NEWS ITEMS.

Gisborne Times, Volume VIII, Issue 696, 16 December 1902, Page 3

NEWS ITEMS.

Miss Cheong Chuk Kwnm is the first Chinese lady who has undertaken to travel round the world. Sha is extremely wealthy, speaks several languages, including English, and is possessed of progressive ideas. On the completion of her tour sho intouds to return to hor own country and iecturo on European customs.

A ship-yard is still in operation at Ominato, in Japan, which was established nineteen centuries ago, and there is no record of any strikes among the workmen in all that long period. Such a record must make some of tho big shipbuilders at Homo sigh with envy. In New Zealand tho Arbitration Board would have settled it long ago. English socioty (says Tho Scotsman goes faster nowadays than it used to in tho 'forties and 'fifties. With tho increase in the rato of living comes a decrease in tho rosorve and charm and even maidenly modesty of many of the young unmarried womon, says one of them who has “ been _ lod to seo tho folly of her ways.” She declares they smoke, drink, gamble, and swear—all theso possibly in less degree than young men would do, but still they aro vices, and unworthy of truo womanhood. llow far all this is true probably only tho society young ladies themselves would bo in a position to tell. Fruitgrowing is one of tho most important industries of tho Auckland district, but if any industry, no matter how suitable the conditions existing in tho country, is not carriod on in tho most economical and business-like manner, only partial success can attend those who are engaged in it. The Fruitgrowers’ Union has come into existence as a consequence of the recognition of this fact. The members aro making the attempt to establish a good workable system of dealing with their fruit, m place of tho happy-go-lucky methods hitherto adopted. Waikato Argus.

Officials from tho Brooklyn Navy iard wore in Hoboken recently to svitness tho test of a collapsiblo lifeboat invented by Captain V. Engclhardt, a retired seaman. The test was made in the North Gorman-

Lloyd pier basin. Engclhardt has installed ono of tho boats on the battleship Illinois, When folded the apparatus is about lOin. high. A few turns of a lever in tho centro spreads out the canvas sides until the craft assumes the lines of the conventional lifeboat, and becomes about 30in high. Tho inventor claims that tho boat cannot bo sunk or capsized. Twentysix longshoremen got into tho boat after it was put in the water and tried unsuccessfully to upset it.

Says tho New IdeaA woman can best aid tho upbuilding of tho Commonwealth (1) By instilling into her children s minds and hearts, first, the love of country, and then the love of mankind in general. (2) By doing her utmost to promote tho reading of the Bible and the teaching of Australian history in the State-schools, (o) By inducing her fellowwomen to take an intelligent interest in

tho politics of the country, and to make a , point of selecting only those men who really have the wolfaro of the Commonwealth at heart to represent them in the Federal Parliament, and (I) By banding themselves into societies, to further theso ideas, taking for their watchword the “ Common weal ” of Australia. I It must be balm to tho wounded spirit of each defeated Government member of tho last House of lloprcscntativcs to have received and got printed in tho columns of his village paper a wordy telegram from I King Dick recording the said member's past services to the country, and Mr Seddon's opinion of the “ ingratitudo ” of the electors for not returning him. But was it good taste on tho Premier’s part to thus pass judgment upon tho act of tho majority of tho electors ? And has not this wholesale use of the telegraph wires at tho public expense for personal messages, to tho obstruction of business correspondence, become a public scandal'? Everyono who sent a sixpenny message of congratulation to the King on his election victory got back an answer that would have cost any of the general public five or s js: shillings,—Observer,

Floating loans in London is manifestly a very expensive process, and the sums which' go out of the colony for interest every year are at present very large. If, in the case of further borrowing, the interest were payable to local investors, the advantages, direct as well as indirect, would be very appreciable, politically, socially, and commercially. Dunedin Star,

Tho Minister for Trade and Customs (the Hon. C. 11. Mills) lias received a report from Colonel Gudgeon,. Lritish Resident at Rarotonga, justifying his refusal to allow empty fruit cases to be sent hack to the Islands from New Zealand. Colonel Gudgeon points out that it 13 absolutely necessary to prevent the introduction of any fruit disease into the islands under his jurisdiction, and m his opinion tho risk will be minimised if the fruit eases are not returned.

