fisOTES AND COMMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11685, 21 June 1901, Page 4

fisOTES AND COMMENTS.

As interesting account of rifle ranges and musketry training in Switzerland is given by Major the Hon. J. F. Fremantle, Ist Bucks, V.R.C., and Captain E. C. 11. Grant, Argyll and (Sutherland Highlanders, in a report which has been issued as a. British Parliamentary paper. In Switzerland everyone is familiar with the rifle and its use, and the. existence of a. range has, we are told, no terrors for local residents. The attainment of skill in shouting is considered a public duty; and anyone who "attempts selfishly to make difficulties about ranges becomes a public enemy." The Swiss army is purely a militia force. The recruits' training last 45 days, and •'in that time he has to learn everything about his business as a soldier.'' It is significant that bayonet exercise is not part of the training. But great pains are taken to secure marksmanship; "the amount of individual attention, each man receives being particularly noticeable." Only that which is essential to efficiency in the held is included in the training, which is made as practical as possible. Towards the end of the term, a three or four days' march in full marching order is carried out, the companies either bivouacking or going into billet for the night. In the field firing the targets are screens about 50yds long and 20in high, with heads and shoulders painted on them. To complete the verisimilitude, in the intervals between these screens are a few separate head and shoulder targets which fall down when hit. Good results are generally attained. After this training, the citizen only comes up afterwards for 18 days eve.y other year, but he has to fire a course of musketry every year. No money prizes are given for shooting in the annual course, but application and skill are encouraged by badges of honour worn on the arm. Their whole system of fire discipline is much less rigorous and centralised than ours; but while much is left to the common sense and initiative of the private soldier, the fire is absolutely controlled. The number of ranges in Switzerland was officially reported in 1895 to be 2735, a number giving not quite one to each of the 3200 communes. Ranges of all kinds are in use. Those used by the troops have the firing points and targets entirely in. the open. Some of the club ranges " set against a steep mountain side'' are very elaborate. The range accommodation in the smallest villages and hamlets is of the simplest, and dispenses with all fixed plant. The system of balanced canvas targets has been in use for many years, and indeed was introduced from Switzerland into England.

" Mount Omi and Beyond - ' is the title of in interesting book of travel in China, by .Mr. A. Little, who has done so much to bring China and Chinese life and character to a knowledge of the Westerns. The sacred mountains of Omi lie about 150 miles from Chungking, the principal city of Szechuan. They form the outermost western butteiesses of the Thibetan plateau, at the foot of which extends the great red basin of Szechuan, whose red sandstone waves are bounded by, and break, as it were, •.gainst th-> towering cliffs of Omi. One thus passes suddenly from the steaming plain (if one may so call its rugged sandstone hills by comparison) of Szechuan to. the breezy heights of the mountains, which extend unbroken to the Himalayas, and far beyond—mounting this great natural wall by an artificial staircase of some 20,000 slippery limestone steps. Once there, one is in a paradise of nature, seasoned by the romance of history, the traditions.- of Buddhism at the time when it was a living, growing faith, and the lesthetic results of this vitality, whici- have survived in the innumerable ruins of a glorious past which still decorate the mountain." Air. Little tells us in his preface that in this book he tenders no addition to the records of geographical exploration, but simply presents us with a picture of China as it exists far removed from Western influence—" a China which must ere long puss away as old Japan has dene, though with slower steps." la penetrating, these mountains, which are almost literally covered with Buddhist shrines nd temples "one finds oneself en plein moyen age (writes Mr. Little), and is enabled to realise the lives of oar ancestors before the .Reformation awakened men to think for themselves, and started them on the course which has left the Chinese, once our superiors, so far behind. We lealise there how our ancestors managed to live contentedly, as they undoubtedly did, in such, to us, utter discomfort. No newspapers, no public post, no roads beyond foot trails, no street cleaning, no drains, no fires in winter, and no ice iij simmer! Against these drawbacks, however, we have the brilliant costumes of the Middle Ages pervading China to-day, all but the very] poorest being richly and gracefully clad; while our modern dress is as unbecoming as our street architecture is unattractive. The aesthetic feeling had the upper hand in the -Middle Ages as it has m China to-day. . . . Chniese buildings seem to grow up intrinsically picturesque, and in exquisite harmony with the surreundings among which they stand. ... It is this harmony of Chinese towns and hamlets with surrounding nature that adds so much to the charm of the mountain views in inhabited districts. In uninhabited regions one has at least nature pure and midciiled—not scarred by a funicular railway nor blistered with mammoth hotels." Yet to judge by Mi-. Little's tale of the atrocious and abominable inns, temple guest-chambers, J and other change-houses, so to speak, where

