TOPICAL READING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIX, Issue 8131, 4 May 1906, Page 4

TOPICAL READING.

On Tuesday the decision of the Admiralty to abolish olofrh trousers, serge frooka, and drill frocks, as part of the kit of petty officers and men of his Majesty's Fleet dressed as seamen, came into foroe. A new pattern serge jumper, with ouffs, is to be supplied, with gold badges, and will be used for best uniforms in place of the old serge frook. The question that is exercising Jack's mind is who will pay for the new kit? Among the men there is a strong feeling that, as the Admiralty insist upon the ohange, they ought to bear the .cost of it, and not throw it upon , the slender purses of the men. There is a growing belief that this simplification of the kit is the preliminary to the issue of free uniforms to the Navy, a concession which the men are trying hard to obtain.

A steamship that oould run away from express trains, at least as we know them in this colony, aua race over the seas, from New York to Queenstown in three days and eighteen hours, or there and baok in a week, will be an accomplished fact when the Ounard Line's turbine vessels Lusitania and Mauritania begin their ocean express traffic towards the end of this year. They will be the longest boatß in the world by almost 100 feet, broader than any of the German leviathans, and at the same time possessing the shapely lines of greyhounds like the Luoania. The Lusitania is building on the Clyde and the Mauritania on the Tyue. They are expected to develop a apeed of thirty one statute miles an hour, making it pos-

sible to cover the distance from New York to Queenatown in three dey and eighteen hours. The new turbine steamers are 770 feet long between perpendiaulars, or 800 feet counting the stern overhang. The new Cunard twins will carry 300 Urst-olaes, 400 seoond-olass and about 1000 third-class passengers.

Mr D. D. Hyde, Chief Poultry Expert, states that the demand for New Zealand poultry for export iB greater than ever. Since the direct steam service to South Atrioa closed the volume of export to that Dart of the world has diminished. The birds intended for South Africa have now to be sent by way of Australia, but even with the increased cost of carriage some firms are fining the business a" paynble one. Mr Hyde anticipates a very large increase in the poultry export trade with Great Britain. There has, he says, been a marked improvement in the quality of the Doultry reared in the colony during the past year, and he is satisfied that shippers will find that it will pay them handsomely to oonsign to the Home market.

The discussion on church choirs continues. Speaking at Palmerston North recently, Rev. C. C. Harper said: "I am more than ever convinced that the ideal service is that one in whioh the congregation, choir and o'ergy worship together. When the people come to ohurou to listen to the choir and the minister, the services are not likely to be much help to the spiritual life of the worshipper; but when the congregation are there to worship, and show by their hearty responses and singing that that is their intention, and that intention is sympathetically assisted by choir and organist, then the Sunday services beoome the inspiration and life of the week day work, the rest and comfort of the weary and sorrowful, and the expression of the thankfulness of the happy and grateful."

In calling for tenders for the construction of the Arthur's Pass timnei, the Government is taking the first step towards carrying out one of the largest engineering works ever attempted iu the colony, and the chief difficulty in the projected linking of the east and west coasts of the South Island by means of the Midland Railway. Arthur's Pass, which is about 3000 ft high, is one of the main range, which runs through the oentre uf the Middle Island, and for the last twenty-' four years experts have been engaged in solving the problem of bow to oarry the railway past that point. AH sorts of schemes—zigzag railway, the Fell system, such as is employed on the Rimutaka incline, and so on—have been suggested; but the authorities have at length decided that the mountain shall be tunneled, and tenders are now being called for the work. The tunnel will be some five and a quarter miles, or three times the length of the Lyttelton tunnel, and will be the longest tunnel in the southern hemisphere. The grade through the tunnel will be pretty steep —lft in 33ft—and, in order to get rid of the smoke nuisance, that section of the railway will be worked by electricity, generate! by power supplied from the Otira Hwer.

In view of the comparison made by London butter traders between the prices of Victorian and New Zealand first grade butter, it is interesting (Bays the Melbourne Age of the 23rd April) to recall the experience of New Zealand with regard to the grading system. At one time Victorian butter consistently realised 2s pet owt more than the New Zealand product. As a result of investigation the New Zealand Government adopted a oompulsory grading system, which came into force in 1896. The quality of the New Zealand butter rapidly improved, and the prices obtained soon equalled tnose of Victorian butter. However, they did not stop there, but advanced till they are now regularly quoted 3s in advance. The case quoted in Saturday's oablegram of Viotorian first grade butter being worth only 82s per cwt., as against 99s to 100 a for New Zealand is of course, exceptional; but the fact stands out that since the adoption of compulsory grading the value of New Zealand butter has been increased by over £85,000 annually,