CURRENT TOPICS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12600, 2 March 1903, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

TV commercial value of'the artistic temperament is not, it is-to be the feared, appreciated at its true industrial worth, but it. is a significant VALUE foot that whilst American iiiOF ART. dustrics are competing successfully with tho English and the Gorman, thoy aro malting little or no headway against the' French. The ostensible veavon is because in all Frcnch industry the artistic clorncnt is such a vital part. American workmen cannot make the rare and beautiful creations prcducod by the French ouvrier, and thus it is -that in certain departments of the world's work tho French still stand unrivalled. " When I thus learned that art is power," declared an American employer, "I began to respect it." And it need ecarccly be said that this respect, especially for applied art, is grow-, ing. Few will daro to disputo that art should find its home, not only in publio museums end galleries antl in the drawing rooms of the rich, but in the factory, on the farm, and in the kitchen. It has been well said that only as art permeates and beautifies all human products and all humaa life is it performing its tine and splendid function. In this one respect, at aayrato, France sets a grand example to her sister nations. Art seems to be in the French blood. Every shop girl is a. born milliner, and gets more artistio effcct from the expenditure of a few pence than the English or American girl does at the oost of as many shillings. This characteristic is partly temperamental, but largely the result of a systomaiio artistio education and development for generations. Not one of tho great. French provincial towns is without ila art gallery, surprisingly rich in aTt treasures, and its own school of art, together with a department or separate school of applied art. In Franco "children learn to draw in the kindergarten before they are tauglw to write, and this training, extends throughout their entire sohool oourse. For the benefit of apprentices and adults, evening classes in geometric and technical drawing, machine and architectural design, drawing from flowers, casts, and the nude, and in modelling and sculpture, are held in every ward in Paris. Higher studies can be pursued in the Municipal School of Decorative Art, ■applied to industry, or the National School of Decorative Art. The Government factories of Gobelin tapestries and of Sevres ware have superb art schools connected with tliein. If the Frenoh, workman rises superior to his American brother from the the artistio point of view, then tho INDUSTRIAL American working man is said BIiAEE to be more sober than the of beer. British workman. An American employer tersely summed U], the situation with the remark, " I guess you Britishers put a brake on your progress with your beer." Leaving on one side the question of actual sobriety, it) is a fact that the American drinks less than the British workman. In many of the large factories 1 in tho United States beer or spirits aro absolutely forbidden during working hours, and even where tho rule is not in force the men wry seldom drink beer at their midday meal. Coffee is tho usual bevtrage. In many of the English factory town 3 there is praotioally no work done on Mondays, and even on the Tuesday morning many of the men have scarcely recovered from the effects of their Sunday drinking bout. Suoh a Btate of things would not be tolerated in the United States. "We won't keop men who drink, or who come late as tire result of it—that's all there is to it," were the words of an Amerioan: employer of labour. Statistics show that tlie British workman drinks just twice as much as tho Americas. The consumption per head of tho jpopula- | tion is as follows:— United Kingdom. United States. English Gallons. English Gallons, Beer 80.60 .. 12.G0 Spirits 1.00 „ .93 Win.. -« .. .39 .. .23 I Absolute ! alcohol .. 2.08 1.00 The alcoholio strength of winois taken at IS for both countries, and tho strength of beer at 4 for tho United States, and 5 for tho | United Kingdom. Great Britain span da | more money tttmually on drink than ,do©3 the United States-£58,500,000 moro on'bcer I alone. A number of tho large Amerioan employers are emphatio in their opinion that beer t9 bad to work upon. They consider itlrat it is heavy, and acts as a sedative, that it dulls rather than stimulates. • It hoe been estimated that if Great Britain's drink bill were reduced to the level 'of America's it would bo possible at onco to Boat an old-age pension! scheme, besides paying .oft the national debt in about 18 years. But the most serious' consideration is the extent to whaoh the British workman is handicapping himself in his competitive race with tho American by his heavy load of beer. Tho City Fire Brigade was called oufi shortly after 11 o'clock on Saturday night in response to an alarm from the Hanover street indioaitor. The fire proved to he situated in a cellar beneath the premises known 83 the Universal Drapery Supply, 'ocoupied by Messrs J. W. Butler and .T. Matthews. Practically no damage was done, there being only show-oases andl waste material in the cellar, and the fire was extinguished before it had made its way into the shop itself, the lead of water being taken direct to the cellar and confined to that area. Tho origin, of tho foo is unknown, everything being safe when Mr Butler left at 10.30. The premises were owned by Mr R. P. Baglcy, and Uio stock was insured in the Australian Alliance for £250 (and fittings for £50) and for £200 in tho Liverpool and London and Globe office. Immediately above the collar were trophies belonging to the Dunedin Swimming Club, to the value of £20, which were not insured,' and escapod damage, which, as far as tho stook is concerned, will be confined to results from smoke. • .