I he and Mrs. Little were competed to sojourn, we have a shrewd suspicionthat there must hare been times when jdr, Little ■would have cheerfully exchanged tin whole of the Middle Ages for a snide n\ght in any "mammoth hotel."' The traveller ascended the facte t mountain. end ln.rh that he saw there and elsewhere is of embus interest. Here is a, single touch fnin the chapter on the Sai King Shan, <-• Ihy Prayer Books Mountain :—-" lie fog shut down on us we bad paused iji look back at the precipice on whoso siimidt we had spent three days. About 30ft] below the top we were just able to recognise a small cave villi a miniature rock datform in front of it ; below this a sheer fall of 3000 ft. Here two Misters, we were tiki, had devoted themselves to a. holy life— h purify themselves, as the Chinese say. I'ley were let down by n rope, and there lived many years, their father, our inforniiit said, sending them supplies of rice at regular intervals. They left three years nj;o, their term of purification having expire!. None but the impassive Eastern would, ve should think, be found to go through such an ordeal."

Although the German Reichstag; recently, by a vote of 185 to 40, pronounced in favour of the payment of its members, Caere is not the slightest chance of this beinj assented to by the Federal Council representing the Federal Sovereigns, which may be called the Imperial Government, and there are always two to the making of a liv, as well as of a bargain, in Germany. The Reichstag has passed resolutions of tie same kind before this, but. they came to nothing. Members of the Prussian Lower House enjoy a stipend of client '15s .<■ day—in addition to their travelling expensesduring the session ; but rather than include such a principle in the German Constitution, when it was being drafted in 1866. and redrafted in 1871. I'ismarck threatened to wreck it altogether. lie looked upon the non-pay-ment of members, he said, as a sound corrective and counterpoise to the dangers of Universal suffrage, which had been granted to the German people, and with this safety anchor lie vowed he would on no account part.

On February 26, 1902, will be celebrated throughout France the centonary of the birth of Victor Hugo. By way of commemorating the event in a fitting manner. Mr. Paul Meurice has offered the sum of 20.000f. to the City of Paris, besides a vast collection of portraits, autographs, engraving!, etc., illustrating the life and work and times of the great writer. M. Paul Meurice makes but one condition, which has been accepted, and it is that the museum shall be established in the. house inhabited for so many years by Victor Hugo in the Place Royale. now known as the Place des ,Tbsges. • It is No. 6 of the delightful series of old mansions built in the seventeenth century. which are so rarely visited by the casual tourist, but which are anvil',' the most picturesque remains of old Paris, each house in its day having been inhabited by some distinguished person, one being still pointed out as the house of the famous Ninon de l'Enclos. Not far off is the Musee Oarnavalet, once the residence of Mine, de Sevigne, whose son. the Marquis, was one of the many victims of her ever youthful neighbour Ninon.

The Seventh Contingent have been in action, and have had one man killed and four wounded. The name of the unfortunate New Zealander who has lost his life is involved in some doubt, as it appears to have been mutilated in the course of transmission both in our oven cable message and the one

received by the Premier. Extensive clearing operations Live begun in the eastern 'districts of the Orange River Colony. Later particulars of the disaster to the Victorians show that their camp was rushed by the Boers, and that all was over in a few minutes. It is evident the colonials were taken completely by surprise. A pro-Boer meeting, attended by 3000 Little Engenders, has been held in London, admission to which was by ticket. 800 foreigner?, porters, and others guarding the doors. Mr. Labouchere presided, and characterised Lord Milner as a wrenched penny-a-liner. Cheers •were given for Kruger and De Wet. The War Office is purchasing remoulds in 'America for South Africa, and is also sending reinforcements. The Mabommedan mission to China has been recalled by the Sultan. Five hundred native Christians have been massacred at Quelpaart. According to the German Emperor, the mutual esteem and comradeship displayed by the Allies in China have assured the p?ace of Europe for many years to come. Cut of 714 eases of plague reported at the Cape, nearly onehalf proved fatal, the total deaths numbering 338. LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS. There was a very large demand yesterday for thin week's issue of the ArcKia.vjj Weekly News, with its splendid illustrations of the great Maori reception to Royalty at Rotorua. Further supplies have been printed, ard will be ready this morning.

