TOPICS of the DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 16, 16 July 1910, Page 11

TOPICS of the DAY.

LONDON, June 3. THE HOSROBS OF THE FRUIT STALL. It would surely conduce to happiness in this life if certain scientists were seriously attacked by some of tlie microbes with which they are for ever threatening the human race. Two of the latest scaremongers are Messrs Fillassier and Sartory, French gentlemen who are exceedingly busy just at present in presenting to the public the dangers of eating unwashed fruit.

According to these worthies, the man, woman or child who ventures to buy oranges, grapes, gooseberries, strawberries, etc., exposed for sale in shops or on street barrows is inviting disaster.

The barrow fruit, of course, is the most dangerous to tackle; it simply swarms with maleficent creatures. But there is no safety even in buying the finest fruit from the best class of shops. These "experts" bought strawberries from a barrow in Paris at 4 p.m. in a mean street. They washed them in water, and by some means not clearly specified discovered in .06 of a cubic inch of the washing liquid no less than 1,850,000 microbes, chiefly bad ones. Then they washed the fruit again, this time in sterilised water, and discovered 74,000 microbes per .06 of a cubic inch of water; whilst a third bath produced a further 18,000 per .00 cubic inch. Almost as bad were the results obtained from gooseberries bought from itinerant vendors, no less than 000,000 microbes being detached from them in ■the course of a triple wash.

Better reuults were obtained from gooseberries bought in a high-class shop, where two washings only produced a total of 92,000 microbes per .00 cubic inch of water, but some grapes bought-at a shop in a street much patronised by motor traffic produced most horrible results in the wash.

The first" water contained no less than 3..550.000 microbes to the .06 of a cubic inch, the second 120,000, and the third 27,000 —practically 00 million microbes in each cubic inch of water if they had been all washed off at the first time of asking!

And then, after telling us these fearful things, Messrs Fillassier and Sartory calmly tell us that they believe that in the majority of cases a piece of muslin thrown over fruit or vegetables exposed for sale would be enough to prevent the greater part of the microbes contaminating the fruit. The muslin that would prove an efficient barrier to bacteria, of which 60 millions can squeeze themselves into a cubic inch of •water, and yet conceal their presence from the naked eye. is something the housewife may only dream about.

There is a good deal more to be said for the second suggestion—namely, that fruit should be washed before it is eaten —though it is to be feared that 99 people out of 100 will take 'their fruit "neat," so to speak, and chance the danger of swallowing a few thousand microbes with each mouthful.

DEARER BEEF. Meat is to lie dearer a<ll round, and there is no indication that prices ml! fall again for some time. This is no doubt good news to New Zealand exporters of frozen meat, but it is a serious matter for English housewives. The shortage of supplies of live cattle has reached such a stage that the National Federation of Meat Traders has- issued' this week an official notice warning the public that an all-round rise in retail prices has become absolutely inevitable. The probable increase will average at least 2M a pound, according to a leading London butcher. The principal shortage is in the shipment of meat from Canada and the Argentine, the falling off being due, it is said, to the stringent embargo that has •been placed on the importation of live in the interests of the public health. English supplies, too, : taken all round, have been very short for come considerable time past; had it not been for more extensive shipments from the States, and more particularly from Australia, prices would 'have risen some weeks ago. An analysis of -the prices obtaining exactly a year ago and to-day shows some startling differences. The price quoted is per butchers' stone of eight pounds. 1909 1910 ' Beef—■ s. d. s. d. Biver Plate frozen hind-qrs 2 4 3 10 „ „ „ fore-qrs 1 6 2 10 Australian frozen hind-qrs 2 4 3 8 „ „ fore-qrs 1 G 2 10 New Zealand frozen liind'-qrs 2 4 3 10 „ „ „ foTe-qrs 1 6 2 10 Lamb — ■New Zealand 3 4 5 8 Australian 2 S 3 0 Argentine 2 8 5 4 Whilst English meat 33 not likely to rise considerably, there is every indication of an increase in prices. Frozen mutton is plentiful, and no advance in price in this direction v - yet made, !bnt with, the i: .1 demand for frozen meat, consequent on the rise . of beef, a stiffening of prices may be expected. The effect upon ithe consumer of the rise in wholesale prices varies according to .the locality. Thus in the West End tho increase at Smithftelds has caused no "fluctuation in retail prices, as butchers in the best-elaes districts rarely vary their prices, whatever the state of the market. In the poor quarters of London, on the other hand, it is the butchers who. suffer most severely. They have not been nble to increase their pricos, bcctuieo people would not lay them. Butchers in poor neighbourhoods have been trading of late at a heavy loss, and somo have had to close their shops altogether. The peoplo of the middle-class have so fax b«>n iliie roost seriously affected. Thby havo had to pay as much as 2d a pound inoro for their meat -within the lnet two months, suicf aTe now faced wit/h

a probable further advance.of 2d.or 3d. For a man with a_family to provide for on a small income this is a veryserious problem. ;. One effect of the rise in beef has been 4o compel more people to buy frozen mutton, so that the New Zealand industry stands ito benefit by the situation.

SMOKERS, BEWARE I New Zealanders contemplating a visit to Europe must, if they are smokers be •careful when they approach the fair land of France to see that they do not carry on their persons or in their luggage any •appreciable quantity of the (fragrant weed in any form. If they fail to take heed of this warning they will find themselves heavily taxed, and probably subjected to all sorts of vexations and delays.

The old idea that 10 cigars are allowecL into France duty free is not now admitted in the practice of the Customshousej indeed, the officers declare that if they chose to do so they can legally levy duty on a single cigar, even if you are already smoking it!

A recent visitor who declared nine cigars was mulcted in 3d each for duty, and on three ounces of tobacco the tax amounted to exactly as much as it had cost him retail. And the official routine in connection with the collection of this duty delayed the traveller over Jialf-an-hour.

When he gets into France the poor smoker is in for a rough time. After raising appreciably the price of tobacco, cigars and cigarettes of all except the commonest sorts, the Government monopoly has now reduced the contents of a penny box of matches from 40 to 30. Bearing in mind the usual quality of French matches, it seems that it will probably cost smokers the best part of a penny to light a pipe or cigar. Worse, however, remains to be told. Not content with raising the prices, the monopoly is seeking to improve its revenue by giving short -weight. A purchaser o£ two packets of tobacco found that even with the wrappings they were considerably under weight. His first move was to lodge the packet with the ■ police, whom he suggested ought to take action against the monopoly for dishonest trading, as they would do in the case of a private trader.

The crowning exploit of the rapacious and relentless "Regie" is, however, the prosecution of a poor shopkeeper for making and selling chocolate cigarettes, such as are familiar in every lolly shop, on the ground that this is a fraudulent form of competition with the Governm'.ent tobacco monopoly: