MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXII, Issue 8925, 19 September 1907, Page 4

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

Now York City is building, at a cost of 161,000,000 dollars, a huge new water system, which will supply water to the ten million population that the city expects within 20 years. A great reservoir, 13 miles long, is being completed in the heart of the Oaiskills. To bring the water from the Ashokan reservoir to the city will require an aqueduct of larger diameter than most of the tun- } nels around Now York. It will he an underground channel of concrete and steal, built to last for ever, and to carry the water in continuous descent from the high level of 600 ft at Ashokan reservoir to 355 ft at Kensico, where is to be located a main storage reservoir for maintaining a very large store of water near the city, and delivering it to the filtration plant at Scarsdale. “The great trouble in regard to people not keeping their orchards scloau,’’ said Mr A. Williamson, Inspector of Orchards in an address at Gisborne, “is the way in which they render useless the work of their neighbours, who do take trouble.” Mr Williamson went on to say that every latitude had been given to people to comply witli the Act. Some had received warning after warning, and then simply made excuses'; in some eases there were temI porary tenants who did not think the responsibility should bo placed !on them; others stated that they j had sprayed but did not know even the spray they used. It would be necessary, he feared, for the protection of those who did take trouble, to have the penal clauses of the Act put into force against those who continued to ignore the warnings. The full period of grace had expired, and negligent ones need not be surprised if they wore brought before a magistrate. It was not only tire loss they occasioned to themselves; it was the needless trouble and expense they occasioned to their neighbours that Iliad also to be considered. Fruit trees that wore not looked after were better cut down than left as a menace to the orchards surrounding. What is claimed to be a new and

complete cure for cancer has just been developed and particulars of the discovery have boeu laid before a Central News representative. The inventor is a working chemist named Gustav Danbeuspeck, who had resided in London forj.3s years, and he declares that his cure is effected by the properties for radium, which he has for the first time been able to reduce to liquified form. Mr Daubeuspeck claims that Mr John Drewcs, of Finsbury, who has been under the new treatment, has been completely cured of cancer. Replying to a question, Mr Daubenspock said he had not submitted his cure to the Cancer Research Committee, but it had been tried by several doctors in cancer cases, and ho had sent a quantity of it to the Middlesex Hospital. The discovery is the result of 12 years’ research, but it was only 12 mouths ago that Mr Daubeuspcek managed to evolve the health-giving fluid, and not until still moro recently has ho been enabled to perfect it and put it on a commercial basis. When Mr E. J. Dudley was in

the act of slaughtering a beast on Wednesday (the Opunake Times states) a flash of lightning struck the knife, and the effect on his arm was like an electric shock. Needleess to say, lie didn’t wait j-for another one. During the storm on Sunday last Mr T. Fleming was driving a cow into the bail, when a flash of lightning struck it dead Steers are remarkably good property in Taranaki at the present time. Calves were slaughtered in

wholesome numbers last season, Mr Newton King having sold just on 46,000 calfskins during the season.

Practically the only calves kept were heifers : and the slaughter is apparently to be repeated this season. There are two reasons for this, the extension of cheese manufacture and

the growing popularity of pig-rear■

iug. In connection with the latter factor, it may be mentioned (says the New Zealand Times) that there is a prospect of great values in store for pigs. The Christchurch Meat Company will bo largely operating, having taken over the works formerly occupied by the North Island Bacon Company at Woodville, and a good demand is likely to set in from Victoria, notwithstanding a duty of 2d a pound levied on New Zealand pork under the Federal tariff. Dairy farmers are coming to realise that with a little care the pig can be made a very profitable animal, and this season will probably provide a : considerable addition to their income. Yearling steers are worth in Taranaki at the present time up to £2 15s, and elder ones ’ represent a value higher in proportion, and everything points to a greater value ruling later on, with a decided boom next saeson. Main coal has been reached at a depth of 1321 feet in Lord Londonderry’s new colliery at Seaham Harbour, after a remarkable engineering feat. Owing to the presence of enormoDS quantities of water, forming a quicksand, it was found necessary to freeze the ground to a depth of nearly 500 feet. Twenty-eight holes were bored in a circle about the shaft to a depth of 484 feet, and freezing tubes were inserted. Brine was the medium used to extract the beau from the strata. The length of time required to form a wall of ice was 185 days, the wall being maintained for 353 days. In the shaft bottom the frozen sand was so hard that it could be penetrated only by blasting.