GENERAL NEWS

King Country Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 275, 9 July 1910, Page 3

GENERAL NEWS

The first issue of the new monthly journal of the Department cf Agricul ture has just reached us, and gives 'promise of occupying a most usefu place in the- sphere of agricultural literature. It contains an excellen' article by Mr W. Er. Gwillim on th< formation and working of Co-operativ< Dairy Factory Companies, giving everything that is needed to heir those interested. There, are illustra tions, too, and the Minister promise: to give much information on specia and general lines, to give the views ol the experts of the department and t< welcome and reply to questions or agriculture. It deserves a place ir every farmers' home. The cost is only 2s 6d a year post free. The value of a mine like the Waih to others outside of actual shareholders may be gathered from the following facts shown in the annual report jusl issued. The gross revenue last yeai amounted to £970,033 15s 3d, and the gross exnenditure (including mine development) totalled £363,851 10s 7d, leaving a gross profit of £606,182 4s Bd. A sum of £36,151 7s 7d is allocated for new plant and machinery, and £40,778 17s 6d towards the cost ol Hora Hora hydro-electric scheme. Shareholders received £396,725,12 sir dividends and £38,845 7s 6d went tc the Governments of Great Britain and New Zealand, as income tax. On general mining' expenses £138,592 8s 8d was spent, and another £6131 IBs 7d on the transport of ore, while" the milling costs were £45,759 2s sd. Another £96,869 18s 9d is the cost of extraction of bullion; cyanide, zinc, and treatment of concentrates. Another expenditure of £19,763 17s 8d is to the Government for gold duty and rent-. The investments of the company in various debentures amount to £249,404 17s 9d. • The Australasiart' note is very strongyy sounded in the July number of "Life," which has just reached us. A red racing motor-boat on the cover carrie i the motto-.-"bright, breezy, best." This; is a good summing up of the whole magazine.* Dr Fitchett, as usual, opens with a brilliant summary of the chief events of the world, and, as might be expected, he makes a fine contribution to the literature of the King's death. - Such topics as the return of Lord Kitchener and Mr Roosevelt, the situation in Germany, and the search for the South. Pole are touched on brightly and informatively. Mr T. K. Dow, the well-known writer on agricultural subjects, comments, in a breezy article on "What Foster Fraser Saw and Heard;" Charles Barrett writes on "The Valley of Dry Bones" in anything but a dry manner. The valley of dry bones lies in one of the Bass Strait's islands, and from it have been recovered bones and fossil remains of a. .number, of extinct animals. Mr Barrett uses these bones as symbols of a romance that is interesting alike to laymen and scientists. Charles Nuttall is always fresh, and his description of the American daily press, illustrated with strong black-and-white drawings, is exhilarating. He .concludes his article thus: "I hold no brief for the American press, and I despise the general character of its output. But th a thing has red blood and real bone, and' its mpst redeeming trait is that it fights irf the open field."