THROUGH Our EXCHANGES.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 24, 27 January 1913, Page 7

THROUGH Our EXCHANGES.

A good joke is going the rounds at the expense of a Southland County Councillor. The town-planning scheme in connection with Chatsworth Estate, it is conceded, is a particularly interesting one (says tne ‘Southland Times’), but when it was being discussed at the last meeting of the Southland County Council, the Councillor referred to is said* to have fallen asleep. He was awakened from his siesta by the plans that were being discussed, making impact with his head, another Councillor resorting to that method in order to gain his attention.

A much-travelled New Zealander, largely interested in stock, and farming generally, was in the Manaia district last week. As a matter of course (states the ‘Witness’) he visited the Kaupokonui Dairy Factory, and went over the extensive premises withmuca interest. In conversation with one ol the company’s directors subsequently, he expressed himself as being both surprised and pleased with the complete and'modern character of the mechanical equipment of the factory and the facilities generally for purposes ol manufacture. “I have travelled extensively,” he said, ‘‘in America, Canada, England and other countries, and have seldom seen anything to compare with your factory arrangements here. ‘‘But,” he added, “outside cl the factory you are the most primitive and the least progressive people I have seen anywhere. I speak in reference to road transit, to the transport of your produce. Why, you’re not much past the bullock waggon stage. The contrast is most extraordinary. Inside, in all your manufacturing processes, you are in the van of progress. Outside, in the matter of transport, you are fifty years behind the times. Enterprise and progress appear to be dead. How do you account foi* it?”

A somewhat hard case came before the Whau&arei County Council at their meeting on Friday last (says the ‘Mail’), when Mr. A. J. Edmunds, on behalf of a young man, asked the consideration of a request for wages, the applicant having carried out some work for the County Council under a

contractor, who was duly paid for the work, but who, so if was said, cleared out without paying the wages due to the workman. The amount involved was £5 ss, and the engineer pointed out that no claim for wages had been lodged against the contract. It appeared that tlje applicant had been misled by a change of date in the holding of the November County meeting, but h© had verbally made lus claim to the County Engineer, and thought everything was in order. General sympathy was felt for the claimant, and several members held that he had a moral claim on the Council. It was decided to invite him to send his claim in for the wages and the members endorsed, the suggestion that on contracts twenty-five per cent, of moneys due should be held to obviate such positions arising.

The following are extracts from the diary of Captain W. H. Richard, who accompanied the American rifle team to Bisley last meeting July 10.— From London the team entrained for Bisley rifle range, at which place we arrived about 7 a.m. Bisley is England's greatest range, and is the Mecca of all the English, Scotch, and Irish riflemen. Here wo found teams from many schools in the above countries, as the Boer War taught England a lesson, as the result of which compulsory use of the rifle is required in all the public schools and colleges. At present there are over 300 J civilian rifle clubs, all of which are aided and encouraged by the general Government. Yes, England remembers the Boer War. Bisley camp has a large attendance of both civilian and soldiery. The British soldier is clothed and drilled very much similar to the American, and in marching by the uninitiated would hardly tell them apart. However, ‘Tommy’s’ dress uniform is a thing of beauty and joy lor ever. Red uniform and high helmet. There is another difference in the field appearance. The Britain never appears without a coat. Tommy would not think of lounging about in shirt sleeves. His coat is always buttoned close no matter what the weather. On the other hand, the American is ai; ways in flannel shirt about camp doling summer months. He makes himsel. as comfortable as the circumstances permit, and wo venture to say hwould not like service in the British Army.”

“How rare men are!” Napoleon once exclaimed. “I went right through Italy, and 1 found only two.” That was a troublesome quest, but Archbishop Kelly (says the Sydney ‘Sun’) has undertaken an even more difficult search. He is hunting for a sensible woman. He finds her to he “very infrequent.” “They are very few,” he said sadly at North Sydney on Saturday week, and he described the signs of folly. The chief giddiness of women, in .he Archbishop’s eyes, lies in their hats. “You should know the foolish women by the hats they wear,” he says; md probably he means that the bigger the bat the smaller the brain. But as Archbishop Kelly is a man without experience of women, so we fear that is also without knowledge. r i here va. a brief season during which bats were not huge, but were replaced by natty little motor bonnets. Yet the women were exactly the sain.-*. '1 ncy were. ,T«i d as wise in some things, and jn-d as foolish in others; just as sweet art just as sour; just as tr-lnc.li and jmd as self-sacrificing. No, yolu; Grice; celibacy may lift a man into a vary •are spiritual atmosphere ; but tbr.t it leaves him unfit to judge of some things is proved by the fact that he gauges a woman’s wisdom or levity by the size of her hat.

