Stratford News

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 314, 2 July 1912, Page 3

Stratford News

i From (••.::• '>sidcnt Reporter. THE ELECTRIC LIGHT. WIRE VERSUS WIRE. The vagaries of the electric light in the home, in the shop and office, ami in J the street on Saturday and Sunday were j enough to make a saint swear. A whole Hot of people who were not saints j couldn't swear. They were speechless. ! There was another section who used furlongs of forcible talk on both nights, irrespective of the day, Saturday or holy day. On Saturday night the light started right. It was good. Then a momentary Hash, and the tinkle of the telephone bell told that the company's wires and the Government wires were in contact. It was a windy night, it is necessary to state. The flash and the tinkle came again and again, but after being "had" a few times the telephone call was disregarded, and the instrument, which is productive, perhaps, of more illtemper than any other machine under the sun—in certain circumstances, of course—not even excepting turbines, and dynamos,-and generators, and .such-like, was allowed to ring away as it liked! That last sentence will take some unravelling, won't it? Some enterprising schoolmaster can take it as an awful example of how not 'to write English. But to continue. Frantic subscribers rushed to the telephone. The electric light staff—who would'nt be a lineman? —was called out into the freezing night. Tn the face of. a wind which seemed to be, surcharged with ice particles these ;men rectified the trouble, and after I about an hour the current came again. It should be mentioned that this darkness reigned on only one circuit. Late in the night the wires ■ had another smack at the Taranaki championship. The Government wire.which had been lying low, came at the lighting-wire with a vigorous-upper-cut, and the light went "out," .and took* the. count: ' One, two, three, four, five—Johnny Stagpbole's numerals—six, > seven, > eight, nine—out. 'You could hear the darkness Strike"'' the earth ■ with a dull 'thud. Sunday evening started, badly. There was "-just' enough blood in the electric >veins 'to put a little red glow; in.' ithe i metallic! filament lamps. Poor old-manager.? He caught it again, ; "The men h'ave just come in," he said.. "-Tlvcy've been out'all (day, and were' out till - half-past ten o'clock last night. But > I'll s,ee fwha't I can ■do." •■ln"-a little over half-an" hour everything in the garden was lovely. If it is nectary, for'the telephone wiresand the company's mains to go oven the-, busy 'housewife's 'darner, then' why should the. telephone wires not be cabled, or the lighting wires so insulated-'as, to obviate contact? ,Or why shouldn't the Government wires be placed- so a.%, not to'iriterfere[.with*ttie';lightbig .wires,. or vice versa? 'Are .there any regiilla'-' 1 ' tjons,- and'-jtTe they being observed? .'All of these-'are"natural 'r/uestjo'As an<J-'TtD' 'dpub't; there will lie itn answer available; in 'a :Say "0f..-two?: m present it .is- suffi-cient-to jM the' queries.'A-iurfc'lier que'sthe' bdrotigh- Council going *ttf dp anything -to fensure-i its ''stree-t lights-: being kept burning?-.- The council hafe' a : •flua.rr.el, ;sureh>,.'-.r>'it-h' .-.someone .o'-r .some-!; thing, and no favorable 'Opportunity, of. a .quarrel with, anybody _.or' anything, should be-, massed.j -> ; ; T . •% ,-..-; -,;-

