TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume L, Issue 8676, 28 December 1893, Page 4

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

The English Post Office The English authorities have just Post Office embarked with fear and Savings Bank, crembling on a somo-

what rash and revolt*, tionary reform. Regulationii have been issued by which an opportunity is for the first time offered to depositors of obtaining their money over the counter of a post office practically on demand. The ordinary method of withdrawal occupied two, days ; in a remote part of the country perhaps longer. The depositor filled in a notice specifying? the amount he wished to withdraw and the post office where it was to be paid, and sent it by post to the Controller of the Bank in London. At the Central Savings Bank Office tho notice waa compared with the official ledger and the signature with that on the declaration made by the depositor on opening his account. If no difficulty arose a warrant for the amount desired was sent to the applicant, who had to attend at the post office he had selected, and there, upon production of the warrant and his depoait-book, obtained payment. Under the new system the depositor will be able to obtain any sum up to £10—not immediately on demand, that would be revolutionary—but in the course of an afternoon, and upon payment of a fee of 2s. The Postmaster, in the meantime, will have telegraphed to the Controller at the central office in London to ascertain if there is the money to the depositor's credit, and if the application is in other respects all right. For payment of Is the depositor will be able to get his money on the day following his application, the telegraph being used only one way in this instance, the warrant for payment being forwarded by post. This is still a long way behind the system whjch prevails ,i n New Zealand. Here it is not necessary to pay any extra fee. At any chief office at which a depositor may happen to keep his account, he may have the whole or auy part of it handed over to him without tho slightest delay. There is no waiting to telegraph to headquarters or anything of that kind, and there is no £10 limit, unless indeed he should happen to have no more than that sum to his credit. No doubt the authorities at St. Martin's-le-Grand would consider this a dreadfully reckless, not to say improper method of doing business. It has answered, however, very well in New Zealand, and the fact that the English Department is about to copy it—although a good bit behind the original—shows that they con* sider the principle as supplying a felt public want. It is indeed a noteworthy fact that in many reforms the New Zealand Department has been years ahead of the parent organisation from which it sprang.

Sir Robert Ball, the The Loudest well-known astronomer, Noise has been speculating, in a Ever Heard, recent article, on the | loudest noise over heard by human ears, and has come to the conclusion that it was the exploeion whioh issued from the volcano of Krakatoa on the occasion of the famous eruption of August 27th, 1883. The people of Batavia, he tells us, did not sleep that night. Their windows quivered with the thunders from Krakatoa, which resounded like the discharge of artillery in their streets. Finally, at ten o'clock on Monday morning, a stupendous convulsion took place, which far transcended any of the shocks which had preceded it. This supreme effort it was which raised the mightiest noise ever heard on this globe. Batavia is ninety-four miles distant from Krakatoa. At Carimon, Java, 355 miles away, reports were heard on that Sunday morning whioh led to the belief that there must bo some vessel in the distance which was discharging its guoß as signals of distress. The authorities eenb out boat* to make a search. They presently returned,' as no ship could be found in want of succour. The reports were sounds which had come all the way from Krakatoa. At Macassar, in Celebes, loud explosions attracted the notice of everybody. Two steamers were hastily sent out to find what was the matter. The sounds had travelled from the Straits of Sunda, a distance of 969 miles. Nay, even in West Australia, on the Victoria Plains, the shepherds, were startled by noise* like heavy cannonading. It was some time afterward before they learned that their tranquility had been disturbed by the grand events then proceeding at Krakatoa, 1700 milea away. It was not alone the mighty thunders heard over this immense distance, nor the stupendous nature of the physical changes produced on the spot that will render this terrible eruption for ever memorable. It set up a tidal wave which careered round the entire globe, after causing the lose o! 36,500 lives, and the destruction of 300 villages on .the coasts of Java and Sumatra. It produced a series of " tidal wavee," so to speak, in the earth's atmosphere, whioh travelled at least three times round the earth. Finally it projected an immense amount of fine dust into the upper strata of the air which affected the sunsets in every part of the globe for at least three years afterwards, producing those beautiful "glows" which every one who saw them will continue to remember. So far as we know the eruption of Krakatoa was the most stupendous physical convulsion of which we have any record in the earth'e history, and the most far-reaching in its effects.

A REOBNT law-case reA Well-known veala the fact that the Name. eon of -a well-known musical composer has fallen on evil days. Mr Michael William Balfe appeared in the English Supreme Court a few weeks ago as plaintiff in an action for libel against the printers and publishers of a paper called Society. It appeared from hie evidence that be was a gasfitter in Portobello road, but during the latter part of 1892 he fell upon somewhat hard times, and necessity drove him to seek shelter in Field-lane Refuge. Whilst he was there it was discovered that he was the only son of the well-known musical composer, the late Michael Balfe j and various generous persons set themselves to work to raise a subscription ior him. A small amount had been got together, when on the 24th December, 1892, a number of SocUty was published which contained a letter which was now sued upon as being libellous. This precious communication—which, we re* gret to cay, was written by a lady—suggested that the plaintiff was the illegitimate eon of the composer. The writer claimed to know the latter intimately, and added that he was "notoriously the most unfaithful of huebands." The paper did not defend the action. Having found out not only that the plaintiff was a legitimate sou, but that he took out letters of administration as the only surviving child and next of kin of Madame Balfe, it published an apology. The mischief of the cruel libel, however, had been done, and a death blow bad been given to the subscription which was being raised in the plaintiffs behalf. The defendant had paid 40a into Court. The jury very properly held that this was totally inadequate reparation, and gave a verdict for £200 damages. It would be only an act of common justice if the law were also to call to account the " lady" who set on foot this particularly reckless and crnei pic.cc of slander about a man who was down in the world, and apparently udable to defend himself.