THE COMMONWEALTH.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIIC, Issue 14277, 18 August 1910, Page 5

THE COMMONWEALTH.

il'a'css Asaocktion-By Telegraph-Copyright THE TELEPHONE SYSTEM. SYDNEY, August 17. Giving evidence before the Victorian fastul Commission, JJr Bell, the inventor of the telephone, said he considered the common battery system still the best. There was little chance of its being superseded for at least twenty years. The time was not ripe yet for the automatic system of telephones, lie expected great things from wireless telephony, but it was still in the expcrimental stage. He attributed fourfifths of the delay in answering calls to the public themselves.

NEW LECTURESHIP. A lectureship in naval architecture and marine engineering i s to be established at Sydney University. WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY. Already there are twenty-five steamers in the Australian trade fitted with wireless telegraph apparatus. IMPORT A NT~DI SCO VERY. A discovery of radio-active ores has been made at Pine Creek, South Australia. ROI T XD THE WORLD. The nine-ton yawl Pandora, which is cruising round the world, has sailed for Auckland. FOR MANSLAUGHTER. Thomas Butler was sentenced to two years and his wife to three months on a charge of manslaughter arising out cf the death of their five months' old child, which died of negligence and starvation. FORECASTING THE WEATHER. The Federal meteorologist, referring to the sun spot theory of weather forecasting, declared that Australia would have periods of drought, but there is ahsolutely.no justification by past experience of cycles to take a pessimistic view of the immediate or distant future. SUPERANNUATION. The Legislative Council passed the Bdl to provide a superannuation fund for the railway and tramway services. FIVE YEARS FOR THEFT Black, an accountant, has been found guilty at Perth of charges of stealing three sums of £3O each, the property of Ins late employers, Freeman Bros. The Judge in summing up expressed regret that these men's reputations should have been assailed without justification. He knew of no evidence to show that Freeman Brothers were'other than honest men. He sentenced Black to five years hard labour.