CURRENT TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 169, 16 January 1914, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

• ABiVEUTI.SIis'G PAYS. Says the Wainnupa Age:—Now Plymouth is still 'boosting. We, have, received from the. Expansion and Tourist League an illustrated booklet describing some of the scenic attractions of the Taranaki "'hub" and its district. If there is anytteug in advertising—and we maintain that there is everything in it -New Plymouth should require more, hotels, more, boarding-houscis and more residences shortly.

THE HAXKIXC! RETURNS. The banking returns of the six banks opera-ting in Xew Zealand for the December quarter rellcct the effects of the recent strike of waterside, workers. Compared with the corresponding quarter of 11112, the note circulation is less by £40,7-1:!, the five deposits or current account 'balances show a shrinkage of .€174,173, the overdrafts have expanded ■by £430,007, and the discounts by £04,r:.005. These movements indicate that I trade was less active than a year ago. -and tihat traders and others have had lo seek 'bank accommodation to a greater extent, says the Dominion, and adds: "The, figures on the whole, while not entirely satisfactory, are. not discouraging. Not. a little of the adverse •showing is due to the strike, but as our ■produce is still making good prices, and it.here is a, substantial increase in the ivolume, we have reasonable grounds tor ■believing that, with common prudence ■things will right themselves early, and with very little, if any, inconvenience to the community."

■ IMPIiOVKMKXT IN" ICDUCATTOMT. It is evident to all who -have' considered the matter that there is urgent ■ need for a Dominion scheme of promotion for teachers. Jiriclly, what is urgently required is a reduction in the number of educational districts from the present number (thirteen), with a consequent increase of the area of each district (excepting, of course, Auckland, the largest district at present). The new districts should lie roughly equal in population if possible, There, should be .in each district- a method' of grading teachers for promotion similar to that at present working satisfactorily in Auckland, -and <>lse\vhwe. and, furthermore, in order to remove parochialism and to make the scheme a. Dominion oire, there should ibe. some method of permitting transfers of teachers from one educational district to another without loss "of status 'and without penalising monetarily teachers so transferred. It would not be difficult to arrange this by a conference at Wellington of inspectors and those directly concerned in the administration of the Education Act.—Dunediu Star. . , . i,,

TUTU. The toxic properties of the wellknown tutu, a plant which -gives much trouble to farmers in newly-broken country in New Zealand, have been the subject of some interesting experiments by Dr. Malcolm, of Dunedin, who recently detailed the results of has researches at a gathering of the Otjigo Institute. The doctor had' experimented with rabils, 'but he explained that, even an elephant could bo "tutu'd," or "tooted," as the bushmen farmers say. Me had worked out the amount of tutu leaves that an animal would need to eat to bo poisoned, and he estimated that, it required something between half a pound •and a pound of leaves. The first extract of poison from tho ttngustissim 1, .the narrow-leaved form of the plant, which grows 011 the higher levels, was More powerful than that from t|io ordinary form (ruseifolia). Bleeding was considered a remedy for cattle and . sheep which had eaten tutu leaves, and no doubt there was some virtue in the withdrawal of blood when the animal was under tho influence of tntin, as the poison is termed. It was stated at the meeting of the Otago Institute at which Dr. Malcolm gave hij interesting address that it was known that when a sheep had been bled for tutu poisoning lost its gregarious instinct, and fberanie a "hermit" animal. These sheep were used for station mutton, so that if it were dangerous to use tutu'd sheep ■for dog feed, at any rate the human race seemed to be immune. Dr. Malcolm said that he expected to glean ■more useful information from his experiments, thoug'h he did not see much chalice of getting a practical remedy far tutu poisoning. There is a field (if research here for the young scientists of tho Dominion, in a branch of study Which might prove of great practical benefit to stock owners throughout the. country.