NEAR AND FAR

Evening Star, Issue 15073, 3 January 1913, Page 8

NEAR AND FAR

Mr Robert Philp, formerly Premier of Qi-.emslp.nd. who returned "from n tour abroad a few days ago, takes iv verv hopeful view of the international outlook, and connects it with the wonderful prosperity that exists in shipping and commerce. Mr Phil]) said the world's production of wealth is enormously increasing, and the great volume of commerce that is being exchanged between the countries will lend toward* peace. For this reason, Mr Philp declared, the supposition of war between Britain and Germany Mas ridiculous. The commercial interest between the two nations was enormous, and both would stand to_lo*e too much by armed conflict. "There ie a strong feeling in England in favor of compulsory training," Mr Philp said to a representative of the "Sydney Morning Herald.' "It is strange!' but there is at least a change in this respect in conservative England, and I can tell you those who back up this scheme are tremendously proud of Australia and the example she has set." "What about thcmilitary feeling in Germany and the supposed antagonism to England':" "Rot!" rapped out Mr Philp : " all rot, Neither Geimany nor England desires war. For one thing, the. commercial interests of the two countries would be. very much shattered by anything of the kind. " "At present I see no hope of an alteration in Germany's attitude towards the Australian meat trade," he remarked. " Queensland used to send large quantities of canned stuff over, but, since the prohibition all that is, of course, stopped. It is not that the Germans do not want our meat; they do, but at present agrarian interests there are very strong, and are watched by the Reichstag. Sir George Reid has been"moving in the matter for some time. We can only hope for a good result." The object of Dr Wilson. America's President-elect, in going to Bermuda, was to get a. month's r?«t. and to escape from the army of office-seekers, who would otherwise be camping on his trail. The President has 6,000,000c!ol worth of federal jobs tj bestow, the London 'Telegraph' says, and Democratic aspirants, hungry for sixteen years', are clamoring to be i'ed. The great ruf.h. for Government jobs under the Wilson Administration has. indeed, already begun, and Democrats from the four corners of. the United States, and even from abroad, are already starting their run towards, what in America is called the " pie counter." The office-seekers, especially from (he South, are crowding the cheap hwiiding-houses in the national capital, and are besieging the White House and Congress, some of them "flat broke," and livjjii.' from hand lo mouth-

Some of Mr R. Thomas, station master .at Huon (Victoria), wcix- having "afternoon tea" in their 'playhouse last week, when one little girl took'a teapot to be filled. Noticing, something move in the pot. she called her mother, who found a large tiger snake coiled inside. ! Some men on the station at the time tried ! unsuccessfully to remove the snake, and \ eventually smashed the teapot and killed j the reptile. It. was a. matter of surprise that so long a snake could coil itself up in so small a space. The output of timber from this district is going on at a constantly accelerated pace (writes the King Country correspondent of the "New Zealand Herald'). The rate iv. increase may be realised from the tact that for the past- three vears the quan-ty sent out Jan altinst •h.-.nh-.d itwli e'veiy 12 umnths. Following are the figures from tht: radway returns H>r the section be tween Taumaru;uii u.,..! W.vmari.-io : 1910. 4,974,500 ft; 1911, 7,646,600 ft; 1912, 14,162,100 ft. As iiie Tariugamutu Cornpain's mills lie within a tew miles of Taumarunui, although not within the railway section referred to above their output may be included 111 that -..f the Taumanvnn district This would make an additional 6.115,9001t for 1912, and would s-.vdl tire total for the piesent year to 20,281,000 ft cut and despatched from this district. The time cannot be very far distant when, at this rate, th?. rntti-ig wniclt is going on southward.; froin_ Taumarunui :..id northwards from Tainape must make a, cleaiaoce of the for»sts 'll th - King Country, and these are th \ only remaining forests of any great importance :,i -ne Dominion. On Christmas Day ther© were distributed throughout the gaols of New South V\ ales copies of the first issue of the ' Compendium/ a journal "edited and compiled under the supervision of the. ComptrollerGeneral of Prisons, for issue to wellconducted persons under detention in the gaols of the State." The journal consists of 14 pages, quarto size, and is neatly pruned on green-tinted paper. Items of general interest of varied character culled from the daily and weeklv Press of the city, are given, in addition to which information is afforded concernimr th© labor market and the prospects of s ecu rim- employment at tempting rates of pav in different parts of the SUtte. The -'Compendium' is the outcoma of a suggestion bathe Prisoners' Aid Association."" A Colorado professor took finaer prints from the lingers of his daughter "when she was born, sixteen years ago, and has taken them every year since. A comparison ot these prints by experts shows that therehas been absolutely no variation or eham-e 111 the markings of the fingers since birth And yet all the investigations have faiKl to show any two pernors in the world vet , whose linger markings were, precisely alike.