TABLE TALK.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIV, Issue 180, 30 July 1903, Page 1

TABLE TALK.

Outward 'Frisco mail to-morrow. Auckland Shakespeare Society meets 'to-night. "The Other Man's Business" at Hi 3 Majesty's to-night. New Zealand beat Metropolitan (Sydney) Union by 33 points to 3. A robbery at Grey Lynn is to be added to the long list of recent burglaries. The Archbishop of Canterbury opposed the Education 3HI in the House of Lords. The boys increased by four while the girls decreased by 44 in the State schools during the foregoing qua-rter. Mr Kingston has refused to reconsider his resignation from his office as Federal Minister of Customs. The Archbishop or York- recently received an anonymous gift of £10,000 in aid of his Poor Benefices Fund. Mr McNab has brought in his bill providing for the right of women- prisoners to be tried by a jury of women. John White, an inmate of the Isle of Wight Union, attained his 100 th birthday, and died two hours afterwards. Captain Colbeck will bey ««. dharge of the , Antarctic relief expedition, while Captain McKay will connnand the' Ter•Tariova-. •"■ ■ ' • ■.' • ■ ;

Mr Hall-Jones stated in the House yesterday that Mr Hancock,, the ■ waterpower expert, would be leaving America for New Zealand next month.

Owing to the "tightness" of the London market it will be impossible for any colony to raise "a loan in the immediate future, says a Brisbane cable.

Dr. Griffiths, president of the British '•'Medical Journal," made some strong remarks concerning infant mortality, especially in regard to sanitary, laws.

A resident of Prineeps-street, Grey Lynn, had her clothes line stripped recently. Other householders should make provision against similar visitations.

The Preston (England) Magistrates sentenced Wm. Varley to three months' hard labour for cruelty to a cat. Hβ tried to break its neck, then its • back, and finally kicked it to death. < '

Private White, of the 6th Dragoon Guards, stationed at Bangalore, has re-ceived-a letter from solicitors ih'Australia informing him that his uncle, who died in the colonies, left him £29,000.

"Mr Chamberlain says it's, not a,poll tax, but I don't know what else you would call a tax on each native'adult in the colony," said Mr Slade in referring to the Fijian capitation tax in his,-lec-ture last night. -.... ". \ .-,■'.. ■.'. -.:., ~'.. "Truth" says that the proportion of police to the population in Chriatchurch and suburbs is understood to be far belowv the proportion in the other three large centres of the colony, and additional men are asked for. , ;; Mr .Taylor said in the House last night that it was/felt that.there' was sufficient power in the streams running from; the Southern Alp.a* to the sea board to run tlje; whole of the South Island railways L smd to nm them economically., v:. ; Mr Luke said at the Ediieatioir Board' meeting last night that .' Mr Lainbe only knew how people bothered members of the Board, knocking them up at all hours of the night, they would not' want to have the canvassing clause rescinded. \ The Cape "Times" avers that: "During a dark night some thieves' , entered a field at Menindee, New South Wales, and sheared all the wool off a flock of sheep. They managed to get away with the wool without being discovered." How smart of them! Masterton is within distance of having public swimming* ba:ths. Over £200 has already been subscribed, and the matter is being taken vp v enthusiastically. The baths will be concrete, 150 ft. long by 45ft. wide, with ,a ranging from 2ft. 6in. to 7ft. 6in. : The Rev. Mr* Slade recalled the fact •last night that the small banana of the Islands was originally introduced by the, London Missionary Society into Tonga and a couple of small islands, from which it had spread all over the Pacific. islancU The larger banana, which is now sold, is a la.ter commercial production grown for weight. • ' .'•""'.

When the snow-balling process became irksome to some of the drivers of tradesmen's vehicles (says a Timaru paper), they resorted to a novel device. What they did was to secure a box of eggs, the only virtue of which was in their extreme old age, and, not .wishing to take anything for nothing, they gave something in exchange for the ' snow, much to the disapprobation of the snowballers.

A Berlin paper devoted to invention states that a new metal has been discovered which will be put on the market under the name of meteorite.. It is. a compound of aluminum, and is proof fijgainst chemical influences. ;.At ' the same time it is extremely pliable, so that it can be used for. pipes,-.wiring, ■horse-shoes, and in all cases where brass is now used. Its weight is one-third of that.of brass, and its price the same.

Mr Alfred H. Burton, of Dunedin, ha 3 hit upon a good idea for developing the love of literature among the masses. He has just reached the fourth of & seriee of "Evenings with Great Authors," in which he reads selections from the finer wgrks of English literature. His la-st evening included Kinglake's "Eothen/ , Do Quincey's "Dream Fugue," and Hardy's "Far from the Madding Crowd." If people won't read they must he read to. ' . '