Here and There.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXV, Issue 9791, 17 March 1908, Page 4

Here and There.

Usually (writes the Standard's Mataura correspondent) Mata.ura. in the mouth of March is one of the busiest of country towns on account of the number of strangers employed in the rabbit-packing industry and in the killing yards of the freezing works. Owing to the scarcity of freezing sheep and the low price ruling for rabbits, things are quite different this year. Packing has not been started yet, and! will not be this month, and. compared -with last year only a few sheep are coming forward. This time last season these industries were paying in Matanra about £2OOO a month in wages, apart from what they circulated to the farmer and trapper. It is freely stated (telegraphs a Wellington correspondent of the Christchurch Press) that the butter factories, which sold their outputs at the beginning of the season and named a quantity with, say, a 10 per cent, margin either way, are, in consequence of the drought, not in a position to meet their contracts, and are to be called upon to make good the deficiency. Probably a settlement will be sought to be arranged by reducing the selling price from the boom price, and charging the producers with the deficiency in the quantity, which is calculated at this difference in value. One good effect this experience will have will be the tendency to make dairy companies adopt consignment principles. Questions of domestic economic interest that are of particular concern to Englishmen are the old-age pension proposals of the Liberal Government and the liquor legislation which the administration has promised to bring about, .The provisions of the Licensing Bill,, under consideration

by llie Libera] Government, have not been made public, but are said to mark an advance m legislation of this kind. It is worth while noting the progress made during the year just passed throughout the entire world in the matter of legal restrictions upon the traffic in intoxicants. First, there was the imperial Chinese edict against, opium; then the French parliament made some thorough investigations into the effect of alcoholism upon the citizens of the republic, and is now considering radical legislation on this subject. The Government of Houmania has just parsed a stringent regulation law, and severe legislation on the same subject has progressed through the Spanish Cortes.

Mr Wliibley, writing in the New W-k Bookman, on slang in America, points out that it might- almost seem that the United States is a. bilingual nation. Wo read :—• ; "Slang is the only language known to many thousands of citizens. The newlyaTrived immigrant delights to prove his familiarity with the laird of his adoption , .by accepting its idiom's awl by shaking the tongue, not of books, but of the market place. And vet this same slang, universally hoard anil understo<Kl, knocks in vain ; for admission into American literature. It expatiates freely in the journals. It linds c a place in novels of dialect, and in works, i like George Adc's, which are designed for < its exposition. But it has no part in the fabric of the gravely written language. . Men of letters have disdained its use with a scrupulousness worthv of our own eight i eenth century. The best of them have j written an English as [Hire as a devout : respect for tradition can make it. Though . they liave travelled far in space and ■ thought, they have anchored their craft ■ securely in the past. >'o writer that has handled prose or verse with a high serious- < ness has offended against, the practise of : the masters—save only Walt Whitman, and he, though he has tempted men to parody, has left no school behind him. ,The written word and the spoken word are divided more widely in America than elsewhere. The spoken word threw off the trammels of an uneasy restraint at the vctv outset. The written word still obeys the la.w of gradual development, which has always controlled it. If you contrast the KngiSsh literature of to-day with the American, you will lind dd'terences of accent and expression so slight that you may ne«lect them. You will lind resemblances which prove that it is not in vain that out literatures have a common origin and have followed a common Toad. The arts, in truth, are more willingly obedient than. Llie or politics to the established order; and America, free and democratic though she be, loyally acknowledges the sovereignty of hiii'mine letters. American is heard at. (he si reel corner. Ii is still l-'.iigliidi that is written in the study.'' The National Council of Women in Victoria has justilied its existence by establishing the lii-st colony for epileptics beneath the Southern Cross. It now proposes to deal with an even more iniporlanl subject, the improvement of the milk supply' for the artificially fed inlants of llie poorer districts in .Melbourne, hvery summer the infant mortality of Melbourne is alarming, and it is largely due to the difficulty of obtaining fresh, good milk. Ladv Talbot, who, as the president ol the National Council, takes an intelligent and active interest in its work, desires that the members should bend their energies towards the establishment of a privately or municipally endowed milk depot in a poor suburb, where good milk could he obtained at low rates. In Boston. Copenhagen. New York, and London such depots exist, cither supported by private beneficence or municipal corporation*. Lady Talbot would also desire that the milk in such a depot should be so treated as to make it resemble as much as possible the natural food of infants. In New Zealand, the society for the protection of infant life is loading the way in this matter. Hut the first and most important object of the Victorian Council of Women is to arrange for a supply of pure milk for Melbourne's poor infants, who are too often poisoned by milk kept in a hot, impure atmosphere. Such a depot would also serve as an object lesson to all \ lctorian vendors of milk. A strange chapter of accidents, it is now known, led up to the recovery near Hinges of Villi ifvek's great painting " I he liaising of the Cross." stolen by night from tiie Church of -Voire JJume, at Coiirtrai. six weeks ago (says the l'aris correspondent of the London Oaily -Mail, writiii" last month. The old carrier in whose cart it was hidden seems hiniselt likelv to win the £BOO reward offered by the 'town of Courtrai. lie made the acquaintance at the Courtrai recreation hall the other day of a man who called himself an antiquary, and who offered him c a good paying journey to Bruges with a . case thai must Ik- carefully packed away, lie accepted the task, but from the start bis errand met with mishaps. He arrived punctually with his cart at, the rendezvous—a cross-roads - outside the town in - the dark of the morning: but had to wait there alone. Ii was some time before a was not the "antiquary" of the first meeting. On the cart was a round package. LOfl long, wrapped thickly in sack-cloth. The stranger excused himself for the delay,' and explained that he had come instead of his principal, a rich collector, who would be waiting at the Catherine Gate at Hrugcs in the aftern i. The carrier took over the package, got his fee. and set out. To make up tor lost time he hurried on his old horse, which very soon cast a shoe, lie stopped at a blacksmith's forge, and while the horse was being shod he started to speak or the curious commission that he had undertaken. Very soon the smith and he decided to open the mysterious package. They found they were unrolling a huge thick canvas, which soon disclosed a figure of Christ, and the forms of soldiers around the cross. So much bad lieen talked on Hie country-side of the Van Dyck ioh. berv that with one accord I hey cried, "We have found it."

