GENERAL NEWS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 1, 26 June 1911, Page 7

GENERAL NEWS

Most New Zealanders will be surprised to hear of the death of Colonel Inches CampbcH-Walkcr, the celebrated authority on forestry. It is nearly +0 years since he was Conservator of State Forests in New Zealand, but his famous report has been quoted year in and year out ever since. Unfortunately t.lie forest timber in the Dominion wum .-n abundant that the warning of Captain (as lie. then was) Campbell-Walker wont practically unheeded, and many of tho evils results which he predicted havo followed. A Scots artillery officer, tho deceased gained Ilia experience in his native land and in India, and after leaving New Zealand he was again for more than a quarter of a century in India as Chief Conservator of Madras and Inspector-General of Forests in Mysore. lie hud lived latterly in Surrey.

A rather unusual episode is reported by the Chronicle from the Petone beach. A well-known .religious innovationist was distributing tracts at the different -houses when he was startled by another leader of religion coming up and demanding his retirement, exclaiming that the party whom the tract was for was " one of my converts." The first religionist refused to budge, and the second, who was a muscular Christian, darted into tho gateway, caught the poacher by the coat collar, and promptly ejected him. A complaint was made to the police, hut the aggrieved party was informed that as the alleged assault took place on private property, any action for injury to person or feelings would have to be instituted personally. The problems of longevity is being Btudied not only from tno mortality records of human life, but similar records are now being kept of animals in captivity. Vaiious life spans vrere lately reviewed by Dr. P. Chalmers Mitchell, of London. The classic example of extreme ago in man is Thomas Parr, who died in London in 1635, at the reputed age of 152 years, and two or three others have been credited with reaching 140 years or more. Man's nearest relatives—the chimpanzee, orang and gorilla—probably live <M or 71) years, although the smaller apes do not exceed 25 years. Lions, tigers Rnd hears 1 mav reach 45 or 50. Of other life possibilities, ns near as can be determined tiiat of the'elephant is 100 years, rhinoceros 50 or 00, horse 40, deer 40 or nlore, cattle and sheep, domestic cat and squirrel 20, eagle OTer 100, raven and crow 70.

For the benefit of the newspaper press exhibition at Shepherd's Bush, Sir Joseph Ward has been prevailed upon to make several statements into the phonograph (writes our London corespondent). In one he eulogises the beauties of New Zealand; in a second he makes aq appeal for better cable communication; and in a third he says what he thinks of the press of New Zealand. There is nothing libellous in it lie shows how, illiteracy having almost disappeared from New Zealand, "more newspapers are sold there in proportion to population than anywhere else in the English-speaking portion of the Empire and consequently the inlluence in proportion to the influence of the platform is very great." And, 1 what is more important, the New Zealand press realises its duties, and "is as clean, wholesome, and intelligent as the press of any part of our Empire."