Notes and Comments.

Te Aroha News, Volume XVI, Issue 22220, 31 March 1900, Page 2

Notes and Comments.

A short time back we drew attention to the various requirements of the district* among others, that of a fire brigade reA Fire. Brigade* ceived notice at ouir hands. Now we-have- a water supply, and a firebell, the formation and. equipping of a Fire Brigade is the next question to be considqrejl. It is useless waiting till half the town has been burned down, before a move is. made in the direction of fire precaution, and steps should be taken at .©nee to-procure-the necessary up-to-date appliances f&r fixe extinguishing purposes;. Several months back our worthy Council appointed one of their number as a Fire Inspector* but the- duties of this gentleman do not include the formation. of a Fire Brigade, purchasing engine* apparatus* ete. We would like to see something of a tangible form, carried out in. this matter, and trust our worthy Mayor will use hi influence in bringing the affair to, a successful issue..

. * . . *. *■ It is surprising to learn, on the authority of the Economist, that notwithstanding the war in South Africa,, the world’s output of gold Gold Output shows a very marked increase. M'onometallSsts who dernot understand the ABC of the bimetallists’ argument* point to ;an increase in> tjre range of price aas proof that the demonetisation of silver had nothing to do-with the world-wide depression, which followed that step*. The truth is that the fact that prices are rising with the increase of gold proves that the bimetallists’ argument is unanswerable. They say that aeontraction in the currency —whether of silver or gold -tends to/depress prices, while an expansion tends to increase them. For many years* though the output of gold increased largely; it was insufficient to fill the gap- caused by tile withdrawal of silver, and consequently prices continued to fall*though ! not at the rate they would have- done ;had the output remained stationary. | Now, however, 'the great increase is ; beginning to tell. Last year the reduction in. the supply from. South ! Africa is estimated at £l,soo*ooo' but I the- output of the United States is estimated to have been larger by a like-am0unt, ,£% 500,.000, while Canada India, and Australia have all produced increased quantities, the combined increase being equal tO-£4,220*000i. This with smaller increases in other places is estimated to give a total expansionof £5,200,000- to the world’s production. According to the final estimate of the Director of the United States mint, the total production for 1898 was £57,500,000, amddf the above increase •be added to this yve have an aggregate for 1899 of £62,7p0;000.