Metallic boudoirs [jmn* arc the latest fancy of the artistic woman. Three gorgeous rolx.\s are iii.hlc to correspond will) the decoration* of (ho boudoir. «W "f flic most up-to-date- schemes in, ilio furnishing of a woman's sanctum is to carry out the scheme of decoration in mi-.' jni'tal, with draperies to tone. A Iwudoir panelled ill dark oak has eopper iittin.es for the electric lights, copper fender, iireirons, candlesticks, and tosc bowls. The upholstery .and' curtains are in dull shades of orange, embroidered with copper thread. A gown- mad.e of eopper tjsne is worn to correspond, either trimmed with dull copper kissels or embroidered with a narrow design, of imitation yellow topaz. "(lold and silver face is being largely employed to make up boudoir gowns," a West Knd dressmaker said recently. "The silver lace is generally mounted on oyslergrey chiffon, and the' gold on old-gold tiillu or iijnon do soie. "A silver gown would lie delightful against a boudoir carried out in tones of pale pink with silver fittings and ornaments. "The gold gown will be attractive in any setting, but particularly artistic if the colour scheme of the boudr.ii'is in warm shades of brown, with lmifs fittings, candlesticks, etc.. and curtains an! upholstery of old-gold Itiimmi satin. It has become ipiite a. usual subject ior discussion lietweeu the dressmaker and lier customer whether the new frock wil.l harmonise with the color of the room. One or two of my customers have, ordered 'rest.' gowns to match rare china, if their Ihhidoir is l decorated with a. tine collection of old Nankin or Dresden. The 'Xajvkin' gown is of soft white silk patterned with the famous blue design, and the 'Dresdei*' is of white crepe de Chine, powdered with the delicate flower patterns to l>e found on the famous china. It is even possible to get cretonne exactly like the china, to utilise for chair covers and casement curtains." Creslow. a parish in Mid-Bucks (Kngland) boasts of but a single ratepayer. He is Mr Richard Rowland, gentleman farmer. Resides being the owner of the whole parish of 885 acres, Mr Rowland, whose age is thirty-live, is his own overseer, rate assessor, rate collector, parish council, department of public highways, and a host of other public things. The Bucks Directory, after describing Creslow as "a parish lj miles north-east from Whitchurch, in the Hundred of Cottesloe. Winslow Petty Sessional Division, Union and County Court Division of Aylesbury," uives Mr Rowland as the sole "population." There is, of course, in addition, Mr Rowland's household, ivh'ch consists of his wife, his little sons, and his servants. Signs of the historical associations of the parish are apparent in the coach house at the manor house, which Cromwell used as a stable during the Civil War. but which was originally a Norman chapel, of which the doorway is still a noticeable feature. The fine old manor house, where the Rowlands have liveti for many generations, dates from the 14th century, and was at one time

