Notes and Comments.

Feilding Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2305, 9 March 1914, Page 2

Notes and Comments.

To-day's Anniversaries. Itizzio murdered, 156(5. Soult captured liadajoz, 1811. Anna Letitia Barbauld died, 1825. Scinde war ended, 1843. Hudson Bay purchased, 1869. British New Guinea placed under Commonwealth, 1902. Hector Berlioz, composer,- died. 1869.

Problems and Progress. The worrying over Mexico and marking time thereover by America is hindering the carrying out of the big internal. matters of policy of the Wilson Administration. One of the greatest of these new enterprises is the first step in Government ownership of national conveniences. The parcel post system is proving an einbarassing success, so popular is it proving under Post Office management. Previously, all parcels were handled by private firms. President Wilson is now eagerly awaiting the opportunity to begin the nationalising of the telephone and telegraph system. Although the details of the measure are being carefully guarded, it is understood that it follows the lines of a proposal that the Government should go into competition with the Western Union and Postal telegraph systems by buying outright the inter-city telephone lines and utilising them for the simultaneous transmission of telephone and telegraph messages for the public through the Post Office Department. There are approximately 3,300,000 miles of these wires, which it is thought should be acquired for £40,000,000! The Vested Interest is a tremendous octopus in U.S.A.

Promoting a Prince, Tlie Prince of Wied seems to be earning his kingdom., judging by the cabled progress reports of his tour of Europe and indications of the mixed state of feeling in Albania, which he is to rule o\ er by grace of the Powers of Europe. Borne discussion has been going on upon the promoting of Albania from a princedom into a kingdom, a move on the part of the Powers which is likely to cause heartburnings, if not some explosions, in the powder magazine of the Continent. Jb'or Prince William and his new kingdom get their promotion too suddenly. They have not served a full apprenticeship. Nicholas of Montenegro only gained his kingship n few years ago, alter half a century's warfare with the Turks; King Carol of Roiiimuiia had a protracted apprenticeship as reigning Prince before lie assumed the mantle of royalty; the kingship of Ferdinand of' Bulgaria is likewise of recent date; there hud been three rulers of Servia and many wars before its Prince became King Milan. As a London writer puts it: "Albania-is indeed favoured by the gods if, without being able to point to a single victory over the Turks, she is created a kingdom and her sovereign put on a par with the leaders of the successful Balkan campaign." Albania's new capital, by the way, has a multiplicity of names, being known in Western lOuropo by its Italian name (Durazzo), the fcJlavs call it Dratch, the Turks Drutz, the Albanians Dnretsi, and the ancient Romans called it Darachhi'm.

A shipment of 300!) sheep from the Chatham Islands arrived at Tiinaru w the- steamer Taviuui ivcek.