CURRENT TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 197, 9 January 1913, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

THE SOUTH ROAD. '•The road between New Plymouth and Stony River is done." So said a road authority who had just been over the road. '"The metal." he continued, "is quite worn out, and I pity the people who have to use it next winter. It is ■bad enough now." Evidently the prospects before our coastal friends are none too bright. Is it not time that someone got busy over putting the road in better condition? We all know that a railway is wanted to take the traffic off the road, but meanwhile something should be done to put the road in passable order. A NOVEL SUGGESTION. Very shortly we shall have in our midst bowlers from all parts of the province, and everybody will be talking of jacks and bias and "thin as a twopenny ribbon," and "man, ye're narrer," and other phrases of the green. A correspondent suggests that the presence of these hundred odd grown-up business men grown children once again will provide a good opportunity for advertising the town. He makes the original, and by no means unhappy proposal, that during the visitors' stay in the town the tradespeople from the Post Office to the Red House Hotel should dress their windows and leave them lit at night, and that the Gas Company and the Council with its' electric light also be asked to add to the illumination. The suggestion is one that is worthy of consideration, but if it is to lie adopted it must be adopted universally. Tt wants the right man to organise it. anil the rest will be easy.

A BEAUTIFUL PICNICKING- SPOT. Few people know that one. of the prettiest picnicking and most historical spots in the whole of this picturesque and historical province is situated within twelve miles of New Plymouth, and reachable by good motor roads. We refer to PukoPangiora. at the back of TTuirangi, a place figuring largely in Maori history, and also in the wars with the pakehas. It was in the old days the rallying point for the Maoris of the whole coast, and was no doubt selected more for its great natural strength than for its magnificent scenic surroundings. It rises two to three hundred feet from the bed of the Waitara River, a gully runs behind it, and the other two sides were protected by formidable earthen banks, strengthened by palisading and trenches. Au idea of its strength in the days when the «hief occupation of the Maoris was fighting one another can be gained by a survey of the pah and its surroundings at the present time. Thanks to the efforts of the Scenery Preservation Society, the place has been proclaimed a

scenic reserve, and is now being cleared and fenced. Its chief attraction, however, lies in the beauty of the surrounding bush, which happily has not so far been disturbed by the ruthless hand of man, and also in the magnificient panorama unfolded to the eye. There is.an old adage that "God made the country and man made the town," and this wide panoramic sweep of sea, and sky and bush is an emphatic illustration of the truth of this countryside wisdom. Nowhere has Nature scattered her largesse with more bountiful hands.

A WISE DEPARTURE. Parochialism is quite common at county council meetings, and it is usually a case of riding against riding, members being exceedingly anxious to secure al\ 'that is duo from their own riding, and as much from the other fellow's as possible, for expenditure within the narrow limits of the few acres within'the county which they consider they have been elected to represent. Anything, therefore, that tends to broaden their range of vision should be welcomed by ratepayers 'generally. On Tuesday members of the Clifton County Council journeyed to the Xgiitimaru riding, ostensibly to open a ferro-conerete bridge, the first to ,be erected in the county. Six of the seven members assembled at the ceremony. Qf these, two represented the riding, and of the others som,e had not visited the district before, whilst one of the others had not been there for 23 years. A'il were unanimously of opinion that the trip had been of incalculable benefit to them in increasing their knowledge of the Ngatimaru riding and its requirements, the principal main-road one being improvement of corners. It was regretted that time did not permit of a run to the county boundary, a few miles further on to its outlet at the Kiore station. It js quite probaße that a trip will be arranged later on through the Mokau riding, and the whole of the councillors wil; thus gradually familiarise themselves with tlie general topography of the count}', which must tend to increased efficiency in the conduct of its business. Many public bodies seem afraid of incurring expense, but money spent on such a good purpose as this is in the nature of a very profitable investment.

