CURRENT TOPICS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 6963, 1 November 1909, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS

LEUCOCYTHAI2MIA. A Press 1 Association / telegram from Thames'states; —‘‘A, rare, case where a patient succumbed, suffering from leucocvthaemia, , has been-treated at the local j. hospital.; The 1 sufferer(/was a male and experienced great pain. The disease presented many strange symptoms. Towards the end the patient lost in turn the powers of hearing, sight and speech. The disease is very rare land’it .is stated that-the, case is the sixth" known to medical science. Though the disease has been known for many years, apparently no means have been ‘ discovered; 1 of; permanently arresting- its progress.” “Blacks Medical Dictionary” docs not refer to leucocytkaemia as being so jare as:.the foregoing suggests. It is/described as a disease of chronic type, in which the number of white corpuscles in the blood is permanently increased. The history of' the disease is interesting by reason of the curious fact that the condition was first described by Rudolf Virchow (a celebrated German anatomist, and 1 founder : of, cellular pathology), and Hughes Bennett in Scotland, within a few weeks of one another, in the year 1815. The causes of the disease are quite unknown, and it may occur at any age, : though most frequently in- middle life, and among males. No drug or other agency has been found which will cure the disease, though arsenic has been frequently found to check it temporarily.

THE ANTARCTIC. : Our London correspondent writes: — Captain Scott is quietly confident that ho .will this time roach the goal of South Polar explorers, providing always funds sufficient - to equip ; tho expedition in accordance with his plans are forthcoming. He firmly believes that the money -will bo there by the time it is wanted, in spite of the fact that up to.the present subscriptions have not rolled in to the extent hopedfor. Said he to the writer:—“l earnestly hope that our oversea dominions will contribute several thousand pounds in addition, for to Australia and New Zealand particularly the problem of . the., discovery of the South Pole has a more vital interest than even to Great Hritain. I also hope those countries will bo w.ell represented

on the staff of tho expedition. I have been quietly •collecting funds for some time, and have about £3OOO already promised, but wo Want much more than that, and at - once. Englishmen cannot ho slow to support this patriotic expedition, when ’undoubtedly that ob■ect will ho attempted by other nations if we hang hack/’ One tiling Captain Scott particularly asked me to telr Mew. Zealanders, namely, that he docs not desire to lay any particular stress on the value ol the motor sledges which are to accompany the expedition. His reliance is placed on ponies and dogs, both of which have been highly tried and proved in previous South Polar ventures. At present Captain Scott is uncertain as to the constitution of his staff, the only definite appointments made thus far being those of Lieutenant Evans, who will be his scoond-in-coimnaiid, and Dr E. A. Wilson, who will accompany the expedition as medical officer and zoologist. As regards the use of wireless telegraphy Captain Scott said: “If w-o start .from London in duly or at tho beginning of August next year wo ought to enter tho ice in December, and reacliMoMurdo Sound in January. Wireless telegraphy may by then bo practicable for us. Portable installation for transport overland wo can liardly hope for, but tho slop certainly ought to bo able to receive messages from New Zealand, though nearly 2000 miles away, even if messages cannot bo sent from the ship back to civilisation.” Captain Scott, by the way, became a father recently. A little son and heir was born to tho Antarctic . explorer,' and Mrs Scott at their Chelsea home. ' Mrs Scott is a notable sculptor, and hei work is well known. Site . was. a frequent exhibitor at .the / Academy and tho Salon when she was Miss. Kathleen Bruce. Her wedding to Captain Scott took place.in tho chapel■ at Hampton Court Palace early in September last year.

AUCKLAND CITY’S SPENDING PROG 11AMA1E. , During; 1907-8 the total building programme for tho city of Auckland and suburbs was valued at the grand total of £750,000, ,of which £152,325 was made up in public ” buildings, and during 1903-9 it ran into a little over £700,000, tho amount expended in ,public buildings during this period being £97,566. Assuming ■ for tho moment that tho rate of progress thus manifested continues,. . and placing tho amount to bo spent in private buildings during the next decade at £6oo,ooo‘per annum, it will bo eoon that the sum thus involved will easily run into a total of six : millions sterling (says the. “Herald”). The period of ten years is taken as , the time by which the Harbour Board’s £1,000,000 loan and tbo £1,000,000 on drainage will have been expended, so that .Auckland-by that time, on present proposals 1 and providing for contingencies such as tramway extension, the erection of naval stores, and city aaid suburban road and oilier improvements not at present provided for,'.will, in all probability.shave, had expended in it on improvements Ho loss than ten millions sterling. In other words, provided the present prosperity continues, Auckland's spending programme in the way of improvements for the next ten years may bo at tbo rate of, at least, £1,000,000 per annum.

