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Otago Daily Times, Issue 16610, 5 February 1916, Page 8

Residents of .Wellington hardly need >to ho told that the weather conditions experienced there last month were quito unusual. In response to an inquiry made on Tuesday by a New Zealand Times representative, the dominion meteorologist (Mr D. C. Bates) stated that .58in of rain fell during January, which was only onesixth of the average rainfall for that month in former years. During the past 60 years there have only been two Januarys (in 1863 and 1887) which recorded a rainfall 'ess than that of last month Seven years ago the January rainfall was ,64in, and it was followed by' a very hot February, which made it probably the driest period experienced in Wellington. The temperature during the latter half of last month was very high, the reading on Sati rday being the highest but one ever recorded in Wellington. An unusual case was heard at the Magistrate's Court, Wanganui, on Monday, oefore Mr W. Kerr, S.M., when Charles Turner was charged with the theft of a lady's handbag at Castlecliff on December 28, the bag containing £9 13s (says the Chronicle). The facts as outlined by the police were that defendant was one of a party spending the day at Castlecliff, when the bag was found and handed into his keeping. When he was driving home he was asked for the bag, and said that a woman had claimed it. Tho owner advertised, and from information given by one of the party with defendant the proceedings resulted. The defendant gave evidence, and said he handed the parse over to a woman who claimed it, and who he thought was the rightful owner. Mr Kerr reserved judgment, remarking that the case was not without difficulty to decide. Discussing the usefulness of a knowledge of Latin, Professor MacmiHan Brown said at the University Senate on Tuesday that for the stody of modern languages—French, Spanish, and Italian—Latin was necessary, though not so essential for English. The scientific man also must have somo knowlodge of Latin, otherwise he would be unoKU tn make nroDer combinations of very

able to maice proper cuiuumttuuiin ui vu> many scientific terms. Some of the present combinations of Greek and Latin in science ■were awful. It was a pity that the scientists who had made those new -words had not kept to some language they knew. " They do not know any language," -emarkcJ another professor. It was remarked by the chairman (Mr J P. Maxwell) at the annual meeting of the Wellington Trust and Loan Company on Tuesday evening that mortgage companies seemed to have a good case to lay before the Government with the object of obtaining some equitable variation o: the present system of taxing these companies (says the Dominion). The application of the progressive tax irf 2» 8d 1:1 the pound to a company ;ach as this, abo::r, 90 per cent, of the investors in which were small investors, drawing dividends of under £40 a year, appeared to bo inequitable. It ' was also inconsistent because a small company of very small investors earning very high dividends might pay the lowest rate of income tax, while a larger company of similarly very small investors earning low dividends might have to pay the higher progressive tax of 2s 8d in the pound.