NOTES AND COMMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19939, 7 May 1928, Page 8

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

TRAVEL BY AIR. "I do not believe that the aeroplane, invaluable instrument (hat it is for the shorter distances, will alone, for some years to come, be able to solve the problem of shortening the longer distances between London and the various capitals of the Empire,'" said Samuel Hoare, Secretary of State for Air, in a speech in the House of Commons. "The aeroplane is an instrument of comparatively short range. At present, it cannot fly regularly by night. There is a further difficulty in the need of landing in foreign territories, and while I believe the aeroplane will be invaluable for shortening the time of journeys of comparatively short range, I do not believe it will be able for some years to come to deal with journeys the range of which will be 2000, 3000 or 4000 miles. The airship, on the other hand, if it can be proved to be safe and dependable, has a range of several thousand miles It need not, therefore, land on foreign territory. It can fly by day and by night, and, provided the weather reports are favourable and comprehensive, it can use favourable winds such as the 'trades' and other winds in passing from one part of the Ernpiio to another.

BRITAIN'S RICHEST CITY. The proposals for relief from local rating contained in Mr. Winston Churchill s Budget lend interest to comparisons which have been made of the rateable value of the great cities and boroughs. According to the last estimates of rateable value, the city of London is not the richest in Great Britain. It is not even the richest part of the great area which has been amalgamated into London county. According to the rate books, Glasgow .comes first. St. Mungo's burgh is now assessed at about £11,500,000. The city of London, in spite of all the wealth it wields, is content to be housed in buildings rated at some £8,000,000. This is well ahead of Liverpoor and Manchester, which como next with round about £7,000.000 each. But the second place in the kingdom is taken by Westminster. Her rateable valuo is now nearly £9,500,000. These comparisons are between cities of different kinds. Glasgow had at the last census a population of moro than 1,000,000. the city of London less than 14,000, Westminster less than 142,000. Both Westminster and London have been, as regards number of residents, growing smaller. Since 1901 the population of Westminster has declined by 40,000. Yet in the last half-dozen years the rateable value has increased enormously. In 1922 it was about £1.500,000 less than it is to-day. It. has grown by £500,000 in a year or two. The reason is that largo estates in the West End have recently been developed and rebuilt. The efficiency, the earning power, of the new structures is enormously greater than the old.

REPAIRING MEN LIKE BOILERS. "1 am becoming more convinced every day that wo should spend more time in the study of food and how to eat it," says Mr. Henry Ford in an interview recorded in the Forum. "Most of us eat too much. We eat the wrong kind of food at tho wrong time and ultimately suffer for it. We must find a better way to feed ourselves and provide our bodies with what they need for replenishment and growth. Hitherto, we have spent more time in studying methods of repairing machinery and of renewing mechanisms than w r e have in studying this fundamental problem of human life. Of course, much has been done by our dietists, but they have only scratched the surface. One does not have to lie a food faddist to bo interested in the subject. Although the normal average lifo of lonian beings has been almost doubled in the last 50 years, I feel sure that we shall find moans of renewing the human body so that men will retain their health, vitality and mental keenness for many years longer. Take Edison, for example; today he is just as keen mentally as he ever was. There is every reason to believe that we should bo able to renew our human bodies in the same manner as we renew a defect in a boiler. Not so long ago we found that our boilers were being discarded because in one or two spots corrosion had set in and weakened the surface. We had some research work done on tho problem and soon found a way to renew this metal at the point of expected failure, so that it was just as good as new. The boiler was put back into operation stronger, if anything, than when it was first installed. We havo found ways to cut down corrosion. The point is, if there is enough thinking done along this line, there is no reason why we could not do the same with the human body. There is no law against it. The great problem is to get people in the mental attitude where they are willing to try to do it, willing to use the facts after we get them."-