LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 63, 8 April 1909, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

In our report yesterday of Tuesday's Court proceedings the name- of Mr. J. W. Wilson was mentioned as defendant in an action brouglit by C. Greneway. Tile name should have been J. W. Baker. Tho Kapuni correspondent of the Hawcra Star reports that a young daughter of Mr. T. Winters met with a peculiar and painful accident lately. Noticing a leak about the pulsator of the anilkijig-macfhine, she applied her tongue ,to the machine with the praiseworthy intention of locating the spot, but with the result that her tongue was severely cut. Several stitches had to be put in, and at present the young experimenter is progressing favorably. "A fortnight ago," said Mr. Charles Benjamin, driver of the Whanganiomona mail coach, as his vehicle ploughed its way along on Monday axle-deep in mud on the. road beyond lluiakama, "this road was as good as it lias li en at any time during the summer. Now you see what a few days' rain lias done to it. There are still about six months' wetweather to he looked forward to. anil 1 am afraid it- will he a easy of packing the mails in to Whangaiiioinona tins winter." Judging by the present appearance of the roail. there seems every probability that Mr. Benjamin's prophecy will prove only too true. —Post. It has heeii practically demonstrated' that the chronic aleoliolist is sometimes 100 dangerous a person to he at large; also thai, when at large there -is no crime he will stick at. It is notorious that this state of things is brought about hy the criminal self-indulgence of the chronic aleoliolist. It lias therefore been proved that the chronic aleoliolist ought to be treated as a criminal. It k. in fact, Hie only way of forcing the immoderate drinker to recognise his responsibilities both to his fellow-man and to himself. The mistake of our present system is that it recognises only, except in extreme rases, the duly that a man owes to himself, and adopts towards his neglect of that a sentimental altitude, in which there is something of a, burlesque noli™ of the saeredness of personal freedom.—Southland News. "Apparently hospital doctors hold that the hospital is a place to which only .indigent people—people who cannot afford to' pay the doctor's fees—should be. sent," says the Hawera Star, commenting on the Brosnan case. "Frankly, we do not think that that view squares with public opinion. An artisan, a clerk, or a tradesman, for example, might have a bank balance quite capable of meeting a doctor's charges, but we think that' he is nevertheless fully entitled to all the services that the hospital affords. We do not know the particular stage of affluence at which hospital doctors draw the lino, find suggest that the ITawcra Hospital Board, in order to begin nt home, should nsk its superintendent to fully explain the principles which govern his action in the matter, ft. may be found that the policy of the Board and the practice of I the doctor are in entire disagreement."Mr. G. V. Pearcc, M.P., has donated

£5 to the funds of the Hawera Hospital, it being half the damages recovered bv him in the libel action against B. Sy-mcs, heard last week at Wangauui. Mr. Pcarcc is giving the balance ( £5) to the Patea Hospital. Some fifty-odd ratepayers attended

at the Kohurntahi Hull on Monday evenin", tho occasion being ii meeting called by -Mr. \V. A. JlK'uWuiii. chairman of the Whanganiomona County Council, in response to a numerously-signed rcquisition asking him to tlo so, in order thai curiam statements which had been made concerning the stand taken by certain persoiis in connection with county matters might be cleared up. After lengthy discussion the following resolution, moved by Mr. J. MeC'luggage and seconded by Mr. Bryant, was carried with a few dissentients:—"This meeting is of opinion, after hearing Hie clear and businesslike statement of Mr. McCutehan. that ho has completely answered all the statements made against liiin by Messrs. Hino and Coxhead in reference to the adjustment of accounts beta-era the Stratford and Whanganiomona counties, and lias proved conclusively that these gentlemen were entirely wrong i» their pulilie utterances. Further, seeing that tlieir public statements were questioned equally with Mr. MeCutchan's, their absence to-night shows clearly they must lone known their statements' were unfounded, and also shows a. very poor public spirit in not withdrawing them, and a very great want of courtesy in not accepting the invitation to discuss the question on the public platform, especially in the ease of Mr. Hine. lie being our member, and seeing that the electors had requisitioned for the liii'eting. Further, this meeting of electors and ratepayers wishes to publicly thank Mr. MeCutchan for the masterly manner in which lie championed the interests of the Whangamomona County in the recent conference, and views Mr. nine's suggested

action over the whole county business as narrow-minded, unfair, illegal, and improper, and sucli as to lose the coniidence of the ratepayers."