room for improvement at the beach end of Egmont-street, on each side of the road, as well as near the Post Office, et'.'. youngsters have ninny ways of finding amusement. The Borough Council has a waterpipe emptying into the sidechannel at the corner of Liardet and Courtenay streets, for the flushing of the Devon-street channelling. The boys' latest occupation consists of placing stones at the mouth of the pipe in order to direct a small waterspout across the footpath. A resident prominent in local bodies' affairs rushed into the county office yesterday morning to enquire what was meant by the reference at the Oinau Road Board's meeting to a "special rate." The county clerk was unable 1.0 find any reference to this, and on carefully reading the "News" report of .Saturday's meeting it was found that the excited, ratepayer had read "(special rate" instead of "separate," the word being divided so that'"rate" was turned over into the second line. The New Plymouth Employers' Association last night passed a resolution in favor of the New Plymouth Harbor Bill. The president, Mr. 11. Goodacre, was the mover, and he said lie found it difficult to understand the'opposition of some people. Those folk [ailed to realise the benefits that must follow the construction of a harbor fit to accommodate bigger vessels, thus lowering freight charges. He was glad to see that the opposition had dwindled away until now there was very little of it left. Mr. 0. V. Tate, of Waitara, who was recently an inmate of the New Plymouth Hospital for an operation upon his eye, has written to the Hospital Board a denial of the recent allegations of the insufficiency of the food. He quoted cases where patients not "on diet" had up to seven meals a day, which should be allsufficient. Mr. Tate pithily remarked that the hospital is not a feeding institution. and expressed his appreciation of the management of the institution all 1 the interest which the stall' took in their work.

A Warca fanner was the other day asked to explain why he was opposing the Opunake Harbor Bill and objecting to being included ill tile proposed Opunake harbor district. His answer was to this effect: "Wc all know that the New Plymouth harlior has been a leech, sucking our blood for years past. But it's sucked away, so that it's nearly full now. and we can sue through the New Plymouth Harbor Bill that the leech is going to drop off and we will be rid of it. Is it likely that we are going to lift oil' the almost satiated leech and substitute for it your young and vigorous leech, a new district, with its troubles to come? Not much!" The County Council is having some difficulty in getting the Treasury to understand what is wanted in connection with their request for the 10 per cent, on the bridge loan. Mr. Okey, M.P., telegraphed on Friday that he had consulted the Secretary to the Treasury, and the Crown law officers were now considering if a further rate covering 10 per cent, could be struck with the present consent of ratepayers. The Secretary to the Treasury telegraphed yesterday: ''There is no provision under which your Council can increase the rate to obtain further loan, and under section 7!) of the Local Bodies' Loans Act, 1001, the Treasurer must be satisfied as to the sufficiency of the security." Recently the county Clerk issued instructions to the county foremen to send in a return showing the approximate length of the bridges under their supervision. Now, the word "approximate," however simple and easy for Government departments and county clerks, is a bit of a stumbling-block for many pick-and-sliovel men. And it stuck one of the foremen completely, lie knew the height of the bridges and their lengths "over all," etc., but where the mischief was he to measure to get an "approximate" length? His colleague wouldn't tell liim, and a little book on engineering didn't explain the term, so, after lengthy consideration, lie did the only thing that he could do—he gave it up.'

