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Temuka Leader, Volume 2, Issue 133, 29 March 1879, Page 3

Acccording to the Amciican papers (says an English exchange) Mr. Edison has completed his lamp, and is now tit work to ascertain the description of generator that will produce the greatest amount of electricity per horse power. It will be several months before he can make a public exhibition of his light. He has obtained several patents, but he wif not take them out inside of six months until he has completed his invention. It appears that he has sold his phonograph to the Edison Phonograph Company, who are now sellling the machines for L 25 to L3O each. He hos also disposed of the right to use the carbon telephone in France for L25..000. Mr. William Saunders (says tlie 'Glasgow Herald') who lias recently paid a visit to the United States, has just published the results of certain inquiries made at the Bureau af Statistics, at Washington, with respect to the consumption of intoxicating liquors in the Great Republic. The figures compare favorably with similar returns for England, but they will- probably disappoint many people who, hearing so much about the progress of temperance orginasation in America, have come to the conclusion that our American cousins are a remarkably sober people. If the amount :of drink ' consumed be made the test of comparison, they are certainly much more sober than Englishmen, who, from the Excise returns recently issued, appear to have consumed last year spirits, wines, and beer to the amount of 1,142,008,231 ; the Americans during the same period, with a population greater by 12,0'i0,000, having consumed similar drinks to the value of Ll 13,156,257, or taking the consumption in eacii country at the same standard of value, 1,93,1 14,278. Roughly speaking, man for man, the Englishman has drunk twice the quantity consumed by the American, ami lie is increasing his potations, while the American since 1870 has limited his. These facts, while they are not creditable to Englishmen, are by no means flattering to Americans. One nation may drink more than another, hut both drink inordinately. In England the drink bill for five years equals the National Debt. An exchange asks :—ls France or Great Britain the wealthier Country ? A recent paper by Mr. Giffen, the Government statistician, estimated the wealth of the United Kindom at the enormous gross total of 1.8,500,000,000. M Yacher, a Fjcncli statistician, has followed suit with an estimate of the wealth of France at 1,9,220,000,000. If M. Vacher is right, our neighbour has the advantage of us by 1,720,000,000. If we could by a stroke of the pen sweep away our national debt, we should be about L 60,000,000, richer than France. The ' Saturday Review,' careful for the standing of the British Empire in the plutocracy of the world, subjects M. Yacher's figures to some criticism, and concludes that if the Frenchman had been as careful in his method ot investigation and as modest in stating results as Mr.'Giffen, the United Kingdom would have been able to boast the larger figure. For example tlie French highways are valued at 1305,000,000—an extravagant sum—while Mr. Giffen takes no account in his estimrte of British highways. Again, M. Yacher appears to have followed Mr. Giffen's calculations in capitalising in every particular, whereas it is incredible that house property commands the same value in Franco as in England. Taking the figures as they are given, it may be interesting to inqnire whether Frenchmen or Britons can he said to bo wealthiest individually. Taking tlie population of France at 30,000,000 and tlie wealth at 1,9,220,000,000, we find that the average riches of tlie individual may be stated at L2SG. The population of the United Kindom may be taken at 82,000,000, and assuming its gross wealth at Mr. Giffen's. estimate..'at L 8,500,000,000,,500,000,000, we arrive at an average' posseseion per head of L 265. What is most important is that in France, as in this country, there has been an enormous increase of wealth during recent years. M. Yacher estimates that the accumulation in France in the last ten years is not less than L 1.500,000,000. Thus, says the 'Saturday Review' the war indemnity of L 200,000,000, exacted by Germany, which was regarded as so runious, meant no more than the national savings of sixteen months. The national debt of France is quoted \v. the " Statesman's Year Book " at L 937,584,280. The whole sum might

be extinguished in six years, and a handsome balance over, if France would consent or could-.arrange to put aside her entire savings for this purpose for so short a time. A German physician has started anew theory with regard to food. lie maintains that both the vegetarians and meat-eaters are on the wrong tack. Vegetables are not more wholesome than meat, or meat than vegetables, and nothing is gained by consuming a compound of both. Whatever nutritive qualities they may possess, lie says, are destroyed in great measure, and often entirely, by the process of cooking. All food should bo eaten raw. If this practice were adopted, there would be little or no illness among human beings. They would live their apportioned time and simply fade away, like animals in a wild state, from old age. Let those afflicted with gout, rheumatism, or indigestion try for a time the effect of a simple uncooked diet, such as oysters and fruit for instance, aud they will find all medicines unnecessary, and such a rapid improvement of their health that they will forswear all cooked articles of food at once and for ever. Intemperance would also, it is urged, no longer be the curse of civilised communities. The yearning for drink is caused by the unnatural abstraction from what arc termed " solids " of the aqueous element they contain —uncooked ',beef, for"; example, containing from 70 to 80 per cent., and some vegetables even a larger proportion of water. There would be less thirst, and consequently less desire to drink, if our food were consumed in its natural state, without first beingsubjected to the action of our adviser also thinks, is a mistake, but he admits that the world is not yet far enough advanced in civilisation to go about undressed. Whatever differences of opinion may exist as to this anticooking theory, there cannot be a doubt that in getting rid of the kitchen with all its abuses—including the cook —housekeepers would be spared a vast J amount of worry, and probably on this account alone would live to a greater age than at present.