NOTES AND COMMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume L, Issue 15308, 22 May 1913, Page 6

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

BIG AUSTRALIAN LINERS.' The 13,500 ton steamer Niagara is not "hold for long the record of being the biggest merchant steamer that ever visited Australia.. Before the year is out the White Star liner Ceramic, of 18,000 tons, is expected to reach Sydney. The Blue Funnel line is adding to its present laltge fleet two steamers of 15,000 ■tons each, to be named the Nestor and Ulysses. The former is now nearing completion, and should soon be leaving on her maiden voyage. The Aberdeen line is also determined to keep well rup .in the running with the companies which come via the Cape, and with this end in view is having built a vessel of about 15,000 tons to be called the Euripides. .-, She is to be of the Themistocles and Demosthenes type, only of course larger. The P. and O. branch liner Benalla (11,120 tons) has left London, and the same line is bringing later the Borda, Berrima, : and Bendigo, three 12,000 tonners, being sister ships to the Benalla, Beltana, and " Ballarat. Of the big Royal Mail lines, the Orient Company has placed an important order. This is for a new 14,000 ton vessel of the Orama type, to be built by John Brown and Co., Ltd., Clydebank. The proposed construction of another vessel of the Niagara type for the • Canadian-Australian line, has also been, mentioned. It is 'said-,that ■ the new steamer will be at least 1000 tons greater than the Niagara. > ' -.'

LIVING TO BE 100. In a recent address delivered in New York, Dr. Frank Ellsworth Allard, Professor of Physical Economics at the Bos-: ton University Medical College, .advanced the theory that the human race should reach the century -mark and not: be confined to the three score and ten years mentioned in the Bible. His views have aroused " the keenest interest on i the part of the medical profession, and several -New York physicians have expressed themselves as r being ; in agreement with him. ; Dr. Lawrence Rice believes that the hundred-

year mark should be reached." "I agree with Dr. AUard hi' many of his points," he said to an 'interviewer. '*." While I am not prepared to say-, that I believe the body may be trained' to become a perfect servant of the will, I do believe the mental condition is the ' great potent factor in one's condition. Men who fail die. earlier than those that ; succeed. : Old persons should associate with the young and remain young. from youthful example. If you put a young person where he would never meet any but; old persons' he would die before his time. >If we had 100 years of life given to us as a J legacy it would be easier to reach that age on an average." Dr. i Joseph A. Robertson said —"I believe the time will come when all diseases will be eliminated . and the age limit will be higher. Ten years ago the age average was' low. Now it is about 50 years. : It will grow." Dr. William A. Downes also believes the age average is advancing. "A man is as old as his arteries," ,he ; said. "The present day physician is teaching how to prevent disease and giving little medicine. -The old family ;. physician taught only how to cure. .Mentality is to a great extent the keynote to illness." Dr. Peter Hughes said he believed the idea of three score and ten years to be a bad one because of its mental 'influence on old persons. '■ .:>;,■•- '■;;,- . .-.'-;-. •

PUNCTUALITY OF THE KAISER. An anecdote in one of the many new biographical studies of the Kaiser which are now appearing in commemoration of the 25th anniversary; of his succession ' has apparently hitherto escaped publication. It shows the German Emperor in the, light of a genial yet strict exactor of punctuality. The Kaiser himself is as punctual as an observatory clock, it has several times been remarked, and the figure iv of speech is by no means as exaggerated as many might believe. His right to exact punctuality of others is therefore one of the best. Some time ago, the anecdote goes, the Emperor heard that. a captain in' one of the Guards regiments at Potsdam had fixed the regulation hour of schooling for his men at the early hour of six. The Kaiser not only doubted the fitness of having the lesson hour so early in the day, but he was also sceptical about the ability of a, popular young officer to keep up the rather exacting standard of early rising which he had set for himself. One day the Emperor walked into the barrack-room at six o'clock. The captain was not there, but the - Emperor showed neither annoyance nor surprise. He' asked;: where the lesson was to be found in the books, and without- more ado,; to the mingled anxiety and delight of the men, he took the lesson in hand and explained the passage r in history which was the. subject of the day.' It was nearly seven o'clock when the captain showed himself. The Kaiser returned his sal ate and made no allusion to his crestfallen countenance, but handed ; him the lesson-book after pointing out how far the class had got, and then left the room. No--' thing -more was said or heard about the incident until a few days later, when the captain received a: handsome alarm • clock —evidently; from the ;Kaiser:;" What;; the officer ' wrote in his ; letter Of thanks for the gift is not recorded.