JOTTINGS.

Bush Advocate, Volume XVII, Issue 4, 6 January 1905, Page 5

JOTTINGS.

[By "Obsehver."] As far as New Zealand is concerned, %be year just closed has not been very Remarkable for anything beyond the ordinary course of events. The colony, however, despite spasmodic jeeriug by the pessimist, has progressed. The dairy industry has not been " boomed " to such an extent as in the past, but the wool market is in a healthy condition, and generally the farming comiuuni ty ; _aye very little cause forcomplaint. Twv> events of great moment to Great Britain are worthy of passing reference. .Ififfstly, the*ttac_ by the Russians upon the Englishmen las* October. Secondly, Oolonel , Y-qunghusband's. mission to Tpifoet. Regarding the former, <as there . Jias been such" complete "'details pub- > Jished in •connection therewith, itisun-t mecessary for " Observer " to ;{*o over old ground. In the meantime we must! tawait ithe result of the enquiry which is fl» be .held into the Russians* conduct 'The result of the Tibet '•expedition, as •every one knows, was a distinct victory Sor John Bull, for a treaty was framed which gave Britain a virtual protectorate •ever that place. The fiscal struggle 'in England still .progresses, but to a certain 'degree this trouble has been overshadowed; by the —Eastern crisis. '.Under 'ithe AngloJPrenoh Convention, Fiance recognised •the former's position in .Egypt, and the Crown granted JPranee a freeAo ld in Morocco. The War Office has _een re-organised, whilesthe re-organisa-ttion of the Indian Arrayis taking place «t a, cost of .£5,000,000, In. America the ._ K>st noteworthy oect— ranees were the return oi ! President Keosevelt to power, ■and the St. Louis .Exhibition. ■ A aiumber of terrible -disasters have also 1 ti>een chronicled in that country. Daring the year such noteworthy men as the Duke of .Cambridge, Sir H. M. •Stanley, M.. De Plehve, Wilson Barrett away, and _ nour own colony, the :*Hon.W. C. Walker, J_r John«o'3aeara, Mr McGowan, and many others, have .mlljoined the great majority. , The fall of Port Arthur is the first important fact to mark the < dawn of the jrear 1905. It has .been a memorable —iege, and both the defenders and those who strove to. obtain— —^coveted key of the East, have showa marked bravery -and pluck in their efforts. Creneral Stoessei is warthy of the full _iilitary honours which the Mikado cpndbrred, for in his splendid defence he has probably had few to equal him. At any jeate, the surrender must be a happy Vrelief to all its inhabitants, and it is *o be hoped that this aevent will be the means of bringing aboot-a speedy conclusion of hostilities. ■ ■ - What was the cost of the battle of Jjiaoyang ? This is how an expert in ■Hke manufacture of munitions reckons it Ttip. There were 125,000 Russians and 150,000 Japanese. Deducting reserves and allowing for the fast that alt could aaot be fighting at once, some 60,000 .Snssians and 80,000 Japanese were _ ighting for sixty hours, consuming 1200 •cartridges per man, or a total of *60,000,000, worth -400,000. Tha 300 leannonusod in the battle fired some -_50,CKK) shells at an average price of Bs, «r a total of £180,000. These sums do ' not, of course, include the oost of repair- ; ing the guns and cannon, and after two ] <or±hree battles like that of Liao-yang will all require serious attention. • *_he Japanese field guns cost abou t £400 j each. The big gun? defending Port, j JL rthur go up to £40,000, and fire .away i . ■ JSSO at eVery shot. Up to the present ihe Japanese Government has spent on ■ war material some —l2,ooo,ooo, and the , Russian double that sum, so that in all , 50me ,£36,000,000 has come out of . the — iff erent arsenals of : Europe and Asia. ( Apropos of the recent '" agitation against the Shops Act, it may interest i ; -eaders of ihe Advocate to know that ( —tew Zealand, does not stand alone in j iaving trouble over aiaw which compels early closing. For instance in Madrid < two months ago an order was ; promulgated that all cafes should close it three in the morning. The Spaniards ] . ~ — re not credited with possessing a British j love of freedom, but this interference i with personal habits and liberty proved "too much for their forbearance, and the t ---. result of an attempt to enforce the law : was a serious disturbance, in which a jw imber of actors, journalists, and others participated. A number of arrests were .. _ lade. Ih the course of time, doubtless, the people "in old Madrid "will get accustomed to "early closing." J