CURRENT TOPICS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CVI, Issue 12621, 2 October 1901, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

At the end of 'the London .season there is always a rush of-fashionable people

BREAKING THE BANK.

to the soutE of Eui'bpe, and this year the authorities at Monte Carlo seem to "have made special, efforts-'to'at-tract, part of the stream of visitors to their giddy,little town. The -proprietors'of the gaming tables spend an enormous sum im "subsidising" the Press, and this year one of the stories they have succeeded in -getting through half the newspapers on tho Continent refers to an "infallible" scheme of "breaking the bank" that has been discovered by a Portuguese named Almeida., According to a telegram published ■in the London " Express-," this gentleman has won thousands from the tables, so much, indeed, thalb he is 'now prepared to sell his secret for £50,000. It is rather remarkable, by the way, that the inventors of gambling systems are ailways ready to part with their "paten's" for a consideration. It may seem strange to ordinary mortals that Senhor Almeida, whose road to wealth is represented as being so iure and so easy, does not keep his secret to himself and win the £50,000 at the tables, and as much more as the proprietors are inclined to lose. But probably his offer is made in the interests of these gentlemen, who reap most of their profits from "systems" that are iniceuded to reduce chance to a certainty. The announcement of his good fortune is sure to stimulate the imaginaticai of other inventors. A few years ago an Englishman went to Monte Carlo with a sma'i fortune, and an idea that could net fail to multiply his wealth a hundredfold. The system, as he called it, was based on a mathematical calculation. He simply took a list of all the winning numbers in one evening, and then worked out the chances of 'th-eir turning up again iha next day. At the end of three months he hanged himself in hi; bedroom, having lost thousands cf his own money as well as thousands of other people's, and for a day or two tha tables were in disfavour with -respectable people. But it was only for a day or two. Before the end of tha week other inventors were trying their systems, and often with the same result. The proprietors of the rabies, if they are not already in collusion, with tho ingenious Portuguese, will doubtless bs vctv pleased to meet Senhor Almeida and his invention, and to relieve him as promptly as possible of any superfluous cash with which he may he encumbered.

MOKE HEAT.

The Northern Hemisphere las been experiencing an

unusually 'hot summer, and' no doubt our tura is coming. The -world, according to American astronomers, is in for a not time during the next four years', find all because the sun is " bursting bubbles in its envelope." The face of the sun ia blanketed with absorbing vapours, and when these vapours are thinned, the intense heat within leaps out through the weakened shell and strikes on 'ihe unoffending planets. Something of 'the kind 'has been happening this year. The spots on the sun's face are merely indications of the internal state of the great fiery 'orb, showing where the pent-up heat is bursting through. They occur periodically, and Dr ,W. J. S. Lockyer declares that overlying the ordinary eleven-year cycle is a thirty-five-year cycle. Thirty-five years ago there was a. similar outburst of heat, extending over five- years, and culminating in 1870. We arc at the beginning 1 of another cycle riow, and- for four years .we may expect hot, dry summers, with extraordinary cyclonic disturbances. It must not be supposed, however, that this point is definitely settled. Astronomers still differ concerning the periodicity of sun-spots and concern-: ing the connection between.; sohv eruptions and terrestrial seasons* Professor Bruncker holds that once in thirty-five years there is a variation of climate over the whole earth, corresponding exactly to Lc-ckyer's sun-spot cycle; and he goes further, be-iieving that out sun is really a variable star. But' the American scientists are sometimes too progressive, -drawing sweeping conclusions frcm inmrfioient data, and it may be that heat waves are. due to local disturbances. While so. many, important meteorological problems remain unsolved it is too early to be positive tli3t extreme seasons are directly " due to the variations in the- output of radiation from the sun." At the same time, there is good ground for believing that solar disturbances are connected in some way with extraordinary auroral and magnetic storms on the earth. This is one of the problems that the Antarctic expedition will investigate, but in all probability observations will have to be made and recorded in all parts of 'the world for a century before any positive conclusions cun bo reached.

Ohrisbchurch. lias already vi iniklsort of "difficulty" rcgard'lng smoking on. trains.

SMOKIXC OX TKAMS.

On popular 'trams a. special carriage is generally reserved for smoknvs, but. it is understood that smoking on rhc roof is net objected to. When the- slimmer comes, however, the smokers will ,all migrate, to the roof, and every now and then there will be a protest from women and non-smokers. The question has been agitat-

ing London travellers during the summer. All through' the winter the smokers hav r « had to ride on the roof of 'bus or tram,, but when the fine weather returns the nonsmokers ride outside and wish to eject tie smokers. They have made representations to the managers, and, indeed, have in some instances threatened to boycott the vehicles on which smoking is allowed. The percentage of smokers is riot a large one. A representative of the " Daily Chronicle " who checked the vehicles passing along frequented routes in the city, numbered ths passengers in 624 vehicles in tea days. There were, in all, 3671 cutdd'a passengers, of whom 645 only were actually smoking, -a per centage of 17.56. The highest daily percentage was 20.26, and the lowest 14.39, so that only one person in: five will be found smoking at any given time. The smallness of the percentage suggested that it would be a comparatively simple matter to allot certain seats to the smokers, and naturally, the back seats were chosen. But another difficulty arose here, because on windy days no one wanted to occupy a front seat, and moreover, wornem generally choose the back seats because they are more convenient: The London County which has laid its attention directed to the matter, has not yet thought it necessary to interfere', and on its own trams no attempt is made to regulate smoking. The omnibus companies strongly object to the suggestion that a hard and fast rule should be enforced, contending that every reasonable suggestion that has been mads has failed to satisfy the non-smokers. The smokers are rather a sturdy, self-reliant body, ar.d so far, have shown no disposition to relinquish their rights. Our experience on Ghristchurch trams favours the idea that among passengers who exercise a little common-sense and ordinary courtesy the matter will settle itself. The only ; serious complaint we have heard is thai ! cars used by smokers on one.'trip are allotted to non-smckers on the return, and fresb cars allotted to the smokers. This, when it occurs, is the fault of the management, for it is a simple matter in a tram of several cars to reserve the same one for smokers on both trips.