GENERAL NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 60, 20 September 1907, Page 4

GENERAL NEWS.

The Germans are notoriously a welleducated people, but the popular English belief that every German knows everything would appear to be exaggerated, if we may judge from a tiernian officer's account of an examination in general knowledge to which he submitted his company. "Who was Schiller V" was one of the principal questions. Ten soldiers replied tliat, though they fancied they had heard the name, it suggested nothing to them. Of those who went into details, one said that the author of '■William Tell" was ''the inventor of printing," a second described him as "a man of science," a fourth as '•a poet who wore Scripture history," a iifth as "a musician of great celebrity," and a sixth as "a manufacturer of bells.' One wonders what Tommy Atkins would answer if invited to state what he knew of Shakespeare.

According to a reliable authority, says the Wyndham Farmer, upwards of .£150,000 must have been paid out in hard cash during last season to dairy factory suppliers of Southland, and of that amount fully £IOO,OOO went into the pockets of patrons settled in Mataura Valley.

The New Zealand Dairyman the following comment on the prospects of butter for next season: "The Danish people get the higher price; not so much because the butter is so superior in quality as to justify the difference in prices, but because the companies cai co-ope-rate to-'jther to put it on the London market." I'hey regrJate the supply and keep the price up by. feeding the market judiciously; in fact, they can name their own price, and ours follow suit, much in the same way as the Argentine people are able to set a price iwon their produce in London by combinar-i in, aad our 3 follow a little higher. The highest price we have heard of being offered for the new season's butter was OVjd f.0.n., but this was not for a moment entertained. We hope that fact.iri'is will be very careful in dealing with prices. We should expect the test brands to be worth 10y 2 d at ieast, and perhaps a shade more. It would Le better to risk the market in Loud-m by consignment rather than accept s-uch low prices.

In the Supreme Court at Dunedin on Friday last, a judgment of considerable interest to the trading community wus delivered. A. C. Islip, who became baakrupt iu May last, had been financed by his wife and placed in a hotel some three years previously. The hotel, which had been bought in Mrs Islip's name, was sold in April last, the net proceeds ( £250) being paid to her. Air Burnard, on behalf of the Official Assignee, submitted that the wife must in law be held to have lent money to her husband for the purposes of his business, and must therefore repay this amou it to the Official Assignee. Judgment .vas reserved at the trial. Yesterday the wife was ordered to repay this sum to the Oflicial Assignee, h"r rights being thus subordinated to those of the other creditors. This is the first occasion on which the point has been raised in New Zealand. The llawera Star understands that an important new departure in connection with Parihaka is in contemplation by the Public Trustee. The report current is that it has been decided to cut out of the Parihaka block, which consists of some thousands of acres, an area whieh it is proposed to subdivide and to lease to individual natives under a license to occupy. The effect of this will be that so much of the block as may be cut out and taken up by the natives will be held by them as individuals instead of the land being occupied under a communal rule. Probably a start will be made with several hund'cd acres, and if it is found that natives will take up this land and occupy it and use it, say for dairy farming, further areas can be witiidrawn from com- ; munal occupation and treated similarly. The matter has, it is understood, been mentioned at Parihaka by the agjnt of the Public Trustee, and has not met with an unfavorable reception from tic natives. If this experiment-prove a success it will probably have most beneficial effects in stimulating the natives to individual effort and breaking , down the idleness and unthrift (if th°r> be nothing worse) of which Parihaka has long been a centre. There is, we understand, plenty of land on which -o m.-.ke experiment. In the West Coast Settlements Commissioners' report the Parihaka Block is spoken of as coutrning 25,000 acres, and at the moment of writing we do not recollect how r.>r if at all, this acreage lias been reduced by subsequent dealings, but in any case it must be of considerable area, "for it extends from the road-line up to the forest reserve, and much of it slnuM He of very good quality. So if the natives are disposed to go in for individual cccupation there should be room lor a good many without very rudely intcifering with those who for the time bo--1 ing may prefer the communal life.

A number of Japanese who recently arrived in Switzerland are working as waiters and as kitchen hands iu the hotels. They are engaged in hotels at Gryon, in the Canton of Vaud, Basle, and Zurich, and are givng perfect satisfaction, owing to their minute attention to their duties. One waiter at Zurich served as an ollieer in the late war. The hotel proprietors report that the Jupanese do not mind doing the meanest tasks. They devote their complete attention to learning every part of the business. On their return to Japan they will start hotel management on Western lines.

When Lincoln was President of the United States, he took a walk down Pennsylvania Avenue one cold winter evening. During his stroll he met a poor forlorn woman, thinly clad, shivering with cold. When she saw the President she mistook him lor a minister, and, falling on her knees, with hands uplifted, begged his blessing, saying that she had three small children at home starving and freezing to death. She said: ''Oh, Mr Minister, pray the Lord to help me." When she had finished, President Lincoln said: "My good woman, it's not the minister you need. You need a grocer." And the president took a card out of his pocket and gave