THE PINCH OF PROSPERITY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVIII, Issue 81918, 8 February 1907, Page 4

THE PINCH OF PROSPERITY.

AMERICA STAGGERS UNDER A CURSE OF RICHES, New York, December 10. An amazing comment mi the extra ordinary prosperity which the United States has enjoyed for so long a period was made by Mr Shaw, the Secretary to tlit Treasury, in a speech delivered at a dinner given by the motor car manufacturer, of the" United States at Washington. .•••'We who pray/' he 'jphouM ask God to save us from any increased prosperity. We have all we can stand. We are growing more crops than we can harvest, and we are harvesting more than we can haul to the markets." It seems absurd tn suggest that a nation can have too much prosperity, and yet there is no doubt that Mi Shaw lias but interpreted a feeling that has mora than once found expression during the past few months in many of the great commercial centres of the country. For several years past the harvests have been bumper ones, but that ol the present year has outrivallcd all its predecessors. Fourteen million bales of cotton, 700.000.000 Impels of wheat .100,000.000 bushels of corn, and 300. 000,000 bushels of potatoes have beer but a portion of the immense weaitl the earth lias yielded to the fanner; this year, while the railways of the country have found all their resources gigantic as they are, absolutely inade opiate- to deal with tneir tremendous task.

DISORGANISED LINES. Every freight car the companies possessed has been brought into service, but still more have been wanted. So heavy has been the freight to be moved that many of the railways have be come temporary disorganised, and congestion of traffic is stated to be the worst ever known in the history of the United States. Millions of busiieis of corn are still waiting to be taken from the agricultural districts to the markets of the consumers, and so powerless are the railways to remedy the troubles cans ed by the vast strain placed on them that in many out of the way districts small towns arc threatened with a food famine, while many lines of business are at a complete standstill. In the north west people are crying out for coal, and indignation meetings are being held, at which the railway companies are denounced for taking off the freight ears usually devoted to the carriage of fuel, in order to deal with the harvest. Coal in some districts has risen to record prices, and hundreds of the poorer classes are said to be actually freezing for want of it. while farmers are burning their fences and outbuildings for fuel.

XO HOPE THIS YEAR. The luter-Stnte Commerce Commission has appealed to the presidents of the railway companies to endeavour to remedy matters, but little can be done. Already the principal companies have set aside large sums out of the enor mous profits they are making for the provision of new rolling stock, amount ing in all to over £200,000. But none of this can be ulili=e.l for the present year. It is estimated that the total wealth of the countrv has risen to (he enormous figure of £23,000,000.001), or an average of over .t'27o per head. The increase shown in the past six years "mis totalled .C4.u00.000.000, or more titan in the whole of the preceding decade.

FLIGHT AGAINST WIND. o REMARKABLE TRIP Oh' A FRKXCH WAR BALLOON. Paris, December 10. The military airship La I'atrie nude a remarkable trial flight of thirtythree miles from Moisson to M.uidon. near St. Cloud, yesterday. It accomplished the journey at a speed of 2.1 miles an hour, travelling practically dead against the wind blowing at 110 mil« an hour. The airship had four men aboard, and Captain Voyer steered by a fair'y direct route, but mad.* many a-cents and descents and rapid turns to test the navigability of the airship. Tim great machine responded admirably and the result of the trial has given great satisfaction to the military authorities.

£10,000,000 IN THE GUTTER Paris. December si. Tin million pound- Ml into the -.'utter on the Place de L'Opera hie yesterday afternoon. A wagon witli 0.10.000 in gold and £9,000.000 in bonds and shares was 'on its way from the (Isitv St. i-a/are to the Credit Lyonnais when one of the horses fell down and the axle was broken. The valuables were tin-own inlo Die roadway, and one heavy box of gold burst open. The crowd 'caught .-ido <■< shining coins, but were kept at a safe distance.

.\ nr-w brand of schoolboy's '•howler.''—A t-aclier was in-trucling a elas. in ini-nta! arithmetic 'and Tommy rouldnt add 4 ami 2 together' to make six. So t | K . tt-ac-li-cr sought In illustrate. "Suppose T had four rabbit-.'' she said. Tommy was ail attention. "Suppose [ «iv tin-in to you?'' Tommy's eyes glistened, and he said "Ye-?" eagerly. "Thou suppose I gave you two more.'" Tommy was in Heaven. He was af! agog with excitement. Fanev owning all those rabbits. '-Well. then, how manv would vou have then':' a-koii the teacher, deiighted ti-at the boy fob lowed so eagerly. "Seven." was the prompt answer. "How can you make that out, you little dunce'-'' She was genuinely a-movcl now. 'W-.-ll." said Tommy, tii-cnphantly, "I've pot one Home." Children lose weight .hiring the first three days- after birth: at the age of a week ihey tensility inei-ea-e; after one year they trip.e tm-ir weight, then they rcou'ire -ix years n> double ih.ir weight, and thirteen to i|uadrnpli- i,. The air we breathe need- ua-liing the same as everything -d-e does. Alter rain has been falling for some time, the impurities in the air arc found to diminish, and the satisfaction with which we breathe the washed airafter a good rainfall is an evidence that our senses bear testimony to the purification..