GENREAL NEWS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 476, 22 June 1912, Page 3

GENREAL NEWS.

Although, no doubt, every railway. company would gladly convey his Majesty and the Queen free of charge, our rulers pay exactly the same price as anybody else for a srjecial train, in addition to the first-class fare of every passenger by whom they may be accornnanie.d in their respective suites.

Sir Alexander Mackenzie is among the most popular of British composers. At the age of 17 he won the King's Scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music, and has confessed that he lives for music and music alone. But he declares that it has had its terrible moments for him. notably when he was a teacher of the piano?orte in is native town, Edinburgh. To quote his own words: "Eight girls blaze simultaneously away at as many pianos in one room, and their gentle master would endure it unto breaking point. Then, when the inharmonious din had attained its climax, I would lift the fireirons and threaten to slay every one of my pupils unless the results were instantly bettered." Lord Roberts is a clever chess player, but dislikes all card games. Chess, indeed, may be called his favourite recreation. The Prince of Wales is the owner of one of the largest collections of post cards in the world. It consists of more than 10,000 cards. The most curious paper weight in the world belongs to King George. It is the mummified hand of one of the daughters of Pharaoh. The caucus of the Commonwealth Labour party discussed the programme for the coming session. The proposals include a Maternity Allowance Bill, to be introduced, providing a grant of £5 for every child hereafter born and registered in Australia. Mr Fisher claims that it will protect many toiling mothers, and assist in preserving child life. Professor MetchnikoiT, of the Pasteur Institute, lecturing before the Academie dea Sciences, claimed the discovery of a "long life" microbe, which he declares, produces sugar, reducing intestinal poisons, H« had achieved excellent results with animals. Dr Perkin, Professor of Chemistry at Victoria University Manchester, has announed the discovery of an synthetic rubber that can be manufactured on a commercial scale at 2s Gd per lb. He adds that it may be possible to reduce the cost of manufacture to Is. He describes the method of manufacture as follows: —Fusel oil produced from the starch in maize is converted into an isuprene from which the rubber is extracted by contact with sodium. The Anti-Gambling League has made representations to the Minister for Internal Affairs protesting against any increase in the number of race days in the Dominion. They state that gambling is assuming such huge proportions that it threatens the commerical stability as well as the moral integrity of the people. Any proposal to increae th« number of race dava "will be met by agitation and by a storm of protest that will be felt throughout the land."