GENERAL NEWS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 114, 3 November 1911, Page 2

GENERAL NEWS

'i would imprison a man who sold a 1 dead lobster," said Mr John Batehelor be.-V fore the Food Commission in Sydney. "I would not give him the option of a fine, j My experience is that a dead lobster hasr more ptomaine poison in it than any\ other food." Members of the Commission I would doubtless have been careful to| make sure that the lobsters they bought', for Saturday evening suppers had been alive when sold to the fishmonger, but they were reassured by the witness declaring that in all his experience he had never known a dead lobster to be sold in the markets. As a matter of fact, he said inspectors watched the sale, and if a dead lobster were brought along the inspector threw it down and put his foot on it. It is rumored (a cable in the Sydney Sun says) that Lord Kitchener, who succeeded the late Sir Eldon Gorst (British Consul-General, Egypt) will shortly be openly made Viceroy, which means that Britain intends to annex Egypt. This action, it is thought, has been hastened by the Turkish-Italian turmoil. It is considered that Moslem power, as instanced by the Young Egyptian Party, has grown too strong during the last three years, the Nationalist movement having spread to an alarming extent under Sir Eldon Gorst. One of the London dailies declares that Lord Kitchener refused the post unless a change of power were made within a certain time. In the event of annexation, military bases j would he established at Alexandria and L Cairo, and tho Soudan and Egypt would become a united North African State.

One liundred cattle broke through the fence at the State Reformatory Farm at Buenavata, Colorado, and escaped to the open country. Two men serving long sentences for burglary and larceny were selected by the warden to give chase and round up the animals. "I want you men to bring all the cattle back," said the warden. "You will have a good chance to escape if you desire; but if you do you will be deceiving me, and you will probably cause the country a heavy financial loss. Cattle are valuable.-' The men were furnished with horses and food for a week. "Warden, you know those animals may have strayed a long distance. Do not he worried if you do not hear from us." Nothing was heard from the prisoners for ten days, but they returned with the entire missing herd of cattle. They described how they bad ridden over Tough country, were inexperienced as cowboys, and found it hard work. "This shows," said the warden, "what some of the so-called desperate prisoners will do if they are trusted."

Four great railways have been driven I into the heart of Africa. From the At-1 lantic to Timbuctoo, from the Meriterrean to Kartoum, from the Indian Ocean to Uganda, and from Capetown to the source of the Congo iron roads have been laid to tap the undeveloped wealth of the Dark Continent. More than two-thirds of the Cape to Cairo railway has been constructed. All this great development has been the work of the past ten years, and the next decade probably will see the north linked to the south, and the east to the west. This is the opinion of Dr Karl Kuram, the African explorer and missionary, who is visiting Austral, ia He says that new roads and river connections, the veins of civilisation, vrill be opened up by the pioneers of industry to serve the great arterial railways. The whole of Northern Africa will be occupied by European Powers. The vast mineral resources, gold, tin, copper, iron and coal, will lie exploited. Dr Kuirnii says that much pioneering work is being done with a view to developing the mineral wealth of Africa, which is greater than that of any other continent. Coal in great quantities has been discovered in the Ladoi Enclave on the Upper Nile, and in Rhodesia and German East Africa rich measures await development. In Northern Nigeria the largest deposits of tin in the world have been discovered, and in the last three years fifty new companies, controlling capital amounting to £7,000,000 ■ have been formed to work the deposits. ' Gold mining is developing very rapidly in Rhodesia, and one mine near Buluwayo last year returned to its proprietors dividends equal to 1.50 p«r cent, on their capital. A new railway is being built from Lobit-o Bay to British Central Africa, a distance of 200 miles, in order to tap a mountain of copper. Dr Ivumm himself on his last great journey from the Niger to the Nile discovered large deposits of copper close to navigable rivers, and he also located gold, tin, iron and coal in new districts. He has done notable service in blazing the path which is to open the heart of Africa to the influences of civilisation.