LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 358, 8 April 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The valuation of the Taranaki Hospital district is given as .£5,5"(5,308, and the .population 24,144. At the Inglewood Borough Council meeting on Wednesday night, Mr. F. C Bennett was appointed foreman of works, and Messrs. A. Thomas and G. Beadle surfacemen. The Gazette notice proclaiming the constitution of the St. Aubyn town district omits the usual appointment of a returning officer and the date of the first election of members. The local postal authorities have been ' advised by the Secretary that it is unlikely any English mails were sent by the Pericles. The probability is that only South African mails were sent, but definite information is expected shortly. A start was made on Thursday aiternoon with improving the means of access to the Fitzroy beach. Fitzroy has j a. magnificent beach, extending from, "The Pines" right away to the Waiwa-j kaiho, but imost of the roads to it runj out into sand hills. A good number of men formed a working bee, and Mr j Johnson brought a detachment ol the | elder boys from *he school, with the result that the -first track was l nearly finished. Another bee will be held next Thursday to complete the path, when other residents who were prevented attending will be welcomed. Messrs Wood and Giddy planned and supervised the work, and have nothing "but praise for those who worked under them.

Mr R. H. Campbell has disposed of his interest in the Urenui Hotel to Mr J. Bethune, of Eltham.

In the Police Court yesterday morning James McNeill, grocer, was lined for leaving a vehicle unlighted and unattended in the street at night. He explained that his assistant was entrusted with the housing of the cart, and had neglected to put it away on this occasion.

The borough engineer's staff has nov completed the metalling of Devon sweet from Currie street to the Post Office, and ] Queen street to its intersection of Kingj street. Robe street, a very bad pieee ol road, is; now receiving attention. The metal is being rolled by the Council's steam roller. Palmers ton is still in a ferment over Powelka). Women (states a Press wire) are coming in from the outlying houses to stay with friends in town, and town householders are kept in a constant state 'tj'f 'alarm by their women folk, and there a<re continual excursions' after supper hour. The matter is complicated by the fact that two Burnham boys are at large, and other people are also apparently taking advantage of the Powelka scare.

A petition has been lodged with the County Council praying for the merging of the Barrett road district into the county. Recently six road districts have merged, and this is the seventh proposal. The road boards which have been thus abolished are the Carrington, Frankley, Elliot, Omata, Harford and Egmont. Amongst other things it| means that the book-keeping formerly done by six road board clerks is now being carried out by the county clerk, and this should mean a saving to thf ratepayers. In addition to thes'e, the Henui road district faded out when the Fitzroy town district was constituted. Of course, it has to be remembered that the reduction in the number of local bodies has been lessened by the formation of the St. Aubyn town district. At the Magistrate's; Court at Eltham on Wednesday Charles Buckland was charged that he did on the 2nd April, 1910, assault one Ernest Buckland, thereby causing him actual bodily harm. Constable Wade said the case was somewhat a serious one. Briefly, the facts were that the parties were brothers. There had been a good deal of ill-feel-ing between them, which came to a climax on last Saturday night at about 10.30, when the brother who was arrested, proceeded to carve the other with a knife. The one attacked received a number of cuts on the face, head and hands, and had Ms) coat cut. One of the cuts was near the eye, and another thrust was aimed at the heart. It might have been a very serious affair. Accused was remanded for eight days, bail being allowed in one storety of i £SO, and himself in £SO.

YesteTday while a large number of •chool-children were on their way to their homes along the Carrington road,' a huge motor-car with half-a-dozen young men aboard was driven at a great speed along the highway. Most of the children have to cross the road at intervals, and there are many curves. The car did not slacken speed' at any of the curves visible, and in all probability it •was "doing" forty miles an hour. The children on the road were warned to get out of the way hy a screaming syren. None of the children can attain a speed of forty miles an hour. Drivers of horse vehicles had some difficulty in escaping collision. It is to be noted that the Carrington road is a highway or which the horse-drawn vehicle and the school-child have quite as good a rifht as motor-cars and their drivers. If he motorist will loo"k up the law on .he subject, he •will find that a foot pasinger has a prior claim to the use ofth" highwav. This particular "ar used T)<von strep f ns if that thoroughfare had ieen ibo'"rlit bv the owner of the car. lith" authorities are unable to cope with the "senrchinr' evil, the people may irohably have a word to sav.