.WHAT'S THE MOTIVE? What is tho real underlying motive behind the resolve of the Seamen's Union to make war upon the community? This pertinent question is asked by the Wellington Times. It is inconceivable, it says, that the mere sending of a misleading message by a Press Association agent can have anything to do with it. The Press Association has published a disclaimer, and has presented an apology for sending the message out. It is now insisted that the author of the original misstatement shall be disclosed. As palpably no purpose, good, ibad or indifferent, could be served by [such a rove'lation, and as the demand is, ton the face of it, quite unreasonable, pome other motive must be looked for.

pile facts are quite simple. An employee of the Press Association was on Juty on New Year's Day. He was infjormed of a rumor that the ■ departure ott the s.s. Maori to Picton had been prevented because the firemen had put in aI claim for extra pay. The Press Association agent was chained to his desk, and after trying vainly to get tele'ipHonic confirmation of the statement, was foolish enough to take it for granted] Hence these tears. But, as has already been emphasised, neither the general puKic nor tho Union Company is responsible, direct'iy or indirectly, for the publication of the item. The Press Association, which is responsible, is not punished, by a cessation of the ferry service, but the general public and the Union Company are. What, then, is then; in common-sense or logic to justify the firemen in depriving themselves and the crew of the Maori of employment and in bringing an essential service, to a standstill?

"MONTE CARLO' WELLS." It Was announced in a recent cable message that Charles Rivier, better known as "Monte Carlo WeViS," had been sentenced to live years' imprisonment. Late English papers contain details of the trial. The. charge against Wells was one of fraud in connection with the "Rente BimensueYle," an enterprise which undertook to pay interest at the rate of il per cent, per day, or 365 per cent, perl annum, and to return the capital at trje end of three months. Floated in October, 1010, and largely advertised, it I attracted so many investors that by April, 1911. when Wells fled to England, rthe Rente Bimensuelle had received subscriptions amounting to £BO,000. Thoj first subscribers duly received payment of capital and interest at the end of thilec months, and so the charge against tne prisoner relates only to £33.600. Questioned by the judge as to whether lie had ••broken the bank" at Monte Carlo, Wells rep'.ied: "Yes,'not once,' but ten times. I won altogether in 1889 £BO,OOO, and in August, 1910, during the existence of the Rente Bimensuelle, I wbn at Monte Carlo £2480 by iny system." Counsel for We'.ls denieSd that 1 his client had committed any legal fraud. There had, he said, 'been ho dupes, and he instanced a letter to W\ells by a photographer who had sent hlim £4. The writer said, "I know it limit be a fraud, hut I do not care so ions as it lasts long enough to enable me to make money. I do not object to 1 making! money out of other people in any wa\y." Counsel argued that the courts \ycrc not meant to protect either knaves or idiots, and he submitted that there w'as no. case against his client. Over 2000 of the Rente Bimensuelle dupes wdiv Wsilly represented.

THE\ <'ZARITZA'S ILLNESS. The rea| nature of tlie illness of the Czar's 'lieiif has now been disclosed, and in Russia \\>n- serious alarm has been aroused .In! the recent pronouncement of the. Court iWdica'i advisers to the effect that the beta is a haemopliilic—in other words, a "bleeder." This extraordinary malady, sayls the Hospital, has cropped up at intervals since the early. Middle Ages among! scions of European Royal families. In. popular language, the victims of this Constitutional tendency to (bleed excessively after comparatively slight injiiriosi; have been said to 'have "only one skill instead of three." The truth is. of ffourse, that haemophilics have just as nnany skins as anyone e'.se (to wit, one) | but that their blood, lacks, to a grenitev or lesser degree, that power of coagulation, or clothing, -which in normal persons '.cads to natural arrest of haemorrhage, after any, except very serious, iiijuiiii-s to large blood-ves-sels'. At the Wesent time it would seem that hacmjophilja is more prevalent than ever an'iong princes. The late Duke of Albany 1 suUVred from it. and eventually died it. The second son of the King and Queen of Spain is said to be afflicted by it and to be incurably deaf in consequent'* 1 of haemorrhage into the internal ear. Ulumors are also current that the Hffhcnzollems are not exempt from it. ami that some of Queen Mary's relations haemopliilic to a slight degree. Thei disease hardly ever occurs in females, bist i(, j s handed down almost exclusively yirough the female line. That is to sky, the. children of a male haemopliilic | are ]lo t '.ikely to suffer from the disease, whereas the, male offspring of a iVnuile, whose brothers are "bleeders,"! a.-e eligible for the display of : haerei>|>|i!!i.;. Jn view of the youth, the Cznr ■ ion.-and the serious i'llness througli \\ ] \\\-h be has pass-

cd. the constitutional delicacy from which he appears to suffer is bound to occasion the utmost concern for, his future among the whole Russian people.