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Clutha Leader, Volume XXXV, Issue 2125, 26 January 1909, Page 1

Shall We Fly? Apropos ol tin.'- Aeronautical Conference just concluded in London the following is ol interest:—A representative ■■■A the '.New York Times' tin; other day pu'. tho pertinent question to Mr Thos. A. Kdi.vui, the groat inventor: "Shall <ve fly through the air':" His reply uas; "Oli. yes, undoubtedly we shall; ;,',, in>iii!(! io come. 11, won't be the aeroplane, hotvevor. i'ml it won't he the ■liri;; : ;i)l-.> balUm. An individual theory may suiiice to make a very interesting M'ientiiic esperiment, hut it is not what oin- man himself believes that i.s the 80liitiou ol a problem that must come out oi a imiveisal law in nature, dependent not upon the skill of one man with one machine, but. of a machine for all men. The aeroplane is a remarkable experiment, but it comes as a theory, conI rolled by the man who has that theory, and is not yet adjusted to universal uses. Bui- I firmly believe that some day we shall know how to lly; it's only a matter of inventing a compact engine with sufficient power. It will be done. There is so much to do, though, such a lot of new discovery going on in the form of scientific experiment that promises new wonder, now sensation, new economy of life and time and money."

Britain's Pensioners. II was recently fuhlocl that the British Post Office had been provided with 1:1 tons of silver it) pay half a million pensions. The Chancellor of the KxcJii'(,niT idves the following particulars coiiceriiiiifi: the applications for pensions already received. Up to October 24, 34.047 applications had been received in the administrative comity <if London, estimated population on June 30 last. The number of Applications for the whole of the United Kingdom and the ratio per 10,000 of estimated population on Juno 30 last are as follows: — No. of Ratio Appli- per cations. 10,000 England (excluding Monmouthshire) ... 320,042 97 Wales (iucludim? Monmouthshire) 20.227 91 Scotland ..' 50.244 123 Ireland 162,658 373 Tot.il 562,171 126 It will be seen that ihe ratio in London is much lower than the average ratio for England or for Wales, and very much lower than the general aver* of the whole kingdom. Thin is said to tie pari I v accounted for by the fact that longevity is inA common in London.