CURRENT TOPICS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 80, 13 July 1910, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS

BOROUGH AFFAIRS. There was some "straight talk" indulged in at the Borough Council meeting on Monday evening, particularly in regard to the work of the engineer. Not only did it clear the air and show ratepayers how things stood, but it revealed an incident which we can only characterise as unpleasant in the highest degree. As our readers know, we hold no brief for the engineer, or the Council for that matter. We believe that the present system of overseeing and managing the work of the borough is not productive of the best results, and that unless a more careful check and scrutiny is exercised by councillors in the future than has been the case in the past, it will not be long before the borough finances will 'be in a very bad way. And this opinion has not been at all modified by the amount of money expended, and the results obtained for such expenditure, since the new financial year opened. We dont think the Council has got full value for the money expended, and that it never I will until such time as the present system is changed and the engineer relieved of some of his duties, particularly his clerical work, and given a chance to confine his attention to the real engineering work of the place. Whilst we hold these views, we disassociate ourselves entirely from any attempt to "get at the engineer" (to use the Maj'or's expression) in an unworthy manner. Unfortunately this has been done and acknowledged at the Council table by the party responsible. We allude to Councillor Hooker's threat to the engineer to "get even with him before the week's out." Councillor Hooker does not appear to have the slightest' conception of the dignity and responsibilities attached to his office. Otherwise lie would never have attempted to intimidate the engineer in this manner. What makes the offence worse is that Councillor Hooker, having acknowledged using the threat, and quite oblivious to what constitutes good taste and decency, proceeded to refer to the work performed by his own brother when he was foreman, to the disparagement ot the work of the engineer. We don't want to discuss the subject further at this stage, but, after what has transpired, it is clear that Councillor Hooker has forfeited his right to a seat at the Council table, and that his resignation at the present juncture would be as acceptable as it is desirable.

THE PEOPLE'S TEETH. People who cannot perfectly masticate their food are deteriorating. The fact that they lose their teeth shows physical deterioration, and because'this deterioration is marked in all civilised races, the question of teeth-preservation is a very large and important one. In the natural normal man the teeth last as long as he does, but it is nowadays an exceedingly rare thing to find a "full mouth" in even a young person. Of course, dental science comes to the Tescue of failing nature, and the best men of the profession know it is much kinder to a patient to save the life of a natural tooth than to give the patient a porcelain substitute. Dentists' charges are, perhaps, reasonable enough to the person of fair means, but to the poor person with a "broken" mouth the charges are prohibitive. It is, however, just as important that a poor person should get his teeth mended as that he should be cured of disease of any other portion of his body. One dentist of some eminence awhile ago mentioned to us that if in the future some more certain means of preserving the natural teeth of the people was not found, the race would not only become toothless, but gumless, and it would be impossible to fit artificial teeth. With an understanding of the gravity of the situation, an anonymous London donor gave £200,000 to the British Dental Association in order that the teeth of poor people may be attended to at ;a price to suit their means. Bad mouths are common enough in New Zealand, and possibly for the same reason as in England. There is no doubt that many of the dental troubles might be avoided if there was proper general and systematic inspection of school-children. There is something radically wrong with the constitution of any people whose children have tooth troubles as soon—or before—they get their "permanent" teeth. It is sincerely hoped that the vast importance of good strong natural teeth will be realised in }ve\v Zealand, for to our proper mastication of food we owe our mental and physical attributes and our place in the world.

•NERVELESS PROFICIENCY. Coloniajs not only do very good work as scholars in Home universities, but in sports requiring skill, strength, and cleverness they often achieve splendid results. A Home paper thinks there must be something in the Australasian air that gives a "New Zealand tennisplayer, a New Zealand cricketer, and the other eminent sportsmen from this country and Australia their "nerveless proficiency." It does not seem to be a good solution. The atmosphere of Australia and New Zealand differ remarkably. The Australian is much more highly strung than the average Englishman, and the New Zealander a little more highly strung. The fact that people of highly nervous temperament achieve the greatest results and leave the "nerveless" plodders in the rear now and again is our reason for believing that "nerveless proficiency" has nothing to do with the success of the All Blacks, the success of Wilding, Sir George Reid, Annette Kellermann, Collins, Bertram McKennal, or any of them. In the field of sport the colonial man regards pre-eminence from a different standpoint to the Englishman. He takes his games very seriously. He docs not regard sport, as mere pastime, in the way that Britishers do. He studies sport in the same wnv as a scientist might study beat or cold, the aeroplane or the "vroscope. Tn the cases where colonials have trained immense proficiency in snort it will be found that to a natural aptitude thev have added the closest interest and application. The player who plays a game pre-eminently is the player who has had most time to devote to it. and who is mentally ami physically best fitted for it. The "nerveless proficiency" of the New Zealander has never made him a pie-eminent cricketer, because he lias not applied himself to this branch of sport. The cricketers in the Old Country who are the finest exponents of the game are either professionals or men of means who have much time to devote to practice. New Zealanders excel in football for the reason that eminent footballers applv their whole energies and all their spare time to the pursuit. The verve and dash of the footballer or the

tennis-player or the cricketer does not come because he is nerveless, but because he is alive all over. We ought to be thankful that Australasians are alive from their toes upwards.