J ■..,:•.THAT.LOAN. I ■.-:.;'.< ni :^! ■ '■•'■'- •'" : • —l' i > '"■■"•TTjfSBB? ■ SOME, : PASSING THOUGHTS. ■:. . A mam who: 1.1*09 a.g<ioid. dcrtl of in-; tercst'in: municipal : ' Affairs- -..and who claims to know the fcfll.of ;th;e.:puhlic. pulse fairly well, gives his flrmly-jbeld. : opinion, that 'the''pi'eseTiilf ccfiilxcil'.'"Wi^l' meet' its, Waterloo' Werj the,'loan'' 1 pro-' ! posal's Unless someone "cAlls/a halt: '.He' 1 .reckons the ; time'; has 1 /corjfe .for MayoV Kirkwood to' "put his f(jot''dowri i 'wi]tn' l i^ firm h'ahd" i p'na'lot otf.the proposals''fqr'f ■ .Street ; improvement, •a'lfd' W tile | people that he Inte'rids'to' act' up to, hji'.f election speech,'. in-'''whi i ch'',tte fleelarecfj his opposition' to ft big Which is'' as may. be—ari enigmatical ptosse'' that" comes to the tip of th'e tpngiie pf many an old campaigner/''lt's Jnstjv'cjuc'st'iprr of taxation: \3\6 ' d6\ihftTje' ' ]kf his own wa;r of ddhlfg 1 things, ',He tfnrrw's' which of Mie, rroposcrf woVkk.h'e'wiirbe 7 ' prepared to svp'port, and is fluitcr }eady: to jettrs'qn a' large' pf' fliero: !: |>oubtless the -'other 'councillors 'brite!" the same t! n.j; in their'mihds. At pre-,. seait 'tha b.vei&Vr 'li'asL'.'ttt' ' ; es,c:''(ih"tL ;: ',"o'f' trie cbst, : a]\' ! tnWfi' ' |V r orks.' Thp-';.' fe^tiniatok' aYiK/,pUtns ! Hvio'' : ! .havo to _;.■<•.' the;'cqiVsnlM^' ! Engineers,. Messrs.iidlnTisb'n 'hM;CafMo- " : jihers: ■Would' ff 'iie'^'j^liYMc^-fo"^ 'ttie weeding' .'onto off Crorfgh'" > es'timaJtesfY .Much time and' worrf' and -labor n'nd' expense'would be saved-by such'a' fcystewj Jlf a-job-is 1 thrown'to one.: Hide.on -an actual'' 'estimate -of >'£slO'.! .195 .-iii :iwottldA it''■gtaJid'^'i-any•• ibetiei*' ilchance 'Oti, a: rfnigh! ■St ?oenis"ito' niahv;thsft-.'ftt Unit timfe-soli.' :• year -th'e: kneirmupei'vteioft \mi; •idoubtedly 'compefetit'.'e'wrseer. oMr 'Tftnia i Sullivan, is neeUdd 'in: the'.'street -works.'* .Large smri's 'of*' money can -'eiakrty■■'■•'bj. i .pasted' in the' absence'W- t\\i mafi.' whO v -' ,-.really knows'all about thV street's-aiidP l4h,oir condition, and 'it'^i-sirmcfs'tionable - whether it is! goodi'business ."to; lock-"-,him upVin-' ihis office'' foV any' length' of 'time with' his compasses ''andi'drsrwirtg materials. ,: • ■'' '■' ■'i •' , -•'■•'f .rV , ,;; ■■ .: , Mf : ■::,'. :,( ..,.. , 'j.' STRATFOBD AWD f THEATRICAL;'' " :i vi Stratford nossfcsses^Qme''evil ' . legist" so.,tl\e theatrical fo\k aVer','' :: l!t lr elioula be' the /business', of W 'cit , } < 'f >to unearth' the spirit of'Vv'l!:" companies can play with success a.tl l: Ijjound us. bh'f -they 'n'earl'y always- race*' jhth.eir Waterloo at Stratford; J so) much" I.s6j in fact, that sorrib managements * \Vill ■ J j npt play in Htra'tfnrd-.> Biafecheck .stated.u.liat lie had' never y>ljiy*;tli to so small audience 'in KeW Iftpalwft'. : '.AmeriMinstrels failed t'(v!d>a\tr;l but f fthis -.' {may be aeeoni'ited- for byr the state • Ms. , the weather.'. The big wrestling maftclr "was not attended as it' shoulrf have.. ' lieen. lT.'Ti.' Tfvirig chanced trying little .-t-Hliam. but was artVfsert to' Straf- ■ . I ford a wide berth.' Is it that' the 'peoI pie nf Plvtford fail to enjoy 'a. pood ■ show ? Or do 11k- theatrical ami Show'community' r'islike us? ' Of 'is if the weather? Free shows do riot attract"; but perhaps folks have ' got cunning' about these; as one''has'to I, "make up"'' with a collection some time or other. Some one should try'the free show with" 't"no collection" guaranlee'd.'and a free ■supper thrown in. Too many travelling ! shows do not do much' good to the town; but one good show, say, in'two months, . .would'nt do any harm. AVe must smile , sometimes, if only in two months; but [before this can be done tbe evil spirit | must be removed. Apart from our moving picture show, which ia an excelI lent one. our only amusement is to meet the mail train o' nights, and this isn't a very pleasant one in the present weather, whilst that it isn't tlm safest pastime in the world has recently been proved. There is a chance of the unenviable reputation of the town being redeemed shortly, for there is a genuine interest evinced in the production of "H.M.S. Pinalore" by the Stratford Operatic Society. The rehearsals are going swimmingly, and u gentleman whose opinion is worth having states that Stratford is in for a treat on the 1 18th and 19th inst,