LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 256, 4 December 1909, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

It is expected that the railway ! tween Stratford and Tc Wcra will Le ! opened for traffic by March next." [ At Manaia 011 Wednesday a match was played between the Opunakc .mil ,• the local bowling clubs, resulting in a winner lor Manaia by 112 to 82. It is reported that the post ollice at 1 Toko was broken into on Thursday 1 night, but so far no definite details aie , available. Tile police are investigating ] the matter.—d'ost. Upon the motion of Messrs. O'Sullivan : and Sander, the Clifton County Council i yesterday granted the chairman ,C 23 ' honorarium. The chairman briefly : thanked the members for their consideration. •If any of you people think that the Old Country is played out, k-t me say straight out that she is not," remarked Mr. Will Crooks in liis s'peech in response to the Mayoral welcome at Wellington. "She still lias as brave men and women, with as much genius and as much inventive capacity, as ever in the past." "More," said 0 voice in the audience. "Yes, more,' responded the visitor, and applause folowed. One of the most interesting sights at the show oil Thursday was the. exhibition of two hackney stallions being driven tandem in the competition ring. The horses were Mr. T. Carsoffs Silver Spec and Captain Mitchell's Silver King. They are both roan in color, being father and son. The animals are | fine types of the staunch, hardy haek--1 ney or roadster, and, having any amount j of good, stylish, clean action, they were 1 much admired. It is very seldom that I entire horses can be worked together, j but these two have good dispositions, , and showed themselves to advantage. ' A Christcliurch daily journal proudly narrates the following story, which shows how much reason the \ atlicdr.il City has to congratulate itsell on the valour of its young constables, li happened in Cashel-street the other afternoon that two ladies, each with a perambulator, wore engaged in earnest conversation 011 the footpath, quite oblivious of the fact that they were blocking the fairway. A young constable approached and suggested Wat, tuc voluble mothers might move jon, but they laughed in his face, and, says the record simply, "he retired blushing from the scene."

While one of the spring-cart horse classes was being judged at the show lon Wednesday one oi the animals' objected to being "touelied-up" with the whip, and put in rather a vigorous pn> test. The horse lashed out and got his hind legs over the shaft. The slum

broke, and, getting mixed up with the animal's legs, he put in another kick which landed his hindquarters in the body of tile vehicle. The occupants left hurriedly. Willing hands quickly secured the animal and prevented a general smash-up by stripping oil' the harness', etc. Then another vehicle was obtained and the horse was driven into the ring and judged with the others. The importance of tile honey industry is referred to by the Poverty BayHerald, which says: "The best of our honey, it is worthy of remark, is able to command as much as ,C 42 per ton in London, or a higher price than has been secured by any foreign honey that lias ever reached the English market. >iew Zealand's bees are not yet sufficient 111 number to supply the local demand, and yet the value of tlio product last year is estimated at not less than £45,500. The point that we wish to impress is that there is money in honey if the pursuit i»- followed upon practical lines. A gentleman who lias had charge of an extensive orchard near Uisborne for a number of years, and who also owns an

1 apiary of dose on one hundred hives o: i bees, informs us that ho' is satisUoi J from experience that there is iuor( money in honey than in fruit. For oik thing, there is a sure and certain mar ket. It is, moreover, an industry thai is' particularly suited to a person oJ limited mcajis or to those who art physically unlitted to battle with till soil. It is light labor and profitable ■ A man with an acre or two of land dr a suitable locality can do well on bees.' An excited outburst by Mr. Dilloi (Hawke's Bay) amused the House or Tuesday morning. Mr. Hanan (Invercargill) was the cause. Speaking on the Land Settlement Finance BUI, he said: "There is the wool king for Hawked Bay. He is one ot the biggest socinl pests in Hawke's Bay. He is supporting this Bill because it is to the interest ol the large owners." Mr, Dillon, when he rose to reply to this statement, was violent, and almost incoherent in his indignation. "I'm no hypocrite," he ( |e dared, "and there's one thing I n-ili say. Is there one man here thai would not like a thousand acres of his own tnday? (Laughter.) Let the member for Lyttclton say he would not be glad to have them to-morrow." (Loud laughter.) Mr. Dillon repeated that he was 110 hypocrite, and never had been a hypocrite. "My countenance and cverv- ■ thing will say I am a straightforward man. I am no psalm-singing individual. (Laughter.) Because I have a few acres of land people say I'm a wool king, anil represent the wool kings. How did I * get that land? By hard work and in- ■ dustry." (Hear, hear, and laughter.) i f i I I