, THE GIFT OF ORATORY. Every groat speaker is something if a. mesmerist, like the great actor or the great physician. No one who heard Bright or Gladstone at his best ever cur. forgot tho curious feeling of complete, acquiescence;' so long as the great rolling l sentences "came, one. after i another, from the golden mouth of the speaker. And if there was ; any other, aorthy to bo put beside these two it. was, . perhaps • tho .. eloquent , Bishop Magee, whoso wonderful speech in defence of tho Irish Church,in the House o f Lords is . preserved by those who heard it as ■a: thrilling< memory. Bis* ; raeli liad another kind of gift—the power ofihumorous badinage or keen-p edged sarcasm,-often conjoined with a - somewhat; ponderous and bombastic verbiage. Chamberlain was, in, Bia; • 1 prime, a directly practical . speaker,, of no little force and power of words. In our own day, perhaps, only Lord R.osebcry,' with ’his ■ closely reasoned eloquence, and Lord Rathraore, with his gennihe rhetorical powers; keep to r the ojder ideals;”; unless,:- 1 indeed,: we care to add the'name of Mr John Red. mo ml. whose : , fluent ' periods, though - srmetimes a little hollow-sounding and artificial, have often tho genuine stamp. : What, after all, is tho reason why one man 1 is so often impressive, to an audience, and another, possibly endowed: noth(mom glib never-' ’ tireless fails to produce 'this effect f jft is a qucfiiion of individuality—that obscure essence of. all influence and ~ authority. A man steps on to a platform, arid, .possibly.begins .with, a few hesitating and; halting : sentences just as an actress like Eleonora Duse will come on tho stage'.and' disappoint tjg at first with an unimpressive. walk and manner. .And then the miracle hairpens. Wo find ourselves listening with all our ears, staring with all our eyes, violently forced out of our own orbit and dragged triumphantly at the heel* : of our conqueror. ' " ,„,

.A PROSPEROUS INDUSTRY. : There is a big “boom” on at present in the dairy industry in Auckland Province,, and the -“boom” is a solid one (says ;tbe “Herald”). The factory outputs of butter and cheese are mounting up at a rapid rate, and by those, closely interested in the industry, the rate of increase in exports and the chances of climatic conditions are watched with, almost as keen excitement as the share. list by the biggest operators in mining scrip. Largo ,as .were the outputs last season :and the season before, it would almost seem, by comparison, las if the industry had previously been standing- still. For the fortnight, .ending;' this week, tho quantity, of butter put into cold store for exnort totals; 15',080 boxes, or 392 tons, valued approximately at £37,257, as compared with 10,911 boxes, or 2i3 tons, for the corresponding fortnight last year. This brings the export for the season, --frbm September Ist to, dale,-to just on 900 tons, valued rcugblv at £36,700, as compared witli 539°tons for the corresponding penoJ, o)" last year, an increase of 301 tons in two months. The South Africa and South Sea Island trades aro now also well commenced, and the s.s. llaheno took 200 boxes for South Africa, ana tho s.s. Xavna 283 boxes for the Islands. The cheese export is also steadily , mounting up.. The: s.s. Tainui is. taking 38G crates, or-about 24 tens, for London, valued at about £1348 as compared with 242;crates, or 19 tons.

One of the series of reunions of the ■Wellington - branch of the Journalists’ Institute of New Zealand was held, in the Windsor Hotel on Saturday,.evening. Matters of interest to the profession were discussed and afterwards supper and an. excellent musical programme filled is the time pleasantly until 11 p.m. II the absence of Mr P. Earle (presideif of the "branch) the chair was occupied by Mr F.-K. Peeves. The meeting was so successful that it has been decided to hold similar reunions at regular: intervals. f