TOPICAL READING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIII, Issue 7975, 28 February 1906, Page 4

TOPICAL READING.

Possibly no possession has changed nationality so frequently as the island of Santa Cruz in the Danish West Indies. Originally the land belonged to Spain, and it was taken from Spain to be under the joint rule of England and Holland. After awhile the flag of Holland was taken down, and the English flag alone floated, only to give x way to Spain again. The Knights of Malta were the next possessors, and from them it passed to a company of adventurers who lost it to Frauoe, which sold it to a Danish oompany, the land finally coming into the posssession of the Danish government. England again took possession in 1801, and eight years later it parsed to the Danish Government again. Eventually it will probably become a part of the, United States, two bargains having been arranged, but never completed.

A belated Parliamentary paper prepared on the motion of Sir William Steward shows the number of mortgages registered and the number released in the colony between April Ist, 1903, and March 31st, 1904. The number registered during the twelve months was 16,710, securing £9,858,524, and the number released 13,563, securing £7,171,118. The rates of interest specified in the regiiatered mortgages varied from % percent, to 20 per cent., and a total of £1,779,597 lent without any rates being specified. A sum of £5,690 was lent at 3 per cent., £16,130 at %y« per cent., £61,904 at 4 per 0ent.,~£2,269,319 at 4}£ per oent., £3,217,494 at 5 per oent., £697,361 at per oent., £957,845 at 6 ner cent., £277,304 at 7 per cent., £175,479 at 8 per oent., £12,281 at 9 per cent., £53,418 at 10 per cent., £7,399 at 15 per oent., and £2io at 20 per oent.

Congress is being asked to put through a.Bill to provide for a big Exposition in San Francisco. Five millions of dollars (£1,000,000) are appropriated by the Bill, conditional upon the raising of a similar sum by the people of the State. It is further provided that [the United States shall erect a building at a cost of £50,000 for housing Government exhibits, and that this building shall be sold either to the city, or to the Exposition Company, at the close of the Exposition. It is proposed that a great naval exhibition shall be held in the Bay of San Francisco, on September 25th, 1913, that being the four hundredth anniversary of the disoovery of the Pacific Ocean by Balboa. The President is requested to send warships to take part in the review. The vessels are to rendezvous at Monterey Bay, and proceed thenoe to San Francisco. The Exposition to begin on April 30th, 1913, and to close on January Ist, 1914. This is a much longer time than any Exposition has hitherto been kept going. An early dosing of shops law has come into force in Glasgow, and the correspondent of the London Daily

Mail writes: "Some extraordinary anomalies have been witnessed sinoe the Aot came into force. Not only are several shops, such as those of barbers and china merchants, open when they should be closed, but other shops are open for the sale of certain articles only. Thus a licensed grocer may sell alcohol; uatil 10 o'clock, but be cannot supply customers with cheese or ham and similar articles after eight. Confectioners, fruiteieis, and dairy keepers, may keep open after eight o'clock, but are not allowed to sell tea or other groceries. A baker may sell fancy bread, but not an ordinary loaf. There is much irritation among the grocers because the stores in model lodging-bouses are allowed to remain open after tne outside shops, which sell the same articles, are closed. it is possible, however, that, these lodg-ing-bouses will be placed under the same conditions as other shops. Vigilance committees of traders are being tormed for the enforcement of «he Aot among all shop-keepers." Out of the enormous sum of £197,648,475, estimated -as the capital value of land in New Zealand, £74,747,349 is put down as the value of improvements, and the bulk of these improvements are due to the industry of farmers. There is, however, no such thing in reality as that unimproved value which goes to make the balance. Land is worth what man can make it produce, and without the farmer the capital value of land would be almost nil. City pecple are apt to believe that all or nearly all the wealth of the oountry is to be found within their municipal boundaries, but the waaltn of all the boroughs in New Zealand is only estimated at £65,755,397, while the oountry distriots-r-prinoipally the farm landa of the colony—are valued at £131,929,028. Such figures as these should make every, New Zealander realise the importance of encouraging closer settlement, f or settlement, has given us our enormous production of ,agri cultural wealth, and made the values of both cities and counties. If New Zealandera only woald realise how much depends upon land settlement, they would compel the throwing open of every acre of Grown and native lahris where human, energy oould b& profitably employed, and they would eucouiage such subdivision as would enable every acre to be economically worked