CURRENT TOPICS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7970, 29 November 1911, Page 6

CURRENT TOPICS

SCHOOL HOLIDAYS. In view of tho strong probability that there will bo a number of second ballots to be taken iu connection with tho elections on, December 14th, Thursday week, the Wellington Education Board yesterday agreed to leave to - a small subcommittee the duty of deciding whether the schools in tho district shall close on Wednesday, December 13th, Instead of on Friday, tho 15th, for tho 'Christmas holidays. implements’ with a history. The trowel presented to Sir Joeoph Ward at the laying of tho foundation stone of the Stratford High School, on Monday, made by Mr Clark, a local resident, was from timber of tho Boyd, the vessel scuttled some 80 or 00 years ago by Maoris after they had murdered the crew in revenge for the murder of a young Maori by another trader. Tho setting maul was made from the timber of H.M.S. Orpheus, wrecked on tho Manukan bar in 1853. NEW ENGINEERING ERA. The Toiler has created a record by being fho first oil-propelled vessel to cross the Atlantic, and her voyage from tho Tyne to Nova Scotia is notable for another reason (remarks the London ■'Standard"). Hitherto only small vessels have been fitted with internal combustion engines, but at tho present time a whole fleet of largo motor ships is being built in Europe, and tho Toiler’s record is tho, opening incident of a striking development in shipbuilding. The advantages which these vessels possess in comparison with steamships are important. A motor occupies far less space, than a steam engine, and the oil fuel is much less balky than coal, besides being more easily handled and stored. This means that the motor ship, whether designed to carry either passengers or cargo, can earn more than a steamship of tho same tonnage. On passenger boats the absence of dirt from coaling .and grime from smoko is also a valuable ’consideration- Then, again, tho saving of labour, duo to the fact that oil motor engines require no stokers, means a considerable decrease of tho shipowner’s expenses. At tho present time ten of these ships aro being built iu Europe, and nearly all aro larger than the Toiler. Tho most important is a largo passenger and. cargo boat being constructed on tho

Clyde by Messrs Barclay, Curio and Co., for the Bast Asiatic Company, of Copenhagen. Sho will be equipped with three 2000-horso power engines. The same coir.pnjiy is having other vessels built with internal combustion engines in Denmark. Herron Blohra and Voss, of Hamburg, have a 9000-ton cargo vessel m j baud for the Haraburg-Amerika line, and two sets of Diesel engines, each developing 1500-horso power, are being put into her. A cargo boat of about 3200 tons dead weight is building for Messrs Furness, Withy and Co., in the yard of Sir Eaylton Dixon and Co., at Middlesbrough, and the performances of this ship will be watched with particular interest, for sho has similar lines and dimensions to several steamships, so that it will be easy to compare the relative merits of the two sets of engines.