LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 203, 16 January 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

We have to apologise to our Tikorangi subscribers for the irregularity of the delivery of titeir papers during the past day or two, owing to the inevitable accidents that will occur with the inauguration of a new service. We have taken steps to prevent a recurrence of the tnuible. and can coniidently assure our subscribers that they will not be again disappointed. The High School TSoard met yesterday, and transacted business of a routine nature. The Australian mails, ex Manuka at Wellington, will arrive here this (Thursday) afternoon. 'I iu' lv,, iii of Mr. Black, consulting engineer. on a scheme of tramways for Xew Plymouth is in the hands of the liorongh ( ouneil, and will be considered aI. an early date. Two fairly large sharks were noticed disporting themselves yesterday within about thirty yards of the beach oppoisite the Terminus Hotel. A number of children were busily engaged paddling at the. time. \\ ork started at Whangamomona for the co-operative men about a week ago, and the number at present employed there is iti the neighbourhood of 250. When the line was at Huiroa 700 men were employed, while at one time there were 500 railway workers at Whangamomona.—Post. There are a few families in the Mokau district that are receiving no eduaetion at all. At the mines the former owner erected a school at his own cost, but the difficulty experienced was in getting a teacher, and it is a difficulty that has remained insurmountable. One large family living on a different part of the river can neither read nor write. Truly it is a sad state of affairs, but one not infrequently attached to the life of subduing the wilderness. An interesting sidelight on the amount earned by registry offices in the Dominion per minimi in' connection with Unemployment of labor, was shown by Mr. E. .1. C'arev at (lie Conciliation Council in Wellington. He stated that departmental returns showed that between £3OOO and £4OOO a year was paid by i people in search of employment to pril vat.e registry offices. The workers could not a (lord to pay such nil amount, and ' if employers would take advantage of the union office to engage labor they would g a better satisfaction, and both ' parties would save money. Owing to the lack of domestic help farmers' wives are having the life o< galley slaves. What with the task of rearing big families, milking cows, baking. cooking, and household cares, the lot of the farmer's wife is not a happy ' one at present. Servants or lady helps on the farm are almost an unknown quantity, and lucky the farmer's wife who can compress her toil within 10 lii.uvs out of the 24 in the present busy . season. No wonder the married women soon look old, when their working hours are beyond all reason. Sixteen hours' toil per day is out of the question, and t yet this kind of white slavery is genI erally practised on many farms in the | Tapanui district.—Tapanni Courier. i At a time like the present, when the 1 dignity of the lireim-n on a steamer is • being impressed upon shipowners, it is of r interest to look back and see how the r position of the workers has improved in i Xew Zealand since 1840. Here, for inI stance, is a copy of an advertisement ' that appeared in the Xew Zeahander of ' that, year:—'•Three of my hired servants, being absent from my employment with- • out leave, anyone employing them win t be prosecuted with the utmost rigor of r the law." Tn this connection it may be ■ mentioned that the first strike occurred ' in Auckland in 1848. It was amongst I the Maoris working at road-making'. The , authorities had deducted from the > Maoris' wages the cost of the rations ■ supplied, so they went out on strike, claiming that they were not slaves, and i should be treated as white men. Over • -00 Maoris went out. but even in those i days there was a minority of 40 who remained at work. The wages paid the Maoris were 0s per week. During the holidays, says the Auckland correspondent of the Wanganui Chronicle, Taupo has been the Mecca ■ of many sportsmen and sight-seers, who have come away with two strong opinions- that (lie proposed railway to 'aupo iS altogether needed in order to facilitates access to this wonderful lake, . and that the astounding waste of the , best fond in the Dominion is a disgrace to thi s or any other Government which permits it and insists upon it. Taupo tiout is in the pink of condition. Lake and steains swarm with magnificent fish. Sportsmen cannot keep fish down, and is consequently a danger of their deterioration, as in Rotorua, yet the Government takes no steps to provide the public of Auckland and the Dominion with the best of food from this teemintr si.pply. The other day a fisherman caught twelve splendid trout; and gave six to some Maoris. Some time afterwards saw the fish flung away and spoiling in the sun. At Taupo the Maoris and their pigs are gorged and glutted with trout until they can cat no more. Trout is being used as a fertiliser. Trout is being openly and monstrously wasted, yet must not. be sold to fish-hungry cities, and the ( loYiTllment makes no allenijV. (~ e-tabiish a ccmnicrcia! s!;;!(. fishery.

Quite recently a -cam of excellent: household coal. 42t't thick, was discovered not far from the main road in the Inaugahua.' district. The owners have not yet decided whether to deal with it as a marketable asset or as a workable mine. One of the results of universal mechanical traction is a marked diminution in the number of horses in England. A return supplied by the Hoard of .Agriculture. showing fjie supply of horses in •.«»• for agricultural purposes, indicates i gradual decline since lOOti, until the number, including animals unbroken, is now less than 2.000.(100. Military authorities express grave concern at the serious shrinkage in I lie horses available for irmy remounts, and strong representations are being made to the fJovcrninenfc' to prohibit as far as possible the export of horses by agents of foreign Governments. There is opportunity for Imperial enterprise in this demand for horseflesh, and it is characteristic of British' shortsightedness in failing to secure the co-operation of colonial Covernsnents ill matters of Imperial concern, that no encouragement is given to the breeding of horses in those parts of the Empire where soil and climate are adapted to the business. Although thousands of 'bus and cab horse- have disappeared from the streets, draught stock is still very dear in England. None of the British regiments which were sent out to New Zealand distinguished itself in-the Maori war mors than the ."57t.1i (''Old Die Hards"). Quite a number .of the ollicers and men remained in the colony, and many of these are still in the country. Sergeant-Ma jot Bczar, who was in the regiment when ifc came out to New Zealand, and has been: residing j n Wellington for many years, has just received a letter from one of the officers of the 57th (Lieutenant-Col-onel Ward) —now in Tndia—in which the writer says:—"All ranks of this battal* ion are very anxious to get into communication with the veterans of the 57th 1 Regiment now residing in Wellington. Would you therefore kindly forward thei >, twenty cards T am sending by this mail 1 to any of the old 57th men you may, know of. or whose addresses could b«' obtained from the Veterans' Association. I shall be exceedingly glad if you will do this, and let me have names of recipients and addresses for future reference. I hope next year to have a-New, Zealand Christmas card, which T hope' to send to all survivors." The card to be distributed .by Sergeant-Major Bezar bears photographs of Colonel Lord Sinclair, now senior officer of the 57th. who was present at the Battle of Inkerman, | and was severely wounded while leading the Light Company at the storming of • the Redan; of four medals now in th# officers' mess of the regiment; and of a centre-piece to the memory of Captain G. IT. Norman, of the 57th, who wag"' mortally wounded at the assault upon the Redan, inhere the 57th formed "the Forlorn Hope." j