THE OUTSIDE WORLD

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8349, 8 February 1913, Page 9

THE OUTSIDE WORLD

"I'll put a girdle round about tbc earth In forty minutes." A m undsen ’ s North Polar Expedition is now assured, thanks to the^ liberality of Peter Christoff arson, a rich Norwegian living at Buenos Aires, whoso financial aid also made possible tho journey which resulted in the discovery of the South Pole. His ship, the Eram, was expected to sail in October for San Francisco, to complete fitting out, and the start from that port for Behring Seals planned for June, 1913. Amundsen will push as far north as possible before engaging his vessel in the ice, with which she is expected to drift still farther north and thus pass closer to the Polo than did De Long, with tho Jeanette, or Nansen, with tho Fram. However, no special effort will be made to roach the Pole. The object of tho expedition is to make a thorough ex ploration of the Polar Sea, including its currents, depths, tho character of the bottom, and the meteorological conditions. Tho explorer hopes to drift from north of Behring Strait to tho eastward of Greenland in three years. It is just possible that the Norwegian garty will encounter the American tockor Land expedition, which is to proceed westward over the ice from Grant Land next year, and that one or both of these parties will fully explore the land which Peary saw far to tiio westward daring hia march to tho Pole. Charles Anderton, a Canadian rural postman, left Edmondton last December on ms annual journey of 2000 miles in the north of Canada, which will occupy about four months. He travelled by train to Athabasca, 100 miles away, and will complete his journey on foot, tho mails being conveyed in a sledge drawn by dogs. Anderton will penetrate to the shores of the Arctic Ocean, whore there are a number of whalers. Dr Alfred de Qnervain and his party of six, who left Disko Island, on the west coast of Greenland, with 29 dogs and three sledges on Juno 10th, 1912, succeeded in crossing the inland ice, and arrived at Angmagsalik, on tho east coast, on August Ist, whence they returned to Copenhagen. Their route was farther north and longer Gian that followed by Nansen, who made the only previous crossing in Greenland in 1888, but much shorter than that to bo followed by Koch’s expedition, which is now marching westward from Cape Bismarck. Dr de Qnervain’s party report crossing a vast inland lake, covered with thin ice. Near the east coast they covered and surveyed a large mountainous district which they named Switzerland. Its highest summit, 9000 ft high, they christened Mount Ford. Thf» “ Times ” annual review of London pauperism shows a decline of indoor pauperism and an increase, of out- , door pauperism. .-The increase is chiefly in tho Eastern and Southern districts, and the writer of the article suggests that it is the after-effect of the dock strike. It is not, at all clear why the dock strike should still be felt to such an extent; and it may be that we are simply seeing a change of administrative, method. The amount of outdoor pauperism depends very largely upon the readiness of Boards of Guardians to grant outdoor relief, and it is probable that the boards are .tending to relax their old rigorous refusal. Undoubtedly casual labour lies at the root of the trouble, and the docks are chiefly responsible for it. It was hoped that the London Dock Authority would grapple with the evil, but it has done nothing so far. The “ Times ” says that its scheme would already have been launched but for the dock strike. Interesting statistics showing the growth of cigarette-smoking in Germany are given by the American Con-sul-General at Frankfort-on-Main in his current report issued from Washington. He states that in 1897 approximately 1,100,000,000 cigarettes were manufactured in Germany, while the present production is about nine times as large. Cigarette cartridges ’and papers used by smokers who make their own cigarettes and which also pay a revenue tax in Germany must bo added to cigarettes in order to show total consumption., Between 1907 and 1911 the number of cigarettes manufactured has grown from 5,694,000,000 to 9,332,000,000. The excess of imports over exports, which in 1907 was 400,000,000, was last year 565,000,000. The tremendous increase in output appeals to bo due to rapidly-increasing consumption of cheap cigarettes, and it is estimated that German smokers spend about £15,000,000 annually for cigarettes, and that some 20,000,001 Gormans smoke an average of 620 cigarettes a year. Writing on the influence of the Insurance Act a correspondent of the “Daily News and Leader” observes that the forecasts of the experts have mostly been upset. The friendly societies have obtained a much smaller proportion of the, insured persons than was expected. The returns of the State membership are so far very incomplete, but apparently the number of members in approved societies formed by friendly societies will not exceed six millions. This figure is slightly below the level of the voluntary membership. With a membership of 2,017,636 the trade anions have obtained apparently fewer than a million insured persons. Tho number of deposit contributors, through the Post Office, is 480,000, Thus the collecting assurance companies seem to have secured about one-half of tho whole of the insured persons. If tho friendly societies have secured fewer of tho insured persons than they expected as members of their approved societies they have done well in the large additions which they have mode to their voluntary membership. In most of the friendly societies some. 80 per cent; of tho members are continuing thoir existing contracts, the remaining 20 per "ont. paying for a reduced benefit. Of the now members at least one-third are paying for additional benefits to supplement the State benefits. This means that the voluntary side of the societies have received an accession of half a million members, an entirely unexpected result.