LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 164, 20 October 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A private letter received from Auckland states that the Hamilton, Plimmer and Demiiston Company had given very great satisfaction to theatregoers in that city, and recommends the company as a first-class one. Motor cars still continue to travel through the town at excessive speed. An old lady had just sufficient time to get out of the road of one which wnizzed down Devon street yesterday afternoon in a cloud of dust. A man who has recently met with an accident to his head reckons he will never be killed that way. He tells with glee the story of the numerous mishaps to his headpiece, and states that on one occasion a horse threw him and then kicked him. Three stitches had to bi put in his scalp, but the horse broke his leg.

There was a fair attendance of interested ladies at the Baths on Tuesday to consider the formation oj a ladies' polo club. It was decided to form a club to be called "The West End Ladies Polo Club," and the following officers were elected: President, Mrs. Newman; vice-president, Mrs. Dowling; committee, Misses E. Tiplady (secretary), Thompson (treasurer), W. Morrison, M. Stohr, H. Rollo, D. Gilbert ana M. Lepine. The season will commence on November 1. • Messrs. C O'Sullivan and H. R. Cattley met with a nasty accident yesterday. They were driving into Waitara from Uruti, and when coming down the Manakorihi hill towards the town bridge, the mare was startled by a little Maor. girl jumping from the bank on to the road. The mare shied, and got over the side of the road formation, where the gig capsized. Mr. O'Sullivan received severe abrasions on the forehead and wrist, and Mr. Cattley had his forehead cut. Mr. O'Sullivan was on his way to the Hospital Board meeting, and when he appeared there with his head patched with court plaster, the chairman asked what was wrong. When the explanation had been given as above, Mr. Mcßeynolds "brought down the house" with a remark that if Mr. O'Sullivan represented the district that he came from the people would jump to the conclusion that he had been visiting a charitable aid case.

Kip van Winkle. An old man failed at the local charitable aid office the other day, and told a stor/ that was remarka'ble, in its way. He wanted financial help. He told Mr. Lepper thau he was 72 years of age, an old soldier. He hadn't been in flew PJymoutn since 1869, when he left here with the lfth Royal Irish Regiment. He itili iece:vcd a pension, and had drawn it just before making this visit, < ut he had ".'icd one or two in," and somebody who considered he had more right than the old chap had to the money had relieved him of it. He explained that he had come up here to renew his acquaintance with his old friends, Archdeacon Govett, Dr. Rawson, Dr. O'Careoll, "Seigeant Hill. F, TJ. Gledhill, and others. ''Was it any wonder," he tearfully asked, "'that I got one or two too many when I found all these old friends dea.l, a;.-l myself still alive?" The secretary gave him a railway ticket, and the old man went back to await another payment of his pension." Labor for contract work in the Stratford County is very scarce. The county engineer applied to his Council at the meeting yesterday for permission to put men on as required on his own terms. The request was granted, but not before objection had been raised to the attitude of labor generally by Cr. Christoff el. "Labor is getting too independent," he said. "If labor was imported into the place it would be better for local bodies and also for settlers generally. Then, as was the case at Eltham recently, petty pretexts are made the subject of trouble. The workmen, with one exception (and he was nearly killed) went on strike for higher wages, but within two days the employer had a fresh set of men in their places, ana the biters bit their fingers off, walking about the streets. Exactly the same treatment was dealt out to another lot of men who thought they were going to manage the business instead of then employer." Cr. Chiistoffel had no sympathy at all with labor under these circumstances.

At the Hospital Board meeting yesterday Mr. J. Brown, who has been absent from two meetings, asked the chairman to explain how it was proposed to finance the purchase of the new site for the Old People' 3 Home, and the removal of the buildings thereto. Mr. Bellringer replied that the Board had to pay £SOO down, and the balance of the £2560 remained on mortgage for five years at 4V 3 per cent. After paying the £SOO there would be £SOO to the Board'* credit at the bank, and it was proposed to pay the removal contract out of the general account. The whole question ol financing this and -he enaction of the new hospital would come vp towards the end of the financial year, when lit would bring down alternative propo'-.'ls, which he had under eon=:'leralicn. It might be necessary to mnrease the Tate by a penny in the £ LOO, bu" be thought the scheme would be financed so as to cast very little extra taxation on the people. Messrs. and Bnwn considered that it would be best io laise a loan, and the chairman concurred in this view.

The Stratford County Council has decided to transfer its duties under tlm Public Health Act to the Hospital Board. At the meeting yesterday Cr. Thomson opposed delegating their powers to a. body that might be composed of "Tom, Dick and Harry," i.e., those not representative of the Council. "They might be a lot of Socialists," he said, "although I must sav I have nothing against, the present Board."—The chairman (Mr. Marchant) said he did not think any member wished to "put back the clock" in this" matter and have no one to look after the public health. The Legislature very unwisely, he considered, had put the work upon local bodies, the absurdity of which was' Jill too apparent when it came to the case of road boards having control. At any rate, the position was anomalous. The cure of disease should be in the hands of those who had to deal with the cause. The Council never had an inspector, and they had allowed someone else to look after that, which had never been to his liking. Other local bodies helped to maintain his services, and in his opinion that sort of thing did not add to the dignitv ot the Council. If we do not fall into line pleasantly, well, we'll be kicked into it!" piped a voice. "Yes, thank you, Cr. Maxwell!" Cr. Thomson returned to the attack, stating that the Governor had been trying to force tho position on the Council for years. They had got on well enough as' long as he fthe speaker) had been in the Council; they wore a healthy community, and it would be wise to let well alone.—When the vote was taken, Crs. Thomson and Ohristoffel were the only dissentients.

A resident of Timaru lately came in for a substantial legacy, a gentleman at Homo linking left hiin his private library, containing '2IK1I) books . These are now on the way out from Home and fill it eases. "Baliy" F. Bliss, said to be the world's fattest boy, who, though only 18 years of age. weighs s'Hilbs, arrived at Brisbane by the steamer Zealandia from Vancouver 011 the "2nd inst. "Jolly" Trixic (the world's fattest girl, who was 22 years of age and weighed tiSolbs, boarded the vessel at Honolulu, apparently in the best of health, but just before arrival at Suva she died. Apoplexy is believed to have been the cause. Her remains were interred in Suva, The time-worn question of roads and bridges bulked largely at the meeting of the County Council at Stratford yesterday, and was responsible for touching one of the members on a part that was very near his heart's desire, namely, a decent road to his own door. The feeling was awakened by the remark* of his colleagues on a request by settlers in East Riding to open and form a road to their property, the said road having been closed for all time. C». Maxwell said the Council could not legally deny Xash Bros, access to their property. "God made the road!" he said, forcefully, but got no further just then, as an interjection, "God gave it!" made all smile. When Cr. Maxwell did continue his remarks he said: "To say that a man cannot walk over the land because a road has not been formed into town is to take up an illogical position. Why, in Auckland, we made the road with the friction of our feet over the soil. The road should be opened to the public. If a fence is on the route it should be taken down. We've driven horses through swamps and surmounted many obstacles in the effort to get ao cess to the outside world, and all those sort of difficulties will be got over here, but if settlers have to come to the Council and bear the brunt of a long and tiresome battle to get a road to their property, I repeat that it is most ■unfair treatment, and I am in favor of a road being opened as requested." When it is stated that Cr. Maxwell occupies the furthest back selection in the county, has just erected a house after roughing it in a tent in the bush for three yeafll and sometimes does not see a human face for weeks, then it will be understood why he manfully spoke up in support of the request of his brothers who also went on to the land.