TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 11871, 19 April 1904, Page 6

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

By way of exercising it.« Experiences function, the Auctioneer* , of the Institute in England reBoetnun. eently circularised its members, asking for notes a® to labour-earing devices made use of bj them. The response was not a very cordial one, many members showing a natural disinclination , to make public short cats they had discovered after years of labour

'and experience. There was one member, however, who had made himself into a measuring machine. ' He knew the length of his stride, his reach from the ground, the stretch of his arms from finger-tip to finger-rip (which he frequently used in measuring the girth of trees), the length of his umbrella, and so on; and he remembered that 5s worth of eilver coinage represented an ounoe. " Needless to cay, this particular member of the Institute was the most useful as far as information went. There was a host of replies to the In- : statute's request for anecdotes of ttus J rostrum, but many of them, it ie true, relate to events which might have occurred in the experience of anybody. One of the fellows, however, had had a most interesting catalogue during a practice of about a dozen yeor». Among properties which had come under the hammer at his rooms were a Royal forest of 1500 acivs, two racecourse, Bumham Beeches, and Hardicanute's Moat. tht> place wliere the Gunpowder Plot was hutched, and the Blacksmith's Shop at Uretna Green. A motley clientele had brought to the auction roomy, or otherwise under the hammer Old Master*, of course. Court regalia and postage stamps, the personal effects of a hangman, and the relics left by the criminals he had negotiated, advowsone, wrecks. me:iageries, coffins and stranded J \vhak\s. Collections of all kinds were put up and dispersed, and the lesson to lx* derived wae that there ie nothing that is too peculiar for eonw person or other to prize. A mummy, a donkey's skin in pickle, and 70 bone-shaker bicycles one* ! owned by Valentine Green are proof of this. As for famous Bales, eighty ago Fonthill Abbey realised £330,000, arid the whole sale, vhich lasted thirtyfive days, brought more than a million I pounds. The Duke of Hamilton's collection in 1851 realised £397,562, while Messrs Christie recently realised £105,845 in a single day. The latest number of "DaiBrisbane's gety's Review" contains a I Tramway description of the Brisbane System. electric tramways, which ie interesting as an anticipation of what the Christchurch system will be. It Avas in 1896 tliat the present company was formed, and from the etart the system has been a success. About fifty miles of track have been laid, and the takings average about £10,500 per month. The cars are mostly of the combination build, but there are also summer cars, with open seats right through, corridors and workmen's care. The routes are divided into sections, of about a mile in length, and it is to be hoped the Christchurch Board will adopt the Brisbane method of painting a conspicuous white the posts at all the stopping places, thus obviating what is a cause of considerable delay, in Dunedin. The fares in Brisbane are a penny pej: section, or threepence for the whole route. -Aβ in Dunedin, the men employed are trained for their work, and are all uniformed. .From the commencement of operations all the tipper portions of the been built.on the premises, " only the lower framework, springs, and wheeling gear being imported. Only Queensland woods are used in the construction. In opposition to the opinion of some who argue that it is necessary to import American teak for the woodwork, the foreman holds that the Queensland yellow-wood, properly seasoned and handled, is some of'the finest in the world for the purpose. The building of the hundredth oar has just been completed, and' in celebration of the attainment of the century" the coach was made a palace one. It is elegantly, fitted up for picnic or wedding parties, or for the conveyance of distinguished visitors from point to point in the city. It ie beautifully stained and painted, and arranged with curtained windows, tables, and a suite of rattan chairs. It is now possible in Brisbane, as in San Francisco and elsewhere, for parties to be formed to.enjoy on hour or two on the tram lines in a private car.. At present the Brisbane electric tram system employs about 700 men, and the principle is adopted of doing all the necessary work on the premises. Even the tickets are supplied by the company's own printing office. • . It was not * rery Defendant, edifying quarrel tnat King Leopold, caused King Leopold to appear before one of the Courts of his realm to defend an action brought against aim by hie daughters. Princess Stephanie (Countess Lonyay) and Princess Louise of Coburg are suing their Royal father by virtue of their chum to money left by their late mother. The. King had believed himself to be above the. law , , bat bis opponents persisted with the case, and he had to appear at the Court. M. Jaasen, a clever Radical barrister, who conducted the case, for Princess Stephanie, argued, that the King's marriage contract must be declared null and void, first because it had not been drawn up in the presence of a notary, and secondly because it had been signed and sealed without the King's 'fiancee, the late Queen, having any knowledg»*of its contents. The gift of his property which Leopold intended making to the nation wae therefore practically a disinheritance of his own children. "The King forgets," added M. Jansen, "that he hae no right to deprive his children of their lawful family inheritance." The counsel, M. Wiener, deplored the tact thai the King's daughters -were leaguing with their creditors to start "an act of aggression against their royal and respected father." lite King's marriage contract was above the action of the law whieli governed his subjects. It was an international treaty. The Austrian Minister of Foreign Affaire took the place of a notary. Belgian law, he argued, knew nothing of ranks and positions. "An attempt was being made to trouble the serenity r of justice by disguising the real nature of an odious attack by a daughter upon her father. The i Queen's will had been read in order to create a hateful susßcion regarding her Majesty's dowry. Such a suspicion was foolish. From kindness of heart and ignorance "of her fortune the late Queen actually bequeathed more than she possessed. The King supplied the missing sum, and, thanke to hi* generosity, the whole of the legacies would be paid." Counsel complained that when the King graciously enriched the nation be was criticised. *'Yon drag him to-day before the law courts; we, for oar part, place our reliance on their justice." As for the King himself, be it the largest rubber merchant in the world, and lute devoted a great part of his life to making money. The late Cecil Rhodes declared that Leopold was the hardest man to deal with that he had ever met. "Ho is a regular Jew," was the expression. This alone can «; plain why a> man who is so fastidious on matters of dress and personal dignity should thresh out a family quarrel hi Court rather than avoid & scandal. ■ The A&hburton traffic bridge woe reopened for traffic yesterday.