FROM OUR EXCHANGES.

Temuka Leader, Volume I, Issue 71, 21 August 1878, Page 3

FROM OUR EXCHANGES.

The South Australian Government by proclamation, offer a sum not exceeding sterling, by way of a reward or bonus, to be paid to the inventor of the best machine combining within itself the various operations of reaping and cleansing, fit for bagging on the field, the various cereal crops of South Australia. Machines to be tried in the mouth of December, 1879. Have we no mechanical geniuses amongst us to go in for this £4009 ?

i Over fifteen million dollars have been

spent a’ready on surveys and contracts conned ■> with the Canadian Pacific Railway Schema. The chief enginoi r reports in favour 4 llurrard In At as tin 1 west rn terminus. The 1 fcal cost is estimal 'I at one hundred in lliou dollars. This line is expected to he 500 miles shorter than any of the United States routes.

The three following items are from the Dunedin ‘ Morning Herald ’: — At the present time San Francisco barley is being largely imported into Auckland. Not only so, but at the recent meeting of brewers in Dunedin, one gentleman stated that he had ordered .10,000 bushels of barley from San Francisco, as it could be landed here at nearly Is per bushel less than Otagan grown barley could be purchased. Maize is largely used in the north for horsefeed. It is true, as Mr Ballauco stated, that the duty on imported flour aud grain was at present a mere bagatelle. The result of the abolition of the duty, lioAvever, will in all probability tend to deluge the colony Avith American and Australian grain, and seriously effect the Avelfare of colonial growers of Avheat, barley, and oats. Mr MbMillan, speaking at the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, said he had gone into the working of the change of tariff imposed by Government, and found the following result upon fourteen trucks of boots, principally ladies’ boots, by the Cerastes. The old duty wouid be £ls 10s ; the ncAv duty would be L2O 11s 3d. By the Lebu, now upon her voyage, upon fifteen trunks Avomen’s Cashmere boots and slippers, the old duty would bo LIT IGs ; the ucav duty L 43 12s. On fifteen trunks children’s strap shoes and ladies kid boots tlie old duty AA'ould be L 25 ; the neAY duty, L 35 ; say per cent more.

It is stated that to give effect to all the requests for public works that the Minister of Works has officially brought under his notice since the. session would require a vote of over L 9,000,000.

134 million tons of coal were raised in the British Isles last year, 12 million tons of ironstone, and nearly two million tons of fire clay.

A rather interesting and novel idea (says the ‘ Queenslander ’) has been started by a few gentlemen connected with the National Association with a view to encourage observation in the youths who may visit the coming exhibition. It is proposed that schoolboys under fifteen years of age should, in some public room, under the surveillance of gentlemen appointed for the purpose, devote four hours to expressing on paper their thoughts on the exhibition. Judges of these papers will be nominated, and a silver medal as first prize, and bronze medals as second and third prizes, will he awarded. Friday in exhibition week is the day selected for writing the [tapers, thus the lads will have three days in which to store their minds for the contest.

The London, Chatham, and Dover Railway Company are now running- between Dover and Calais a new double, steamer, designed to prevent sea sickness. The Castalia, an older double boat, was, under water, shaped like two longitudinal halves of boats. The new boat (Calais-Douvres) has under water two full hulls, and the paddle wheels woik between them. She it 300 feet long and 60 feet broad, and though of 2000 tons burden, draws only six feet of water. Her engines are of 400 h.p. nominal, capable of being worked up to 4000 h.p. The distance between Dover and Calais—2s miles from pier to pier —has been run in an hour and a half. Both ends of the vessel are alike, and rudders are fitted to both, so that it is not necessary to turn round for any purpose.

A painting attributed to Raffalle—the Madonna dei Candelabri—-offered for sale at “ Christie’s” early in June, was bought in at Ll 9,000. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution has now 268 life-boat establishing! ts.