CURRENT TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 216, 31 January 1913, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

A SCIENCE AND AN ART. This generation of ours is the first that sees advertising as a s( . ience aml an art. And even this generation does not realise the importance of advertising, the dignity of the advertising profession, the extraordinary part 'that advertising is destined to play in the- industry, the commerce, and 'especially in the economy of the country. The'advertisement is to the industry and business of the country what 'the brHit electric light is to the big engine producing the power. The little electric bulb tells what the engine is doing. The brilliantly worded advertisement tells what industry, commerce, manufacturers retailers are doing.

MUNICIPAL INCOMPETENTS. Our evening contemporary has discovered that tlic Korough Council arc a set of incompetents unfit to have the handling of any loan money. It was not a year ago when our friends strongly recommended the present Mayor as a fit and proper person to have control of the destinies of the town. Really, it is unkind of the Herald to go back now on their nominee and condemn his management (though, we hasten to explain, we don't feel moved to uphold it in nnv degree). As for the Councillors, if 'they are incompetent, why blame them? Whv not blame the right parties—the. ratepayers? The latter wore responsible for their election—no on else. The elections will be coming along shortly, and ratepayers have it. in their own power to elect whom they like to administer their ail'airp. Some day, perhaps, they may take some interest in the selection of their representatives. At present they let things go hang. MOTORING ACCIDENTS. The extraordinary number of motoring accidents which have occurred in the Dominion during the last few days should serve to awaken the public conscience to the perils that attend a reckless disregard of the ordinary rules of caution in the handling of motor cars. When one sees the dangerous speed at which ears are driven along the thoroughfares, one is amazed that the toll upon human life is not greater than it

is. Drivers do not appear to appreciate the responsibilities devolving upon them, and they rush through space at such a break-neck speed as to invite disaster. It is only when tragedies occur that motorists are made to think. If the events of the last few days should result in the exercising of greater care on the part of those who use petrol, they will not have been lost upon the public.—Masterton Age. CHEAP KNOWLEDGE. The value of a morning paper was brought forcibly home to a local farmer last week. On Saturday he cut his hay; on Sunday the storm came on and ruined it. "Had I read the News on Saturday morning I should have read the weather report which predicted the storm, and I would not have cut the hay. The equivalent of several years' subscription I lost over not taking the paper. I'm not going to be without it in the future." And he is not. STEADY IMPROVEMENT. An ex-resident of Taranaki, now in the north, took a run through the country from New Plymouth to Hawera recently. Eclating his impressions to the News, he said he was greatly surprised at the improvement wrought on every side during the pnst six years. Much of the land has been cleared of logs, the low-lying portions drained, better buildings have been erected, good fields of grasses are to be seen—altogether vfche improvement, he said, is most marked. For industry, he concluded, the Taranaki men can lose the farmers of the north. Wherever the Taranaki man goes, be it to the Waikato, East Coast, or North Auckland, he sets the pace in work and industry. That is the reason of his prosperity. RUSSIA'S GREAT MANN The man who made Russia was Peter the Great. . A man of rare gifts, with a marvellous memory and an indomitable will, Peter placed himself most emphatically on the side of the party of culture, he overthrew with a strong but rough hand the enemies of European civilisation and refinement, and brought Russia suddenly near to Europe and procured for her an honorable place among the great European.Powers. He was the first Tsar to leave his palace and he travelled widely, visiting Western Europe, a hitherto unprecedented feat. He became absolute Tsar in 1689. To gain a working knowledge he served in his own army under an assumed name, first as private, then as bombadier, and finally op captain. He also worked abroad in shipbuilding yards and on his return to Russia he built the first ships of the Russian navy. He founded a city on the banks of the Neva, on territory conquered from Sweden and called it after himself, Petersburg. Peter encouraged science and printing, and in 1714 established the first Russian* newspaper, the Petersburg Journal. He also effected reforms in the'administration of the interior, created a. body of police, revised the criminal code, and took severe measures for public peace. Besides these civil reforms Peter found time to eonduct numerous wars, some successful and some otherwise, enlarging his boundaries by conquest. By these means and many others besides, he raised Russia from a semi-barbarous state to a nation of considerable importance in Europe. He died on January 28, 1725, when barely 53 years of age. OUR PRODUCE AT HOME. Mr. J. R. Corrigan. of Hawera, lias been visiting the British Isles and parts of the Continent of Europe. Mr. Corrigf,n, being a farmer, and a pretty shrewd one at that, naturally devoted much time to studying agricultural matters, and visited all the principal coun- , tries in England, Scotland and Ireland. A Star reporter waylaid him, and in the i course of the inevitable interview he stated that he came across no better producing country than New Zealand. i although we had a lot to learn.in re- . gr.rd to the manufacture of dairy pro- . duce. He considers that our produce acted as a barometer with respect to the prices ruling in England. It is wonderi ful, he says, how New Zealand butter . and cheese are distributed over the Bri- , tish Isles, where they are thought a lot of. Indeed, New Zealand dairy pro- ■ duce is looked for. In a country place ' called Edit, in the :north of Scotland, I he noticed some butter and cheese which , resembled the New Zealand article. He asked the shopkeeper if he had any New ' Zealand cheese and butter..'.. The man . replied that he had not. and did not [ know where it came from; but he knew that the cheese and the butter was good stuff. Mr. Corrigan asked to be shown the cases in which the cheese and butter ; had been shipped. The cheese crate was . branded "Federation," Hawera, and the ( butter box was branded "Normanby"! N T ew Zealand butter was being retailed in many parts at Is U a lb, while Eng- , lish and Scottish dairv butter was only , commanding Od a lb. Mr. Corrigan said i that margarine, a substitute for" butter, ; was largely sought after bv certain ■ classes. It was made in 40' different ■ grades, and was sold at Is per lb double weight. He had tasted it, and found it good, wholesome food. It was hard to tell the difference between it and proper butter.

MOUNTAINEERING SAGEGUARDS. JVrites Mr. W. H. Baxter, of Egmo'nt. pillage, under Wednesday's date:— "There must be many people with experience of the mountain to whom the most lamentable feature of the recent fatality will appear the inadequacy of the arrangements existing for dealing with mountaineering accidents. It seems evident that the mountain house committees, while devoting their efforts to catering for the comfort of visitors,have neglected to provide sufficiently for their safety. Your suggested telephone line up the track is a proposition that the North Egmont Committee should thoroughly examine. On the face of it, it pieseuts an obvious advantage over the Dawson's Falls people's "chain" idea, and, if once started, would inevitably lead to the eventual establishment of a complete system for securing the safety of climbers. The complete system would probably include two or three small huts at intervals up the line, provided with food, firing, bedding, telephone, etc., and medical stores and instructions, lint before that stage was reached, the line itself would be erected, one section at a time, as funds permitted. It is clear that each section of the line erected would lessen the dangers of climbing, independently of the completion of the whole scheme. In the meantime, before the committee considers any scheme whatever which requires finnncinsr, I would suggest to them a valuable precautionary measure which they might adopt immediately, with only the most trifling trouble, and expense'. This is that two or three St. Bernard dogs be maintained at the hostelry, and trained in rescue work. To me it seems a satire on New Zcalaiiders' boasted progressiveness and intelligence that they keep St. Bernards for ornamental purposes and to take prizes at shows, and that in the sphere of action for which these splendid dogs were originally brought into existence they are never given an opportunity of showing those qualities by which they have earned a world-wide fame."

'•Succurro" writes from Rahotn to the same effect. He mentions that the St. Bernard dogs when on duty carry a, small parcel containing restoratives, etc.. and have proved themselves of great value on mountains in other countries.