LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 40, 12 March 1909, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tlie Minister of Public Works has no " sweet nothings '■ for the settlers. Away out at Mangaroa he had been hearing of the heavy cost, from £8 to .till) per ton, of carting supplies in wet weather. At the banquet he reckoned he could do tho work for £3 a ton. '■ You're engaged," cried a couple of weather-beaten carriers from the body of tile hall. Wirth Bros.' elephant herd will be strongly in evidence to-day transporting the string of anirna. cages and other circus appurtenances from the railway to the plot of ground set apart for the circus. In consequence o( this it would be advisable for all horsemen to keep a linn hold on their animals, as horses have an extreme aversion to elephants.

A gentleman who accompanied the Hon. Minister of Public Works on his tour of exploration of tlie rival routes of the northern endi of the Stratford to Ongarue railway, says that the line is pretty sure to junction with the Main Trunk either at Ongarue or Hangiliki, which is 40 miles north (if Ongarue. In answer to the settlers he said they

would " have to be up pretty early ill tlie morning to alter tlie route of an authorised railway,'' and the line is already authorised to Ongarue.

11l tile Tiniaru District Court on Wed- . liesday, an action was heard before Dis- ' trict Judge Haselden and a special jury, in which Ruth Beubow, daughter of small farmer at Temuka, claimed from Robert John Edgar, a young tanner, t;.IUO damages ior breach of promise of marriage. The couple became engaged in 11)04, btit the defendant broke oil the engagement in October last, only to renew it a fortnight later. Finally he refused to many tlie plninlilT. The principal reason given for the breach was that the girl was " too quiet." The jury awarded £2OO damages. It is stated that a new and interesting development has arisen in connection with the famous Westport murder case, which is to lie tried in Christcliurch at the criminal sittings of the Supreme Court in May. It will be remembered that at the conclusion of the heariug of a charge of perjury, Connolly, who was convicted of that offence, made a confession implicating himself in the murder of Burke. Hallinen and Anderson were subsequently released, and Connolly was committed for trial on a charge of murder. It is said that Connolly now repudiates bis confession, and that the case will be fought out c»i the hearing at Christchureh. At the Stratford Hospital Board meet-

ing on Wednesday, the report of the recent conference was adopted, with the exception of the last clause. It was eventually resolved, That the Board, as a matter of loyalty, is willing to agree to the concession of one shilling per daj on the maintenance charge to the gener al public, if the other two Boards prcsi

tlie point, but feels that the friendly societies and the general public are not on all-fours, inasmuch as in the case of the societies payment of the fees is guaranteed, to the Boards, whilst with respect to the general public there will always be a considerable proportion (judging by past experience) who do not pay at all.

Writing to the Post, Mr. A. G. Stevens says:—lt must be remembered that the New Zealand railways revenue is one of the most magnificent railway revenues in the world. Money has really to be thrown away in order that the railways account may show its annual loss.. If the New Zealand railways last year, instead of paying £7O expenses for every £IOO of revenue, had paid only what all Australian railways paid in i'OUG-7 £57 expenses for every £IOO of revenue —the New Zealand account would have shown a net surplus of £1,152.(Ki2. As last year's interest bill at 3% per cent, was that would have left ail apparent profit of £208,050 to put against the £333,38(1 charged to the '■ Open Lines" account. When the Taranaki publican is "riled" by the opposition his revenge is complete when he lowers the price of beer. This was the explanation of one of the various placards displayed on the Waitara hotels yesterday. Tlie history roads like a page from a nursery pictorial educator. Two publicans at Waitara contributed to the regatta funds. The other didn't, as he had just given medals (to cost about £7 10s) for tlie encouragement of rowing. Then followed an evident attempt to boycott. The regatta committee placarded the contributing hotels somewhat like this: "This nouse supports the regatta funds—H. Spurdle, secretary." Then came the third man's turn. Up went roughly displayed signs, '• All beers fourpenee." As yet it is not known who had the best of the deal. The arrangements for the Waitara regatta yesterday were not * specially pleasing to the public, although the racing men had little fault to liud. Very few, if any, people outside Waitara knew that the first race was timed to start at ten o'clock in the morning, and that, all going well, the programme of rowing was to finish at two o'clock. Hence large numbers of people travelled to Waitara, expecting, in the absence of any announcement to the contrary, that the regatta would be conducted along the Usual lines, so that Ihe principal events would be rowed at times convenient for the public, who, after all, have to find tlie money for the function and arc entitled-to something in return. The passengers by the 12.50 train from New Plymouth arrived at Waitara at 1.47, and made their way to the wharf, where they, or some of tlieni, paid the usual shilling charge for admission, and saw the finish of but one boat race. And then ensued a period of weary waiting for train-time. The ordinary' 4.10 p.m. train was welcomed as a means of avoiding the long wait for the special at 5.45 p.m., and most of the folks from this end returned to town at 5.15 p.m., feeling that they should have been notified of the regatta comniitteo's arrangements. Even people in the Waitara district were aaclly "left."