Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 8358, 4 November 1898, Page 2

Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING.

__ / " OIBBORNE, FIUDAX, NOVEM)bBB i, » THE WORLD'S FOo6 SUPPLY. Tub further science takfcs us in the path of knowledge the less clv wo believe in the impossibility anctt incredibility of old-time miracles. Tl'ho marvels of fifty or one hundred years ago aro the acknowledged and' accepted facts of today, and hundr*& of things w!lich our forefathers would have characterised as absolutely impossible and opposed to all physical law?'' «ro now in daily use. P ople have ' often been perplexed by theßiblical,'storyof the feeding of the multitude »f 4000, but science o-day wresents f*r solution a more perplexing robiem /' l^^ of 4000 men re ' iU1 VS ™ breai, Sir William Crookes, President of the British Association, informs us in M able paper, which he delivered befoul the recent Conference of the taJoiation at Bristol, that in 1931 there wiJl be 800,000,000 people without the Btuff of life. The food supply of the •ihole world is in danger of giving out. f Sir William Crookcß, who is ono of the / most famous living scientists- chemist, ! electrican and metallurgUit in one— is an intensely practical mini, ami goes very carefully into the subject. He points out that the wheat-growing area of the world is of strictly limited extent. The • bread-eating world still chiclly depends

on the United States. And thoro today practically no uncultivated prairie land remains suitable for wheat - growing. , Within a generation the increasing I population of the States will consume r all the wheat grown in the land, and will then be driven to import like ourselves. The other wheat - supplying I countries are Russia, Siberia, Canada, Australasia, Roumnnin, Franco, Argentina and Uruguay, and India, and to a certain extent aparallel reasoning applies to most of them. North Africa, for- , mcrly the granary of Rome, now exports less than 5,00.),000 bushels yearly, and increased home demands ever lessen this supply. With scientific irrigation, certainly Egypt could supply three times her present amount of wheat, but no increase is likely unless the cotton-fields of the Delta are diverted to grain-grow-ing. Thus, under present conditions of low-acre yield, wheat cannot long retain its dominant position among the foodstuffs of the civilised world. Should all the wheat-growing countries add to their area to the utmost capacity, on the most careful calculation the yield will give us only an addition of some 100,000,000 acres, supplying, at the average worldyield of 12.7 bushels to the acre, 1,270,000,000 bushels, just enough to supply the increase of population among bread-eaters till the year 1931. What, then, is to happen if the present rate of population be maintained, and if arable areas of sullickmt extent cannot be adapted and made contributory to the subsistence of so great a host ? Are we to go hungry and to know the trial of scarcity 'I The prospect is terrible, but a romantic remedy is proposed. Starvation, said Sir W. Crookes, may bo averted through tho laboratory. Allcropa require a " dominant" manure Wheat pre-eminently demands nitrogen, fixed in the form of ammonia or nitric aeici. Whore is this nitrogen to be obtained? ' The scientist says:—" The free nitrogen ' in the atmosphere is extremely abunI dant, but wheat demands it not free but fixed. The fixation of atmospheric ' nitrogen is therefore odd of the great discoveries awaiting the ingenuity of chemists. It is vital to the progress of civilised humanity. Unless we can class it among the certainties to come tho great Caucasian race will cease to be foromost in the world, and will be squeezed out of existence by races to whom wheaten bread is not tho staff of life. It can be fixed by electricity generated by water power (such as Niagara), and tho nitrate of soda so produced would not cost more than £5 nor ton. Can we generate enough energy to produce 12,000,000 tons of soda nitrate annually 1 There need be no fear on that score, for Niagara alone is capable of supplying the' required electric energy without much lessening its mighty flow. " The land cannot he stretched, but it can be made more productive by nitrates, and nitrates can thus be obtained in abundance by burning the atmosphere. If anybody had said such a miracle was possible fifty years ago who would have listened to him '! A concert and dance will bo held st Mnkanri this evening. The County Council put up a recn'd to-day, the whole of the business being transacted in less than an hour. The Pouawa Road Board iwql tomorrow morning at 11, and the Council of the National Association at 2 p.m. At the meeting of the School Coiimittee on Wednesday exemption certificate were applied for and granted to Mrs Dody and Messrs D. Barry and W. G. Shoriitt for their children. Mr Finn informs ua that in the <ase of Bowron Bro3. v. the Gisborne Feezing Company, it has been decided to afpeal to • the Supreme Court on questions of law and fact, and the case will be reheard before Mr Justice Conolly at tie next sittings. The Auckland amateurs will pl«y " The Mikado" on 7th December, anl "Tlie Gondoliers " on 16th December. ; A juvenile company of amateurs put in "Lost in London " recently, but the piece is recorded as being " entirely b>yond the capabilities of the performers.' 1 and " a decidedly painful exhibition." , I The Henry Dramatic Cotnpaiy sail from , Auckland to-morrow (Saturda') in the To ' Anau and will arrive in Gisboweon Sunday. • The compan y comprises somi twenty members, some of the principa'names being : • Mr Robt. Henry, Miss Bile Howarde, ■ Messrs H. N. Douglas, J. H GoorJail, W. i J. Coulton (stage-manager) V. B. Crenmer, • Chas. Belcher, Chas. Soutu, A. S. Hodge, i E.jHumphries, the MisscsKo-hleenßaleigh, 1 Laura Keene, and Lillie ilowbay. The : box-plan for the first pice, "Scotland Yard," is now open at Miler's. [ Carl Hertz, now in london, has been explaining to an interviewer how he found , out some of the secr.ts of the Indian fakirs. The mango tick, he says, is 1 done by substitution. The' fakir introduces a real mango into the pot, and straightens out the eaves and twigs by working with his hmds under the cloth which conceals his oprations. The mango is as tough as wlvlebone, and can bo crumpled up and poked into a very small compass. Mr Hrtz also visited the Dyaks in Borneo, 'hero a Royal Princess was so impressed that she expressed a desire to marry iim. An official letter ' announcing his dath was the only thing 1 that would appese her. Prompted bj the critical situation between Englad and France, to prepare for emergencic tho Government have instructed the police officinls to prepare the militia list', and Constable Smith was busy in town xi-day collecting the names , of persons elijible to nerve their country in the event of war. Thost in the first 1 class, which would be tho tint to be called out, comprre unmarried mci between 17 1 and 30 yurs of age ; the' second class consists of married men betwen 17 and 30 years of a<je, and unmarried men between 1 30 and <0 years of age ; aid the third class married men betweec 30 and 40 years of age, and unmarriedmen between 40 and 55 years of age. The voluminous report i the Christchurch Beautifying Associate records the work, which has been done firing the first year of its existence, and go paragraph reads as follows :— " All heso various gardening operations are (to beginning of what may be designated the people's garden,' a garden of theirvery own, in which they can wander ndisturbed. That such a privilege is not abfeed wo may point out that not a flower i plant has been plucked or damaged, tiile to all these fplaces the public have jee access." In alluding to the immiinitywbioh ihe Society had enjoyed from deduction of its flowers and plants, thj Secretary , mentioned an article whic, had ap- , pearod in the Press, in whtt he said it was Htated that if the brier were r i taken from the Market aquarthe plants 1 and flowers would not long rejiin in tlio I: around. The Association's lan tations 0 were, he said, open to alt peof, and not v . a case was reported of the! or wilful t damage. ' ft , (JAO.D., No. 7. There v a large attendance, upwards of a buhri mem- J ben and visitors being prcser Bra. A. w ' Spiers, A.D., presided, auditor the ' ordinary business in connect!' with the * Lod-'e had been transacted ; meeting ffl <»avc way to harmony and lal inter- h j bourse. Various toasts wei proposed 1 during the evening, and sevl prescn- le , 1 tations made to members ofe Lodge. a , ' Bi-o. G Neeuau, P.A., was trccipient i( . of a very handsome clock, doed by the ( Lodge to the member who ained the , 1 greatest number of menibersiring the f year. Bro. T. Spiers received ay pretty , , timepiece as a second prize, i Bro. G. 1 Miller a, handsome gold ring a?rd prize, t[vl 1 both members having been veluccessful in introducing a large num of new J^ members to the Lod«e durhihe year. ftg . The presentations were mamy Bros. , J. R. Little, P.D.P.. C. Butl^.P., and ™ ; R. Johnston, P.D.P., each ping m ' appropriate terms to the enerp manner fa in which the three gentlem^vho had carried off the prizes, hadl'ked on behalf of the Lodge. The refnts suit- . * ably replied, thanking the Ls for the „ presents. Songs were conbted by , . Messrs D. and H. DeCosta an os. Hill, "™ Sawyer, Neild, Power, P. Af, West, g" N. Leslie, Richards, Fleteherpms, W. ""; Sunley, Clarke, ami Pearce, agitations j |e ' by Bros. Neenau, Lynn, and f. Joues. „„ The catering was in the haul Mr Je " Craig, which fact was a sufficijuaraute. that it was all that could be wl. Bros. 'I K. Johnston, J. GeorgesonJ J. R. Con Little formed the CoiumittecMauage- 1 Cou ment, and are to be congrasd upon cost 1 the success of last evening thering. ; thoi ; The clocks, which were suita 1 scribed, of were obtained from Bio. R. Swr, P.A, ' stea

