TOPICS OF THE TIME.

Hastings Standard, Issue 19, 18 May 1896, Page 2

TOPICS OF THE TIME.

Although the annual report of the Victorian Government dairy expert shows a falling off in the dairy production of the colony as compared with the previous year, there are none" the less signs of substantial progress in the industry. The quantity of butter exported during the season 1895-96 amounted to 9385 tons, the estimated value of which was £876,026. The export of mutton, rabbits and other produce brought the total value up to £971,381. During 1894-95 the butter exported reached the enormous total of tons, which was valued at £1,081,243. The cause of the falling off in the period just closed was the drought, which destroyed the pastures and largely reduced the supply of milk to the factories. Mr Wilson expresses gratification at the absolute denial given to the statement that Victorian butter was adulterated. A committee of the English House of Commons had declared the butter to bo pure, and if any adulteration took place it must be \lonc in England. The quality of the better shows a marked improvement. Oithe 7733 tons exported to England, 0810 tons was branded with the Government stamp ; 912 tons was of fair quality, but not considered good enough to bo branded, and only 6 tons was marked " pastry." It was satisfactory, therefore, to find that 93 per cent, of the butter exported was up to the standard required by the Government. Danish butter did not exceed Victorian in price by more than 6s or 8s per cwt., and it only required greater caro and skill on the part of Victorian dairymen to make their butter rank with the best in the world.

In a paper which ho read before the Institution of Naval Architects on the 25th March, Lord Charles Beresford contended that the present system of water-tight doors in men-of-war affords little or no protection to the ship when she is rammed or torpedoed, that the number of such doors may be conveniently reduced, without impairing, nay with increasing the efficiency of the ship. The loss of the Vanguard in the Irish Sea when touched by the ram of the Iron Duke, of the Victoria and the Gosser Ivurfiirst rammed during peace manoeuvres, of the Blanca Encalada when torpedoed, and the loss of the Italian vessels by ramming at Lissa, all go to show that watertight doors do not get properly closed in an emergency. "No ship has been saved," he said, " when wounded below water-level at the moment when her water-tight doors were open."

Ixtkkestin'g incidents of the siege of of Zeitun are printed in the Daily News from a correspondent writing from Marash, who gives prominence to certain heroic deeds of the women of Zeitun :—lt seems that the Zeitunlis first took up arms to save themselves from the soldiers. . . . There is a cliff 2500 ft. above and 250 ft. below the town. . . Then there is a fort on a hill opposite, that commands the town. . . . The inhabitatants could not storm the fort with flintlocks exactly, so they merely cut off the water supply by pouring in sand and kerosene oil. The Turks had flour, but they could not make their bread with the spoiled water nor use it for drinking. They were kept in this condition for three days, and then after continuous fighting for 56 hours surrendered. Two hundred and fifty-six men were made prisoners and quartered on the citizens. While the men were fighting for the fort there still remained the Governor and G5 armed guards in the town. These men were preparing to do some mischief when the women armed themselves with axes and attacked them, forcing them to surrender their arms, and then stationed them around the town for safe keeping. After they had taken the fort and the 250 prisoners, they confined the latter in the Governor's establishment. Then followed a great battle with the newly-arrived troops. Every man and boy over 13 years of age was away fighting—no one could be spared to guard the prisoners. They w T ere just breaking out to fire the town when the women in desperation rose again, killed every man of them, and threw them down the cliff. You must remember they were fighting for their lives and for the lives of their babes—to save not only themselves but 1200 refugees who had fled from their villages before the hordes of Turkish soldiers. Once they offered terms of surrender, and the reply came, ' Surrender at once, and we will spare two in every ten—wait one day, and wo will have the life of every man, woman, and child.' . . The women gathered up the exploded shells, emptied out the powder, of which they were in great need, and converted the shells into bullets. They say simply, ' The shelling of the town was a great blessing to us,' and have no more of an idea that they have done anything heroic than any woman has when she has done the duty nearest at hand."