At the little ceremony yesterday in connection with the opening of tbe new Nurses' Home at the Hospital the recent criticism of the Hospital by Ml'. J. Brown, one of tlie oldest members of tile lWrd, was referred to. Mr. Brown said that lie. was quite prepared to say to the nurses themselves what he had said at the Board's table. But he had not the slightest animosity to the matron or any of the nurses. In fact, he was as proud of tlie whole institution as anybody could well be, and lie was connected with no other local body or business in which he took such a keen interest or which gave him such re:il pleasure as the Hospital Board. The nurses knew that lie had always been one to take their part, always ready to advocate increases of salary when deserved. But he would not allow that to interfere with his duty to the ratepayers. Tf he saw anything wrong, or thought there was need for criticism, he would "do the same again tomorrow." He supposed lie was "huilt that way." Where tlie opposition comes from. Speaking last night at the meeting of tlie Kmployers' Association, the president said lie could not understand how settlers could oppose the New Plymouth Harbor Bill. Mr. Ainhiiry undertook to show how portion of the opposition originated. lie was travelling the otheidav in a railway train. There was a big. burly, blustering- settler there who was doing all he could, by argument and bad language, to abuse the breakwater, New Plymouth in general, and the Harbor Board in particular. After a long time he got tired of the swearing and blustering, and grew quiet. Then Mr. Ambury shifted up alongside him and asked. "Whim were you in New Plymouth last He said he had never been in New Plymouth. ' When were you at the breakwater last!" He had never been to the breakwater in his life, and lie went on to tell of hmv he had failed to make a success of things in Australia ami had' come aerosj here four and ahalf years ago to settle on the lane. "These are the men." said Mr. Ambury, "who are in opposition to the Harbor Bill—men who don't know what work has been done or is being done at the breakwater." He had olfered to pay this opponent's travelling and hotel expeases to the breakwater in company with the chairman of the Board, so that lie could see the harbor for himself and form fair-minded conclusions, and lie believed the arrangement would "come nlf." Those who knew the least about tliii harbor, concluded Mr. Ambury. were : the most vigorous opponents of it, and 1 those people who looked upon the har- : bor loan as a matter affecting their oi.n < pockets supported it most heartily. i

The House Committee of the Hospital Board have been granted permission to arrange for a hospital ball. The Garrison Band will open the Koberts benefit concert next Thursday night with the grand contest selection "Dinorah." Mr. Pryor, addressing the employers of labor last night, compared their small annual subscription to the Employers' Association with the sixpence a week (20s a year) paid by every unionist in the Dominion for the organisation of labor, and he dropped a hint that the members of the local association ought to increase the membership fee and dovote a decent bonus annually to their excellent hard-working secretary and treasurer, Mr. .1. Whitaker. Vigorous ''hear, hears" followed the remark. A meeting of the committee of the New Plymouth Ulub was held last night, when final orders for furnishing, etc., were fixed. The committee expects to have everything completed for opening the rooms on Thursday. A donation of a set of chess from .Mr. George Gray was acknowledged with thanks, and the committee intimate that further donations of chess, draughts, or pictures will be welcomed. The total cost of initiating tlie club closely approximates £401), ami

members who have not yet paid their subscriptions are requested to do so at their earliest convenience. The Municipal Abattoirs Committee last night considered correspondence from Messrs. Murtagh and Street, who supply the/bulk of the cattle supplied to the local abattoirs to be slaughtered for export, it was decided to report io the Council '-hat the committee could not recommend the Icduction of the killing fees for export cattle at the abattoirs. nor to allow one of the firm to be present at meetings of the committee; and that upon Messrs. Murtagh and Street submitting plans of their proposed canning and boiling-down works I the committee will consider the question of granting them a site on the abattoir reserve.

■The usual fortnightly meeting of t!u; Loyal Egmont Lodge, 1.0.0. F., M.U., was heicl last evening, Bro. C. Bond, N.G, presiding. There was a fair attendance of members. One candidate was initiated, and a letter of recommendation was granted to a member who has left the district. After the lodge closed tha following members were selected to play the Fire Brigade on Wednesday evening next, 22nd instant, at the Central l'ire Brigade Station, at half-past 7 o'clock sharp:—Cribbage: Ainsworth, John Bennett, T. Inch, P. Jury, W. Mills, Melvor, .1 11. MeGahey, W. Oliver, J. West, L. T. Webster. Euchre: C. Bond, W. 11. Butler, T. L. Brown, A. Duller, H. Hooker, Jos. Hooker, Mannin, C. C. Roebuck, W. l'\ Hoe buck, G. Sole; emergencies, C. Eord, I. Morrison, G. Priest.