LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 202, 15 August 1908, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Northern Company advise that Ihu Rarawa' will maivo a daylight trip from Oneiiuuga on .Sunday, ,She is to leave Ouchuugu at I) a.m. and should arrive here about fcl o'clock on Sunday night. A distaste for domestic duties'is one of the most alarming features in the prc.-.cut-day guls and young women, for weeks past in. -New Plymouth advertisements ior "generals' have gone unanswered, whilst advertisers lor girls in unices, waiting-rooms, and the like have been rushed with applicants. d augment was given at Stratford yesterday by Mr. Tufnbiill, S.M., in a hu-sli lire case in which a settler named Rod- I gers sought to recover Cl2O from his neighbor, Brown, owing to a lire from the hitter's properly destroying Rodger's grass. After several days h.'itrniii- tlie Court awarded plamtilf £47 10° and costs. The lion. R. McN'ab told a Tiuiaru reporter that as far as he was able io judge, the Socialists could not hope o win more than live seats in New Zealand, and with that as their maximum he could not see the force of the argu-

ment advanced by some people that tin Government and Opposition should coalesce in order to combat the Socialists. ■ J .. ; ii-.'-A number of the American "Jackics" established their claim to the title of '•handy men" on Tuesday. About a dozen of them had gone out as. far as the Royal Oak corner, at Onehunga, wneii they observed the stall' of the contractor for Hie erection of the Seddon memorial preparing to lift a heavy piece of staging. They straightway went to Hie assistance of file workmen, and with a long pull and a steady pull they soon had the staging elevated to the rej quired position. Some of the American visitors are politicians, and orators to hoot (says Wednesday's. Auckland Herald). In the streets they may frequently be seen I discoursing "to groups of listeners upon various matters of policy and such like. There was on Tuesday night, for example, a petty oilicer from one ot the battleships, who had a good deal to j say on the wages question. "1 haw ■ been all over the world," he declared, \ ''and 1 can tell you men of New Zca ■ | land, you mechanics particularly, that I any country like this, where you can 1 earn more than two dollars a day, is a I good country to live in." What about 1 the cost of living?" asked one of his fi auditors. "Isn't it higher here than 1 America!" "No, sir," was the emphatic 1 reply, "it is not. From what 1 can i gatlher, New Zealand is the better counI try of- the two for the worker. Take ■ my advice and stay right here."

The conclusion of the Maori ceremony of welcome at Rotorua on Thursday impressed the visitors very much. Chief after chief came forward, stripping oil valuable kiri mats, line belts, taiahas, and meres, and laid them at the feet of a little group consisting of Admiral Sperry and his Hag-lieutenants and Sir Joseph, Lady, and Hiss Ward. Then girls came forward and lixed mats on the shoulders of each recipient, ami, thus apparelled, they proceeded to the new bath-house, and from the balcony declared the building open. The Premier made a speech covering the business aspect of the baths and sanatorium, and Admiral Sperry said a few words, jocularly remarking that his only regret was that he could not take it all away with him. lie spoke, taiaha in hand and draped with, a mat, an afti.-e which probably no United .Slates Admiral has previously appeared in. The usual fortnighlly meeting of t'ie Whiteley Band of J lope was held last evening. There was a large attendance, and .Mr. \Y. Coad presided. An interesting programme of vocal an I musical items was given. A recitation, "Take it while you are young, hoys," was given by .Mr. Campbell, .Miss Gideon sang a solo very sweetly. A recitation by .Mr. -Marrati was well received by the audience. A violin duet by .Hisses Johnson and Chatterum w.is eitectivcly rendered, the instruments blending harmoniously. The chairman made a capital speech, impressing upon his hearers the necessity of building ~ character, and counselling them agaiiHt putting in anything in the shape of shoddy. All material for character-

building, lie said, should be of tlie very best. The speaker gave instances of how the drink had kept men in the background who otherwise would have been in front. Miss Johnson contributed a .pleasing solo. ''Mrs. Goodman's Dilemma" brought the meeting to a close.

In the opinion of Mr. Harold Beauci.amp, whose position as chairman of directors of Die Bank of Now Zealand give o liim most excellent opportunities for judging,- the present condition oi trade o;\ the whole in the Dominion., though smaller in volume than it \\J. at thi3 period last year, is unaouulcdly sound. Applications for monetary assistance are now normal, even though it is expected that tnere will be a marked falling-oil' in the value of ou> imports us somewhat of a counter-bal-ance to the diminution in exports whith has taken place. It is somewhat too early, lie remarked to a Times inquirer on 'Thursday afternoon, to incite any forecast in respect to the value of our exports for the ensuing season, as that, of course, depended upon the prices realised for our products. Based upon present values there would certainly be a fair shrinkage as compared with the. 1907-8 season, but personally he did not think tnere was the least occasion for uneasiness in that respect. All that mis necessary was for people to pursue a, more careful and prudent policy. 'This could be done by importers-working upon lighter stocks, and by the people as a whole living at a less extravagant .rate,than had been the rule during the abnormally prosperous times. It was only necessary to look at the amount of the deposits in the Post Office savings bank to see what was lire wealth of the people of this Dominion. At no period of our history had such a high level been touched as was the case today.

Tlie Kev. ,1. Morion Barnes writes to the I'otonc Chronicle to correct a malicious report which "some ill-disposed person has had the impudence to concoct." He says the chief constable .it the lTutt has called upon him to inquire if it was true that he had sent his ehildren out begging. The tale, he savs, is absolutely unfounded. "No doubt it has originated from soni" capitalist who has Liken umbrage at my outspoken socialism." The letter continues: -It is true I ask subscriptions and sell bonks to support me in my work, and shall continue lo do so until the New Zealand Government finds me some clerical or tutorial work congenial to my own eu- ' vironment. Let me say that I could succeed in my own work if I nail £101) capital, but although ] have applied to a millionaire and other rich people for the money T need (o establish Esperanto College, lliey are all 100 mean and selfish to lend a helping hand. The truth which I am giving out and the principles for which I stand are too high and noble for thee money-grubbers; it is like casting pearls before swine—they only grunt and turn and rend me all they' can. I came out to New Zealand thinking the jieople were ready for Socialism and Progressive. Thought, but I find them wallowing in the mire of greed and selfishness.' Some are enlightened, but the majority arc slaves to Mammon and have no higher ideals than 'grab' ami 'grasp.' Pigs! let them eat and drink their money; let (hem gloat over their gold and silver; and then, when they pass into the spiritual world, let them go about (licking up raj;s and bones as the result of their miserly hoarding instincts."