A SOCIALIST'S FORTUNE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11027, 16 March 1914, Page 4

A SOCIALIST'S FORTUNE.

The late Mr William Marshall, of Loupihton, Preston, a well-known English "Socialist, regretted leaving so much money behind him. He was a house furnisher, at one time a member of the Burnley Town Council, and died on December "B'. leaving estate of the gross value of £17,7-10 Is Sd, of which the net personality was sworn at £13,934 13s lid'. The testator stated: "I 'am sorry I have money to leave, because inherited money often proves n curse. I, however, sincerely hope that in this ease, it will prove a blessing- to thft recipients. I desire to impress upon my children to me it well, .'in.- which cas* they will do honour to the*, giver. Believing in this, niv last ho]>e and desire, will be fulfilled,' I shall die happy."' .After providing for members of his family, the testator requested his executors to offer Kuskin Hall as n. gift to the Corporation of Burnley for "a branch free library, adding: "I make such request to my *— -<-.ij>i> s to offer lUiikiu Hull as a. I/ift

for ilic benefit of my fellow towpsiwoplc of Burnley because I sun n Socialist, nnd as a'substantial proof of the sincerity of the socialistic faith within me. I believe that all land and capital ought to be public, property." The residue*'of his property he left to his wife. WTLL NOT iw "DICTATED TO. Sir Hobort Bond, louder of the Opposition in the Legislature and exPromicr of Newfoundland, announced on- Janunrv 10 his withdrawal from public life." In an open letter he gives bis reasons, bad faith on the part of Hie Fishermen's Union, which, with the Liberals, formed the Opposition led bv Sir Hubert Sir Kdwafd Morris, the present Premier, in the general elections last October. In conclusion Sir Robert says:—"l will never be a party to allowing any organisation representing one element in the community to jxnin control of public affairs to the exclusion of other interests, as is now the avowed' policy of the Fishermen's Union. - '

DFNTiSTS OX STRIKE

Thousands of patients suffering from toothache had a nasty shock jn Berlin, H'hen they made their way painfully to the dental hospitals attached to the different Gorman Universities. They discovered they had to continue to suffer, for the dental students throughout vJormmiy had gone on strike, and the only people left in Attendance wer<s the lecturers and their chief assistants, who were quite unable to handle large numbers of patients. Tho strike was caused by the refusal of the University authorities to grant the title of Doctor of Dentistry. The only way a student af the Dental High School can obtain a dog roe is by subsequently taking a philosophy course, wl;ich means an extra two years after lie lias passed the State examination in dentistry. Tin's examination, which does not confer the degree itself, involves ton terms of study, a.s against the six which suffice to give a degree in other subjects.

WEATHER CONTROL. The possibility of secii.rTng some measure of control over the weather lias been suggested by Sir Oliver Lodge. Delivering the fifth Kelvin lecture before the Institution of Electrical Engineers. Sir Oliver, speaking on the natural and artificial electrification cf the atmosphere, said that if the clearing of the weather was duo to electricity, they might' imagine that they could acquire some control over the. electrification of the atmosphere. ;.,kI that would acorn to be a possible method of beginning the control ' f the atmosphere. If they wanted to produce rain he took it that by ascending a mountain and sending up a kite, of even by sending up a kite alone, to reach the clouds, and by discharging sufficient electricity into the clouds the drops would behave there as they did in the laboratory; that they would coalesce and that once that had been done it might spread and they would get a real rain shower. If the weather were influenced by the electrification of the air then electrification ought to be taken in band. If they wanted rain tliev should reverse the electricity of the earth and send up negative electricitv. and if they wanted fine weather they should'send up positive electricity. He' felt that there were parts of the earth—and parts belonging to the British Crown-—which would be the better for some weather control. THE PEEP, AND THE CABMAN*. One of the many amusing stories of the late Lord Strathcona relates to the visit to him at the Canadian Offices in London of an old man, claiming nationality with him as a Scotsman. He obtained audience on that ground that be was the cabman who drove young Donald Smith to his ship at the Glasgow Docks when he sailed for Canada in 1838, or thereabouts. _ Lord Strathcona listened to the reminiscence with a twinkle in his eye. but was immediately sympathetic when he heard that the'old " cabbie " had fallen on evil times, and had' besides lost one of his two grandsons. A, little money was given to comfort tho old fellow, and lie went away rejoicing. Some time afterwards he called again, but he had evidently forgotten his former tale of he death of on'o of his two grandsons. This time they were both ill- with typhoid fever, and Lord Strathcona again administered consolation in the form of money. One of the officials, had' a better memory for these sort of of details than the late High Commissioner, and hoped that his lordship had no given the man any money. It is quite likely that Lord Strathcona had, even on the first occasion, seen through the man, for his reply was: "Thank you very much, but you know that when I left Scotland for Canada [ had no cab to take me td the ship, but just wheeled down my own things to the dock in a barrow."

