CURRENT TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 296, 7 May 1913, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

VISIT OF THE DREADNOUGHT. His Worship the Mayor is sending a telegram to the Hon. 11. D. Bell, Acting Minister for Marine, pointing out that from reports to hand there will be over 30,000 people in New Plymouth to view the warship on its arrival here, and that it will be manifestly impossible for them all to go aboard on the one day, and asking that another two days be allotted to New Plymouth, which, Mr. Browne is pointing out, is the outlet for not town and immediate district, hut of the whole province from here to Patea. 'The Mayor is inviting the assistance of the Mayors of the boroughs, chairmen of the town boards and county councils throughout the province in the representation of the matter to the' Minister. His Worship is calling a public meeting for next Tuesday evening to make arrangements for the entertainment of the visitors a*hd''the accommodation and entertainment of the general public. Last evening the chairman of the local Expansion and Tourist League received from the Railway Department, to whom the League had previously made representations on the matter, the gratifying intelligence that holiday excursion tickets to the New Plymouth breakwater will be issued from Hawcra and intermediate stations, including branches, on June 16 and 17, available for return until June 21. This means that the tickets will be available from the Monday till the following Saturday. CRYSTAL PALACE. It was reported in the cables yesterday that the Earl of Plymouth has purchased the Crystal Palace, and that his intention is to transfer it to the public at the same price as he paid for it. A o;reat man, once said one of the most famous of mortal men. seeks the good opinion of the world and the esteem of posterity; ambition and enjoyment of high office do not constitute his happiness and satisfaction. These words, are. surely appropriate to the ease of the Earl of Plymouth (stated the Westminster Gazette), in recognition of the splendid work which he has done in trying to preserve the Crystal Palace for thq nation. Whether that work is to be successful rests with the public; but if the Palace and its grounds remain as a magnificent air-lung for London's teeming millions or not, Lord Plymouth has certainly gained the esteem of posterity and the good opinion at least of the Brjtisbspeaking portions of the world. Earl Grey, the chairman at a banquet to the Eari of Plymouth, reminded his hearers of what Lord Plymouth had done in the matter of his purchase of the Palace and grounds. The object of the dinner, was to give expression to the admiration which was felt for the "public spirit and magnificent conduct*' of Lord Plymouth. It was well known that the grounds of the Palace would have been put up for auction if a large sum of money. £220,000 had not been found. The. man who found that money was Lord .Plymouth; and posterity would not forvrct his generous action. The Earl of Ply-

mouth received a rousing welcome. He is a modest man, and just told the gathering that he thought London would he the poorer if the Palace and its past history were not preserved. Tlis "deepest interest and most profound desire" had been to see if the Palace and its site could not ho saved, and spared from falling into the hands of the builder. Karl Grey made the interesting announcement that he had received anonymously the offer of a gift of £50,000 towards defraying the cost which Lord Plymouth had made, himself responsible for. The fJrysl-.il Palace gardens and park cover 200 acres. The Palace did not pay for some time, and the company became hopelessly insolvent.

A NOTAHLU MAORI. A notable member of the native race, Rangiuhaia Te Pimi, died at I'etonc on Saturday. She was a member of the Ngatimanjapoto, Waikato, Ngatitoa, Ngatitama and other leading tribes, and was a descendant of Takarangi and Raumahora. The deceased, who was ninety-six years of age, was friendly to the pakeha in the early days of settlement, and through her instrumentality the Europeans were guarded against marauding nativos. A tangi is to be held in her honor. Her late husband, Henare Te Puni, was a great friend of the pakehas in the early days of Wellington, and for his services in the fighting that took place in the Hutt Valley and elsewhere he received a fine -siiver loving cup from the late Queen Victoria. Henare was a chief of the Xgatiawa tribe and originally came from Taranaki, whence he and others of his tribe were chased by the irresistible and bloodthirsty Waikatos. During the Record Reign celebrations, towards the end of Victoria's rale, there was a review of the troops at Aldershot in honor of the overseas visitors. A son of the Te Punis, Anei by name, was with others commanded by the Queen to join the Royal party and witness the march past of some of the regiments. The then Prince of Wales, the late King Edward, asked Anei, as the big Grenadiers marched past, what he thought of the men. "Py korry," he replied at once, "they the big rangatira. No wonder ti (adjective) beat ti Maori.!" Report has it that the Royal party was greatly amused at the unorthodox and uncourtly remarks of the big, unsophisticated Maori. Anei was after this act of Royal preferment a big rangatira—in his own estimation. When the contingent returned nothing would make him give up wearing his uniform. He paraded the streets of Wellington and Petone in the uniform until it was iinpatchable, and virtually fell to pieces from him. All the boys were fine types of manhood, but nearly all of theni died prematurely. The old lady, whose death is just recorded, must have been one of the last left, and a more kindly or abstemious Maori or pakeha woman never trod the shores of Poneke, . THE DEADLY HATPIN. The Invercargiil borough authorities have decided to frame by-laws to cope with the menace to tram passengers in the shape of the protruding pins from ladies' hats. It is now not unlikely that, in view of the serious accidents in other places and the narrow escapes in Wellington from perforation by the naked points of unprotected hatpins that one of the first matters to come before the new City Council will be the consideration of a by-law safeguarding the public from the hatpin danger. Only the day (says the Post) a tram passenger on a double-decker ear, descending the steps to the crowded footboard, nearly impaled an eye on the business end of a hatpin. By way of revenge he collected a number of tram tickets from other passengers and spiked them on the offending point while the owner of the hat waited for the people in front of her to get off. She went away with sufficient danger signals in the shape of tram tickets on the hatpin to warn other folk away!