The Stratford Evening Post. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. SATURDAY, JANUARY 18, 1913. STRATFORD’S SPLENDID SCHOOL

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 17, 18 January 1913, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. SATURDAY, JANUARY 18, 1913. STRATFORD’S SPLENDID SCHOOL

University scholarships are rarely won except by candidates from the Colleges, and the high place that has been gained by L. C. Mail, who was placed fifteenth on the list at the examinations held last December for University Junior Scholarships and Senior National Scholarships, is something to be proud of. Stratford District High School has now proved that its work is equal to that of the best secondary schools in the Dominion, and this last' success may be taken as the crowning effort of a successful schoolmaster’s; career. Mr. F. Tyrer has been many years in charge of the Stratford District High School, and has gained many honours through his pupils, but now for the first time a Taranaki school is included in the list of those a student from which has gained suchj a high place—and that school is at, Stratford. The value of the Scholarship, including board allowance, is| from £SO to £6O per annum and fees,! for four years. Mr. Tyrer, who, by-the-way, is at present on a visit to the South Island, will bo a proud man when he learns the news, and with good reason. Young Mail, whose splendid work gained such high honour, is a son of Mr. Mail, the wellknown master of the Midhirst School.

SUGAR MADE IN ENGLAND. What is practically England’s first sugar factory was recently opened ,iu Norfolk, and its operations are attracting much attention. The factory, the machinery of which is of the newest design, lias a capacity of turning out 150 tons of sugar a day, and dealing with the produce of 10,000 acres in one “campaign” or hundred days’ period of activity. This factory is only a tentative beginning. Singularly' the enterprise is a Dutch one, and the manager a clever Hollander. A dozen suggested factories are waiting on the result of the Norfolk pioneers. Germany it may he noted, is less suitable for sugar than England, hut yet succeeds in producing over two million tons of beet. ]t remains to he seen whether this attempt will succeed in reducing the £‘21,000,000 which England gives yearly to the foreigner for her sugar. The result depends on the English farmers. Sugar beet is one of the most difficult crops to harvest, and in this it differs widely from the mangold, turnip and swede. At the beginning of December, Norfolk and Suffolk farmers had supplied 35,000 tons of sugar beet, and contributions in large

or small quantities wore being sent from many other parts of England. If the industry proves a success it will be a good thing for British trade, it has to be borne in mind, however, tiiat two previous efforts to start beetsugar making in England were quite unsuccessful.

ALBANIA’S LEADER. With Albania now actively belligerent' iu the Balkan States affair it may interest some to know that the head ot the Albanian Government is Ismail Kemal Bey, a leader credited with being one of the authors of the Turkish I counter-revolution of April, 1909. He belongs to the foremost Albanian family of Flora. The same family counts among its members Ferid Pasha, an ex-Grand Vizier and a relative of the Khedive of Egypt. Ismail Kemal in his younger days (he is now 62 years of age) was one of the founders of tfio first Albanian literary society which tried to foster Albanian nationalism by popularising the Latin alphabet lor the unwritten Albanian language. The then Sultan Abdul Hamid was not pleased, and Ismail Kemal retired into exile, a friendly warning having reached him that his life was in danger. For many years he then resided in Paris, joining the Young Turkish Party. But, it is stated, his true sympathies were with its right wing, which was in favour of provincial decentrali sation, and when he came back to Constantinople after the revolution he soon became the avowed enemy of the now centralising regime of the Young Turkish Committee. He did not hesitate, as was afterwards proved by documents from Abdul Hamid’s archive? to make an alliance with the “Bed Sultan’’ in order to overthrow the Young Turks. The attempt failed, and Ismail Kemal again went into exile. He only returned in the summer of the present year on the collapse of the Young Turkish Government. It is anticipated that should Albania really be come a principality it is probable that his relative Ferid Pasha will be its head, while Ismail Kemal himself will be its Prime Minister. PANAMA CANAL. Writing a month ago regarding the progress of the work on the Panama Canal a correspondent says the grand total of canal excavation, according to the latest official returns, is 182,991,-0-13 cubic yards, leaving to be excavated 29,235,955 cubic yards, or a

'little less than one-sixth of the entire amount necessary for the completed canal. The total excavations for November was 2,584,823 cubic yards, ar compared with 2,331,678 cubic yards in the corresponding period of last year, and 2,884,382 cubic yards for the same fiscal month in 1910. The total amount of the excavation work sfill rettiaftli'iig to be done has been materially inCreased since the previous report was issued, on account of the large increase in landslides during the past feu months. There are also other reasons for the growth of figures. At the time of writing the total expenditure on construction and engineering (only) amounts to 139,773,150.09d015. (almost £27,955,000). These figures include administrative and general expenses, but do not cover “general items,” or expenditure for sanitation hospitals, or civil administration. More detailed figures respecting the cost of the Panama Canal are expected to be available shortly.