THE PRICE OF RADIUS!. That distinguished New Zealander, Sir Ernest Rutherford, F.R.S., has been explaining the enormous rise in the price of radium. He says:—" The price of radium has steadily increased since its first production as a pure salt by Dr Gispel, when practically pure radium bromide was sold at a cost of about £1 per milligram. The price to-day is about £'2o per milligram, And the demand for it i.s so great that it is difficult to get orders fulfilled promptly, oven for relatively small quantities. While initially a certain amount of radium was bought by physical laboratories, the quantity to employed is comparatively small compared with that absorbed by the medical profession. Probably the greater proportion of the radium now produced is bought either privately for therapeutic purposes or by hospitals for the treatment of special diseases, such as cancer and surface tumors. The use of both radium and mesothorium for therapeutic purposes has increased very rapidly in the last few years in Germany and France, aid to a large extent in Great Britain. All scientific men have been hoping for the last eight years that the price of radium would diminish, but the reverse has happened, and there c 7 r,es not appear any immediate likelihood of a large reduction of price, unless discoveries of large quantities'-of fairly high-grade- ere are made." Professor Rutherford added that the uses of radium were confined entirely to therapy in hospitals or scientific experiments in laboratories, with the exception, possibly, of a small quantity employed in the manufacture of spin tharoscopes and radium clocks. PR TRTJBY KING. * "New Zealand," said Earl Grey to a Press representative, "through Dr Truhy King, is giving an example to the whole of the world of how to save infantile life." There is no taint of •over-oraise in these judgments (comments tile Dunedin "Star"'). The man and his work speak for Let every Dunedin citizen repeat, until he knows thorn by heart, these words: "The infantile mortality rate for Dunedin is the lowest in the world." and he will not only have fixed in his mind the most outstanding fact of the social life, of his own city, but ho will have summed up in a few words the most impressive, feature of Dr King's life-work. The men and women of Dunedin do well to honour such a man and to welcome his return. There are few men to whom creator gifts have been given to fit him for the work to which he is devoted. Where so many a bio men fail in all walks of life is that they lack imagination. They make excellent statesmen and preachers and professors, but they have not the one thing needful. Theirs' is not that imaginative faculty which glorifies and illuminates the faith they hold, and that enables its possessor to convince his hearers and to inspire them with something at least of thc > faith that is his. Dr Trnhy TCir.a. in his finer moments, can make luminous the seemingly dullest of subjects, and hold to their seats the most unlikely of

audiences. Perhaps the highest compliment ever paid him was that of a reporter, who closed his note-book and, with folded arms, sat and listened to that splendid torrent of rhetoric that ]>r Kins rarely fails to command. Enriched, by travel and Association with men eminent in many walks of lift?, brimful of the newest and latest and best in his own particular line of study, Dr Trilby King is a greater asset to the community than ever.

ENGLISH TONGUE ATUUICNED. Lord Ashbourne, who succeeded his father, for many years Irish Lord Chancellor, in May last year, has been saying some scathing things about the English language and the English people' at ii Gaelic League meeting at Eermoy. The continual speaking of English, he said, deformed the month. Consequently English people have thin, prominent lips, long front teeth, and (he general appearance of measly rabbits.' The German language, according to Lord Ashbourne, is strong and vigorous, the English language in a ■state of weakness, rottenness and decay. John Bull's future, to perpetuate a bull, is behind him. He. is insular, and nothing will bring him into touch with the outside world. The late liOid Ashbourne was an ardent Conservative, but the present ]>eer \n as pronounced n Nationalist, and habitually wears the Irish saffron-coloured kilts, even when in London ar afc Dorking, where he has a country seat.