NOTES AND COMMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 11680, 15 June 1901, Page 4

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

The railway carriage which ha* been specially constructed for the use King Edward when travelling on the Continent weighs about 37 tons. The Royal compartments include two bedrooms—one for the King and another for the Queentwo dressingrooms, and a salon in the centre. There are in addition two compartments for personal attendants. The carriage is liberally decorated with handsome wood carving and plush and leather trimmings. The ceilings are artistic in design, and are throughout painted in light colours. In two of the compartments they are in embroidered silk. The carriage is lilted with Stone's system of electric lighting. All the windows are provided with two blinds—a dust blind and a silk one, and the fixed windows are of double glass to meet the requirements of winter. No space is wasted, and in nearly every room there are practical and handy arrangements intended to make the most of the accommodation. The carriage is heated bv warm water, which can be generated in two way.-—by a coke lire or by steam from the engine. A door at one end of the corridor permits communication with a dining or sleeping-car, and the King's coach is so fitted with brake appliances, etc., that it can travel over any railway system on the Continent provided with the standard gauge. The only countries in which the King must follow the example of humbler travellers, and change carriages, are Spain and Russia. The can luge has been built at the works of the Compagnie Generale de Construction, at St. Denis, Paris.

The acquisition of a whole British line of steamers by Mr. Pierpont Morgan is (remarks the Lond'jii Daily Mail) a landmark in the history of British shipping. The objects of the purchase we cannot as yet clearly divine ; we have to guess from a few fact's the intentions of a man who threatens to be one of our most formidable commercial enemies. This sale of the Leyland line is the second large sale of British shipping within two years. On the last occasion it Mas the Holt line, trading in the mid-East, that was transferred to the German Hag. That transfer a recent Consular report has deplored, because of its indirect effect upon British trade. Now the Leyland line goes under the American flag. It will clearly be run in combination with a number of American companies, and probably will be supported by a handsome bounty from the American Congress. There will, in fact, be an American Shipping Trust as well as an American Steel Trust, and as well, we ma} add, as an American Railway Trust. For the vast, consolidations which are taking place in the American railway system under the aegis of the American billionaires amount to something very like a Railway Trust, which will, we may feel sure, play into the hands of the new Shiniiing Trust. That is to say, the vast consolidations which are taking place in Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York, and these goods will be placed in the holds of the American Shipping Trust's vessels. Very nice; no doubt, from the American point of view ; but where the British shipowner comes in is not quite so obvious. Naturally, the organisers of this new Trust have honeyed words for us. Their assurances are quite Lamsdorftian in their vagueness and value. Mr. Baker, of the Atlantic 'transport line, tells us, for example, that no harm is meant, but he adds—what

is an interesting suggestion—that both conntries will doubtless be prepared to share alike the Atlantic trade. Considering that we have hitherto held four-fifths of that trifle, it is clear that British shipping is to ),•• bought out or dislodged to the extent of at least three-tenths, or. let as say. 50 per en Which sets us wondering once more ils to the future of England's trade in this 'ace of St.'.tc-aided competition by rivals. It may seem strange to the fortunate, sighted people th.it the blind should be able not only to write shorthand, but to manipulate a typewriter with perfect ease and considerable sited. Vet this is the case, ami there are already several blind typewriters' offices in London, where authors' MSS.. letteis. circular*, and general copying are attended to by tit- sightless operators. The shorthand is liken down on a special machine, which embosses in the "Braille" system of "dots." There are only six typa kevs and a suae he key. The matter is recorded on a roll of tape-like paper, which travels along automatically into a basket, somewhat after the manner of the ordinary "taw" machine With the aid of the machine verbatim reports can be taken down at as higi a speed as 1-iO words -a minute, and thus a very remunerative and pleasant means >' employment is afforded for the blind. The transcribing is done with any typewriter, the user having once mastered the position of the keys. Tin-re is, however, an attachment for those who are deaf as well as blind, to indicate when the end of » lint is near. Instead of the usual " tinkle." ; wire is so fixed that it falls on the fingeis, no matter in what part of the keyboard '.he hands may be. 'The London .Society I'm Teaching the Blind have recently made a feature of this shorthandmachine in their institution. A blind clerk has been instructed in the new system, and has already done some good work. .He is 20 years of age, a.id ha" been blind from birth. Although it is less than a year sin-a he first began, lie has already attained a speed of 75 words a Minute. The sample of typewriting which he submitted was perfect as regards clearness, correct spelling, and even spacing.

j The new legal tariff, which is causing I such widespread indignation among Austrian j lawyers, permits a legal charge of 5s in all law suits involving suns under £4 3s 4d, £1 Is 8.1 on law suits involving amounts over £", 3s 4d and up to £83 6s 3d. The charges 'increase at the rate of Is 8d for every addition or £83 6s 3d in the value of the amount involved, up to a total of £4166 13s 4d; above that total the increase is at the rate of lOd for each additional £41 13a 4d. These charges include all services connected with the ease, except trial, which is to be paid lor at a daily rate; and the tariff is considered ridiculously low. Thus in a trial involving £11,600, the legal charges would not amount to more than 2s per cent. But the thing which lias incensed the lawyers most, and caused the resignation of the governing members oi the Bat, is the provision in the tariff stipulating that all ' extra tariff payment* must be agreed upon j in writing before the ease is taken up by | the lawyer; and even then such extra pay- ! ments can be rescinded by the ruling of th« ! Court. The lawyer members of Parliament i have asked the Minister foi Justice to with- : draw the proposed law, and this course will J most likely be followed.,

| In the House of Commons Mr. Balfour ; made an important statement with regard to ; the war in South Africa He stated that j the total number of Boers still in the field ' was estimated at 17,000, made up of small j commandos, varying from 100 to 600 men, j scattered over the Transvaal and Orange I River colonies and parts oi Cape Colony. He also stated that the reported peace nej gotiations had no foundation. A force of 1 400 Boers in Cape Colony was surprised and ; routed by Colonel Scobell. Fourteen priso- ; ners were taken, and a gun, 13,000 rounds of ammunition, and many horses were captured. It is officially announced that the Allies will maintain a force of 6000 troops in North China. An Imperial edict has ; "jeen issued agreeing to all the demands of ; the Powers.