TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 13714, 22 April 1910, Page 6

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Although the question has Pure not yet received the attenFood. tion at tho hands of the New

Zealand health and municipal authorities that it deserves, the matter of securing that the purveying of such easily-deteriorating food substances as fish and meat shall be carried on under hygienic conditions has been faced in a thoroughly practical fashion in some parts of Australia. The Sydney health authorities, for example, aro insisting, among other things, that the open windows of butchers' shops shall be closed, and that tlie fronts shall be screened either with glass or with fine gauze—this to prevent infection by flies and contamination by street dust. Investigations recently made by medical officers of the Health Department into the efficacy of the new provisions yielded interesting results. Thirty butchers' shops in Sydney and suburbs, and nineteen establishments at Newcastle were tisited. Of these, twenty-eight were wholly enclosed in front with gauze or glass, in accordance with the provisions of the ordinance, while twenty-one were open-fronted shops. Tho temperature in the enclosed premises was found to be lower in every case than in those with open fronts. The presence or absence of electric fans appeared to make no difference. The result of observations on the question of fly-infestation tended to show that the difference, if any, between enclosed and open shops provided with fans was very slight. Where the gauze-enclosed shops wero infested with flies,

it was shown that insufficient c:ire was taken to prevent their entrance by other openings, in which case of course tho gausw screens served to keep them in the shop. Wire gauze, howover, was found to be most beneficial in excluding dust and preventing small animals, such as dogs, from entering tho shops. Glass fronts, again, afforded still greater protection from dust. There was no evidence that enclosing the front of shops with gauze or glass prejudichlly affected trade, and it was generally agreed- by those who made the inspection that the ordinance had produced a marked improvement in the methods of purveying meat which could not fail to have a -powerfully beneficial fffect on the public health. The Chief Medical Offiear, in his minuto covering the conclusions of his assistants (with which he entirely agrees), emphasises the importancs of destroying the breeding places of flies as being of greater value than efforts to exclude them from contact with food substances after they have bred. This, he adds, may be accomplished by the prompt removal or destruction of all dust and refuse likely to afford suitable media for the perpetuation of the species of these virulent pests.

There are always humours Election about an election, and Humours, perhaps the recent poll-

ing day in Australia had more than its share, owing to the many issues put before tbe voter. Even in a simph. contest between two candidates, there are some people who are incapable of voting properly, so there must have been a good deal of confusion in the Australian elections, where every voter had to choose a candidate for tho House of representatives and three candidates for the Senate, and vote on two referenda. Some voters, according to the "Age," seemed incapable of _rasping more than one issue. "I'll vote for Vida Goldstein, and her only," was a remark frequently heard, despite the fact that a Senate voting paper with less than three marks on it is informal. One dear old lady took'a marked ballot paper home with her "as a memento of the occasion." /.'I gave one vote to Bob Best," explained a woman to her husband. "I like him; he opened our last bazaar, and waa very nice. Then I gave another vote to little Mr Findley. He's the author of that brilliant epigram which described somebody as the 'fusee party.' I couldn't let that go unrewarded; and then I would not pass Vida Goldstein. We women must show that we understand politics I" This good lady understood politics so well that she voted for a Fusioniat, a Labourite, and an Independent ! Asked to whom her choice had fallen for the House, she replied, "Mr Wynne, of course.. We always said we would vote for him ever sinco you backed Peru for the Champion." The sporting instinct showed itself even more strongly in a lady who deliberately voted contrary to the advice of her husband. "What's the use of our both! voting for tho same roan?" ran her charming explanation. "If you vote for one and I vote for tho other, as there are only two going, one of us is bound to win." The ignorance of some voteri* ia almost incredible. The big papers had beeu at great pains to print lists of candidates, not onoe, but many times, and, according to their political leanings, bad given their readers the most minute instructions how to vote. Yet a boy was approached by a bashful young lady outside a booth and asked if Mr Fairbairn was a Labourite. Having ascertained that the lady wished to vote for the candidate, the boy advised her as follows: "You go inside, and they'll give you a lot of papers. One of them will be coloured pink, and will contain the names of Fairbairn and Hannan. Put a cross on the square opposite Fairbairn." ' She plunged boldly in and disappeared from history, which is a pity, for it would be interesting to know what sho did with the other ballot papers. Perhaps she took them home to light the fire with.

A "wheat king's" The apology makes interestEthics ing reading. Mr James

of A.. Patten; who recently "Corners." announced his intention

of retiring from the arena whera he was adding million to million, expounded to a London pressman his view of the ethical aspect of a "corner." Mr Patten recalls with a sense of injustice and injury the time when he was the most lampooned, cartccned, and vilified man in the States, ond he declares that his reply has always been that wheat and cotton are articles of commerce, and governed by the inexorable laws of supply and demand. He declares further that he himself lies never "cornered," or attempted to "corner," corn, though he admits having put the prices up with an object. He claims to be a speculator in wheat, and his mode* of operation, as explained, appears simple; it lies, in fact, in correctly guessing what -will be the price of wheat in three months. The successful speculator, after carefully studying re-

liable reports from wheat-growing countries, is able to gauge pretty closely whether, under prevailing conditions of drought, rain, frost, and other climatic contingencies, the. increasing demands of the world can be supplied. Looking into the future Avith the seer's eye, the speculator observes a shortage ahead, and sets his flans accordingly. He goes on 'change and finds that the opinion there differs from his, and that the price in three monthstime is placed much lower than his estimate. Being a man of nerve and confident in his own judgment, ho "backs his fancy," and buys. He continues to buy, others follow his judgment, and prices jump. The public then learns tor the first time that on such and such a dale wheat will be dear. But the dearness that is imminent is not due to speculators running up prices; it is duo to an approaching and inevitable shortage, and the speculator, with his experience, judgment, and ability to see into the future, is merely anticipating Nature. Mr Patten considers the man who ''corners," or attempts to "corr.er," wheat, is very often a benefactor to the race. As an illustration of a case whero he himself had filled thatenviable role, he referred to an occasion when India, owing to the cro.p

'•petering out" towards the end, found she had over-exported, and was left without enough for her own people. There was a panic, and wheat was bought in Australia at famine prices. At that timo Mr Patten, from lis study of the situation, knew America was exporting too much wheat, and would need it before long. He set to work to buy, and put .prices up. He was howled at from one end of the country to the other, but was soon shown to bo in tlie right, for towards the end wheat suddenly fell short, and when people asked where was the wheat for their own consumption, the farseeing speculator was able to answer, ''Here it is; I have stopped- it from going out of the country by buying it " If it had gone abroad, there would havo been a bread famine. Needless to add, Mr Patten entered on this little deal—ten million bushels—because he saw money in it. That he happened to sfive the situation for his countrymen wa. a rather agreeable concomitant to a profitable speculation.