FROM OTHER PAPERS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 88, 7 January 1908, Page 7

FROM OTHER PAPERS.

. A Tokio papor states. that Saizawa Kichi]% . - , ( :v v, who is engaged-in-tho South Sea trade,^hasVasj ■.&,*■■■»■, discovered an v island in latitude 20 degrees v ' 42 minutes, .three degrees north, longitude ' ,i_. 116 degrees 42 minutes 14 seconds, between \fu 1 " Jtfakap and tho Philippines. The island is . said to -be- about-fifteen', miles -iii' ciroumfer-:vMut-i .once and contains' much 7, sulphur and::sholla r '. !v <; fand is stated to bo-, well wooded./;-There aro mimorous -thirds (; on!;-it, and'-:j tho •,•> adjacent waters abound with fish .He has named it t Saizawa Island, and the £hoa\ near it Sai- ' "" ?iawa Shoal.He-has hoisted a-Japaneao fiag . ' - island. - , : Hitherto whon ,any ; scientific authority .has . v -i'M'!;? declared-. against- tho,over-education of, child- i ,ron ho has. always-been-able to •rcclton. on'a .' cort-am -number of supporters,;if 'not::.imong :: parents, then; among thc-i themselves. But tho-pomt of ■ vietf of 'Professor.: v*. >: -k •Walter D Scott,' vh() has been examining i Ji| Jtlio" oyes of:: school' children ;and investigating-v "tlia'causes wliich aro leading to, the progres-' .sivo shortsightedness of tho coming -gcnera- , .«<'.'-.".-W lion, will make him 1 popular With no ono. Children are taught to road too soon, is'_hisvl" first'proposition, and 1 it is quite possible ' 5; .that that idea has alrcady .taken root • in,• thor • nursery/ But his second proposition is that, , - - having .fieon taught,to-read,-: children arO;Crf. : :6ouragedctb' ;read' i; avoragq;'t : ; .'child, of.- eight. or,! nine ■ years - roads ■. somo ,W ; Vtvyejity.; bdolis;-*a ; ; ydaiv;alld.;'this , ; fact"is ! to two causes' The'first is that reading is . 1 , i -taught so' mucji: flatter- than'it'used to ho: --. - ' s : that.'after: twolvo months- instruction a child v.; ,-vs usually begins reading for pleasure; and the;s second' reason. is that .tho onormous lilcrcaso : . r--in-tho number of children's books panders , to this unhealthy appetite In tho time of ; 'pur : -grandfathers;;'\yhoij .tho -sight:(if Via, 1 in-spectacles: was a very " uncommon \ ono, • - reading was taught by vory slow and oum-v' ! ' brous;; niethods ;■..and:; interesting t books for children were few in number and not available for- tho vast majority -of. young people, s Consequently their fives woro not strained-at:- " an ago- when tho strain on' tho ciliary and ■ other: muscles of, the .ovo is. most likelv - produce early .'. shortsightedness:.. According, 'i therefore,- to- Professor W. D.v Scott, -'tho.":: donor, of the "gift book", should think^twice' abftut his present Even Mr Andrew Car- ■ negie, -whose libraries minister to tho tasto >i of-tho-vory youngest, is-not. an unmixed c-ifiviK 1 blessing to his race.'. v.-.!.",; . ,A genius , lias invented .a: chair .which pro- : ; vents soasicltnessi Tho sufforor nits in t-his "v :, chair, and, an . electric battery is started, : causing it to. vibrato. •: Tho result is that' . " ..J.'. lie exporionoes a ,similar, feeling to that- of : 'W driving in a motor : car, - To moreaso tho • i illusion/ members of/.tho .crow, drcsset\ /as .: f vM r i polioemon,- stand, hoforo tho :mbro confined - ■ : I .:v:w victims with, stop.'watches;.in their. hands; ; -. ; . and chat about .tho speed limit.. . ' .'At tho Methodist 'Church, 1 Charlton: (Yiotoria), tho ltev. J. Adams rebuked a- local : clorgjman -for dancing. -■: Ho remarket! that a young fellow-had:isaid ,; that ho was in-: ; • "'-v; duced'i to liavo -a' danco. tho other -.night bo- I ', .-• .--i:. -i cauao ho saw a clergyman dancing and en- ; • : ' ' couraging it nv others.- ■'When a -clorgyman ■: •■: :»3 : tried;.to:lead his people' w;ith;his ieot:instead^^ of. with his.'head,-: and > his heart,-'.it'"was-'.. time; for arix v mnn:;in'-that"positibn; to's6n-^.'v; ; : r , - sider. his _ position.':' The man who hadOi:;:?,)'/ "S* charge of immortal scihls ; ;must be. careful ho dived iu v tho presence of 'mon.- He 'must • ' ;; . . bo,:, as Cowpor's preaoher, "a messenger..of ■ r-i.-i ■' grace .to/guilit-y mim." - Tho remarks" iro\v;-§ 1 .'said I ,to :havo:given .iris'o 'to:varied feelings of : indignation Vand amusement. • - -.;'- • " ..'v.:;''.:.j < A'correspondent of tho "Auckland Herald": , : •- writes as,follows:—','As ono who has taken . .a; small/part in tho public lifo. of. the country,' ' : I'':desiro to pro'tbst' against; tho growing cus- ■: torn 'of. levying tribute .upon public' men by 'J' •:-■ i; football clubs,- cricket clubs, s "athletic. ass°6'cia- ?''f i tioiis, ',aiid 'other' 'societies, : ' tho members of ■: -v- • which cdnsider themselves: sportsmen, and • if-any'thing .to, tho con-; ; trary-was said.or->implied.