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Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14512, 19 December 1912, Page 6

The "greater city" movement in the Old Country advances steadily. >,~ o t long ago a Greater Birmingham came into being, with boundaries that made it the second largest city in the Empire. It did not enjoy its pride of place long, for a few weeks ago the Glasgow Boundaries Act came into operation, adding eight districts to the city, and increasing its population from 784,496 'to 1,007,601. There is little doubt that the moi-ement will make similar advances in the. colonies.

The question of overcrowding at the Elmwood school was again before the Education Board yesterday, when a member moved that the previous resolution declining to consider the matter so lon_ as children from other districts attended the school, be rescinded. In the end a compromise was agreed to, the Board deciding that they would erect a marquee as soon as the inspec-

tors thought it necessary. The compromise is a wise move. ' If the inspectors report that a marquee is necessary, no doubt it can bo so arranged that in fine weather the lessons will ho given practically in the open air. Much more might be done in the sunny climate of ,>ew Zealand in the way of open-air teaching, and this is a „cod opportunity of helping on tho reform.

A minor result of the Balkan war may | be a revival of interest in tho use of j sour milk as a cure for tho ills of the flesh. Every newspaper reader remembers how some years ago the famous Professor Metehnikcff propounded tho theory that by drinking sour milk we could reach an advanced old age, because the milk destroyed the maleficent bacteria in the largo intestine. Bulgarians drink sour milk in large quantities, and tlie proportion of very old people in Bulgaria is said to be unusually high- Professor Metchnikoff advocated this remedy with great enthusiasm, and quite a craze for it sprang up. so much so that enterprising manufacturing chemists placed sour milk tabloids on the market. Like many other remedies, however, it suffered somewliat by the extravagant claims made for it, and it was' found that in some cases it was positively harmful. But now that the fino physical prowess of King Ferdinand's .legions is said to bo largely due to the qualities of sour milk drunk by tho peasants, Professor Metchnikoff will no doubt go on the warpath again. It is also worthy of notice that the vegetarians are using the dash and endurance of the Servians as an argument for their creed. Tho army that has overrun Macedonia is made up of men who havo lived on a diet of wheat, rye, and maize, with oil and dried fruits.

In commenting on the war the other day we drew attention to the assaults in masses on entrenched positions, the decisive use of tho bayonet, and tho fact that in modern war on a big scale large numbers of men had to bo sacrificed to win victories quickly. That brilliant writer on military subjects, "Linesman," has something to say on these points in some comments in the "Daily Mail" on the operations in Thrace. War, ho says, is reverting to first principles. "Tho perfection of weapons has overstopped tho mark and is to be disregarded in future. Losses are not going to count against tho achievement of a definite end. This was Napoleon's practice ; it began with him, w#s carried on by Grant and Lee, and ended with Yon Moltke, to revive again, after a long abeyance, in Nogi and Oyama. This is the secret of tho gigantic armies of to-day; it is the secret of the short but catastrophic wars which, in a month, blow to atoms vested interests of immeasurable dimensions and venerable age." For England tho reversion might be of vital importance. Suppose tho comparatively small British Army wero engaged in a great war, could its commanders afford to employ these tactics? Would they not be hampered by tho knowledge that if they lost large numbers of men they could not replace them?