in the po&'cssion of the Knights Templars of the Order of St. .lolni. There is reputed to be dtill another link with the Civil War in the shape of a subterranean Whik'lnirch and Creslow. Although Creslow is rich in historical and urrlueological associations, there is no signpost of = anv description to guide the stranger to it.' Th- astounding feal of steering n boat by singing t-i it has been accomplished by means'of mechanism invented, by .Mr John Gardner, of Fleetwood (.says the Ixmdon Daily Kxpressl. It is well known th:it vibrations are produced by sounds. Mr Gardner lias succeeded ill condensing the minute but widespread force of t arse vibrations, and has thus obtained power wliich, through a idmple electrical mechanism of his own. lie turns to many uses. Ho sinus, on a certain musical note—itmight be a- lixed note-by the side of a pond, and the rudder of a little model boat, lilted with Mr Gardner's mechanism, turns and steers her round. Or, at his pleasure, he can Mart or stop the propeller bv the .-ame mechanism. Mr Gardner .-an lire a mm. liulit a lamp, or ring a liell at a considerable distance by Ulceus of bis invention. There is a tar more important future before it. ho claims however, than is shown by thene minor feats. Water is an excellent sound conductor, and bv means of bis invention --which practically amounts to a very elaborate svaein of mechanical i-ouml sig-„als-Mr Gardner believes he will be able to ensure almost complete redely lor vessels on the sea. The booming of a submerged bell through the water from a lightship mnilcl set the mechanism at work in the submerged receiver of an approaching ship, which could he mad<' to blow a whistle or give warning ill ,-ome ot.ier unmistakable way. Thus tin- human element, with its chain e ol error, as well as the difficulties of fog. would he removed. Submarine wireless telegraphy —of incalculable value lo war vessels can also. Mr Gardner claims, be established bv means of bis invention. Mr Girdncr' will. in fail, give music; a power which it has never po.-sc-scd since' "Orpheus with his lute made mountain lo|>s bow t lu'in.->'lv< r. when he clid sing-''

Allh'.nyli a'lininist nil iv ami pnlilieal reform throughout China pro,.M.ls very hU.wlv Mllll Willi ><>MNV llltiTl H]-t I'HIS. I hi' eons.V'iisii.':;* <l| till' Cllilil'Sl- ...lIIIIH'MIiII classes as In lln'il "Ilinnii- flL'llls .Hill privileges i,. iili-.-:itly lull -mull. Tin:, was mii.lr .'viil.nl hv 111- temis -u' tin' railuav ■• i's-inn Ktiinti-il laM month I" an Kneji.sh ami Crnnan ■ .mi|..ni.v f.,r Ihe miislrnition of a Inn'. 700 mil.':. Inn". limn Ti.'ii Tsin in lliiiik' Ki'inv:- A ' alrenlv inns I'p.m I i>«- lall-i |'"MH I" Shanghai. I''V li'" I' 1 """ "I lh " •'k' '•'"■ '" 111,' loan a'Kii'in.'il I'V th- lintish ami < h-i ,„an ranilahsls is ii> !.<• ,- in.'.l Ly im piM'i.ii i>Minis.' In pay. '.-nil i Iti'ii ''i' ii'," revenues el ill- |ir.niin'i'.> Ihrmicli win, ii Ihe lini' pass's. Tin' riili.i.i'l ilm'K is I" I K . ah.olntelv anil ti.r-\,'i free from any li.ii'iun inllneine '■r 'laiui. Chinese a«l. ministration is in liav,! full ...ntml anil <.|ii'rulii)ii of the si'iviii'. o.\amiinil i"ii "I tin: hooks of tlie company l.eiiijj tin- <• 111 > concession made to tin' .minors. 'I here aro now lif.H'ly <?00() miles of railway in operation in the Chinese Knipirc a no" inoi.' than 1600 mill's under constrm I ion. II would .seem thai Hi.' deep-seated Chine-" prejudice against the railwav is in fair wav to 1... n'inov.'il. When tins shall have happened .incl lln' important lili.'s ol tin' K reat Miihll.' Kin-.loii) shall I'.' emme. led l.iv railwav line* tl heady existing system in S'iheria will In in- Chini'si' commercial prnilmls .lir.'.-t t" Knropo in sear, elv :> tenth of the time it fonn.'i ly took.