AUSTRALIAN NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1030, 20 January 1911, Page 6

AUSTRALIAN NOTES.

WONDERFUL ELECTRIC DISPLAY. LIGHTNING PEATS ON WIRE FENCES. At Walla Walla homestead, tho residence of Mr. H. A. Paech, the lightning during a recent storm was very vivid. It •struck a tree, to which a gate was attached, and the iron hinges were cut clean through. Tho lightning ran from tho gate around the whole of the fence of this particular paddock, in which Mr. Paech had tho whole, of his crop. Two hundred and fifty tons of hay were stacked as well as a crop of 730 acres of wheat, partly stripped, which has been going eight and nine bags to the acre. Mr. Paech states that ho saw the whole of tho iencing wire for four miles red hot, and throwing off millions of sparks. At every knot in the wires they were seared clean through," and most of the metal droppers were electrically welded on to tho wires. Fortunately, about 20 hands were available, also horses, and all hands turned out to put out the fires, which at this time were starting all around the fences. Some 50 fires were put out after a hard fight. Fortunately a chain break had been ploughed each side of the fence, thus giving the fire-fighters a good chance, and tho crop, hay, and stacked wheat,, valued at over ,£3500, were saved. The crop was uninsured. Three fires were started near Culcairn by the lightning striking trees, and these fires were extinguished by tho Kirndeen, Round-hill, and Culcairn Firo Brigades. A fire also started on Morven Estate (owned by Mr. Thomas'Ma(chett), but fortunately rain fell and the fire was. got under with the loss of a few acres of grass.

AWE-INSPIRING SIGHT AT SEA. ■ A magnificent sight was witnessed off tho coast on. tho night of January (i, when the intense heat of the day gave place to a cool change late in the after- . noon. When the thunderstorm broke over Sydney the passengers on the coastal and other steamers ill the vicinity of tho Heads were treated to an awe-inspiring sight. At sunset the sky > to the southwest was split up into all the colours of the rainbow in huge streaks, but the predominating clouds were of a slaty tinge. Then an electrical , disturbance began to make itself manifest. First observed 011 the horizon, tho lightning, both chain and forked, played through the huge streaks of colour, which as night fell gradually became darker. Immense (lashes of sheet lightning then illuminated tho ocean for miles around, and tho steamers could plainly be seen ploughing their way through tho sea. The disturbanco continued until long after 9 p.m. Very little rain was rccordojl in and around .Sydney, for the centre of the storm was well out to sea.

OBITUARY. Sir. George Shirley, who died at Chatswood on January 5 after a long illness, ..was 58 years ot age. He was born in London in 1553, and after receiving his education at the Bluecoat School, left England for' New Zealand in 1879. 110 remained in New Zealand for 13 years, and then came to Sew South Wales. Entering into business us n manure merchant, Air. Shirley succeeded in building up a large conncction, and in making himself well known in nearly every district in the State where agricultural shows are held. Three years and a half ago the business was taken up by a limited liability company, of which Mr. Shirley was appointed .managing director, lor some years Mr. Shirley was a member of tho council of the Royal Agricultural Society, in the progress of which 110 took a keen interest. He left a widow two sous, a lid one daughter. The funeral look place at the Gore Hill Cemetery, tho Anglican burial service being read by Revs. J. Hall- Best and J. H. Maclean. Ihe former spoke d few words of appreciation of the good qualities of character of tho deceased.

WHERE MOSQUITOES THRIVE. According to Nature's plan, tho mosI™; m s' J lavo 11 very important function to. discharge, yet according to man's experience the same little insect is h peace-destroying , miisanco (says tile SvdnniV f^ : " ly KjtongK')- During tho past fui months their numbers and viciousness have been sufficient to spoil the pleasures of the-curly evening hours in the outlying suburbs, as if to show that those who endeavour to flee from tho germs that thrive in crowded areas cannot hnd idealism in the simple life Local authorities, moved to. action by the many tales of woe coming to their ears, have endeavoured to stem the nuisance by pouring kerosene into the waterholes ■ to- destroy tho young mosquitoes. Along tho Wilson's l'oiut to Hornsby ■railway line, where the iiisect appears to have found a congenial home, this method of alleviation lias been resorted to with much success. There aro many left yet, and. the candidate for municipal honours who is prepared to enter upon a mosquito crusade, should get strong support. Tho Willonghby nuisance inspector, who recently spent some time keroseniiijr tho many waterholes in the municipality, reported that in one locality there were' sufficient larvae to supply, the whole of Australia.

THE JEW- AS AN IMMIGRANT. The proposal made some 'time ago to populate a portion of tho vacant .lands ..of Australia by means of a colossal system of Jewish immigration was vetoed largely on the grounds that a considerable portion of tho people were doubtful as to the ultimate success of the scheme. The prevailing features that iWere' to be expected from such an imlnenso undertaking might find their replica in , tho conditions existing in •America with regard'to the Russian Jewish settlements. The observations of Mr. T. J. Hardy, who. has resided some timo in America, have lead him to entertain a favourable opinion of the ultimate suc'cess of Jewish immigration to new countries. From the point of view of settlement, Mr. Hardy says they should, be satisfactory, because the Jews have an exceptionally low death-rate, while the birth-rate is very high. When once freed from tho trammels of oppression they embrace education with avidity, and already several of .the American ghettoes can be regarded as minor seats of learning. The Jew has a thirst for knowledge, and he is a keen advocate for a liberal education, which'he takes'care to impart to bis children. Given a chance he readily embraces agriculture, but under existing conditions in America the Israelites are for tho most part crowded into tho cities. They Hood the skilled trades, and find plenty of employment, largely owing to the fact that they will work for less than the average current wage, with the result that a good deal of sweating goes on, both to their own detriment and that of their ■ fellowworker. In Australia, concluded Mr. Hardy, such a possibility could be guarded against, and if this were done the peasant Jew would prove an excellent citizen.—"Daily Telegraph."

"MERE CRAMMING SHOPS." Another objector against tlio system of cramming in educational institutions is Rev. E. H. Sugden, principal of Queen's College, Melbourne. "I trust tliat some word'of protest will go forth from this meeting," lie said in his presidential address before tho Education section at (ho Science Congress, "against the growing tyranny of. the examination system, which is-*fast reducing our secondary schools to mere cramming shops, anil making all originality in teaching too risky to bo attempted. It is tho parents not the teachers, who are responsible for the present state of .affairs. As long as they peiv-ist in looking' upon a pass at matriculation, or some other examination, as tho chief, test of their children's educational progress, and in judging schools by the number of passe-) and honours they secure, so long teachers who, unfortunately, have their living to make, must conform to tho presont crara for results, and subordinate their curricula to the requirements of tho examination boards."