STRATFORD NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 168, 15 January 1914, Page 3

STRATFORD NEWS.

THE COUNTRY OUT EAST FACILITIES FOIi SETTLERS. DEMii-a) ISY GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS. At the Borough Council mooting on MoinU, several letters wen; read conceniiirr the development of the great grasiiiS eimnlrv lying away Jo the eastward ui Wliungamomona. The Council is cioperating with other'bodies in endeavoring to 'ameliorate the conditions •of the gel tiers out there by secur ing better mail services, and an extension of the telephone system, but the Postal Department persists in looking at the question from a eold £s.d. point of view, and consistently declines to make (he .-:;iall extensions and improvements wlroii would mean so much to t'ho settlers who are straggling out there to subjugate the wilderness, and add to the wealth and prosperity of the Dominion-

Tee Assistant Secretary of the I'osUl : -Department wrote ill reply to the Council's resolution urging the erection of telephone line between Tahora- and 'i'atu that the line would not provide a service between .Stratford isnd Ohur.i «h di sired; to provide such service it would be neccs-ary to erect a metallic circuit from Stratford', and it was regretted that prospective business was not sufficient to warrant the expenditure.

The Postal Department wrote in reference to tlit' mail service requested to lie established between W'hangamomona and Ohiira. that the question bad been fully considered and that as the expenditure involved was not warranted, it was decided not to establish the service; but that the matter would be further considered when tenders for the I!)HM!HS inland-services were being invited. Also that it was reported tliat the coach runs at present only twice weekly; and that the proprietor was thinking seriously of running during' the summer only on special occasions. There was a thrice-weekly service between Whangamomona and Tahorn. and a. service by the coach v.otdd not benefit the settlers. The Kohnratahi-Tahora service, costing: £(i.j per annum, would not expire 'until t'he end of 1!)13, and could not be abolished in the meantime.

Cr. Richards pointed out that the real question was the erection of the telephone ilne between Tahora, and Tatu, a distance of about twenty miles, in order to give Tatu some connection with the outside world.

Cr. King considered the Council should make further representations, and tlie work should be done. Cr. .Ylorispn doubted whether this Council was 'justified in touching the matter at all, but it was explained that the Borough Council was one of the local bodies represented at the conference at which it was decided to urge upon the (lovernment the necessity for the work.

The Department will lip further approached on 1 lie matter, with an e\ion of tin: position. tuk uiinsA i'icnkj run'. Mr. W. A. Hewitt. secretary of the Stratford t hamber of Commerce, wrote: —"My Ch'.imher is organising a trip to tile dhurn district to take pliice 'sit the latter end of .Kelmmary "ext. Those taking part will bo conveyed by coach from \Vliang;imamonu to <Minra, where settlers will be met- From there, su.-tie will probably continue on to the msiin trunk line ami down the Wanganui River, some may go to Auckland and some may return direct. Each will pay his own expenses. My Chamlicr considers that much good may result by ■thus bringing settlers into closer touch and will be flensed if your Council will semi a representative."

STRAY PARAGRAPHS. TUl> firebcll sounded the alarm at al»nut eight, o'clock hist evening the. muse be.iny the burning of some dry trees in the southern end of the town. The brigade were quickly in attendance, ami were somewhat annoyed to learn that they had been called out without reason. A welcome shower of rain fell yesterday afternoon--just enough to freshen up vegetation, and not enough to injure.hay crops, or interfere materially with iiush burns. < All". R. Hill-Johnston, District Deputy j Grand Master of the American Order of Oddfellows in Taranaki, visited lodgx; 1 Triumph last evening, accompanied -by \l Mr. Blake, secretary of the New Ply- < mouth Lodge. Mr. F. Tyrcr, head-master of the Stratford District High School, returned from a vis ; t to Auckland and the King Country on Tuesday night. < Ilev. ,1. k Robinson, of Dunediu. nil * old Stratford Jmy, arrived here last night on a visit to his parents, Air. and Airs. It. 11. l'oliinron. Mr. W. fi. l-'earon. secretary "f the Stratford A. and I'. Association, re- ! turned last night from a. holiday jaunt i spent in the. Auckland district. HOSPITAL STATISTICS Air. T. Afi'Allister. chairman of the Hospital and Charitable Aid lioard. at the meeting of that body yesterday, gave some interesting statistics showing thi' comparison of the administration and expenses of tile local hospital as comp.irwi with other hospitals. Tin l I ligu les are taken from the annual (!ovornmenf report for the past year. The chairman submitted a lengthy state- | ment, in the course of which he referred to the rates levied by the various I boards. The lowest, in the Dominion is ] l-20d. and the highest J-."id. The TaraI naki Hoard's rates were as follows:--v New I'lvnmtulh, one-tenth; llawera. onetenth; Stratford. one-ninth: and l'atea oiie-eighteeni li. This .-hows l'atea easily the lowest, but (lie amount per head for expenditure other than capital reveals another aspect. New Plymouth expends oh (\y s H, .Stratford -Is 7%tl Hawem ts <l, and l'atea (is I'Ad. Taking provisions, dispensary, and domestic establishment together. Slref. ford was easily the lowest, and altliouali salaries and wages were tnittlj more i than the other Taranaki boards, ami. indeed, higher than any other luiird in their class, yet on the cost per head