Charles Gibbs, of New York, is the inventor of a typewriter operated by electricity. The machine is neat, compact, and simple in construction, having nearly ull its parts relating to electricity so disposed as to he readily aecessih e. A revolving cylinder is provided on which a series of buttons are located which correspond to the characters. In operation the desired buttons are depressed, and as the revolving cylinder brings the same into contact with a series of brushes the proper characters aro printed on the sheet. Scotch steelworks arc now underbidding the American Steel Trust. They ure also adopting thoroughly modern methods. They have issued new price lists, announcing a higher grade of construction in steel and iron, to conform to tho American wants, and their prices, instead of being for tho old familiar hut unbusinesslike f.o.h. at Glasgow, now almost invariably include tariff duties and freight charges right into Chicago itself. It is said thut an order for 50,000 tons of steel rails has just been placed in Lanarkshire.

Santos-Dumont says that lie is willing to attempt to make the passage from Paris to London in an airship for a prizo of 1:10,000, but the conditions imposed aro not satisfactory. He believes that he should he allowed to mako more than threo attempts, as unfavorable atmospheric conditions at tho last momont might oblige him to abandon tho trip. If tho conditions aro made to suit him he will attempt tho trip, taking another man with him. Ho will uso motors of 45 horse power oach, which will enable him to make ninety miles an hour. Once there was a day when tho Government which tried to force its nominee upon tho House without consulting it would have got tho smartest of snubbings, but tho tirno is past. Cabinet dictates, and Parliament merely humbly assonts. But this is tho first time Mr Seddon has openly declared liis contempt for tho privileges of Parliament in the selection of its Speaker. Hithorto oven the autocrat has not arrogated to himself tho established right of tho House to select its own chairman. This is a now departure, born of tho recent elections. Verily, too much powor maketh some men mad. Mr Seddon will want to appoint members to Parliament next.—Christchurch Truth. The deputations who want the Government to do everything for tho Colony and to supplant private enterprise are not, wo presume, especially soft-headed, but aro more likely to have axes to grind. We do not suppose that tho cost of flour keeps them awake at night, but progressive men in this Colony like to get hold of a grievance and air it and to tear it like 11 a passion to tatters, to very rags, to split tho ears of tho vory groundlings.” The whole business of deputations is ex-

ceedingly funny. They begin by urging Ministers of the Crown to raise values and end by imploring thorn to lower them. Sir Joseph Ward does not evidently care about being had both ways.—Wairarapa Times.

Two months ago the Mayor and Council polled 217 votes for a gas loan, yesterday they only recorded 135. On tho first occasion they worked and lost; and on tho second thoy did not win—simply because they did not work. There appeared to be an element of opposition on tho part of those voting against tho loan, which did not arise out of any consideration of tho roal question at issue. We aro disposed to regard tho defeat of tho loan as a tactical blunder on the part of those who deliberately brought it about. Tho town will once moro have cause to regret that bitterness of party spirit which occasionally makes the good government of Masterton very difficult. Tho result of the poll is a misfortune for which tho town must undoubtedly suffer. —Wairarapa Times,