The Union Company's steamer Moura had a rather long passage up from Gishorne, the vessel net reaching Auckland until shortly before six o'clock last evening, _the time occupied on the passage being 51 hours. After leaving Gi-Vuue, strong lead winds and seas were encountered, necessitating the engines being {.'laced at " slow" for over 12 hours. At the request of the Auckland City Council, the Wellington City Council has agreed io allow Superintendent Hugo, of the Wellington Fire Brigade, to visit Auckland and advise on fire brigade matters generally.

Notice has been given by Mr. F. E. Baume that at next meeting of the City Council be will move, "That applications be invited for the position of city engineer, the salary to be £SGO per annual, and the terms of "engagement five years at least."

Further evidence in 'connection with the inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of -Mary O'Dowd was heard yesVrdav .and at noon '.he inquest was adjourned till July 1, ati the request of Mr. Reed (counsel appearing ior Dr. VYilkins), who left verterday with his volunteer corps, the No. 3 Natives, for the review at Christchurch. Some of the jurymen protested tfrongiv against the '• eortinual adjournments"' that have taken place, there are yet about three witnesses to examine.

In our list of railway officials who helped to secure the success of the journey of the Royal train to and from Rotorua, the name of Mr J H- Woodhouse, stationmaster at Botorua, who was responsible for the successful arrangements made at Rotorua station, was inadvertently omiUec.

A Luirgv accident occurred i" Queenstreet, Thames, yesterday morning, but, fortunate!'.-, it was' not attended with any very serious" result. It appears that Messrs. Pearson and Brookes (the latter being a traveller for the Canipb»H-Khrenfned Company) obtained a horse and buggy from the stable of Mr. Rickit for the purpose ot proceeding up-country. Opposite the post olfice Mr. Brookes "jumped out of the buggy to post some letters, and while he was absent a lorry, driven by a young man nam 3d Frank Cochrane, came" along from the opposite direction. When the latter vehicle came abreast of the buggy the horse ati tached to it commenced to plunge, with the result that the two vehicles collided, and the buggy was considerably damaged. M.'. 'Pearson,"' however, fortunately escaped in'lary.

Yesterday the coroner, Mr. Gresham, held an inquest at the Avondale Asylum concerning the death of a lunatic inmate, aged 72 years, who had been confined in the institution since 1383. The medical evidence snowed that the cause of death was cancer, ami a verdict to that effect was accordingly returned. ' '

As a result of the 'remarkable and unique display on Saturday last at Rotorua by the native tribes, before their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and i oik, a proposal has been made, which, if carried out under proper management, would delight the English people, and be invaluable as an advertisement for the colony, and as a business speculation may he very profitable to the promoters and financiers who have the requisite energy and courage to cany it out. The proposition, in its original form, is that 300 natives, of whom one-fourth should be women and girls, shall be conveyed to England, for the purpose of reproducing in London, and afterwards in some of the largest of the English cities, the war dances, athletic displays, and poi dances, which were the chief features of the, great, meeting last week. 1 he matter originated at the luncheon-table of one of the Rotorua hole's on Monday, and was followed up by immediate action. A self-appointed committee of three at once interviewed the Hon. the Native .Minister. His advice was that they should consult Captain Mair. Captain" Mair, on being spoken to, said that such an expedition had always been the dream of ids life, and so far as he might be permitted by the Government, the plan would have'his hearty cooperation and support. The next morning, at the meeting of the assembled tribes, this subject was introduced by Captain Mair. It was proposed that the Maoris should be conveyed to England about April or Maynext, so that they should be 'there at the coronation, and Captain Mair expre. s .ed his willingness to lead them, to protect them in England, and bring them safely back to their homes. The proposal was received with great enthusiasm and delight by the Maoris. The various native speakers who followed Captain Mair unanimously supported the proposition. The promoters do, not lose sight of the excellent opportunity'' that this expedition would afford of showing this native contingent to the inhabitants of Sydney and Melbourne on their way to England. If this can be accomplished it is probable that the profits of one or two displays at these cities would to a great extent cover the cost of their passage to England, and would be valuable experience to (he directors as regards further management. It is now a question whether the promoters will be able to get this matter financed in Auckland. If. in a day or two. (here should seem little chance of success, the matter will be referred to London.

