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Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 137, 19 September 1910, Page 4

Mr. T. S. Ronaldson, an old Wellington footballer, has ibeen giving some of his reminiscences. "I think it a great pity," he said at a smoke concert on a recent evening, "that all these penal rules had to be introduced. If toys were brought up and taught to play the game for the game's sake, there would be very much (better football. There were no gymnasiums in my days," Mr. Ronaldson continued, "and for training we used to go out about three nights a ■week after dinner, and follow the leather to Island Bay, and) then come back round the rooks home. And I think that ia better training than the indoor work. lam not a believer in gymnasium training, a,nd never will be. In the old days, when I wias in the Rangitikei, if we wanted to play Wanganui, both teams had to go half-way, and' we used to meet at Turakina. We would get, torses, -and start off in the morning with, stay, thirteen men, hoping to pick up the others on the way. When we got to TuraJkina we would have to buy a spadie, and some five-by-twos and we would mark out the 'ground and put up the _ goal-posts. On one occasion on the Wairarapal had to cut away portion of one .of my boots during a game, and proceed with half a hoot on one foot. The Maori players saw me performing the operation on the footwear, and askpd if that were a good way $o play football. 'Eapai,' I told them. The next &turday three-fourths of the Maoris turned out with halt a boot." Bend your order for printing to th "Daily News" Printery. Prices righ ud »tief actios guaranteed,

The Ashburton company of Boy Scouts is marching right through to Christchurch in three days, camping each night. Then they intend to go into camp for four days' rest before making the return march. Mr. Thomas Sedgwick, who recently visited New Zealand to lay his scheme for the emigration of London boys before the Dominion authorities, has returned full of enthusiasm for New Zealand and its possibilities. The Nelson City Council is now in a chronic state of hard-up-ness, states the Colonist. Ten years ago the rates were 2s in the £, and a £3OOO overdraft; now the rates are 3s 3d, and the overdraft is £32,600, though the rateable .value has increased by £2G,000. Amongst the applications for the superintendency of the Whangarei Hospital were two doctors, one of whom was named Jeffreys and the other Johnson, and these, singularly enough, were the only two who forwarded their photos. _ The new goldfieds on the Kuskokwin river, Alaska, has brought about something like a stampede in British Columbia. It was rumored that some rich claims have been discovered, and the (fact that a well-known operator has taken an option at £IO,OOO in one of the streams prospected lends color to the report. The construction work on the Tau-/ranga-Te Puke railway is proceeding very satisfactorily, and about four miles are now finished. It is anticipated that the construction from Mount Maunganui to Mangatawa will be almost completed by the end of the current month. The Native Minister was asked by Mr. Dive on Friday whether he intended to bring down legislation dealing with the West Coast reserves in Taranaki. The leases fall due in 1914, and the matter was of great importance and should be settled. The Hon. J. Carroll replied that he was doing his best to have legislation passed. Not only the European lessees were affected, but also the Maori beneficiaries, and he intended to have both sides represented in Wellington in connection with the matter. . A rumor has been circulated in Wellington that unless the Land Bill receives the support of the Government party, the Ministry will go to the country with it. To those who know the party such a contingency will be regarded as extremely remote. If the Prime Minister threatens a dissolution the ardent leaseholders on his side of the House will speedily find an excuse for swallowing .their convictions, as their colleagues did on a division.—Wairarapa Age. The opening of the "farmers' room'' in connection with the Taranaki Agricultural Society on Saturday afternoon was largely attended. Interesting speeches were delivered by the Mayor (Mr. G. Tisch), the president of the Society (Mr. W. Ambury), Messrs. Newton King, R. Cock, E. Griffiths, Stanley Smith, and others, Mr. King offered £5 towards the cost of supplying periodicals for the room, Mr. Cock gave a guinea, and the Ridd Milking Machine Co. five guineas. Farmers have written to the Labor Department complaining that they are unable to get sufficient farm hands; The ;Department received 2'2 applications for •this class of labor in one day. Some of these positions are being filled' by the new arrivals iby the Athenic, and the Department does not anticipate any difficulty in finding employment for as many of these new arrivals as eare to apply. All the artisans who arrived iby this vessel are being found positions. Farm hands are wanted in the Hawera, Palmerston North and Eketahuna districts. The Native Appellate Court was engaged all day Friday in hearing the appeal of Meiha Paratene from the decision of the Chief Judge, Jackson,' dismissing his application under section .19 of "The Native Land Court Act, 1894," to the Chief Judge to cancel a certificate given by Judge Gilbert Mair that the adoption of the respondent Rori Watene by Teieti Hoera, now deceased, was bona fide and in accordance with Maori custom. At the conclusion of the address by counsel for the parties their Honours (Judges McCormack and Gilfedder) reserved their decision. Mr. C. H. Weston appeared for the appellant and Mr. J. H. Damon for the respondent. It has already been explained (says the Sydney Telegraph) that until the Federal Government has its machinery ready to print its proposed Federal note issue it intends to take over the stocks ofv unused bank note paper from the banks to stamp with a Government inscription, and to issue it in the form of interim Federal notes. A machine to perform the stamping is now being ordered 'by the Federal Treasurer. It is intended also to obtain complete machinery for printing new notes. This will be erected at the Government Printing Office in Melbourne, wihere all the notes will be printed. At present the Melbourne Printing Office is too small. It is proposed to arrange for the necessary increased accommodation. Influenza has raged all over the Dominion during the past few weeks. A Masterton medical man tells, in an interesting way, the history of influenza so far as New Zealand is concerned. Prior to 1889 occasional epidemics had been known, but in a comparatively mild form. In the year stated (a year during which influenza raged in London) a large bale of soft goods was delivered at a Dunedin warehouse direct from Britain. The warehousemen commenced to open up the package; within a few hours the men were suffering an attack of influenza in its most virulent form. Other men handled the goods and they, too, retired miserably to their homes to suffer the unpleasantness of "the flu." From that warehouse the epidemic spread right over New Zealand, and, probably owing to the many means of travel In this country, and consequent easy methods of inter-communication, influenza has been with us, at almost regular intervals, ever since. Spea/king at the prize-giving at Retford Grammar School recently, the Duke of Portland gave the boys some excellent advice. He urged them to be always chivalrous and broad-minded. Always, he continued, Ibe temperate, for intemperance is not only disgusting, but also a very stupid vice. "Don't bet and don't gamble, because if you do it will, without any doubt whatever, surely ruin you in the end. I have now been connected with the turf and racing for nearly 30 years, and I can candidly tell you that during that time I have known no one who_ consistently went on betting or staking money on horses but in the long run found himself very much the worse for having done so. Therefore, if you take the advice of a man of the world, I say to you don't gamble and do not bet. Above all, always run straight, no matter what may happen; ibe big, be bold, be noble in whatever you do in life, and do not forget that everyone, no' matter what his position In life, owes some part of his life, some part of his strength, some part of his brains and service to his country.