FKOH OUR KBSIDEMI EEPOEIEK. 'dice and Job Printing Works: York Chambers (upstairs), tfeUphoM Ho. 113.

they are only ,LlO above the averajre for the Dominion, compared Willi Jkt\v< ra ,U4(> Bs.

iu salaries unil wages Stratford appears to be the highest in Taranaki in the ''medical" column, ami the total expenditure comes third out of the, four. The coal ami wood hill was comparatively light, being .approximately £27 less than I law-era, and slightly less than Paten. T'je electric light account was only ii fraction of that of Hawera and New Plymouth, and only about twothirds of I'arrni. Kcncwal and repair of furniture only cost £f> 7s hi, but hardware, came to £2B 2s IW, nearly lis per week. Mere they compared very j unfavorably with their neighbors. In ' the matter of surgery and dispensary tlie.ir expenditure was lower than any other in Tam.na.ki .by about £4O. 'flic cost per occupied bed of the various ' items, provisions, administration, etc., proves interesting. l''or provisions, all tin; Taranaki hospitals are above cue : Dominion average, Stratford being £3O, : Sew Pi/mouth £27, llaweni. £33 (fractions omitted); the Dominion average is £23 Ss. .Surgery and dispensary shows Stratford well below the Dominion average of £9 9s, with £7 75,• Sow Plymouth, llavvera, and Paten being £22 4s. £:?»> 4s, and £l3 2s respectively. Domestic, and establishment expenses s'hows NV>w Plymouth ,L'2l, ila.wei:i £93, Stratford £32, and Paten, £2l. The Dominion average is £2O. Salaries and wages show that while the Dominion average is £-10, New Plymouth, Ilawera. Strafford and Pa tea are respectively £3B, £77, £7.5, and , £:""

Taking the total administration ami maintenance together, the cost per occupied bed is: New Plymouth £11."), llawera, .i' 232, Stratford £ltil, and I'ntea C ■ the Dominion average is £10,5. The highest is Otira .Wot. and the lowest Thames Hit),

In the column showing patients' payments per occupied bed, .Stratford was easily first with £s(l 2s. as compared wifit \ew l'lyiiioiith £43 Ills, Ha (vera i' 3!) 10s, aml Patea £25 lis. Only two boards ivin show a better return, namely, Wanganui with £3B His and Otira- with £ii!l, »but in tin; latter ease tli" average cost per lied is C 4.14. Mu> amounts paid for members' travelling expenses was: Xew Plymouth £SI. Stratford £3! i, ll'awera £SO. The amount paid for charitable aid was £'i7(). compared with new Plymouth £IS4S, llawera f.jSS, ami Patea tSS. ;n the matter of subscriptions and donations. >Tcw Plymouth received £215 —nearly four times the amount contribute; to the other Boards. Stratford was file only Board who had a Saturday. £1.14 being collected. Patea ciuiic in for a bequest amounting to £234.

Taken altogether, the rcnort was such ns to confirm the Hoard's conlidence ill the secretary, the superintendent, and the matron for the way ill which the hospital has been managed. In making comparison, it must be borne in mind that the number of occupied beds (average) was, in Xow Plymouth 411, Ma went lh, Stratford 12. Patea 10.

Don't' 1 p.ivi> it too lons. Oct your order in now for one of Dan Malone and Co.'s great value Christmas hampers. All liquors of the hest brands. If delivery is required at Hag station, please add freight. It's time to have that long promised portrait taken. Xo need to wait for a fine day. Fast lenses and fast plates make showery weather as good as sunshine. Make the opportunity to-day. McAllister's Studios will give you faithful anil pleasing results. Warmer weather makes neclige shirt 3 | more than ever desirable. "The Kasli" [has them in new patterns and various materials. Tennis shirts, liglit singlets and pants, new hosiery, new ties, new sox, new hats, are here: in fact. an entirely new stock of men's wearing apparel.—llullen and Marshal', proprietors.

Give him a nine. But let it l>e a eood pipe. Handsome is as handsome does, and our handsome pipes provide a delightful smoke. Fill the nine with Stan. Sliarp's special mixture, or any of the regular brands, all of which are -stocked here, as well as cigars, cigarettes, ciwir and Mgarette holders, eases,, pouches, and so on. Stan. Sham's, next to Bellringer's.