Auckland is not the only place where fire • appliances are deficient. The Otago Daily Times says: The Cabinet has directed that the attention of all local authorities at the places to be visited by their Royal Highnesses be drawn to the necessity of having special provision at all hotels within their jurisdiction, and suggested that it would be well if firemen were told off for each hotel during the Royal visit. Captain Mitchell, of the Dunedin Fire Brigade, reporting on this recommendation to the City Council, stated that the request would be impracticable, as there would not be sufficient men to cover the duty. It would be possible, however, to have firemen placed at each of the places where the Royal party and suite were located. In going over the Fernhill Club he found that there was not a foot of hose on the premises. There was a It in service pipe in the building, but no hose. The manager of the club informed him that the Government should provide the hose and ladders required. The Council agreed to the suggestion to station men at the houses occupied by the Royal party and suite.

The ordinary meeting of the Mount Eden Road Board was held on the 17th inst. The financial position was reported by the chairman as folfows :—General account, dr.. £290 Is: water account, dr.. £13 8s 3d: lighting account, cr., £223 7s 7d ; trust account, cr.. £253 8s 7d : contract deposit account. cr., £120. Tenders were opened for Wynvard Road contract as follows:—Hlggins, £65: Brake. £64 Ms 6d; Matthison. £45. For Essex Road: Brake. £19 10s: Tyne. £9 12s. The lowest tenders were accepted for both contract*:. The plans for alterations to Normanby Road were laid before the Board, and approved.

Our New Plymouth correspondent writes : — is with regret that I record the death of Mr. Jas. Bellringer, who passed away at his residence at Fitzroy, New Plymouth, early on Monday morning. The deceased gentleman was very highly respected, not only in thra town, but throughout the Taranaki district, as he had been resident here for a number of years, and had filled many important positions up to the time of his decease. The immediate cause of death was heart failure, although the deceased gentleman had not enjoyed good health for some time back. Much sympathy is felt for his widow and family in their sad loss. '.the funeral took place on Wednesday, when there was a large cortege, including the members of the .Masonic and Oddfellows' Lodges, of which diseased was a prominent member, also the Borough Councillors and n,!iny oilier prominent citizens. Mont of the business premises were closed on account of the funeral.

Matters in connection with the Cambridge waterworks scheme (writes our correspondent) are gradually assuming more de-Unite shape. The Waterworks Committee, set up by the Borough Council met on Monday evening, the result of their deliberations being that tiie following resolution was passed: —'" That the committee recommend the Council to adopt the water supply from .''loon's Creek, at a total cost of under £5000. tiie water to be pumped to a reservoir 70ft in height, holding 15.000 gallons, with duplicate engines and pumping gear (as re-ommciMed by Mr. Ashley Hunter, the v ■((<•; v, sir 1 ;'-: engineer), and consider that this scheme will provide an efficient domestic and fiie service of pure water for the borough, capable of supplying a population of fully 5000." The Mayor and councillors are to be congratulated'for the way in which they have pushed matters forward. 'Hie creek from which the water is to be obtained is only about a mile from the post office, and the'wader is of excellent quality. The New Zealand Times of Tuesday says: -The Government steamers Tutanekai and Hinemoa made excellent time in the run down from Onehunga to Wellington. The journey only occupied a. little over 27 hours in the case of the Tutanekai, while the Hinemoa made the passage in 26 hours. An amusing incident in connection with the run from New Plymouth was that the Premier and party took a special train from that port in order" to reach Wellington at an earlier hour than it was expected the steamer would. The llinemoa cleared the New Plymouth breakwater just as the special steamed out of the station, and the Tutanekai left some ten minutes afterwards. The latter reached Wellington 30 minutes before the Hinemoa and just about, the time the special steamed into Wellington station. The Premier and friends, therefore, lost a night's rest for nothing.