HERE AND THERE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIII, Issue 7934, 6 January 1906, Page 7

HERE AND THERE.

An example of how the Australasian colonies are viewed abroad! A Harvard (U.S. 4.) undergraduate on hearing thai: his profoaaor of political economy received and read Australian papers asked him where he had learned the language. "When we refleot upon the dangers of compulsory arbitration," say 3 the Const Seamen's Journal (San Francisco), "we cannot but be grateful to our Australian fellowunionists for having offered themselves as a 'horrible example.'" Two well-known firms of accountants in Melbourne have discovered that they have been systematically robbed of about £IOOO aud £GOO respectively. The person accused of taking the larger sum has acknowledged that he was a victim of gambling. It may be of interest to mention in connection with the death of the late Mrs Peter Williams (saya the Otago Daily Times, that there are no less a number than 62 grandchildren and 68 great-grandchildren of the deceased lady now living. Her husband, the late Captain Williams, came to Preservation Inlet in 1829, and settled there for a time, ooeniug a store for the convenience of whalers visiting the inlet. The concluding remarks of the Boer delegates who visited the oolonies some time ago, are as appucable to some New Zealanders as to l Africanders. Here they are:—Take , a pride In your farm. Adopt the > latest methods. Pay attention to the results gained on experimental farms. Keep the finest stock. Preserve fodder against the seasons of drought. Save and select your own seed. Never cease to cultivate your lands. Purobase laboilr - saving machines. Read agricultural books. Be progressive. Maintain an open mind. Live to earn. One of the incidents in connection with the storm that passed over Christchurch on Tuesday was the falling of a thunderbolt at KedclifFs (says an exohange). Many residents of the township watohed the progress of the storm with interest and at about 2.30 p.m., when the storm was at its height, ihere was a specially loud clap, and a ball of fire was seen to fall a short distance from tha post office and about 30 or 40 yards in front of the cottage on the beach. It came to earth inside high water mark, but as the '"ide was not full, sank Into the soft mud, where it disappeared. Its advent caused a good deal of consternation among some of the visitors to the seaside. The play of the Wghtning along the ridge of the hills is described as c splendid sight. From Clifton also a good view of the storm was obtained, and its course over land and sea as it travelled north was the object of much observation. A process has been invented by an Englishman for giving artificial age to wood. He replaces the sap of trees by beet sugar or saccharine. Newly felled wood is laid on a waggonette, which is rolled into a huge cylinder, provided with pipes. The cylinder is supplied with sugar or saccharine. Hot water is then forced through the pipes. The heat boils the sugar, whicn penetrates the pores of the wood. The cooling is accomplished by cold muter forced through the pipea. The cylinder is emptied and the waggonette, with its burden of wood, is rolled into a special room, where it is dried by a current of hot air. After being •cooled again the wood, properly seasoned by the sugar, is ready for use. It is said not to spring or gather dampness; and to be pr oof against destruction by insects. Work at the Moturoa petroleum bore was practically suspended,recently pending the arrival of a packer from America. Operations, however, were resumed last week, and on Tuesday Mr Fair found a little pare oil flowing from the bore. Last Wednesday morning the flow was much more pronounced and a considerable quantity of oil was found to have accumulated. The oil, according to the Taranaki Herald, is perfectly free from water, and no gas is escaping. This indicates that Mr Fair has succeeded in controlling the water. Probably he will lower a five-inch casing about two feet further into the solid stratum on whioh it rests, and then put down the four-inoh pump casing, preparatory to pumping. He is more firmiy convinced ihan ever that when once the water is effectually shut off success will he attained. Tne.oil now flowing from, the bore is very rich; in faou, Mr Fair says that in all his wide experience be has never seen anything like it. Last year the total exports of the colony reached the value of £15,673,991, being an advance of over a million pounds against the exports of the previous year. Of this total, agricultural produots reachwd something over £12,000,000, but the exports of argicultural produce by no means represent the full amount of wealth raised from New Zealand farms. The looal markets absorb somethingI', 1 ', like £9,000,000 •worth of produce annually, making the total production from our farms something over £21,000,000 annually, a truly magnificent output and on whioh shows better than anything «llse oan do the important position our landworkers should hold among the industrialists of the State. Travelling first-class Heems to be Inclined to go out of tho fashion ■on our railways. From the start of the financial year on March 1 last to November 11 there waH an increase in passengers of 100,953 as compared with tho number for the corresponding period of last year. Of these second-class single accounted for €1,621, and second-class return for 52,822, while there was only an increase of 3512 in first-class single, and there was a decrease of no less than 17,002 in first-class return. "Phosphorus Jack," it appears has made his appearanoe at Eltham, Taranaki. The other evening two young men, accompanied by two ladies, were driving from Eltham to Hawera, and when near the bacon factory premises, a figure illuminated by phosphorus, sprang out of ' the fence and made a dart for the trap. The ladies were, greatly frightened, but the specimen of inanity, dressed in his illumination, soon made himself scarce.