TOPICAL READING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIX, Issue 8109, 2 April 1906, Page 4

TOPICAL READING.

■♦ The London correspondent of the' Lyttelton Times writes :^—New Zealand greenstone has been lifted out of the oblivion into which it had' fallen, and is now being adapted to every kind of jewellery wear. The Queen herself set the fashion, wheu she appeared many times on public occasions wearing a long obain where from a collection of curious jade charms dangLed, and a further fillip was given to the growing craze when Lord iSothscfaiM had a "lucky Maori god," carved from jade, sent to him by a wellwisher before St. Amant won the Derby. LasMy, nearly every man of the "Ail Blacks" was said to carry in his pocket a piene of the greenstone to bring good tuck to ita possessor in particular and the team in general. "Jade," said the manager of Messrs Aitohison Brothers, whose windows at Ludgate Hill are green with jade-laden trays, "has quite taken the place of the once - fashionable turquoise. Its special qualities are its iron hardness—and its surface, which while taking a high polish, does not scratch at all easily."

In the heart of the business par of New Plymouth theie is one plot of ground, a sixteenth of an acre, which has an unimproved value of £4,680, equal, says the Daily News, to £74,880 an acre. An acre at this figure, then, will pay the same taxes as 37 farms of 200 aores each, with an unimproved value of £lO per acre. Adjoining is a part seotion. l-24th of an acre iu extent, which is allotted an unimproved value of £4,375 or about £105,000 per acre An acre of this represents the value of 52 farms of 200 aores each, at an unimproved value of £lO an acre. It is suggested that very soon the business people in New Plymouth will have to devote the whole of their takings to *he payment of rates and taxes, leaving the wholesale houses to go to the Government for payment of retailers bills. There is a hope, however, that the Government will allow the present tradespeople to carry on their businesses, receiving a commission on cash takings, say, 2>£ per cent, as remuneration.

The Gbristchurch Press referring to Mr G. Witty's reoent tour of the North Island says:—"lt wonld be well if other Squthern members were to follow the example of the member for Ricoarton and Bpend some tiine travelling through the North Island. They would find much to interest them, and the information they would acquire would be of great value in solving several important problems whioh will have to be dealt with by Parliament. The North Island Main Trunk railway affords many interesting points for consideration. It is almost impossible to condemn too strongly the policy of planting settlers in the depths of the forest without railways within reach, even without passable roads to give the access to their holdings. Whereas settlement has nearly reached its limits in the South Island, there are still large possibilities in the North. This makes it all the more important that Parliament should approach the problems of the North island with intelligence and sympathy, based on trustworthy infoimation, and that better administrative methods should be adopted by the Government in dealing with thw great questions involved."

Questioned about the alleged cure for cancer; of whioh news was oabled to New Zealand from Paris some time ago, Dr. Mason said there was nothing in the report. He had opportunity while in Paris for enquiring auhoritatively into the case. The leading medical authorities in Paris scouted the statement that a cure had been discovered, Many eminent medical men on the Continent and at Home are devoting long hours to patient and persistent research in the hope of discovering a cure for this dread disease, and the "white plague" consumption. Great Britain had done more in the way of housing poor people suffering from consumption than any other country. On" the Continent many extensive and expensive buildings had been erected. They were really more like gigantic hotels than anything else. Throughout France and Belgium there whb a strong evidence of self-supporting socialism. Amongst the miners li was particularly noticeable. They had a very fine regard for, the pbv,si,Q.al<

welfare of their fellows, and wbeu at man showed: 1 signs of contracting any dangerous-disease like consumption he wa»-afc onoe- removed to a sanatorium.

A defect in: the' Arbitration Aofc that has caused trouble and dissatisfaction' among the unions, says the Auckland Herald, is that unless-an employer has been cited to appear before the court, the award of the court is not binding upon him, unless he commenced business after the deliverance of the award. It is very difficult if not almost impossible in some trades- to> obtain a list of all the names of these employers in business, and the consequence is that those employers who are misled can do wnat they like, and are enabled to compete witb an unfair advantageto those employers who are bound andi who>endeavour to keep the award in its entirety. Several of the labour leaders consider that the Act should be amended to meet cases of this charaoter". That a citation should be' delivered to all known and that an advertisement in. the- local papers should' act as a citation upon others.

The cotton manufacturers of the Southern States have made representations to the American Embassy in London asking that some of London's unemployed be sent to the southern, manufacturing districts. America has something of an unemployed problem of its own, whioh is being aggravated every year. According to the 18th annual report of tno United States Labour Commissioner, 40 per cent, of the working population was without work some time during the year 1903. i The 1900' census report says 22 per Gent, was without work in 1899, while ten years previous but 15 per cent, was numbered among the unemployed. With the Japanese and Chinese threatening l American industries on one side and Europe on the other, and a milium immigrants arriving every year, it begins to look as though the American working. man will have a long vacation.