CURRENT TOPICS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXX, Issue 15124, 13 October 1909, Page 6

CURRENT TOPICS.

A pretty little problem danxbe AND is said to be engaging bhine. tho attention of the

politicians of Wurtemburg and the Grand Duchy of Baden. It arises from the fact that the Danube, although rising on one side of the watershed, is nevertheless proved to be discharging a good deal of its original waters into the Rhine on the other side. The Danube is leaking extensively. Just before it crosses the frontier into Wurtemburg, where it breaks through the Swabian Jura, the greater part of the water in the river disappears through clefts in the rock. For hundreds of years this escape of water has been increasing, and at present the river immediately below Immerdingen is almost dry in summer. For a long time it was a mystery whither the Danube escaped, but experiments made thirty years ago proved that the water again reached the surface twelve miles away, where it was the source of the river Aach, which flows into the Lake of Constance near the point where the Rhine issues fro.m the lake. This natural freak, which is stated to have no parallel on earth, is entirely to the advantage of the Grand Duchy of Baden, as the Aach runs through its territory, whereas the dri&d-up part of the Danube lies in the territory of Wurtemberg. The Wurtemberg Government has in vain tried to get the Baden Government to wall up the clefts through which the Danube escapes, but without effect, as tho diminution which must result in the volume of the Aach would cause Baden considerable loss. Owing to the discovery of yet a second strange freak of Nature, the situation has now suddenly changed. It has been discovered that the Danube, after it has recovered its loss of water in Wurtemberg territory, is subject to another great leakage near Fridingen. The water which escapes runs underground for twenty miles, and, like the first leakage, also runs into the Aach and thence into the Rhine. Experiments made by salting and colouring the water have proved this beyond dispute. The position is thus that there is a leak in Baden territory and a leak in Wurtemberg territory, and the Wurtemberg people declare that they will dam up the leak in their territory unless the Baden people dam up their leak. The river Aach stands to lose water either way, and the problem for Baden- is to decide in which way they would lose least.

OTTTDOOE SLEEPING.

The joy of outdoor sleeping is a comparatively modern one —for civilised • people—and it

is not many years since the jaded dweller in the towms would have thought that he was risking his life if he ventured out into the open to tako his night's rest. It is a fact yet, and a pitiable one, that most persons wait until they are ill before venturing upon the practice of sleeping out of doors. But there are a considerable number of people who do so from actual choice, although they are perfectly healthy. Among these are the happiest people in the world — happiest because their nerves aro steadiest, becauso they hare more physical resistance to heat and to cold, and, most of all, because night after night they revel in that large elemental joy, the real animal content which is known by the shepherds of the hills. Mr Bailey Millard, who is an enthusiast on this subject, contributes an interesting article to "Collier's Magazine." Mr Millard discards all hammocks and folding-cots for his own out-door camping, and he says that there is nothing more comfortable or more healthy than a bed upon the ground, either with a thick layer of straw, or preferably with a couch of the lighter houghs of the spruce or balsam fir, whilst the very height of luxury is attained if a supply of fragrant pine needles can be secured. "To lift dawn," ne writes,

" upon a properly made couch of fir boughs on a clear night, to breathe their balsam while one gazes at the stars, and slowly to feel one's senses taken possession of by Nature's wholesome anaesthetics, weariness and pure air, is among the most delicious and treasured experiences of the mountain traveller." But it is with out-door sleeping at home that he is most concerned. The appliances for this include the sliding bed, on which the Jpper half of the sleeper extends out of the window- and is covered with an awning, having one side open ; the roof cage for city houses; the porch tent and the back-yard shack, two sides of which are lattice-work, with inside storm curtains of canvas that can easily be lowered; but the mest practicable of all is the sleeping balcony. Such.a structure can be built off any living-room on brackets, and should be about 9ft by 7ft. One side should bo fully enclosed to protect the sleeper from prevailing winds, and there should be an overhanging roof. The other two sides should be boarded three feet up from the floor, and above that should be left open, with canvas curtains drawn up to the top, ready to be let down and buttoned securely in bad weather, always leaving a narrow gap at the top for .ventilation. Any verandah or balcony can be fitted up in this way for a mere trifle, and after using such a contrivance for years Mr Millard declares that the number of indoor sleeping hours can be cut iu two by the outdoor slumberer without ill effect. No one who sleeps afield over requires in one night more than five or six hours of tired Nature's sweet restorer unless he has been sleep-starved beforehand.

DAYLIGHT SAVING.

There are, -apparently, fairly good prospects of the Victorian Parlia-

ment being asked to do something to advance time during the summer months, in order that more use may be made of daylight hours. The Select Committee which is sitting in Melbourne to inquire into the advisableness of introducing a measure to bring about this change in custom has already taken a good deal of evidence, and the great bulk of it is in favour of the scheme. Sportsmen, merchants, tradesmen and other classes seem to regard the proposal with approval. A gentleman w-ho represented 7000 lovers of the game of bowls assured the committee that the game would be enjoyed to a greater degree if the daylight was used more systematically than it is at present, and the president of the Victorian Cricket Association stated that business men who are fond of a game of cricket, if the change came into force, would have greater facilities for indulging their taste in this direction. The vice-president of the Victorian Fish Protection Society declared that as fish bite best towards the evening all fishermon would be glad of an extra hour during that part of the day. The Melbourne Stock Exchange has announced that it is strongly in favour of the proposal. It modifies this, howover, by saying that if the scheme is to bo successful! it must he applied not only to the whole of Melbourne and Victoria but also to all the States in the Commonwealth, so that everybody may be brought into line. The Associated Banks of Victoria • have not given an opinion either for or against the proposal, but they do not seem to bo adverse to it, as the chairman has pointed out that whatever is dono must bo in accordance with the modification urged by the Stock Exchange. , Perhaps the strongest advocate of the proposal who has come before the committee is Mr F. Tate, Director of Education in Victoria. Ho states tnat his Department is thoroughly convinced that the change could be made on perfectly sound grounds. He believes that children in the country would benefit greatly. By attending school at an earlier hour they would escape a great deal of the drudgery they are now compelled to do before leaving their homes. There would be more time for recrea.tion, and children in nearly all schools and classes would have more opportunities for enjoying sports and pastimes in the open.