A German writer, August Sclierl, in book, "A New Express Train System, makes suggestions which read like a extract from Jules Verne's tales i imagination. Beyond doubt more tini is spent on our railways in wail in tliau in travelling. The cause of tlies old-fashioned conditions is ascribed b Scherl to mistakes in the original plan.' At _the introduction of railways the coi dition of the old highway ajong whip travelled both the posting-fc&ich the goods-wnggon was transferred to th iron road. Through this joint use comes the overcrowding of the tracks which places insuperable difficulties ii the way of the urgently-needed accelera tion of the individual train, and on dangers the safety of the traffic. Heliei demands the separation of goods fron passenger traffic, and a separate organ isation for passenger service. This nov organisation of passenger traffic re quires, however, new travelling facilities Short trains with a speed of 125 mile: per hour are to follow in rapid succcs sion on newly-constructed lines. Elec trie motor-cars' are to run on a mono rail—the old two-rail system is rcjectet by Scherl on technical grounds—with r > single row of wheels under the cefltre oi the carriage, and rigidly secured on v concrete foundation. Speed, safety, anc comfort would be combined with economy and continuity. No objection should Ik made to the audacity of these new schemes. The technical transformation .of existing lines would be useless;! a completely now organisation on a nen technical basis is required. A widespread network of long-distance express lilies willi a speed of Iti.T miles per hour is to form llie focus of traffic, with a system of auxiliary lilies with a speed of 7.T tn !11l miles an hour to feed the long-dis-tance lines. Towards these would converge a large number of branch lines, with a speed varying from IS to 411 miles' per hour, and the final links will consist of motor-omnibus lines. Under the power of the new system of travel the old distances dwindle by a half. The most serious question of modern cities, the housing question, is solved easilv; the health and strength of the population are maintained and improved; the open country is' for the first time open to civilisation.

The sixty-sixth anniversary of si. Mary's Parish is to be celebrated to* morrow, services being held at 8 and 11 a.m., and.3 and 7 p.m. The'preacher is the Rev. Arthur I'owUt, of Remuera, formerly of Te Henui. | The chairman of the Clifton County i Council remarked yesterday that it wasn't good t for the council to be always trading on a bank overdraft. The council must "go slow" for the coming year, * as the finances were noue too good. Following' are the successful tenderers for the supplies to the New Plymouth hospital for the ensuing year: —Groceries J. .McNeill; broad, E. May; meat, 11, T. Joll; fuel, Ward and Son; wines and spirits, Goldwatcr Bro»'.; nulK, R. Clcmow; undertaking, 11. Bond; boots, It. J. Deare. ■Mr. 11. Dempsey, lieadmaster of tho Central School, New Plymouth, has written to Mr. C. D. Sole, chairman of the Stratford School Committee, inquiring , as to cost, etc., of swimming baths a'uch \ as those in existence at the school here, with a view to the putting in of a similar bath at the Central School. —

Stratford Post. Dogs .continue to worry the sheep grazing the Western Park, i i .:» I the board proposes taking drastic immures. A resident iu the vicinity luxs been provided with a gun and ammunition, and i&' authorised to shoot any dogs misbehaving themselves iu this direction. In the event of any of the worriers being shot it is the intention of the owner of the sheep to proceed against the owner of the dog for damages.

At the quarterly meeting of the Taranaki Licensing Committee there were present Messrs. H. S. l'ltzherbert, S. Jl. (chairman), 11. Okey, and \Y. L. Newman. All application for a transfer ot the Tarniiaki Hotel license from G. liishop to J. A. Tnthill (Mr. Quilliam) was granted, as was a transfer of ito license of the Oakura Hotel from Isabella Bain as executrix of the late D. Mf Kinnon Bain, to James ltothcry (M.\ Grey).

A company of Boy Scouts has been! formed at the Central School. The movement is a useful one, lending to make I the hovs manly ill their conduct and hearing, besides involving instruction in lirst aid, ambulance, life-saving, and military duties. The scope of the work lias a gloat attraction for the lads. Instruction classes are to be held in the sclioul gymnasium every Tuesday evening, under the direction of a member of the school stall'. The cost of equipment is light.

A reference to the lack of equality ot opportunity in the Uld Country made by Mr. Will Crooks at a civic reception to him the other evening drew forth muffled laughter from some of the audience. This roused the ire of the' speaker, who thundered. "If you have not got it it's your own fault, Y|ou Iyourselves can make equality of opportunity. (Hear, hear.) You can do it by combining for the common good. With a franchise like yours, any choice you make is the choice you deserve, or you would not make it. iou have tic opportunity."

The Clifton County Council's traction engine, purchased from Messrs. Barraud and Abraham, of Pnlmerstou North, has been forwarded by rail, the firm having found too many difficulties in the way of sending tlie engine up by road. It will be remembered that the Taranaki County Council would allow th<i engine to cross its bridges only upon the firm indemnifying the Council against any claims tor I compensation arising out ot any accident cAiixud by damage to the bridges. Settlers in tlie Kast Road district will be glad to learn tnat the persistent efforts put forward by Mr. >). ]}. Hinc, M.P., 011 their behalf in connection with the provision of better accommodation for ladies at the Douglas railway station, have at length been crowned with success.

The lion. Minister of Agriculture doesn't seem to read the recent silencing circular in the same way as his subordinates. The judge at the Taranaki show this week regretted his inability to give any public criticism of the exhibit*'. The Minister was approached 011 this very point the other day by a Dunedm reporter, and he replied that " there liever was any suggestion that the do---ei'iiiuent experts who undertook the duties of judges at agricultural shows should refrain from giving their criticism on the exhibits. To place such a construction 011 the position was (|iiite absurd, but there wiw no doubt, speaking 011 the general aspect of the matter, that departmental oll'icers had in the past been giving information which they had r .io rigiit lo give, and it had been found absolutely necessary to introduce some regulation such as that now in force." Meanwhile the officers of the Department refuse to carry out the Minister's very sensible views.