News and Notes.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 8199, 28 May 1906, Page 3

News and Notes.

Mr Budyard Kipling, writing from Johannesburg to a friend, says:— "Things are bewilderingly bad here. The whole of the Chinese slavery agitation makes me sick when I think of some English cottages, their sanitation, and the food there. If only the fools would come out and see for their crazy selves.'.'. The latest " cure " fad is the starvation, or Lindewiess cure. , Lindewiess is a village in Austrian Silesia, and hundreds of patients yearly find their way there in search of health. The treatment consists of three things—wet packs at nighty starvation, and thirsting; and this is kept up for six weeks. The starvation consists in eating just enough to keep body and soul together. ; Miss Isabel May, the daughter of an English naval officer, is attracting attention by her. exploits as a farm laborer. After an experience as a nurse in the South African war, she began a course of instruction at the Swanley Horticultural College, but soon found the work there too easy going and finicking. 1 She wanted something mor&.practical and strenuous, and so entered the services of a farmer at St. Mary Cray, in Kent, as a general field worker. She has 'been for some monihs proving herself a first-rate hand at ploughing, reaping, fence mending, attending to / cattle and other rough tasks, and has quite satisfied the.boss. He is more than willing thot she should continue indefinitely in his employment, but her own intention :s to go out to Canada when she has gained a little further experience, and turn some capital that "she has to account in farming on a large scale. Miss Mayor "Jack," as she praters to be called when on duty—owes her success as a worker largely to unusual physical

strength She ie tall, muscular, wears her hair short, and works in male attire, to which, however, she adds a short smocK or skirt, reaching from tho waipt to ihe knees. It is a sort of Highland- : man's kit, and does not impede her movements. She attended in this rig out as a witness in the local police court thr other day. Recent arrivals in Melbourne are two preachers of the : " House of David," JBenton Harbor, Michigan, United States America,, who hay,e come to herald the - fact that " Mary " and '• Benjamin " intend again visiting Australia, "to gather together the remnant and dispersed of-Israel, who are still awaiting the call no come home," as well as to '■ awaken those who had no opportunity of hearing them on their former visit." "Mary" and "Benjamin " will be remembered as two preachers who were in several Australian cities last year, and who look to America with them nearly 200 Victorians who had accepted their strange beliefs, including several well known business men..The " prophet" and " prophetess " will leave America for Melbourne about August. The preachers preparing the way, who have travelled under the names " John " and " Mary," remained a short time at Bulli, New South Wales, and visited several south coast towns, where they held open air meetings. On a recent Sunday they addressed a gathering on the- yYarra bank and distributed gratis a quantity of their literature. It is curious that, whereas the question of nationalising the railways has long been discussed in Japan, and has always been vetoed on account of its magnitude, it is now been recommended by the Government at a time when it might have been imagined that Japan had a greater problem in hand in adjusting its finances than at any previous period in its history. Evidently the country's financial advisers have ample confidence in their ability! It is proposed that the State shall purchase all private railways at a fixed rate, namely, twenty times the average profits of the three years preceding the war, the Treasury paying by means of 5 per cent bonds. The greatest care is to exercised to carry out the measure slowly and prudently in order to avoid affecting the markets. All net revenues will be applied in payment of interest and amortisation charges, and the total amount of the will be redeemed , within forty-five years.