CURRENT TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 25 February 1914, Page 3

CURRENT TOPICS OF THE DAY.

(FROM VARIOUS SOURCES.)

The members of the Liberal Party held a kind of a grand tangi in Wellington a few daj's ago to devise some means of ousting the sturdy Massey from his high estate. It was given out at the time that they had decided on a plan of operations with a view to edu. catiDg public opinion in the country. It's a good thing to do, but it seems to this paper that the opportunity for doing that sort of thing has passed, so ' far as the Ward Party is concerned. If Sir Joseph couldn't educate the people during the six years he was in office, to a realisation of the fact that he was the only ray of sunshine who could ,^* illuminate the darkness of New Zeal|j?C> lafid he is not likely to do it now that bis power has waned a trifle. The ex- ' tent of the waning must have been brought home to him forcibly after his recent speech, at Te Aroha when papers that formerly would have published three or four columns of his wordy utterances only published about half a column—and in some cases less —in an obsecure corner where it could only be found with difficult}. x x x An ingenious means of defrauding a penny-in-the-slot gas meter has been discuvered in Honolulu. The gas company found that one of its customers was undoubtedly consuming large quantities of gas, although no coins were ever found in his meter. Baffled in its attempts to discover the fraud, the company at last offered to pay the man for his secret, at the same time guaranteeing him against prosecution. He then showed a mould of the exact size of the copper coin used for the meter and an ice machine. He ex-» plained that with these he made a disc of ice which he puts into the meter to release a supply of gas. The disc then melted and the water dried up, so that when the meter came to be opened there was nothing inside. XXX When lion Rod. McKenziewas Minister of Public Works under a Liberal Government the North of Auckland began to come into its owe. In the matter of the construction of the North Auckland railway this was particular ly manifest. Evevy year the rote for this work was increased, and in all directions settlers were heartened up by the brightening prospects [t was computed that Mr McKenzie's policy would bring the railway to the south of tha Wairoa river in four or five years' time from th.6 famous battle of the routes. What this would have meant in the developernent of the Kaipara electorato few people quite realise. In the trade in fat lambs alone, quick transit to the city markets would mean thousands of pounds annually to the district. xxx A large number of visitors were present at the opening of the half-penny dinner season for poor childreuat Brunswick Hall, Whitechapel. The meals are made by the London Vegetarianl Society. A halfpenny dinner consists of a plate of soup, the ingredients of which arc butter beans, lentils split peas and barley. With this is served a slice of wholemeal bread. Thon comes pndding. which is made Gf cocoanut fat ins'ead of suet, wholemeal instead of white flour, with currants, candied peel and sugar. x x x Of all the nations of Europe the British appear to care more for health. In all there are about 100,000 doctors in Europe. Of these England has both the largest absolute number and also the largest proportion relatively to the population—namely 28,900 altogether, and 7-8 per 10,000 inhabitants. Bul> garia has the smallest number of medical practitioners—only o'7 4 per 10,000 inhabitants. In Germany the total number of practitioners is 22,500, or 5*6 per 10,000 inhabitants ; in France the total number is 19,£>00 giving 5 1 per 10,000. inhabitants ; and In Italy the total number is 18,270, giving 5*6 per 10,000 inhabitants.