During the discussion at the Swbod o Christcliurch on the report of th 4 Cora mission on the Gothenburg syateWi, M Bcvaiißrovvn said : — "I do not fifom m, heurt believe that intemperance? is tli great curse of New Zealand. 1 1 .do no think there is such urgent nped fo temperance reform as reform in sonno othe directions. I believe the growl curs which is sapping the vitals of Now Zealatu is the curse of immorality. I be)lieve tha the subject which \ns alluded j to in ai article in the Press not long aga) is of tin most vital consequence to New! Zealand It is sapping tho physical manhivod of Nev Zealand, and I believe that al far rnori serious evil than intemperance is tin spread of the unbridled lovar of pleiisuri and the growing laxness in morals on the part of young people, unites we dc something to check it we small reap most bitter friiita in the next generation." The Times war correspondent at Omdurman wrote :— lt will bp interesting tc learn the number of hou|s the Egyptian cavalry were in the saddle on August 31 and September 1 and 2. On the 31st they were out at daybreak, arid I do not think they were in till about ;}■ p.m. On the Ist out .-it daybreak, they covered the advance to Kerreri and then pushed across the plain to Omdurman. ?iVhen the Khalifa's army was advancing y they fell back west and hovered on the Dervish Hank, and I do not; think they dot back to camp till 5 p.m. On the 2nd, they drew off north a large body of the Pcrvish force, and were heavily engaged with them for several hours ; afterwards' they advanced on Omdurman, and late in the evening were sent in pursuit of the Khalifa. It is, of course, extraordinary what the Arab pony will do, and in Colonel Broadwood the Egyptian Cavalry have got one of tho best horse masters in the tvorld,