GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIV, Issue 41, 24 January 1916, Page 7

GENERAL.

"The manufacture of whey butter only adopted here this season," writes the Auckland Star's Te Aroha correspondent, "is proving a valuable addition to the scope of cheese factories. In one case the receipts under this heading are more than sufficient for

the payment of the whole of the factory's wages list-:"

Through the generosity of a resident in California, the National Education Association of the United States representing 700,000 State school teachers, recently offered a prize of 1000 dollars for the best essay on "The essential place of religion in education, with an outline of a plan for introducing religious teaching into the public schools." Four hundred and thirtytwo essays were received. The board of judges consisted of two superintendents of schools, a college professor, the principal of the Teachers' Institute of the Hebrew College, Cincinatti, and the editor of the Catholic Education Review. The prize was awarded to Professor Hugh, of the University of California. The association is printing a monograph containing this essay and four others to which honorable mention was given, and a synopsis of the good : points mentioned in the other essays. This monograph should be ol interest to all leaders of educational thought in New; Zealand. • ,

In speaking at the conference of the' Native Teachers' 1 Association in Auckland recently, Mr E. C. Banks, of the Council of Education, expressed the opinion that the education of the rising generation should be upon broader and more practical lines. He stated that some time ago a boy had commenced work on his farm, and had been sent to plough. Very soon lie returned : ,with the alarming news that one of his horses had fallen down from exhaustion. Upon examination' Mr Hanks found that the team had been harnessed up wrongly to the swingletree. It was more important, in the speaker's opinion, that boys should be taught at school ho*v to harness a team, to measure the area of a plot of land, and to reckon the capacity of a tank, than to acquire knowledge useless for practical everyday purposes. In a word to the lady teachers present Mr Banks 'says the Star) dwelt on the importance of making cookery and dressmaking important itemfc of the syllabus. "These girls are to lie the future wives and mothers," said Mr Banks, "and let me ask you what is file good of a wife to a man if she cannot cook a dinner or mend his clothes:-'" (Laughter.)

I "IF the millions of tons of grass fod--sder which " we " saw along the "Main Trunk Railway from Wellington to I within three-quarters of an hour's journey from Auckland could lie estimated in terms of butter-fat '{tnd cheese;" said Dr. Thacker, M.P.", to an Auckland reporter, "the revenue of this Dominion would take some as-* sensing." "People who hold up their hands in horror at the amount of money that was passed through the totalisator at the festive season often make mistakes," said Dr. Thacker, M.P., to an Auckland Star reporter on Wednesday. "For instance, it has been stated that no less than £850,000 was invested by the public at the race meetings in the. Dominion last holidays. It should be remembered that the sum actually in circulation would lie only one eighth oi the sum recorded by the totalisator, as the same money goes through over and over again. In addition to the ordinary tax on the totalisator collected by the Government the sum of £SO on every £IOOO is d<i--1 ducted toward* war expenses."

"You are dead!" was the startling announcement made a day or two ago to a soldier who is now walking about Wellington. The soldier, who was sent back from the front invalided, presented himself before the Medical Hoard in Wellington last week. The man is officially "supposed to be dead." and' according to military law must remain dead until such time as he can prove otherwise by producing his papers. The soldier,-heloWc .to the Wellington district, and leirxW Zealand attached to the iftunted Rifles of the main expeditionary force. While at Galipoli he contracted'jaundice, and..,ws>s also suffering from appendicitis, lie was removed to an Egyptian hospital, and on the night he was supposed to have died, his temperature stood at .LOG The doctors looked at the man. and said he would'be'de>d-*hy the morning, hut although the soldier in the adjoining cot expired during the, night, this man appears to have.) recoveredHe returned with a hatch of invalided and wounded soldiers, and the story , goes that when he applied at the pay department of the Records Office in Welington for his money, he was politely informed that he was dead, and that there was no money for him. All the correspondence is supposed to have been returned to his relatives in New Zealand, and there the matter rests until the Medical Doard can receive his papers from Egypt. . Theman is "supposed to he dead," but he informed sevCral of his "pals" at tie recruiting office that he ""'ill not remain dead to suit anyone."

Ovorliennl in a brain at Marton. "For.- did you (In out of your wool this year:-"' Better than .1 expected. Made ii clear thousand more than 1 ever hoped to." The successful one was a young farmer of perhaps 28 years.

The proprietor of the Mansion Boardiughouse at Kawau Island was, says a Press Association telegram .from Auckland, lined £2O for selling" beer without a license. The .Magistrate said the place was well conducted and the liquor was apparently kept more as a convenience for boarders 'ban for profit.

Mr John Armstrong, of Peel Forest, lias handed Major Kennedy, of Geraldinc. a cheque for £2"O, which renrosents the extra amount he lias received Tor his wool in consequence <>i the war. Mr Armstrong said he felt it his duty to hand this amount for patriotic purposes.

The small Turkish bullets do a great deal of damage. Although they make only a small pucture, they turn over and over, with the result that the wounds are very serious. The nature of the wounds, had the fact of the turning of the bullets not heen known, would lead one to believe that the Turks used explosive bullets—a suggestion which is certainly not justifiable. The rifle bullets used by the Turks are generally surgically clean, whereas the shrapnel bullets arc not.

- Some four years ago a German commercial traveller, Max Kruge, on asking Mr J. B. Laurenson for an order, was refused (says the Christch'urch Evening Newsi. He took this refusal in bad grace, am! threatened Mr Laurenson, saying: "In 1914 the Kaiser, will speak about this prohibition of Gorman goods from behind the German gnus." This was heard by -Mr Le Cren and others in the office, and was then laughed at. hi Mr Lauren-

son's opinion, every German commercial traveller was. bitterly, nothing but a spy.