CURRENT TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 327, 14 June 1911, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

THE ABSENTEE LANDLORD. The absentee landlord is neither a bless-1 ing nor a necessity. The idea of a man sinking a little capital in land and waiting at the other end of the cable to hear news of a "rise," possiDly only because of somebody else's enterprise, is not al-: luring. A fine example of the New Zea-' land absentee landlord is Mr. A. .1. Balfour, Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons, who holds land in this country which he has never seen. The absentee landlord may, personally, be a very fine fellow, but the fact that he holds unimproved lands which ought to be at work constitutes him a menace to progress. Everybody is acquainted with many "corner" section in various New Zealand towns (and large holdings in the country) that year after year produce nothing. Probably the distant owners have forgotten about them until an agent suddenly awakens them to the fact that pipi-bed or a hill-side, bought for a "song," is in the centre of a growiirv city. To emphasise the ''pipi-bed" years ago, a wandering tourist who had more money than he knew what to do with bought a bit of beach for £IOO near a New Zealand city. He probably went home and forgot it. It is now worth £BO,OOO, and his agents, having erected a place of business on it, send him upwards of £IOOO a year. He was an exception, for he built. Most of the absentees don't build. For instance, there are a number of central "absentee" sections at Shannon, and the local authorities are wondering whether rating on the unimproved value will bring these absentees to heel. It is a particularly nefarious business to sink a little money in property and thereafter utterly neglect it, so that other more conscientious people may enhance its value by their enterprise. Peculiarly enough, most people regard the man who buys in 18S0 at ;£1 and sells in 1911 at £IOO as a smart, fellow. If he is an absentee, he is the worst spragg the wheel of progress has to contend against, We are probably going to have Imperial federatir i to deal with the wife deserter, and in the days to come the land-deserter waiting in a distant country "for a rise" may lie forced into attending to bis obligations.

CONTINUOUS TELEPHONY. After many weeks of patient canvassing, Mr. .T. W. H. Martin has obtained the required signatures to the petition for the establishment of a continuous telephone service in New Plymouth. The number required was two-thirds of the telephone subscribes—about 250. Air. Martin took up this matter in wholehearted fashion, having become convinced —as the result of one single case which came under his notice, in which an all-night telephone service would have been almost invaluable—that such a service was eminently desirable here. The canvass was 110 easy matter, for many people argued thfat. they had 110 need for the all-11 igbt service,' and they had to be brought to see that it was worth while to pay a little extra fee if they would be likely at any t.ime to ensure more rapid attendance by medical men on the sick, or in case of accident. Most of the subscribers, however, readilv responded to the appeal. The petition was presented to Mr. Drydcn. the Chief Postmaster, yesterday morning. and he forthwith telegraphed to headquarters that everything was in order. It uT understood, too, that Mr.

Dryden undertook to see Unit country ] bureaux which, being oil' the main telephone, wire, have to secure connection with New Plymouth through an inter 1 mediate bureau, shall be connected up

every night and on Sundays, which should prove an immense boon in the bush districts. Mr. Martin is deserving of the thanks of the community for his unselfish work, and it is hoped that the new service will bo instituted without delay.

PLANTING IN THE PARK. Mr. Harris Ford, the chairman of the Pukekura Park Board, asks us to remind residents that gifts of flowering or ornamental shrubs are most acceptable to the Board at this season of the year 1 for planting in Pukekura Park. There is no need to dwell on this matter. Everyone kliows the grand asset that Xew Plymouth has in her Recreation Grounds. A glorious- breathing-space of considerable dimensions, situated so close to the centre of population, is of undoubted value to-dav, and must become of infinitely greater importance in the interests of public health as the town grows more populous. And when the breathing space is famed far and wide as one of the most delightful spots in the southern hemisphere, attracting here numerous visitors who would other-, wise pass New Plymouth by, there comes its commercial value. Many of our residents, when trimming up the garden and shrubbery, will be able to find a plant or a shrub that would add to the beauty of the grounds, and it will take but little trouble to place this in the hands of the curator, who may bo depended upon to make the very best use of all donations.

A START FOR THE TRAMS. The Borough Council on Monday night, when it accepted tho tender of Messrs. Turnbull and .Jones for the supply of a large quantity of electrical machinery, made the first practical step forward in the matter of providing an electric tram service in New Plymouth. The plant about to be installed will be quite sufficient for the development of the necessary power, and it will release one of the 90 kilowat machines now in use. This generator, then, will ho free for the supply of electrical energy for the tramway service. The plant now to ne installed is in accordance with tho recommendations of Mr. Fred Black, tliQ engineer whom the Borough Council consulted in regard to the tramways scheme, and who, after visiting the town, submitted a most comprehensive report. The tramway scheme has not been dropped, but very little more can be done than has been done until a Greater New Plymouth has been made an accomplished fact.