CURRENT TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 207, 21 January 1913, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

AVOIDING THE TANGAEAKAU. ( Writes our Stratford representative: Mr. C. J. McKcnzie, district engineer, of the Public Works Department, accompanied by Mr. Stewart, of the survey staff, has just returned to Stratford from a trip into the interior, the journey having bee'|i made with a view of locating an easier and less expensive route than that through the Tangarakau Gorge for the Stratford-Te Ivoura railway. Mr. McKenzie is inclined to think the Heao Valley presents fewer engineering -difficulties, and besides this, the route would be better for opening up the country than the Gorge line could ever be, ; 1 AX OBJECTIONABLE PRACTICE. A correspondent, signing himself "Week Ender" writes regarding a practice in the town which is becoming very objectionable. We entirely agree with his remarks, which are as follows: —Even at this early date the publicity given New Plymouth by the recently formed Advertising League has given an impetus to the tourist traffic to the town. The visitors one meets in the hotels are enthusiastic in their praise of New Plymouth and environs, and, later on, we shull find many more tourists coming this way during the season. There is one thing that strikes a. visitor, especially on a Saturday night, when there is always a large crowd of shoppers and others on the main and that is the absence of police regulation. Small bands of well-dressed young men congregate at the street corners, and not only impede traffic, but amuse, themselves by passing remarks on pas-sers-by. Ladies are frequent sufferers in this respect, but these young fellows, feeling secure in their numbers, sometimes treat the solitary male in a similar fashion. Why the police allow this con-' duct to go on, week-end after week-end, has been commented upon more than once. A little attention from the "moveon" official would soon rid Devon street of this objectionable feature. '

TRAMWAYS. Mr Black, electrical consulting engineer, lias submitted to the Borough Council his revised report on the installation of a tramways system in New Plymouth, ;uul a digest of the report is printed elsewhere in this issue. Mr. Black, as was to bo anticipated, goes "Nap" on the electric overhead system. He does so every time. Palmerston North, Napier, Petone, and. in fact, all the places he "has been asked to report upon he has reported oii similarly. He condemns the other system as unsuitable for a place like New.Plymouth. Motor buses, that a good many people hold will serve the requirements of the town for some time to come, he believes are quite impracticable in a town with streets like New Plymouth, stating that even on the comparatively good roads of the Hastings district the motor-buses in use there are not successful or comfortable to ride in. This opinion will come as a great surprise to many people, who will be anxious to obtain further information on the point. The question is one of the greatest importance to the town. It will generally be conceded that improved transit facilities are required! Just what system the borough is justified in embarking upon is the question to be solved. That it will not be settled without full discussion of the merits and demerits of other systems besides the overhead trolley system may bo taken for granted.

NEW PLYMOUTH WATER SUPPLY. If there is one thing that New Plymouth has prided itself upon, it is (always, of course, excepting the beautiful Park) its water supply, .and the news will come as a great shock to many that there is a danger of the volume of water at the power house being insufß•ieat to drive all the machines and provide the borough with water supplies. This information was given to last night's meeting of the Council. It transpired that the volume coming through the tunnel is much less than the minimum that had been estimated, and this means, so the engineer says, that in order to guard against the exceptionally dry seasons the Council will have to consider the advisability of taking immediate steps for the construction of a weir at an estimated cost of about ,£2OOO. The Mayor was quite, right when he said that the town would be in a bad way if the electric light works were allowed to have first call on the water and leave the town supply dry, and steps will have to he taken' at once to remedy matters. The consulting engineer is tn he asked to report on the matter, and his report will be awaited with considerable interest by ratepayers, who will be greatly surprised to learn the position of affairs. THAT SAP. Sergt.-Major lie/ar has returned to the attack concerning the length of the sap to Te Arei. Says he:—"l desire to thank yon for inserting my letter, and for the kind reference to myself, also for a copy of your paper. You differ from me regarding the length of the sap. What, would such a sap be needed for? Why. Sir, it was only about three miles from No. 1 redoubt to Te Arei pa. In all there were seven redoubts, No. 7

bc-ing the nearest to the pa. The mortar battery was close to this redoubt. The aap began there, straight towards the pa. Lieutenant McNaughten was killed at the head of the sap, not at themortar battery. Ho got out of the sap to the top of a rise close by to view the gully on the other side. It was there he was killed when looking through his field glasses. Just twelve months before that day (March 17, 18fi0) he fired the first shot that was fired in the war, from a small mortar. I travelled nearly every morning from No. 1 redoubt to the trenches, and was there all day —this for about two months. That you will readily admit was sufficient to make me fairly well acquainted with the locality. ion must have dropped upon the traces of some of those redoubts, and took tkem to be parts of a continuous' sap. Did there ever exist a military engineer who would begin to sap to such a position three miles away? The death of Lieutenant MeXaughten cast a gloom over Wie trendies that day. He was a very popular officer, and was advised not to go where he expressed his intention of going, for the enemy had been remarkably active that afternoon—so much so that we fixed bayonets three times, expecting them to rush the trench, and extra men were brought up in consequence." We are indebted to the gallant old soldier for this elucidation. The position, however, was made quite clear by the map drawn by the late Mr. Rawson soon after tile fighting and which is now in the possession of Mr. W. T. Jennings. This map, from which we took particulars of the distances, must be taken as correct. Friends of the Sergeant-Major will be pleased to hear t-liat there is a probability of his revisiting his old district when, the veterans celebrates the anniversary of the Battle of Waireka.