In Switzerland the bride, on her wedding day, will permit no one—not oven her parents—to kiss hor upon tho lips. In many of the provinces the cook pours hot water over the threshold after tho bridal couplo have gono, in order to koep

it warm for another bride. A favorito wedding day in Scotland is December 81, so that the young couple can leave their old life with tho old year, and begin their married lifo with tho new one—surely a pretty idea. Tho Italians permit no wedding gifts that are sharp or pointed, from which practice emanates our superstition that the gift of a knifo severs friendship. Ono of the most beautiful of all marriage customs is that of the bride immediately after tho ceremony flinging her bouquet among her maiden friends. Tho ono who catches it is supposed to be the next bride. Tho Fronch Naval Department is con" structing a new typo of submarine boat’ tho invention of Lieutenant Boulin, commander of the submarine Triton. The craft is entirely of the submarine general design from all oxisting submarine war vosscls, inasmuch as it is practically a submersible armor-clad. Tho boat, which is of much greater dimensions than tho presont submarines, resemblos a small cruisor, is propelled exclusively by steam power, and is replete with powerful quickfiring guns. When submerged, it is not entirely obscured beneath the water, but the upper portion of its funnel is shown abovo water, and this, being painted grey, is visible only at a short distance. To attack, tho boat emerges from the water, launches its torpedo, discharges its guns, and again descends into the water, leaving oniy its funnel to be fired at, the water forming an excellent protection to the hull, which is built of chrome steel. This vessel is to be constructed at Cherbourg, and will cost £Bo,ooo.—Scientific American.

A striugent law against bachelors has recently been promulgated in one of the States forming the Argentine Republic. A mau is marriageable in Argentina when he is twenty. If, from that date, and till he passes his thirtieth birthday, ho wishes to remain single, he must pay £1 a month to the State. For tho next five years the tax increases 10Q per cent. Between thirtyfive and fifty the bachelor is mulcted to the tuno of £1 a month. From his

fiftieth year to seventy-five £5 a month is the tax, but, having reached the seventyfifth year, relief finally comes, and the tax becomes nominal, being reduced to £2 a year. After eighty a mau can remain single without paying anything. There is a paragraph relating to widowers, who are given three years in which to mourn and pick a successor. A man who can prove that he has proposed and been refused three times in one year is also considered to have earned immunity from taxation. It is said that the law works like a charm.

If Mr Seddon really wants to earn the respect of the community, he will endeavour to clear up the Nelson police scandal. We have alluded to this piece of Cabinet despotism before. A police sergeant was disrated and two constables dismissed by an order of tho Cabinet, made after a Departmental enquiry had decided that the charges against the men wero exceedingly trivial. Nelson people do not often wake up, but they arc wide awake in this matter | and have asked Mr Seddon to turn tho limelight of open euquiry on the scandal. Wo understand that the policemen in question had, in the execution of their duty, incurred the hostility of certain prominent Seddonian supporters in Nelson, whose representations to tho Premier resulted in the decision of tho Commissioner of Police bein" overridden. We do not know all tho dark hole-and-corner work of the Cabinet, but >ve suspect that the people are justified in their indignation at a gross injustice. To our mind, the chief offence of the Cabinet is the dangerous precedent- set by the over-ruling of Comimissioner Tunbridge’s decision in a departmental affair. It is an odorous business that cries aloud for disisinfectant,—Christchurch Truth.

Our moro immediate concern is how will Now Zealand he affected should the impending strike materiaiiie ? With the exception of the three Huddart-Parker steamers running between New Zealand and .Sydney, our trade is not involved, Our coastal, intercolonial, and island services are worked under an award of our Arbitration Court, which has a considerable time still to run. The secretary of the New Zealand Union expresses the opinion that the seamen in this colony are in a position to join in the strike, but his contention, we believe, is wholly untenable. In any case, we cannot see why the seamen should throw in their lot with Australia, even were they bound by no agreement. The trades of the Commonwealth and of this colony are so entirely distinct that no reason exists why they sliouid ho exactly on the same footing as regards labor and wages. The sympathies, however, of the seamen in this colony will no doubt he enlisted in the interests of their 2000 brother workers who, in the event of a strike, will be

thrown out of employment, and something will probably he done to augment the funds of tho Australian Union.— Star.

One thing every Judy requires is a dainty stylish Laoe Collar. Scores o' designs to select from, direct from the manufacturer, and the Best Value we have ever offered.—C. ROSIE & CO,