Notes and Comments.

Feilding Star, Volume II, Issue 527, 21 March 1908, Page 2

Notes and Comments.

The Commonwealth of Australia is ] to be congratulated upon having se- ' cured something more than a figurehead as ,its third Governor-General. ( The Earl of Dudley, whose appoint- ; ment is just announced, was the most ' popular Lord-Lieutenant that Ire- : land has enjoyed for many a year, and since 1902, when he was appointed to that arduous and important position, Dublin Castle came nearer to the ideal of true Court life than "tho distressful country" had experienced for a lengthy period. For not only was the Earl popular, but he was ably assisted by a Countess who is one of Britain's most beautiful women. Miss Gurney was the beauty of her year when she was captured by the Earl in 1891. The Earl, who finished his education at Eton by touring the world, including the colonies, is in his forty-second year. Ho is the owner of 10,000 acres of land, including great coalfields ; he has estates in Jamaica., and is the patron of thirteen livings for clergymen. He is a Conservative in politics, but his sympathy with the policy of Devolution in Irish affairs brought much criticism upon him. The Earl and Countess have two sons and three daughters. Society and sport in .Australia will have enthusiastic leaders in the new GovernorGeneral and his Countess. ahe Day Schools Sub-committee of the London County Council states that owing to firo drill children can frequently leave their schools within two minutes. This item, coming after tho dreadful disaster that recently occurred in an American school, suggests the idea of drills against panics m our schools. Wo have fancy marches and drills for cadets, but there is no training against panic. In tho New Zealand schools there are, usually, ample means of egress ; but even the best of facilities are of no avail at a timo of panic. Disciplino is the most dependablo thing in such cases, but the American catastrophe brought out the fact that the children .had been well drilled to leave the building in an orderly manner when the alarm was given. This exercise, however, did not stand the actual test. Still, discipline and drill are the best safeguards, despite tho American failure. The reign of Mary Ann Unionism was very short. It is 'notified in this week's Gazette that the registration of the Wellington Domestic Workers' Union will bo cancelled at the expiration of six weeks. Thus perishes prematurely a venturp that took the Empire City by storm and created quite a panic amongst tho mistresses in Hobson-street and along Wellington Terrace. There were numerous "hen" conventions, some attempts at conciliation, and much worry on the part of Mrs Civill Serviss who employed one small girl to do a large and strong woman's work. Every lady who moved in Society foresaw slavery to n<;r slavey and had bad dreams of a tyrant in the kitchen who wanted the keys of the piano, the pantry, and the parlour, as well as a latchkey. Madame the Mistress feared that in the coming campaign for freedom Her Serene Highness Mary Ann would steall a march on her. But Mary Ann has capitulated, sho has hauled down the dustcloth, has hung up her hat, tied on her apron, resigned from tho union, and decided to stick to the kitchen in future. Probably tho pulso of the average reader was unaffected on reading the cablegram from Adelaide that an important deposit-of nitrato of soda lmd been discovered in tho far north. But tho "strike" means much to the farming community of Australasia. Nitrate of soda is a valuable quick-acting manure, greatly used for top-dressing, especially for grain crops and grass. Formerly, the chief supplies were obtained from India, ami latterly from Chili, from large deposits whose origin is still something of a mystery. The world's supplies are very limited, and are fast being exhausted. The substance, however, is of such high value as a fertiliser that the Australian discovery will attract world-wido attention, it ranks with sulphate of ammonia in being the most expensive oi fertilisers, but if the South Australian supplies prove extensive and serviceable, prices should become much easier, especially for New Zealanders, who require fertilisers tor their light soils and "bad" lands to mako them remunerative.