CURRENT TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 204, 17 January 1913, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

THE TE ARET SAP. The length of the sap to Te Arei, constructed by the Imperial forces over fifty years ago, is still exercising the minds of the people. Mr. W. T. Jennings has in iiis possession some invaluable records bequeathed to him by his uncle (Mr. Seft'ern), of the old days, and among his treasures he has a sketch map and description of the locality, the work of IT. V. Rawson, which shows the position of the sap, the blockhouse and redoubts. From the map. which was drawn in 1802, we glean that the distance from Kairua Xo. 1 redoubt to No. t redoubt is 570 yards; from No. 2 to No. 3 redoubt, 430 yards; from No. 3 redoubt, where the double sap starts, to No. (i redoubt, where double sap ends, the distance is 770 yards; from No. 0 a single sap was continued 86 yards further. and passed through the first line of the Maori' rifle pits, which extended in an easterly and westerly direction for about three-quarters of a mile above Iluirangi. From No. 7 redoubt (it was near this redoubt where Captain Strange was mortally wounded) a single sap was continued towards No. S redoubt, and is about 500 yards in length. From No. 8,, which was a square guard redoubt thrown up to protect the sap after the rollers had been removed by the Maoris, a double sap was continued, passing through several lines of Maori riJle pits, and was about 400 yards in length. There was a second demi-parallel from the double sap beyond No. S. reaching to the nearly perpendicular cliffs of the W&itara river, and it was in this trench that Lieutenant McNanghten, R.A., was shot whilst laying the cohorn mortar. This was about 300 yards in length. Shortly after this the chief Hapurona hoisted the white flag at Te Arei. and terms were agreed to, and hostilities ceased in the district. MAORI DODGERS. The Maori of to-day will hot pay if he can possibly avoid it.' lie is totally unlike his forefathers, whose word was his bond. And it is not surprising, therefore, that notwithstanding the ' enlarged, legal powers given local bodies in the collection of rates, that he will not pay the rates on his land. One local body, writing to the. Patea County Council, stated that in two years it had only got £lO from the Maoris for rates, and —here was the rub—it had cost the Council about £IOO in actual cash to collect the money. Another local authority wrote to the Patea Council stating that £1555 0s Gd had been levied on native lands in the last five years in its district and but £4 5s 2d collected. Other local bodies' figures were £4732 Is 3d and £445 5s Gd levied, and £212 10s Id and £4 I2s lid collected respectively. In these last two cases the natives escaped payment of some £4061 out of £5177' due. WIGS ON THE GREEN. Mr. G. V. Pearce, M.P., chairman of the Patea -County Council, is promised a warm time by the new paper at Waverley. The latter applied for a share of the advertising and printing in connection" with 1 the -county, and Mr. Pearce fought stoutly against encouraging "these small papers that are a tax 011 farmers and local bodies." The Tribune's resentment of his action is shown in the following paragraph:—"His insinuations and efforts to draw a Ted herring across the scent are as baseless as they are unworthy of anyone desiring to stand well in the esteem of honorable men. His questioning the stability of any journal is a piece of astounding effrontery. Such actions are sometimes costly." In the course of his speech Mr. Pearce, according to the Tribune's report, got off the following, which will no doubt greatly interest the papers concerned:—"The chairman said that some (of the country papers), were started to get the county advertising. Eltham, Manaia and Opuhake were cases where there had been agitation to suit the newspapers, and though ratepayers had opposed it the movement was successful because of the presence of an Eltham journalist in the Legislative Council." This proves—(l) that the communities mentioned have no minds of their own; (2) that the country papers possess enormous influence and power when they can move the ratepayers to move against their own interests; ■and (3) that the Eltham journalist in the Legislative Council has even greater power when he can get Parliament to sanction measures to which the ratepayers affected were opposed. Either this or Mr. Pearce is talking nonsense. We will await with interest what our friends in the county have to .say in reply to the member for Patea.