The ‘Labour Leader’ states that the button-carders of Birmingham are paid at rates which .require them to fix 432 buttons to cards for one penny. If the worker is very quick she can earn a penny per hour. To earn 10s she must fix on cards over 50,000 buttons.

A restaurant run by the city lias for fifty years existed in Glenoble, France. Meals are supplied at cost, and the food is excellent. For ltd a customer can fill himself with bread and soup, and for 6d lie is furnished with a fourcourse dinner.

The largest battleship under construction is the Japanese ship Fuso. When completed she will have a displacement of 32,000 tons, and be able to fire a broadside of over 20,0001b — nearly three times as much as that fired by the Dreadnought.

A notorious burglar named Gras, nick-named “The Eel,” has completed a three days’ auto tour with the. de-puty-chief of the Paris Detective Department. The object of the tour was to ascertain definitely how many burglaries had been committed by Gras within six months, and the number was found to ho 120. The amount netted by the burglar from these operations was £I6OO. In the course of his peregrinations Gras killed about 20 dogs so that they should not give the alarm by barking.

The ‘Wanganui Herald’ states that there is someone in Wanganui, evidently a hoy, who is possessed with a desire for cash and a mania for getting it in the wrong way, for during the last three or four months there has been a large number of houses ransacked, and in all cases jewellery and other articles of value have been left behind, cash only being wanted. The last instance of this petty robbery comes from Liverpool Street Extension, where during her absence from Wanganui the residence of Mrs. A. A. Browne was entered and ran sacked, but only a few shillings cash were taken. The matter was at once placed, in the hands of the police.

Particulars of the miraculous escape from death of Mr. Alfred Han nay, who is engaged in sub-artesian boring on Buckingham Downs, are given in a message from Longreach (Queensland) to the Sydney ‘Morning Herald.’ A storm was in progress and Mr. Hannay toolc refuge under ? tree. This was struck by lightning and shattered to matchwood. Mr. Han nay fell to the ground unconscious When he recovered consciousness i was found he had lost the power O' speech, but after about eight hours speech canie back, 'Ho suffered se verely from shock, but at the_ time tin message,was sent was recovering, al though stiili unable to hear anything. i; 11. —<• a

Despite the fact that the majority of the Norwegian whaling companies have discontinued their operations ir southern waters, it is interesting to know (says the ‘Southland Times’) that at least one company has'faith in the (vhaling potentialities of these seas. During last week the Loch Tay a vessel oft about 7000 tons, is reporter to have been in the vicinity of Stew art Island, supported by two smai steamers. Tins completes the plant of a Norwegian whaling compam which is satisfied with the prospects ahead. These vessels have gone to Chalky Sound, the sperm whale being the victim they intend to fasten on. The sperm whale season is just now commencing.

During the visit of the rlon. W • Fraser to Opotiki, the Opotiki Borough Council sought the assistance of the Minister towards raising loan funds to provide for water supply, drainage, and street improvement. Mi Fraser explained that the Government did not see their way just now where they were going to get it. Frankly, he would tell them that if h had the money the first applications he would consider would be those o County Councils for roads and bridges because they were absolutely neces

sary, and he looked on them before tli requirements of towns, which lived ci the prosperity of the country. Hr hoped this stringency of the monej market would cease, and he would b glad if he could comply with the requirements of local bodies. At pro sent ho could not see any hope of giv ing it. The whole money market oi the world was disturbed, and it is noi at all well from the recent Londm cables as regards the desire of tin people at Home to lend money to the colonies except at high rates, and i. was not advisable to pay these high rates.

The recent fatalities ; at railway crossings have brought prominently under public notice an invention by Mr. L. tie Lannay, a resident of Inglewood, of an automatic warning s;g nal. The apparatus consists of about 20ft. of miniature railroad, a model steam locomotive, and a semaphore post erected at a road crossing. A fev minutes suffice to get up steam on tin little model locomotive engine, tr which is attached a 'tender, and the engine starts on her journey toward; the semaphore post. As the engine ap proaches the crossing, and when still a couple of hundred yards distant, an inclined plate underneath presses down a swing-bar or lever placed between the metals, and instantly there swingr into position, resting at right angles to the post, a big red board bearing in large white letters the word “Stop!” Just before passing over the crossing the engine presses down a second lever, and the warning signal falls again to the side of the post. Provisional patents have been secured for an extension of the system to suit night train services by attaching lights which will be visible to the public only when the signal arm is at “danger.” The invention is protected in New Zealand, Australia, and other countries.