CURRENT TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 198, 10 January 1913, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

DANGEROUS RAILWAY CROSSINGS. It is the intention of the Nonnanby Town Board to endeavour to secure the co-operation of the Hawera and Eltham County Councils and the Hawera Borough Council in a strong recommendation to the Railway Department in connection with the dangerous crossings at Normanbv, Te Roti. and Hawera. According to the Witness a Manaia business man, who has had some previous successeis in mechanical invention, is at present engaged in devising an appliance that will regulate the automatic opening and shutting of gates at railway crossings.

A DANGEROUS SPOT. That the spot at which the unfortunate bathing fatality occurred at Mokau on Monday is a dangerous one 13 cVear from the full report forwarded by our Mokau correspondent. Not long ago, a resident of New Plymouth stated yesterday, lie and two others were in a boat in the locality when the tide was on the ebb. The three pulled with all their might against the current, but their united efforts were unable to force their craft through, and they were kept hard at it for over an hour fighting against the current. Only when the tide turned were they able to make their destination. In the opinion of our informant it is surprising that any of the four boys were saved.

METHODS IMPROVING. A well-known former resident of Tarantiki has been spending his holidays in the district;, arid in conversation with a pressman expressed the opinion that the methods of the farmers of North Taranaki were greatly improving. The land, he says, is doing bettor as a result of manuring; the stock is of a better type; the fences are more, permanent, and the houses and outbuildings have been built for future as much as present requirements. Everywhere, in fact, he noticed a great improvement. ''The only thing lemiirod now," he concluded, "is that the accursed system of chopping and changing will atop, and the holders of land be satisfied to devote their energies to the tilling of the land which in these highly favored parts will give a generous response to all the work put in,"

POOR OLD ENGLAND. Some belted Earl said the other day that Lloyd-George was driving millions of money out of Britain and crippling trade and industry. The figures of British trade that were cabled the other day indicate how the bottom is falling oa% of the tottering Old Land. They show that her trade was worth the record amount of fl ,345.000,000, which is actually £107.845,000 greater than in 1011, and has never been equalled before. Poor obi England! How disappointed must he the Tories, who have rlieen predicting the ruin of England ever since Lloyd-George and his merry men attacked the citadel of the TTouse of LordP, reduced it, organised the national insurance scheme, made the vested interests pay their proper proportion of taxation, and brought forward the Home Rule Bill. Britain is on the up grade,

and the reason for it is not hard to seek. BUSH PRESERVATION. On tho Tikorangi Bide of that historic and interesting spot, Puke-Rangiora is a belt of picturesque bush, stil'i in all its pristine glory, that, with the bush on the southern side of the Waitara river, affords a fitting foreground to the magnificent view old. lined from the old Maori stronghold. This piece of 'bush is on private land, having been preserved by the. owners, who probably could do with tho land it covers for the depasturage of their cattle. It is very necessary that this fine piece of hush should he preserved, and we suggest that representations be made to the Government to have it proclaimed a scenic reserve. The Prime Minister is expected to visit Taranaki shortly, and an '-fl'ort should be made to take'him out to this famous spot, lie has, we are satisfied, omly to see it in order to make the necessary proclamation.

A WONDERFUL OLD MAN. ■Dr. Alfred Wallace. 0.8., F.R.S., is a celebrated naturalist, traveller and author, whose fame is linked witli that of Darwin as the co-discoverer of the doctrine of Natural Selection. He has just turned ninety years of age. The veteran biologist is one more illustration of scientific longevity. Of Wallace's many works, his "MalayArebipelago" is perhaps the most notable. The Royal Society honored him by awarding him a Royal gold medal. 18118, and the ""Darwin medal in 1800. Besides his works on natural selection and kindred subjects Dr. Wallace has written on many topics. In 1881 he published '•Miracles and Modern Spiritualism." In this he gave an account of the reasons which induced him to accept beliefs which are share'l by so small a. proportion of scientific men. These reasons were purely experimental, and in no way connected with Christianity, for he had long given up all belief in revealed religion. Jn 1822 he published "Land Nationalisation," in which he argued the necessity for^ State ownership of land, a principle which he had originated long before the appearance of Henry George's work. In "Forty-five Years of Registration Statistics" (18S5), he maintained that vaccination is useless and dangerous. Dr. Wallace also published an account of what he held to be the greatest discovers as well as the failures of the 19th ceiitury, "The Wonderful Century" (18!)!)). Possessed of a bold and intensely origina', mind, his activities have radiated in many directions, and he is apparently attracted rather than repelled by the unpopularity of a subject.

A FAMOUS ATTACK. The Maori of the old school was made of different material to the Maori of these degenerate days. He was hardv and plucky, and quite indifferent to death. The red-coat who faced him mi the wars he held in contempt, though this feeling was modified somewhat a* the pakeha, gaining by experience, adopted methods different from those employed in the Crimea and India, from which most of the soldiers had come, and more suited to the conditions of this country. For the volunteer, who always played him at his own game, he entertained the greatest Tespect. The contempt he had for the professional soldier was clearly shown at Xo. 3 redoubt, Huirangi, not far from Puke\Rangiaora, during the first war. Before daylight one morning about 140 of t*cm contrived to creep into the ditch of the redoubt, which was' manned by about GOO men, mostly of the 40th Regiment, many of whom, by the way. are still with ns. Here they cut steps in the embankments with their tomahawks, with the idea of reaching the inside of the forts. In the grey of dawn, a sentry perceivnd one Maori—the last of his party—creeping to the brow uf the ditch; he fired on him, and was immediately shot dead himself. Then the garrison was awakened, and a scene ensued which baffles description. The troops fired as fast as they could load their | rifles, and the artillerymen, with great coolness, cut short the fuses of tlie shells, and, lighting them, pitched them over into the trench. There was frightful execution. The sanguinary conflict was prolonged till daylight, when supports came from a neighboring redoubt. j These were attacked in turn by native reserves, who were 'tying in the fern, and rose, according to one writer of the times, "like a flock of birds." A few bayonet charges and the Maoris turned and fled. How sanguinary the fighting was shown by the fact'" that in the trench of the redoubt and near by 40 bodies of Maoris were found. The' British forces escaped with 16 casualties--five dead and 11 wounded. The dead bodies were buried in a grave which recently has been, enclosed by a fence and a cross erected.