Paragrams.

Progress, 1 November 1905, Page 6

Paragrams.

Cape Colony has increased her population roo per cent, since 1890. * * * * i= A Christchurch motor 'bus, running between Cathedral square and the railway station for fifteen months, covered 15,000 miles in that time, and carried 80,000 passengers. ***** New Zealand mines produce one-thirtieth of the world's gold output. Since first discovered our gold mines have produced metal vaHied m excess of Since 1890 New Zealand butter exports have grown from about 4,000,000 lbs. to nearly 28,000,000 lbs. at the present time. Frozen meat exports since 1882 have increased from 2,000,000 lbs to 240,000,000 lbs. ****** The world's output of gold last year was, according to the estimate of the United States Director of the Mint, of a value of or in excess of all previous records. That, of course, was due to the larger output of the Transvaal. *****

New Zealand's crops for 1904-5 are returned as having yielded 6,966,405 bushels of wheat 10,950,048 bushels of oats, and 884, 520 bushels of barley, the areas for these crops comprising respectively 258015, 342,189, and 29, 484 acres. * * * * Union Co's. s.s. " Loongana " continues to make splendid steaming time between Port Phillip I and the Tamar. She recently covered the distance, 196 miles, in 9 hrs. 28 min., or at an average of over 20 knots an hour. The "Loongana" is not unlike the new " Maheno," although the lat ter is twice the size and embodies a slightly different deck plan.

The immense possibilities of development m the London butter trade will be realised when it is stated that London expends each year over for imported butter, New Zealand only receiving about one-twentieth of this sum, while Denmark receives ***** The ores found on the Rand average only about ten dwt. to the ton, which means that out of every 60,000 particles of rock dealt with, only one particle of gold is obtained. Fifty-three per cent, of working expenses are represented by labour. There are over 15,000 Chinese at work on the Rand, or nearly twenty-five per cent, of the existing black labour. ***** Novel and beautiful effects come of a recent invention whereby laces and the most delicate fabrics, as well as art furniture, are electrically given a metal coating of gold, silver, or bronze. The cheapest material may be made to appear costly and striking. Committees of fancy and charity balls will be very glad of cloth of gold and silver at twopence a yard. ***** A new method of manufacturing wire-fencing is said to have been recently adopted. A number of galvanised iron wires are fed from reels arranged vertically and parallel to each other, and from another reel placed transversely to these lengths of wire are cut off and fed horizontally across the vertical wires. Where the horizontal and vertical wires intersect, they are welded together by small transformers. The welded material then moves forward, and the operation is continuously repeated.

tinguished from the living forms produced during the process of natural fertilisation. The order of events (says the New York correspondent of the " Daily Telegraph ") in the process of fertilisation is m both cases the same. Professor Loeb's new method is in every respect a complete imitation of natural fertilisation. In a long account of his method in producing life by artificial means, the professor says that he submits unfertilised eggs to hypertonic sea water for two hours, then uses chemicals. He challenges every investigation. ***** Applications for space, with full particulars, are invited as early as possible by the authorities of the International Exhibition ; and in the allotment of space precedence will be given, as far as possible, to priority of application. No application will be received later than March 31, 1906. Applications for space may be lodged with the Agent-General for New Zealand, Westminster Chambers, 13 Victoria Street, London, E.C., or with the secretary, New Zealand International Exhibition, Christchurch, New Zealand, on the official printed form attached to the prospectus, and notice of the allotment if space is allotted, will be promptly mailed to the applicant. The latest date for receiving applications may be determined earlier if the number of applications promise to exceed the accommodation provided The ordinary charge for space will be rom 2s. per square foot, the minimum charge being A is., 25 per cent, payable on application, 25 per cent, on allotment, and the balance one month before the opening date of the Exhibition. End spaces will be at special rates.

Experiments made by highly trained officials of the Geological Survey Department of India show that the demand for coke for the blast furnaces will render profitable the extraction at Indian collieries of coal tar and ammonium sulphate. For this purpose sulphuric acid factories are to be set up m Western Bengal, to utilise the deposits of sulphuric copper ore which have long been known to exist m the Chota, Nagpur district. his means that India is about to enter the field as a producer of both copper and chemical manure, as well as of iron and aluminium. Its cheap labor, abundant raw material, and enormous local markets give it a position of great advantage in this connection. ***** Steam turbine machinery is certain to come into increased use for land purposes, now that it is being officially adopted in earnest for marine service by the Admiraltv. The Government have decided to introduce turbines into the new battleship to be built under this year's programme, and engineers on the Navy List have been invited to tender. Hitherto, turbines have been confined to torpedo craft, but the Admiralty has now sufficient data to encourage their application to large battleships. The new vessel will be capable of developing 23,000-h.p., and will not only be the most powerful yet designed, but the fastest of her class in the world. * * * * v A San Francisco despatch to the " New York Herald " says that Professor Jacques Loeb, of the University of California, whose researches into the subject of the origin of life have attracted wide attention, has succeeded in developing by artificial chemical means eggs of the sea urchin, so that the larvae produced in the laboratory cannot be dis-