CURRENT TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 194, 6 January 1913, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

TARANAKI'S DAIRY PRODUCE. During the month of December the Egmont Butter Box Factory manufactured 24,94.2 boxes and 47.050 cheese cases. This is a considerable increase on the total turned out for the same month the previous year, when the total was about 50,000, says the Argus.

BRAVE WOMEN. Major Bichardson, the owner of the celebrated war dogs, who returned from the front in Montenegro some weeks ago, said that lie saw in the hospital a young woman lying in a cot, seriously wounded. "An attendant told me," he said, "that she had been hit by shrapnel while carrying provisions to her husband in the firing line. The bravery of the Montenegrin women is unequalled. All the young women, the wives and sweethearts of the soldiers, have gone to the front, and they carry the provisions, do the cooking, and wash the linen. The Montenegrins have no army service corps, and as there is no transport the work is done by women. It is estimated that 5000 women went to the front to attend to their lords and masters. The Montenegrin Princesses Xenia and Militza work like slaves all day in the hospitals."

A USEFUL INVENTION. Delegates to the Teachers' Conference were greatly interested in an invention of one of their number, Mr. T. Thomas, of Eltham. The invention, which was inspected by delegates, comprised a fullsized model of an improved form of school desk. One of the best features Of the structure is that it is a singleseater, thus ensuring that the pupil may work undisturbed, talking and copying being reduced to a minimum. It contains a box for books, instead of shelving. It has a self-raising seat, and has a wooden support for the student's back. The top is adjustable, and can be made level for freehand and geometrical drawing. An attempt has been made by Mr. Thomas to incorporate in this model all the best points of the latest English and American patterns. Sixty-live of the desks have been -in use in the Eltham school for the last three months.

WELL DONE, TEACHERS! The Teachers' Conference concluded its deliberations on Saturday night, after having put through a large amount of business. Much of it, the Bible-in-'Sehools question in particular, was of a* highly controversial nature, and it is to the credit of delegates that the proceedings throughout were conducted with the. utmost calm and good relations. Members frequently crossed swords, but not once, was a hot word said, nor did they ever turn invective at each other. At no time did they indulge in personalities, and it speaks well for the, profession as a whole that this happy state of affairs was able to be maintained amongst a room full of no fewer than 00 delegates, of varying opinions and temperaments. It is an example which might well be emulated Insome of our local bodies, whose numbers are considerably less, and who have the advantage (denied to many of the delegates) of being on intimate terms with each' other. At the close of the final session several votes of thanks were passed, including a very hearty one'to the retiring president, Mr. J. Caughley, M.A, of Christehureh, who so ably presided over the deliberations of the Conference. His sound rulings on points'of order and the like were favourably commented oil by the delegataes.