TOPICAL READING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIX, Issue 8145, 23 May 1906, Page 4

TOPICAL READING.

Cable messages recently acquainted New Zealanders with the exploits of a blind graduate of the Sydney University, who crowned an industrious career by receiving the status of a banister of law. This country, however, has a similar student, though be has not enjoyed similar publicity. Next weok, at the Auckland degree ceremony the diploma of B.A. will be reoeived by a blind student, Mr Ernest Ohitty, from the Auckland Jubilee Institute for the Blind. At his examinations be had, of course, a confidential supervisor, who read out all questions to him,and put down on the papers exactly what he said. The examiners in England were not informed that the uork was that of a blind candidate, except in one partisular case, for a special reason, and therefore there can be no justification for any impression that Mr Chitty's handicap brought him any extra consideration.

TMe frozen meat trade of New Zealand has been entirely built up since 1882, in which year an experimental shipment of 5,000 caroases was sent Borne by the sailing ship Dunedin. Tbe initial shipment from Australia was In 1880, and Consisted of about 400 carcases of autton from Melbourne per Strathleven; whether the result was profitable or not it demonstrated the possibilties of refrigeration applied to meat. At present there are no less than sixty large freezing establishments in tbe colonies and Argentina. The carrying trade is represented. by 174 refrigerated steamers, with a capacity calculated at no less than 10,000,000 oaroases; there are 28 refrigerated stores in London, and 100 in provincial towns for the storage of meat on arrival, and these distri bute daily, on the average, over 26,000 sheep and lambs, and 4,000 quarters beef. Tbe total importation of frozen meat into Great Britain during 1905 consisted of 8,277,731 carcases mutton and lamb, and 1,271,353 quarters beef,

Mr Harvey Clifton, in the World's Work says:—"Mr Haldane sounded the right note when he said the public of the future will not stand the expense of two sets of legal men, and that we want true and not sham legal specialists. At the present time solicitors are actually bribed by rules of Court and scales of costs to increase the burden of litigation. It frequently pays a solicitor better to delegate a part of bis work to a barrister, , beoause, by doing so he not only increases his own fees, but he is allowed the bar rister's fees, too, while be escapes any liability for negligence or incompetence. A solicitor is liable to his client for the proper performance of his work, a barrister never, and so an experienced solicitor can shelter himself if he ohoosea behind the rawest or most juvenile recruit to the Bar whom influence or friendship may induce him to favour with hi? patronage. The real specialist is one who has had exceptional experience in a special province, or who by reason of long experience is entitled to oonsider himself specially qualified to bold himself out as such. The same specialist will disappear when—as in Amerioa, in many s of our oolonies, and in nearly every Continertal country—there is fusion of the two branches of the legal profession."

A serious soene occurred in the Japanese House of Representatives on 20th March in connection with the amendment by the Upper House of the Railways Nationalisation Bill, which had passed the Lowt>r House, as proposed by the Government. The Premier made a speech asking the Kepresentatives for approval of the Bill as amended by the Peers. The Seiyukai Parliamentary leader proposed an urgent motion to adopt the Bill without debate. The Progressives strongly opposed this proposal, atad a coun-ter-objection was jointly made by tbe Seiyukai and the Daido Club. The House was now very noisy. The motion having been adopted by sie President, the Progressives were further irritated, and the Seiyuka and tbe Daido Olub tried to check the opposition. Meanwhile many Representatives belonging to the various parties approaohed the President's seat, and in the course of negotiations a hot dispute arose. At the next moment tbe House was transformed into a free fight. ReDresentitives pushed forward £o help their friends, and a great engagement ensued. , Some threw furniture about. The disturbance lasted about ten minutes. , As the President adopted the voting, the Progressives and other Opposition members retired, but finding tbe exits already closed, they refused to participate in the voting. On the opening of the votes all (214 in number) were found to be in favodr of the amendment by the Upper House. Thus the Railways Nationalisation Bill passed, with loud applause from the SeiyuKai and tbe Diado Olub. The punishment whiob ragwort will bear before perishing was described by Mr Boddie at the Farmers' Conference at Eltham last week. It appears that he had been particularly careful in certain experiments he bad carried out and tbe result of his observations was

that be bad a greater dread than ever of the almost indestructible oharaoter of the weed. He fastened upon a particular plant, out it off, slashed the part remaining in the ground into an almost indistinguishable mass, and then put a handful of salt over the spot. One would have thought that treatment would have been effective. "But," said Mr Boddie, "within a few months that plant had developed into one of the most magnificent blooms I have ever seen." "As to the efficacy of sheep dip"—Mr Boddie smiled. "Well," he continued, "the plants must be very low for it to do any good at all." The only satisfactory way of dealing with ragwort ,waa to allow the plant to flower and when it was ripening to pull it up by the roots.