The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 1913. THE BROTHERHOOD.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 302, 14 May 1913, Page 4

The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 1913. THE BROTHERHOOD.

The normal man is by nature a gregarious creature, and he will foregather with his fellow-men at every street corner if he has no opportunity of foregathering elsewhere. It was probably a realisation of Pope's epigram that "the proper study of mankind is man," that induced a nurfiber of our prominent citizens to establish The Brotherhood, an unsectarian society whose objects are plainly and unostentatiously altruistic. ! The Brotherhood, judging from the very assuring annual report which we published yesterday, is doing good work, and for a small community like our own it has attracted quite a large membership. This is probably due to the fact that its discussions and its ; operations are quite unrestricted under certain limitations as to language and to conduct, and members may discuss either the prospective winner of the Egmont Cup or the sixth proposition of the first book of Euclid or the texture of Queen, Elizabeth's hundreds of frocks, or the pedigree of the dog at the corner of CuiTie street with perfect frankness and freedom, so long as no bitterness is imparted to the'discussion, and the dog is not libelled nor the dresses held up to derisive seorn. Naturally a society of this sort —which is a very welcome adjunct in our midst—requires to be carefully officered, and in this respect the Brotherhood has been singularly fortunate, for its officers are thoroughly representative of the intellect and energy of the town. In its president, the Rev. J. W. Burton, it has a in an of wide sympathies and broad-minded charitableness, one of those "muscular Christians" who would have been dear to the heart i of Charles Kingslev. We are not throwing ] bouquets at the President of the Bro- > therhood, for he is one of those perI sons who prefer kicks to ha'pence, on j the old principle of "what ill thing have I > I done that this man should speak good ! of me." He has his failings, of course, ibut his sweet-tempered reasonableness J of temperament lead to the hope that | we may yet persuade him that the /■training of our boys to take care of their homes iii the hour of necessity does not spell war. But that is another story, and in the meantime all. that we wish to impress is that the Brotherhood, having made so excellent a start,' should not be allowed by its promoters to look . backwards. It was conceived in an ! admirable spirit, and:has been administered equally well. So long as it is kept free from what Mr. Burton himself has been pleased to characterise • as "wowserism" —an objectionable and illapplied expression by the way—it ought to continue to attract, not only the young men of the town, but their elders also. George Herbert once characterised the proper sweeping of a room as a humble homage to the Almighty, and her abrupt suggestion finds many an echo in modern life. There is room and to spare for the Brotherhood in New Plymouth so long as it maintains its | present ideals with strict impartiality, and finds a corner for Judas Iscariot if he cares to come along and sit beside the Apostle Paul. Incidentally, it is good to learn that it is intended to make some provision for tlife periodical attendance of our women-folk. They are literally our "better half," and no organisation, be it literary or social, is really complete without the sweetening and refining influence that they inevitably bring to bear upon its operations. A PAYING CONCERN. The electric lighting department of the borough of New Plymouth is a very profitable concern, and ratepayers may well be pleased with the return they are rei cciving from their investment. A better one, indeed, could not be expected, and for their foresight and courage in conceiving and carrying it out the town owes an everlasting debt of gratitude to die original promoters, who, it may be added, had a good deal of opposition ■ to put up with at the time the scheme I was originated. Last year's profits were ' large, hut they must grow larger as time • goes on, for a satisfactory feature of i an electric installation is that the cost of production does not grow proportionately to the increase in turnover. To enable the plant to cope with the trams and the requirements of the town for some years ahead will entail the outlay of a further £f>ooo, which, sume of the councillors think, should coine out of profits and the depreciation fund, but i we believe the borough treasurer is right when he says this money should be r available for pushing the business in i every direction, and recommends pro\ iding the amount required out of lo.tn. The gross profit last year was £4114. Out of this interest on capital had to be - paid, amounting to £1213, sinking find r £134, and depreciation £183!), leav ng f a net profit of £1207, or nearly three times larger than the net profit of *hc year before. This is a better return tUui the most optimistic could have antiei- ' patcd. Anil it must continue to increase. It can hardly help it if a live and progressive policy is pursued, as no doubt will be the case when more power is available. That has been the trouble in the past. There has been insufficient current available, and the Department have liiul to move cautiously. Business has at times had to be "turned down"; otherwise, no doubt, the profits l< this year would have made even a better showing. If more money is wanted for the building of the weir and for the duplication of the transmission lines, the Council need have no hesitancy in ap- ■ proaching the ratepayers for authority to borrow what is necessary. It would be regarded by them as an investment, and a highly remunerative one at that. ,and as involving nothing more than a nominal liability. A satisfactory feature j of the position of the Department is the large amount that is now being set aside for depreciation, This jacnev. sr.ne

£IBSO, is being profitably used for extensions which otherwise would have to come out of the capital account, Besides this, provision is being made for sinking funds, which in the course of time will extinguish the loans and leave the whole works practically an untrammelled gift to the New Plymouth of the future. Ratepayers have, therefore,

every reason to be gratified with the position of the Department and its prospects, and with the way in which it has been, and is being, handled, not only by their representatives on the Council, but by the engineer and his associates. That nothing has happened to hold up the power or interfere with the current since the works were inaugurated seven and a half years ago must be a circumstance unique in the history of electricity in the Dominion, and is' a tribute ,to the care and ability of the engineer and his staff that speaks for itself.