IMMIGRATION, ■ Last year we gained 8927 people hy immigration. This is about double the. number ive pained in the two previous years. Yet it is nothing to blow about. If the country is to be properly developed we must have at least three times the number of immigrants we are receiving. Mr. JVlassey said that the Government believed in pursuing an active immigration policy, and that the High Commissioner was well informed of the Government's desires. Population we must have, at whatever cost and trouble, provided always that it is of the right class, EXPORTS UP. Departmental returns to hand show that the value of the principal products passed through the Customs for export last year reached a total of £20,078,00(5, as compared with £17.594,9G5 in 1911. The calendar year is not the best period to take as a guide in this matter for purposes of comparison, but with that reservation it must be said that the result is entirely satisfactory (remarks the Wellington Times). A still 'better showing would have been made but for the unfortunate Waihi strike. As it is, the gold export last year was less than that of 1011 by nearly £500,000. Among the staple items of export woo! accounts for £7,0!>2.832, or nearly onethird of (lie total: frozen meat for £3.830,448. butler £2.094.78!). and cheese £1,883.592. The actual and centesimal increases in these lines were:— Amount. Per cent -S Wool 544,423 8.3 Butter :... 535,444 34.0 Cheese 490,510 42,0 Frozen meat 344,383 9.8 The wool, of course, contains little of this season's, which is bringing substantially enhanced values. Kauri <nim, timber, hides and skins, tallow and hemp showed reasonable increases. Potatoes went from £0339 to £150,209, ami oats from £9249 to £484.540. Wheat, on the other hand, exhibited n shrinkage from £219,182 to £95,702. On the whole, the figures are expressive of a good exporting year fairly well distributed among the different primary industries, with dairying leading in respect of rate of increase.

AUSTRALIAN AUDIENCES. Speaking of hor .-\usfralian theatrical impression--. "Ali-s Svbil Arundale said in Melbourne Hie oilier day (bat ono of the tilings which imprpssod her most strongly was (lie intelligence and wonderful adaptability of Australian audiences. "Not boiiij; a tragedienne I cannot speak as to the liking for that class of entertainment, but that the average Australian likes comedy there is not a shadow of doubt. They have a keen

sense Hi humor and seldom miss a point. In Melbourne and Sydney in. 'The Girl in the Train,' the people, in front invariably rocked with' laughter. Night after night the jokes never missed fire, and the audiences always laughed in the some place. We have," continued the brilliant cfmedienne, "few audiences like them at Home. The English audiences lack the spontaniety of the Australians. I don't say they don't see the points as quickly, but they certainly are not so spontaneously demonstrative as their cim-dns down under. it is entirely a pleasure to play out here. Your audience is glad to see you, and unmistakably tells yon so." LAX J) HALLUX INFLECTIONS. A noticeable feature of yesterday's land ballot at New Plymouth was the paucity of applicants. There were only ;>0 applications for 12 sections, and in respect to seven other setions there were none at all. Die cause is not difficult to divine. It ii* not due to any abatement of the land fever, but rather to the inlluence of changed conditions governing the ballot. Jt is estimated that the provision which gives preference to married men kept many young would-be settlers

who thought they had Buckley's chance of seeming a section—from participating in tiic ballot, En passant as an incentive to marriage this provision may possibly sonic, day receive attention. The clause, recently introduced, which gives preference to those who have twice been unsucce.M-.fiil at previous land ballots, was al-o doubtless the cause of nuuiy land-seekers remaining at home that day. But you can never tell your luck, aml the fact that mail}' sections went beting yesterday will no doubt inspire some bachelors with greater hope by the time the next ballot comes along. A TENNIS INVASION. Yesterday New Plymouth was invaded by an army of tennis players who hailed from all parts of the North Island, and one or two southern provinces. It was the couimenc(;iii"nt of the Taranaki Lawn Tennis Tournament, and from an advertising point of view, quite apart from its stimuli iting influence on local tennis, its importance should not be under-rated! Tennis is one of the most fas-' cimitin« and recreative of outdoor sports and it is pleasing to note the big headway that it is making in the province, especially in the premier town, with its three clubs. Players would have to search far and wide before they come across better lawns than those placed at the disposal of the Association for the tournament, and the New Plymouth Club is to be congratulated on the splendid state of the courts and the arrangemeniri generally, which has now assumed much larger proportions than formerly, must be the raising of the general standard of play in the district, for here the incxperiun.W rub shoulders with champions and ex-champions of the racquet. Incidentally, spectators at the tournament cannot help being impressed with the fact that tennis is a game "with a wide scope. It is played and excelled in by players of all ages, for, unlike football. it is not exclusively a young man's pastime. The competitors yesterday included many mkldle-aged folk, staid and portly citizens being equal!}- at home on the lawns with those yet in their twenties. One of the most proficient of the lady players has the proud distinction of being a grandmother! Lastly, there is this to be said of tennis: it brings both sexes together in keen competition on an even footing, with no jarring sex distinctions. Golf excepted, there are few, if any, outdoor sports which may be indulged in together by both boyg and girls, and men and women.