Former pupils who have passed through the Central School during the past 25 years are invited to call at Mr. Corkill's office to-day to sign the addres» which is to be presented to Mr Dempsey on Thursday evening. A gentleman who conducts an engineering establishment in Christchurch states that he lias advertised for mechanical engineers every day for nearly a week, and has received no response. He also wishes to obtain a number of apprentices, whom he will teach different branches of the business, but can find no young men to come forward. The Hon. It. M'Kenzie, Minister of Public Works, has written to the Taranaki County Council, stating that he has again looked into the matter of application for a grant for the maintenance of the Main South Road between New Plymouth and Opunake, and regrets that he cannot depart from his previous decision declining to grant the subsidy. To do so, he states, would expose the Government to numerous demands from local bodies for assistance for similar works, which fcould not be entertained while many settlers in remote districts remain without road access of any kind. He also points out that the settlers along the road referred to, although fairly prosperous, were not rated by the county council up to the full extent allowed by the law. At Friday's meeting of the Harbour Board Mr. F. W. Marchant, the Board'a consulting engineer, submitted a report; on matters referred to ihim for hi» opinion. Re Chesterman's blue gum piles:—He had inspected those which were held over without being finally passed. He agreed with the opinion of the Tasmanian Forestry authorities, that shakes in this class of timber did not detrimentally affect their durability. Some of these piles must have pieces cut off where veiy badly shaken, others must be prevented from splitting further whilst driven by the use of iron clamps. Some piles were also very crooked. He advised the Board to accept all the piles and deduct from Messrs. Chesterman's account the sum of £3O to' compensate for the loss of timber in shortening and loss of time and expenditure of labour in clampingand wiring; such of. the piles as might require this treatment. The Breakwater light:. l —He agreed with the har* bourmaster that it was desirable the seaward end 1 of the breakwater should be lit—from a theoretical point of view. The question' is whether, from a practical and common sense standpoint, it could be done without. His opinion was that, wliilst it. was desirable, it was not an absolute 1 necessity. He grudged every £ spent on' works in the harbour which were not absolutely necessary. They had so much to do. ahead.of them in fit- , ting the harbour for the reception of the . big oversea vessels that he thought every work of other inlprovement which: might not be an absolute necessity should' be held' over until their one main object was achieved. He estimated tha cost of building a tripod on concrete' foundation, piping, electric wiring, etc., from £350 to £4OO. The Board had leading lights in the harbour, so had Napier. Napier Jiad no light on the end of their breakwater, and if they could do without it with their large amount of night shipping, they could do without here with a lesser quantity. •