NEWSY PARS.

Thames Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 10356, 3 May 1911, Page 2

NEWSY PARS.

Tendlers aitei invited, up till noon of Monday, May, 18thi, for rei-instating the Sholrtland Hottel. Hans and specifications rniay (bie dbtained from Mi* H. Clinker, Thames.

TliSe Northern SteUmsihip 00. is rtinning &<a excursion ibyl the Wabaitere to Auckland at the end of this week, leaving Tha.mes on Fi"idia,y, May 5 th. Tickets will bo available for return nip to Monday, Bth May, 1911. Return fare (saloon*) has been fixed at ■10s.

We learn that tlte-inmates of the Homes at Tarfeiru ana anxious to show their prpwtess at . eithei* eucihre or cribbnge, and if it is possible to assis* the Fire Brigjaide motoir reel fund in this way they ai'e prepared' to meat any organisation on Thames in the crlames mentioned.

As soon as the present wet weathei 1 breaks a start will to made with the gilding of the proposed! TairuaKauafer'angia Road frottn the Kauaeramga Valley to somewhere; within the vicinity of the fourth branch at Hikuai. The'work is in the hands of M3i- Ei. F. Adams, of Thames.

The Timaru district has had a good rain, and it still" continues. It. is to:o late, hofwefvten 1, toi do mulcih good to the feted, bait will make ploughing the lea easier. ' Some farmers have hlad to use six holfseH in a twloi-furrow plough, owing to the ground Weing sd hard.

A d!eal in instruments, music, stands, and 'band music was made on behalf of the Te Alroha Hand, when the equipment and gear of the dissolved Waikino Bland was purchased. The Band will now -bel in possession of an extensive collection of instruments, and the purchase was made possible through thie suocess which^ is attending the public canvas's for iinancial support'to.'the Band's funds.

The usual monlthly meeting of the Blaillie StreeitJ School Committee was held last ' evening, when a fair almount of 'business wais .transacted. The committee expressed dfeep regret with Misa Aishman's rtelsiignaltion, and the secretary Was instructed ten write td her to that effect.. A notifica-tdon was reoeiiVed from tlile Board that a sum of J2 1 15s amd 6d! per unit of aVeir'afela attendance isi <to be paid' into thel doinmitteef's aedbunt.

It has fbieen decided by the Tourist Department to retain the services of the massage staff at Hanniei' until the end! of June instead of dispensing with them at the end of the current month, as originally intended. This is looted on as a' step in the right direction, as: it is expected that patients will bo going to Hanmer Springs for sometime yelt who will require massage treatment. '

During the bearing of a, judgment sulmmons case at the New 1 Plymouth S.M. Court, examining counsel elicited' the fact that debitor spent one shilling per week on tobacco. Hs con-gidea-ietd! that a main: who owed monley should not smoke, but should dievofce that amount weekly tdwards reducing' the dteMs. His Wbrship, however, considered that onei shilling wieieMy was quite a moderate expenditure on tho fragrant weedl, which to some men was focd as well as smoke.

If hals bieien alleged that in New Zealand a system of conscription has been introcluciedl into defetnee matters, iblut this is not so. The fact is that conscription has never beeoi intended or desired. The power of compelling its citizens tlo taikte aa*ms on its behalf in an emergency ia a netcessaiy part of the equipment of eveiy civilised State, and! •'this powter Was vested in the New Zealand at lelast forty years (before the piassing of tha Defence Act of 1909. The object of that Act. and the Amendment Act of 1910 is simply to ensure that when the dall comles there shall be a E/ufliciielit numbler of men with the neCetesiary (knowledge to make the ° call effective. Of what will it. avail to summon the m'afuli-ood to arms when the enieimy ia at the gait© if, through laelk 1 of training, it is to form a mob and- not an army?

It ia mo* to We! wondbred at that the residents of Paraw'ai ha|v|e lodged an objection against cattle wandering on tlila rolalds. However 1, straying cattle are not the only animals com-' plained of. It is quite a common thing to sieie horses tethered on the roadfeide, the tethering' rope in some instances stretching! a,clrass the footpath, When a complaiint of this nature w'asi before the County Council yesterday, a memlhbr remarked that Ciomis wfere tvirnedi on to the road to feed and talken hornet toi milk. If the ltesidente missied a certain animal from its aceustomeld haunt they wondered wb>t hadl btaomei of so 1 and -so's cow. • .The owners of these animals, may find it profitable to allow their clows to graze on tha ■ public roads, but if they were brought (before the court and fined for (breaking the bylaws they might sudkfenly discover ! that it is cheaper to [keep thair cows at liJonm

The alleged destructivenesls of the Australian quail '.prompted Or Dbbson to molv/a at the meeting! yesterday that the County Council pay twopence per heiad for eivery one of these, birds destroyed, his reason for fixing the charge at twopence (Being that it dostls that sum for every shotgun cartridge used in the slaughter of thes© birdls. Acic'ording to Or Dobson the Australian quail is a seed feeding, ibirdi and is very destructive, eating the seed as quickly as it is sonvn. One memibei- jocularly replied | that as the Council were asked' to I pay for the hend the destroyers of tlio foirdW might >be aisiked to deliver the whole bird in fine condition. The Chairman, in a more serious strain, said that to talk of sibarting a cam-

paign against these birds opened a Very foig, question, ais although the birds did a lot of harm tlvey also did an immense amount of good', destroying crickets and grasshoppers. Not wishing! to do 1 anything hasty in thd matter the Council decided to hold the discussion over until next meeting.