CURRENT TOPICS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 62, 22 June 1910, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS

STRATFORD-ONGARUE RAILWAY, j Monday was a red-letter day in the his tory of the settlement of inland Taranaki, for it marked the official opening of an important section of the Stratford Ongarue railway. Up till Monday th line had been of little service to the settlers, because of its terminus bemg so far away from the main road, but from now onwards every mile constructed will represent to a good many a mile of mud less to wade through, it nas certainly taken a long time to construct, the twenty-four miles, but it is patent to everyone that the Government are now pushing on with the work with all possible speed. The big tunnel at Pohokura is completed, twelve miles of rails have been laid on the other side, and an attack is now being made on the Whangamomona saddle, which should be tunnellad and the line through to Whangamomona in eighteen months' time. It is not surprising that the progress being made and the energy displayed are givin'g 'heart and bringing new hope and life to that brave army of pioneers who years ago went back into the bush, carved out homes for themselves, and put up with unimaginable trials, diffi-j culties and hardships. Answering a deputation at Te Wera on Monday, the Hon. T. Mackenzie said that there was a'section of people who opposed borrowing for roads and railways, and were equally insistent on reducing taxattoni still further. We presume 'this sectioni belongs to the big towns, and is of the| Socialist order. If the Hon. Mackenzie could arrange to send a moving picture: photographer out to the backblocks of i this province and take views of life as' it exists there, and then have them; shown in the towns, the people of tJiej latter, we are certain, would hav« a greater appreciation of the hardships! connected with the life of the baek-i blocker, who really make it possible for town dwellers to live and enjoy themselves. The proceedings connected with the opening and banquet passed off; most successfully, a feature being thej very fine speech delivered by the Hon. Mr. Mackenzie, who made a decidedly favorable impression upon all of those privileged to hear him. That he has the interests of the backblockers at heart his words left on room for doubt, and that he can be depended upon to help and advance their cause in the counsels of the Cabinet is equally certain.

A BIG BUILDING WANTED. In every community there may be found Jeremiahs, who look upon progress as suicide, and, as far as Taranaki is concerned, the province has its small share of Jeremiahs. If some failures have occurred in the past, there is no occasion for failures to be the rule in the future. Enthusiasm, cohesion, unity and the rest of the virtues absolutely insist on success. There were people who saw no-; thing but dead sea fruit in. the proposi- j tion to hold a winter show, but the show has been held, there is a substan-' tial balance as a result, and there will! be a much more substantial balance after the show that will assuredly be held next year. The conditions for the first winter show were by no means propi-: tious, and the point for consideration is that, given better weather, the balance; that resulted this year would have been twice as large under better, conditions, i The enthusiasm was not general. The people as a whole were not proud! enough of Taranaki, or the things it will produce, and but for the work of the president and some others, not directly connected with agriculture, there were the makings of a fiasco. But, seeing that the Winter Show has been successfully launched and its permanence assured, the outstanding point remains:' the housing of it was inadequate, and there is urgent need of a permanent and adequate building for the next show. It is not known whether the controlling, society will be able to afford the cost of j a building suitable in all respects for an extended demonstration of Taranaki j industry, but the industry is so import-j ant, and bears so largely on the future l of the province, that private people | should support it liberally. Added skill,! greater productiveness and better qual-| ity mean, for Taranaki, increased and : more valuable output, greater general and personal prosperity, and larger divi-, dends for philanthropic supporters of ux-> tended and more suitable housing. The show that the President" calls his "babv", with perfect justice, should become the; lusty child of the whole of the people! of the district. Cq-operation is strength, I and any extension should come from thei majority, and the few. We hope that| the good seed sown at the first winter, 1 show will germinate, bud and bloom into a perfect plant under the warm influence of public interest and support, And that the maturing plant may have more room to grow than was given to the seedling.

THE MAN WITH THE HOSE. The sound of a firebell is a note ui tragedy. People rush towards a conflagration, wondering if the unexpected may happen. There may be destruction' and loss of 'human life. A house may burn, a town may disappear, folks mayi be rained, and firemen may be maimed.) No voluntary service for the people is worthier than the service of the unpaid, fireman. No person needs so much self-i control, attention to duty, more unsel-l fishness or a greater disregard of conse- 1 quern-os than the fireman. Skill, deter-! ruination, organisation, discipline a«d a sense of public duty must necessarily guide the volunteer fireman —and these nualities certainly guide the men of the New Plymouth Fire Brigade. It has beenj said' quaintly that New Plymouth is' never allowed to indulge in a "real good fire." because the Eire Brigade put it' out before it has time to assume the' proportions of a snectacle. And it is| obvious that manv fires which have been' nipped in the bud by our efficient bri-i ?ade might have gutted the 'town, de-j stroyed life and cost much to rectify, but for the devoted men who look after the work of fire-flshtinsr. Last night Suiierintendent E. C J. Bellrinsrer was entertained in celebration of his twenty-

five .years' .service as a fire-fighter in the] local brigade. Such service is an inspira-] tion to any man of deeds and a spur to public service. The greatest service a man may do must be done for his fellow citizen, and in no branch of effort is he more deserving of the admiration and thanks of the community than in his endeavor to save people and property from destruction by fire. The sailor has his inspiration to heroism, the soldier may win his V.C., and the miner may be a greater hero than either, but the fireman has unique opportunities of displaying the calm usefulness that is so necessary, when one of the greatest enemies of all things throws out its red flag of challenge to the man with the hose.