CURRENT TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 263, 29 March 1913, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

PARTY GOVERNMENT. • The party system of government came in for some trenchant criticism at the hands of the Hon. O. Samuel in responding to the toast of Parliament at a public function on Thursday. "I regret to say," he remarked, "that the party spirit, instead of dying away, is becoming stronger and stronger." Continuing, he said that he regretted to sec the efforts that were being made to bring about the election of the Legislative] Council by party vote.. To have both | Houses elected on the same franchise \ would be a disastrous subterfuge, unworthy of the Government that propos-1 ed it. This would simply mean an extension of the abuse of party polities. "I think," he remarked, "that that is a - most deplorable thing and that if we are going to raise party above all other considerations, and subordinate the interests of the State to party, then let us sweep away this flimsy pretext and have only one House." ELECTRICITY ON THE FARM. A Tataraiamaka farmer is about to install an electric light plant on his farm. He visited not long ago a farmer friend in the Dannevirke district, and from him got the idea of installing the electricity. His friend had put in an electric plant some years ago. By its means he lights his house, his shearing sheds and all outbuildings, saws his wood, turns ids churn, runs his chaff cutter, and the hundred and one other things required on the farm. From a switch in his own bedroom, ho controls the whole of the lighting. The power is.obtained from a small creek. The friend has been attending the Good Templar Conference in New Plymouth this week, and went out to Tataraiamaka, and was much impressed with the latent power, in the streams. He estimates the cost of installing the system at not more than £IOO. The visitor says that there is no other part of New Zealand that is endowed with so much latent electric power as Taranaki. and he cannot understand why more is not done by settlers in the way of harnessing and utilising it-for the' work of the farm.

DAGGERS OF RUAPEHU. Some particulars regarding Mount Ruapehti, on which the party of tourists were lost on Sunday last, were given to an Auckland pressman by Dr. W. G. Scott, of Onehunga, who has made the ascent several times, and is well acquainted with the mountain. Ruapehti, which is 887!) feet in height, and the loftiest point of the' North Island, is generally reached from either Ohakune or Rangataua, at both of which places there are climbers' clubs, which maintain permanent camps just above the bush line. From Ohakune the first eight or nine miles lie through extremely dense bush by a fairly good track. This'is usually accomplished in one day, and the ascent of the higher portion of the mountain left till the next. In addition to the two camps, there are several huts (including two Government ones) above the bush limit on the various places round the mountain. So far as the final stages of the climb are concerned, Ruapehu is not, in Dr. Scott's opinion, a difficult proposition to anyone with an elementary knowledge of mountaineering. From the Ohakune side the route is up a rocky ridge, lying between two glaciers, and this ridge in summer time is generally clear of snow. At its top the climber comes to the big snow plateau, which fringes the beautiful crater lake. It is only by extreme carelessness, he thinks, that a party could lose their way or become separated on the top of the mountain, since there are numerous well-defined landmarks. The real danger, it would seem, lies in the bush. It is by no means an easy matter to find, when descending, the points where the various tracks emerge from the bush into the belt of sub-alpine scrub. Thus a party, may very easily be misled. The bush is so dense that persons missing the track have been known to spend 12 or 14 hours.in finding it again. ~ ;«*;JsJf-'