TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 11152, 19 December 1901, Page 4

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Thte fog which enveloped '. A London- for the whoV of "London- the first week in November PartioulaT." was something remarkable even for London in the foggiest month of the year. It was not : the 'Tslack" or eky-fog, which is simply a dense black smoke-cloud pal suspended high above the earth, completely excluding even a glimpse of daylight, but. leaving the lowest atmospheric stratum eg clear as crystal, or as on any fine midnight—-also jas ligOitless. "You get used! to that," remarks our London correspondent, "and go about all day in artificial light until you almost, forget that there is such a thing at all as daylight, which, ultimately comes on you as quite a surprise, and. with, an aspect of strangeness and unreality." But during that (November week the case was quite otherwise. The fog was a dense brown earth-fog, a genuine "London Particular," as described in "Bieak House." Its special drawback was that artificial light* are of little use, for the very good reason that the artificial lights were inviaible. On several occasions during tihe present visitation, ithe most vivid electric arc-lights were totaliy invisible, or were seen .only as a very faint, wan blue on the solid mass of the fog. But tlfts has been a disappointing discovery in relation to electric lighting. It waa hoped tihat the powerful arc lights now being erected along meet of the chief London streets would do much to mitigate the difficulty of carrying on traffic during a brown fog. Experience proves that *ihey do not pierce so well as incandescent or even gas lights, and «o the murk remains more impenetrable and! bewildering than ever. To recount ail, or even half, the incidents of tihe memarable visitation wouid require many columns of our space, and even then no New Zealand readier who had not been through a "London particular" could realise what it really means. Apart from the fact that the actual fatalities of the week, due to its dnfloence, were more numerous than in many of the Soutib African battles, whale thte hospitals were crammed with the wounded; the o-bstruc-tion of trade and of movement, the delays and mishaps on railways, roads, and river aggregated an amazing total. To give one or two ihomely Kt#e instances of "the way Londoners live in a fog, it may be mentioned that thousands of people wio reside only three to four miles from the centre of the city, took from four to five faburs to reach their homes on several evenings. An omnibus stopped right in the middle of Fleet street to pick tip passengere. H» conductor stepped off as usual. In * few seconds the 'bus moved slowly on a yard or two. It is a fact that tfeafc conductor never found his ous aU tha* night. He wandered about for hours seeking for it in vain, 3nd finally went home in despair dead beat. More than this, the police actually fed to take charge of several derelict 'buses near Biaekfriara Bridge, not one hundred yards from Ludgßte Circus. They had got into the column of blocked traffic., The conductors first, and t&en the diivers, had got down to try and ascertain where they were, and then the horses, having moved on a short distance, the men could not find their vehioles again all chat night. One 'bus actually got on to Ehe foot pavement of Westminster Bridge, and one horss bad clambered on to the parapet when the situation waa discovered just in time to prevent horses and 'bus and passengers all plunging right into the Thames! Something like a score of luckless people walked straight to their' death in the unprotected waters of the various London docks and canals. As for tie deaths from bronchitis and pneumonia, due to fog aggravation, the tale will never be known.

The barmaid as a, factor in Barmaids Imperial politics, an influence and which may threaten the staPolitics. bility of tie Empire, is something new. Yet she seems to have acquired this -unwontedi significance in India-r-so much so that the Government of Bengal have decided to abolish her from the province by a <Mreet mandate to that effect. They have, it is reported, ordered that a clause is to be inserted , in the licenses of all hotel "proprietors, absolutely prohibiting the employment of women in any capacity in or about a fear. This prohibition will not take effect until April Ist, 1902; but when it does a number of women will be thrown out of employment, a fact -which, has led to strong o-pposition in Calcutta against the Governments mandate. In justice to the authorities, however, it should be said that they purpose giving each barmaid! a free passage back to England, so that the hardship need not be so great as some of the agitators predict. The number of barmaids in Calcutta has considerably increased in recent years. In the majority of oases, says a "Daily News'' correspondent, they are brought out from England by the note! and bar proprietors tinder contract fox & term of years, generally three. But the Government see in the white barmaid an influence which tends to bring the superior race into disrepute among the native population. "The freedom which western nations allow to their womenkind is," says the correspondent above mentioned, "wholly repugnant to the Oriental idea, and the spectacle of an English girl selling spirituous liquors, a trade which among the natives of India is relegated to the very lowest castes, is one which tends still further to lower the 'izzat, , the reputation of the dominant race'"—a imputation which, we are told, is rapidly losing ' its influence over the native in large towns like Calcutta, where the European population is composed of every stratum of society. And so, to prevent further loss of "caste"' on the part of the white population of Calcutta-, the barmaid has got to go.

on the effect of rariIn Higli fied air are especially interestAltitudes, iag from Mrs Workman, iby whom, in thte ascent of the Siegfriedhom, Mount Bit'lock Workman, and Koser Gunge, three successive world mountaineering Tecords for women, viz., of 18,600, 19,450, and 21,000 feet, were made. She has recorded her observations modestly at the end of her husband's volume, '"In the Ice World of the Himalaya," with the remark th!at "for the benefit of women who may nob have ascended to altitudes above 16,000 feet, but are thinking of attempting to do so, I ■will here give my experiences for what they are wortlu" She notes in the first place, that there was greater difficulty in breathing when near the top of Skoro La, their first 'Mgh pass, at about 17,000 feet, than, there was later on at 18,000 or 19,000. "The advisability of passing a month, if possible, in valleys 11,000 or 12,000 feet up, and making experimental higher tours, is obvious." At the Siegfrodraorn, Mrs Workman started up from 16,200 feet with a iheadache, the result rather of cold, ehSe imagines, than altitude, since it neither increased nor decreased as .the climb proceeded. "Neither did I feel the least desire for kola biscuit, peppermint, or cognac, whereas I had felt the need: of, and used, peppermint with considerable relief on the Skoro La, five weeks previously." At the summit of Mount Bullock Workman, again a slight headache was the only bad symptom, "modified by a substantial breakfast, for my appetite was good at 19,450 feet." Mrs Workman never slept soundly, however, above 16,000, and at 17,000 feet a. night's Test was much. claEfcarbed by difficult, ■breathing.; "wliile on. ■Mount Koser Gunge, -when continual nigh wind and deep snow added much personal stress to the climb, "towards the last my gaspings for the much-required oxygen were most strenuous." ' Mr Workman, who can also record a remarkable absence of such troubles as vertigo, faintnees, or epots before the eyes, believes that much of the breathing difficulty can be caved by regulating the pace and the manner of movement. "Stooping suddenly to pkk up some object, holding the breati to take a snapshot with a camera, or make an observation, caused mc to lose breath, to an unexpected degree, and repeated gaspings are required to regain a fair amount of comfort." The food taken is important, and Mr Workman imidi prefers Australian tinned beef to extracts, ''containing nofc a tithe of the nutriment of good meat, often unpalatable, and so salt as to cause thirst." The English party's ease contrasted oddly with the suffering of t<he coolies, who had passed their lives at over 8000 feet, and yet became seriously affected in the Higher air. It must be remembered, Jfowever, that tney ihad to carry the .provisions. On one occasion, between fatigue of burden-bear-ing and dread of their "repeated gaspings," the coolies' courage absolutely gave out, and Mrs Workman, in -desperation, had to pelt them up the heights.