-" Hero is the. v •-; i': i moduS operandi: The members of each olub . ■ '(ahdS'.tharc.'aro hundreds of them) at tho ■' .-r- ---; 'aimual-'mietiug,"'proceed to' elect a number i- of'patrons, vicc-patrons, presidents, and rice- . i presidents.-: Member's of. Parliament, mayors , ■ : -f ■: and; councillors';are; always, chosen for those, positions, tho understanding being that in • . I each: Caso a guinea will bo forthcoming. Tho ... . i practice has .hccdnie''a scandal, and I wonder; • that' 1 bur so-called.'sportsmmi' do not- see < 'What; a mean they arb doing, and th»t- : 1 'i' ir i many of their'victims really cannot afford to : . part' witli all tho guiiieas which aro' demanded - ' - from them. ' Not long ago a man who had' ; been, for 15 years in :,a prominent publio . " < position died ; his' 'widow ,wa's v left iiot'suffi- . oi'ently: provided- f6r, : "but' : ' his cheque-books .shotted''that' for-the 'fivo'-years 'prior; to; his :V----death ho had given' away ' in • subscriptions - ,v . over £200. Nut ono.of.tho clubs to which : .' ! '.". L '. he had contributed was,represented at -the , ' funeral,'but his; successor, had hardly')'taken'--tho .'placo'of tho,man;wh6 had_ passed away, v, : :'l; : , before tho samo gatao'was " being played on , ' .' ' ; . him. How can wo oxpeet our public men •to keep their hands clean when,they aro: ; victimised in ': this,.. .way?. , - Already our .: V '.v, '. members of..Rarliamoiit aro 'clamouring for 1 ' ' moro'adequate remuneration, and, knowing ; something .of.-tho demands'upon-them, I- am • ' r not surprised." - ' ; '■ . Dr. Arthur, oh behalf of tho Immigration A- [ League of Australasia, has written-a letter " •-- . to.evory daily paper m the United Kingdom pointing:oht-the leakage of population Irom ' : ;. thoy;Bntish Isles'to. places outside tho Em- - > pire, and-the irreparable loss that is being 1 occasioned- by,-this'- drain. -The world powers. ; . : ... ! ' i df:tho'futuro will be those. that have'.the . ' . v largest, numbor of people,,.and".unless .some ; - • - [ attempt is made-to"coiiservo these ■ i tlm 'British Empire .will fall behind in tho , ' ' • race. The writer states that- Australia, and , k Now) Zealand aro prepared to receive thou- ; sands of-these emigrants, and settle thorn on : - : tho land, and an appeal'is 'made-to.all who •). '; '\; i "aro concoriied with the future welfare of the ; ■ i. l '-. Empire to assist the'lmmigration League of ' ; i Australasia in seeking, to keep theso. people' ■ uiidor the Flag. . ; ■ - ';. r.- ; ' According to tho Christchurc-h "Press," Mr. Broadhead. tho secretary; of- tho Canterbury V. : Employers.' Association, is about to publish .- a book o'n tho working of labour legislation in tho Dominion. , It is entitled "State Regulation of Labour and Labour Disputes in New Zealand." Tho book contains six-. - j teen chapters, and includes a prefaco and an ' historical introduction. Tho subjects dealt with are:—Enactment of the Industrial Con-... ciliation and Arbitration Act; A Resume-of the Industrial Conciliation'- and Arbitration . Acts Corporation Act, 1905; _ Conciliation Boards in Oporation; Arbitration; and Disputes before the Court of Arbitration. Other points dealt with include the minimum wage, the incompetent worker, breaches of awards, preference s to unionists, apprentices, holidays, .interpretation of awards, dissatisfaction with the Court and its awards, and the Labour Department. One of tho captains of.the Oeacnic Steamship Company's service, writing to a friend • in Auckland, remarks that ill shipping. circles in San Francisco it is generally considered that tho Subsidy Bill now before tho United States Congress at Washington will go through (luring tho present, session. Oil the passing or otherwise of this measure will - depend the renewal of the company's servico to Australia, as tho subsidy provided for sixteon-knot boats is £100,000, the amount formerly aimed at bv tho, company in lieu of the '£50,000 then granted. The Bill is dailv cxpcctod to conio before Congress, and, ' , hs it was only defeated last year by two votes, its supporters are very sanguirio of succoss on tho present occasion. Tho Sierrß, Sonoma. and Ventura arc now being overhauled at Sail Francisco, and if tho Subsidy Bill goes through each vessel, to bring its steaming capacity up to sixteen knots, will bo fitted with oil-consuming furnaces in placo of those for cool, the company considering that faster speed will thus bo assured. This step will probably necessitate tho erection of oil tanks, in Auckland, if tho service .should lie resumed. The writer considers that tlm 'first-'of' tho -vessels should reach Auckland some, time in February next. He concladns as follows: "Of course, everything dejK«uia on the passing of tho Bill, but the remmij of tho service is "anorally ccnaiiutrtvl pre- , bablo,"