NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 743, 16 February 1910, Page 6

NOTES OF THE DAY.

The wool sales held in Wellington yesterday were a : gratifying success. About 16,500 bales were brought to the hammer, and the quality was much better : than was Fairly heavy-conditioned crossbred wool, rough back-country wool, _ and lambs' wool were in comparatively; largo supply. There was also, a fair quantity of halfbreds and fine crqssbvc'ds, and \ several' .representative, clips were included : ih , the cata-. logues. The attendance of buyers appeared to be quite as good as at the January sale, and the bidding was animated throughout. ■ Fine wools did not receive quite as much attention: as at the previous sale, and the heaviest 1 withdrawals were of. this class. > Superior and fine crossbreds exhibited a weaker tendency, and, • compared with January, values inclined slightly iii.;buyers' i favour. . Coarse, and medium crossbred, met with keen .competition; and. advanced a farthing to a halfpenny per. lb. ..A'.;feature, of 'the sale..was the large quantity of- clean, bright lambs' :wool offered, for, ; which the competition was 'spirited, some of the best lots making from . 12d. ,to 13d.,: The success of this sale-: and the splendid prices realised will.no doubt growers'-to accord i their continued support to the, local market.',. •'■'■.■.,-.; ,*.".".•.), Ode travelling, correspondent informs that changes inthe .railway time-table, for this province 'will probably be brought into effect early next month. It 1 is: quite time. 'We cannot, recall any occasion on which changes have been made in the running of any public service which have- provoked such universal condemnation; the whole of the-'districts affected an outcry has been .raised in protest against the inconvenience to the public occasioned by. the new. services.: : The. changes hinted at are not only,\mfortunately' necessary in ;the' interests of the public and of the railways themselves, but: there should be no further 'delay ■;'• in •'bringing them about. It would seem,.judging from what appears to be an'inspired paragraph in a. contemporary, that the Wairarapa district is '" not likely to benefit, materially: from' 'the' rearrangement now under consideration, it; is asserted that a, material saying has been made' in this particular district: by' the' adoption :qf the.timetable! now.'in force, and that" in the main it must : be adhered to.' : 'Before accepting;the figures put forward, '.it would: be: well for, the : residents of. the'Wairarapa to make alittle fur-ther-[inquiry into. the matter. 'It would be a simple matter to make a temporary'saving'of -a: good: '.many thousands' a year on 'practically', every, line in'the Dominion by 'cur-T tailing the .running of, a.given .number: of trains; but this might;prove a very.' shortsighted policy; • There is such a thing as false economy.'' ■'• •'7 The facilities afforded'" for forgery, and thejpassing' of valueless cheques have formed the subject,of comment from the Supreme' Court: Bench : of the. Dominion' on many" occasions. : For those who' choose to profit by.-'it,', however, the' artifices, : of. the.' forger; are' said, to have :.been circumvented by., the ingenuity • of a clever electri-, ; cian' r IiDiNSHAH-.GHADiAiir, '^v.hti; 1 on account; of .'his inventive genius' has earned; the,, .sobriquetv.of', ■'■ "the ;Parsee Edison." . This ' gentleman has invented :an';electric pen in 'connection, with the ;_use: of which' neither ink nor pencil is employed, but ■in which'an electric spark constitutes thov inscribing.,,' medium. ■ The .pen itself- 'resemDles ahVordinary' fountain pen, ,and; is' connected with an electrical apparatus stored in a writ-' ing .desk, to whichit'is attached.'.A current specially I 'intensified, is'conveyed to : the pen-point through flexible wiring, and:the pen;only; works when held-in 'a'-writing' position 'on the papor, under which is an aluminium, sheet. Writing' is carried'out in the usual manner. The' pen-point is pressed firmly .upon the paper, and immediately ;the: contact in the pen is accomplished' : there' is a .sharp orackj and' the spark' burns through' the paper, leaving a small' puncture iri,its train. .The advantage of this pen, is that the 'outline': of the letters is', represented'in ;_a.series of closely- 1 succeeding and■' irregular':perforation's.': It_ is claimed, that the record thus obtained' is absolutely indelible, and that forgery is impossible, as it is impossible to produce two identical series of. perforation's. A .further advantage ..claimed ', is that at. least eight 'sheets, .of. paper can ; be • sighed simultaneously nr this 'way, ; which prevents the. : chanoe of any particular leaf of-'.a, document': being 'withdrawn and another substituted. The fraud could he immediately detected, as the perforations in the substituted sheet would: differ, from ; the others. Although' the, pen' is said 'to be inex'pensive,'. it is:' hardly likely, to come 'into common': use. It .is claimed, however, that: there -are great possibilities'for :it ! in connection with the signing of legal documents and financial papers'of an important nature. ,■..■;■■' ■■"''.)-:;'.: "'.'■•■)' -V-