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Ashburton Guardian, Volume XV, Issue 3420, 26 October 1894, Page 2

Thk employment <f women in the post offices of France is not giving unmmgled satisfaction. In addition WOMB-TIN* to the numerous compost offices, plaints made by the public as to the inefficiency of the service, it is recognised that. Instead of being an economy, the female staff is the cause of a considerably increased expenditure, principally on account of the frequent changes which have to ba made through the illness of the employees. Already the female clerks have been re placed in a great number of Paris and provincial offices, and if there is no improvement the experiment will be entirely abandoned.

The bicycle, already utilised by the army and the Post Office, is about to be turned to account by the police. thk bike in The prefect of police has frange. come to the conclusion that a corps of cycling detectives in plain clothes would be most efficacions in preventing robberies in the less frequent quarters of Paris and suburbs, and he intends to ask for the necessary credits as soon as the Municipal Council J reassembles. It is proposed to begin \ with a body of about fifty officers, who will make their rounds in the Rois de Boulogne and the Bois de Vincennes, and some of the comparatively unfrequented streets, such as portions of the outer boulevards. So much for the police. The civilian haa to face difficulties with the wheel in Franca. It is apparently a simple matter to become a bicyclist, but in France the process is complicated, and the innocent person who thinks he will buy a machine, and begin to ride ib right away, will soon find out his mistake. A. really surprising number of things have to be attended to. The most important is to pay the tax—ten francs a year. Then you get a document which allows you to nse your machine on the public streets. You have your name and address engraved on a plate and affix it to the bicycle, add a lamp and bell, and then you are fairly safe in beginning to make use of your machine. A neglect of one of these details may cause serious consequences, yet there are men—bold, reckless men — who calmly ignore every ooe of them. Such foolhardiness is almost incredible, but that it exists is shown by an nffair which happened outside a cafe near the op6ra. A bicyclist, slightly the worse for attempts to wash away the dust that had accumulated in his throat, dismounted at the cafe, leaving his machine in the gutter. A passing cab smashed the bicycle and disappeared in the distance. The owner summoned a policeman to note the damage. The mai in uniform, not displaying great alacrity, the bicyclist indulged in strong language. Result: A procbs verbal for iusultins; the police, and another for drunkenness. Then came the examination of the bicycle. It had no bell, no lamp, and no plate ; the tax had not been paid, and the bicyclist had no perrnis de circulation. Iba place wa3 supplied by seven proces verbaux and a smashed bicycle,

The Nelson people rejoiced publicly at ; the defeat of the Midland Railway Bill, because it proposed to give the . the contracting company an midlanjj extension of tirae^ • Tae kailway. Colonist remarked next day: —''Ie might at first blush have appeared somewhat surprising that the Nelson people had no sooner read in the morning paper yesterday that the attempts of the Midland Railway Company, backed up by the Government, had failed, than they forthwith proceeded to evince their satisfaction by the flying of bunting. On tho face of it; t fc)e defeat of the Bill might be taken to indicate that no more work can be looked for at the hands of the company, bufe even if that were so, it is s aiafactory to find that the people can rejoice, even though they may suffer grievous disappointment, on find ing that an attempt to wrong the colony has failed. Such no doubt was the feeling of the majority of the people, but there are nevertheless »ome who feel that those pecuniarily Interested in the execution of th* work have not yet exhausted all the efforts that may be expected from them. Tcue the original company has declared that it in impossible for it to proceed, but the debenture-holders have a good deal at stake, and should they elect to take up the contract, they might claim consideration, but unless they evince a desire to proceed with the work the Government will be sacrificing the interests of the colony if they grant an extension of the contract time."

The Chinese have established a newspaper in Sydney, the title of which is the Chinese Neto Goldfield Herald. Hew x Chinese Goldfiald really stands for ! newspapbk. Australia, as Chinamen still I revere California as the "old goldfield" and Australia as the "new goldfield." The first issue published recently, was distributed gratuitously, and as it is printed in genuine and unalloyed Chinese, its appearance to a "Eulopean" at least is somewhat re markable. The leading article of the first issue ex tola newspapers ia general, and gives reasons for the necessity of this addition to journalism. Clearly the Celestials have come to stay in Australia,

The .Review of Reviews in speaking of Victoria's experiment in Protection says :— Time is the final pkotectiojst in the and moat renoorsecolonies. less critic of all theories; and, tried by the verdict of facts, Victoria has not flourished under a regime of high duties. The industries which, twenty-five years ago, were adequately " protected " by 10 per cent duties, find to-day 50 per cent duties insufficient. The most anxiously " protected" industry in Victoria, the manufacture of bcote md shoes, is precisely that in which wages are lowest, employment most uncertain, and strikes most frequent. There is a decease of 19,966," since 1890-1, of persons employed in the protected industries of Victoria.