The number of patients in the Hospital at the end of the week just passed is one less 'than at the end of the preceding week— namely, 96.. During the past week there ware 24- admissions iuul 21 discharges, while lour of the patients diwj. These were Mar- , garet Binnie, William George Sherburd, Martha 'Ann Patey, and Angus Matheson. The "vital statistics for are as follows:—Births,' 109; .deaths, 50; and marriages, 37. For February of last year the figures were : Births, 110; deaths, 55; and marriages, 42. Mr P. G. Cray, Mayor of Weet Harbour, fcaa received intimation that, as the result of representations made by himself and Mr E. G. Allen, M.H.R., a post'office will be opened at Mr Minn's store in". St. Leonards as from/March 1, and that a telephone office will be' opened subject to certain arrangements being carried out. The PaatoTalißM 1 Review says'.—"The New Zealand papers are full of reports of agitation.; fov the better ■ conduct of the frozen meat trade, whioh shows that agitation of this kind is independent of the condition of- the trade, whioh in New Zealand is exceedingly profitable to all concerned in it. What it is hoped to gain by getting the Government to put its finger in : the pie we cannot conceive. The New Zealand pastoralist has the choice of disposing of his 'freezers' in a number of different ways, and if lie does not care to sell in New Zealand he has excellent organisations .. o look after his interests on the other side of the world. There is abundant competition amongst purchasers both in New Zeaianu and at Home. "What more does he want? • "We do : not suggest thai there is nothing capable of improvement in the conduct, of the trade, that it would not be better if the number of consignees in London, were reduced so as to permit of more harmonious aotion as to _alee> in a weak market, and that more and cheaper storage not. wanted at the other end and greater care m handling meat in discharge. But we do say, _nd that emphatically, that the way in whioh the trade is inducted refleots the greatest oredit on all concerned, that conBidenng how quickly it has developed it is wonderful how improvements have kept pace.with ttio annual increase in the amount of meat handled, and that farther improvements are constantly being made to meet every, possible requirement. It is true that of late the middlemen in the trade have made immense profits, but no one is obliged to sell to them who thinks he can do better •by keeping-the control of his meat on the other side." In ithe New Idea for February is begun a series of articles by , a lady journalist who undertakes to describe the life and work of the Australian factory girl. These articles, says the editor by way of introduction, "■will represent ihe serious attempt of a representative of the New Idea to give readers some 'true piotures of the life and work of thousands of their sisters. They are not the observations of a visitor, nor jhe write- . up of an outsider, but the actual experiences of a woman jouraalist who went into the factories, worked side by side with the girls, and came back with scarred hands, hardened muscles—and facts." In her opening paragraph the writer says: "To speak of the faotory girl is usually to condemn her. Why, is just ono of those questions that can rarely Ix. inswered with sufficient reason. One may take the typo, the class, and hold the collective members up to ceorn. But there, as a rule, the ability to say more to the point is'at an end. Individually, there 'are few examples produced to justify the wholesale condemnation of the many." She then proceeds to give a deejjly interesting account of her experiences in an Australian jam factory. The article is well illustrated with photographs. It is .amoured here (writes the Buenos Ayrcs »rrespandent or the Pastorales' Review) that meat is to be sent to Manila for the Amerioan troops; not much is to go, but it adds another outlet to our produce. Messrs W<xldel and Co. have the contract lor a year,.and the steamers it is to be shipped in are the Orange Branch and Vine Branch. These ressdh will also fake grain to Australia, and possibly live stock en route tc Capetown. Frozen meat also is to be shipped to Italy and Spain soon, so we certainly are enlarging our field. Mr Barnes, she engineers' delegate who went to America with Mr Mosely's Industrial Commission, returned to England early* last • month. Here is & eummary of the conclusions he came to in the course of the inquiry into American "push ":—Machinery —more usod than at Home; sanitation—not so good; hours of labour—longer; worknot so good; wages—higher; cost of living—higher still; trades unionism—not so strong. Providing she uses the best machinery, ho thinks Britain has nothing to fear from Amerioa, and is quite able to hold her own. The .Pollard Opera Company commenoe a short farewell reason here on next Saturday, March 7, when they introduce to our notice for the first time an entirely new and original Maori comio opera entitled "Tapu; or the Tale of a Maori Pa." Splendid reports are to hand of the success of this piece elsewhere. Mr Frank O'Sullivan ar- ~ rived from the north on Saturday evening to make the necessary preliminary arrangements. . Messrs Donald Reid and Co. will hold their Usual sale i( grain and produce this morning. Me3si. Dalgely aiid Co. will sell grain and produce this morning. Messrs- A. Steven anil Co., flourmillers, etc., announce that they have withdrawn from the New Zealand Flourmillers' Association. Messrs 'Wright, Stephsnson, and Co. •Bill sell at their Invercargill ss!t> on Tuesday, 10th inat., 250 fat and forward-conditioned bullocks. A special meeting of the Otago and Southland Trappers' Union will be held on Wednesday afternoon to consider the advisability of registration, etc. The Public Woikr Department invite tenders for coal supply to the Government buildings, Dunedin, and to the Otago Central and Heriot extension railways. Messrs Park, Reynolds, and Co. will sell on Monday, 9th prox., leasehold sections and buildings m South Dunedin., Messrs James Samson and Co. will sell on 'Tuesday at their rooms household furniture _nd effects.'', The Commission of Crown Lands notifies that part of the Moutere Run will be open far application on the 2nd dsy of April. In connection with the opening of the new rooms at the Athenteum, a conversazione will be held on Friday evening, to which members and their friends are invited. It' the annual meeting of the Dunedin City Mission, to be held in the Young Men's .Rooms this evening, the sisters of various churches will lead the singing; solos will be given by Miss Dunlop aud Sister Olive; several ministers and ethers will take part. TVe are asked to notify that all ladies and gentlemen in sympathy are invited to be present. There is a tide in the affairs of trade which, taken] at its flood, lends on to money-saving. The,time is now—the tide is the values. Visit Mollisons for bargains.—Advt. _ Delightful shampooing, hairdressing, wavmg, singeing, etc., at Hendy's, 104. Princes street; finest saloons in the colony for ladies and gentlemen.—Advt. Carter's Great Summer Sale now on. Genuine bargains in all departments. Several important special job lots. Call early at Carter's Great Sale.—Advt. of jewellery or watches naturally wish to make a selection from the newest and daintiest goods obtainable. G. and T. Young, 88 Princes street, have the largest and'best selected stock in Dunedin, and give the- best value Advt. Prevention is Better than Cure.—"K.P." F)uid is a-certain preventive against plague and other infections diseases when freely used according to directions. When diluted it does not stain the containers.—Advt. Who is Peter Dick?— The most reliable Watchmaker and Jeweller, opposite Coffee Palace. Moray place, Dunedin. Charges strictly moderate.—Advt.