TOPICAL READING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIII, Issue 7949, 26 January 1906, Page 4

TOPICAL READING.

The North Otago Times says:— While about a dozen believers in ohemical compounds have been struggling for the past twelve months at Totara to prove that their composition will eradicate tbe Canadian thistle. Mr Thomas Hedley, whose farm is on the Kakanui flat, has compassed the destruction of a large aroa of tbe thistle by a. very simple means. When the thistle had ripened and tbe stalks were hollow he put a back delivery over them. Tho hollow stalks filled with water, and the water, following down the trend of the roots into the ground, rotted the plants out. At all events Mr Hedley has now a splendid crop of turnips on the land that previously was a mass of Canadian thistles, and there are now no thistles. It is muob to be hoped (says tbe Daily Graphic) that the Admiralty will turn a deaf ear to Mr E. Robertson's plea for small battleships and an insignifloant building programme, the more so as there is every sign that Germany is embarking upon the most ambitious plans of naval development. The fact that the size and armament of the new German battleships are enormously to be increased has already been noted, but now there is also a similar increase in the size of the German armoured cruisers, Unless England is to surrender the command of the seas to Germany, she must keep this uew

German polioy m view. As matters § stand, her preponderance iu secured mainly by her armoured cruisers and by her older pattlesbips, whioh are fast becoming obsolete. Very heavily indeed has Victoria to pay ror the ill-advised, ore-feder-ation legislation known as the "clause 19" law, under which every Victorian servant transferred to the Federation gets the highest salary paid for "corresponding" work in any other SSate. The success of those who benefit by the law baa been so great that since their claims were first admitted—some time in 1903—they have received in back pay £59,000 of the taxpayers' money. In 1903-1901 they obtained £18,622; in 1904-1905, £35.122; and I this year they will probably receive £5,720. Next year there will be little money paid away under "clause 19," as most of the arrears have been settled, and few salaries remain to ba re-adjusted. If, as is contended, the new Federal classification scheme overrides "cause 19," not a penny more will be required on the next estimates. . Some light was thrown on the* manufacture of vinegar during the heating of a case at the Central Police Court, Sydney. Frederick Adams appeared in answer to a summons charging him with selling malt vinegar not of the nature and quality demanded. An inspector of the City Council proved purchasing a bottle of vinegar from defendant, the label bearing the description, , "pure malt vinegar." Mr Hamlet, ,J the Government Analyst, gave evi- J" deuce that there was only the merest tiaoe of malt, and that the contents of the bottle were merely a weak coloured solution of ascetic acid. Defendant affirmed that he used no acetic acid whatever, but that the vinegar was made from sour, beer and stout purchased at city breweries. A fine of 20s, with costs of Court, was inflicted. Similar penalties were imposed in two other cases of a like nature. - According to the Government meteorological report for December last, the weather during the month, though on the whole drier and warmer than that experienced in the corresponding period of the previous . year, was /somewhat dull and resulted in a late summer. The backwardness of the summer season last year is aocounted for by the increased humidity and cloudiness of the atmosphere, which may possibly be traced to greater solar activity | upon the wide oceans of trie > Southern Hemisphere. Sun spot theories, though not wholly ouming up to expectations, chiefly because they do not readily acoount for differences in various latitudes, nevertheless attract attention when it is found as lately in New Zealand, that anomalous weather conditions have accompanied the period with a maximum number of sun spots. To those periods, recurring every eleven fears, lower mean temperatures, more rain, and a greater number of atmospheric disturbances are generally attributed, while perioda of minima ate found to be warmer, drier, and more settled. The report adds that in the northern parts of both islands the amount of rainfall was considerably below the average of the month, while the total fall was generally above the average in the southern parts of both islands. Figures published in late * New York papers show that it cost just over £360,000 to elect Mr Roose- :4 velt as President of the United ♦ States, and Mr Fairbanks as VicePresident. In -electing Mr Cleveland for the second time tne Democrats spent nearly £1,000,000, that figure achieving a record in American politics. There were 10,000 contributors to President Roosevelt's election fund, but the financial statement which was published in the Washington Post, is singularly lacking in details as to the identity of the corporations and corporation managers subscribing. The statement has been made that the big trust insurance companies and railroad companies contributed to Republican funds conditional upon some political favor to come. Republican offioials, however,- assert emphatically that all suoh conditional contributions were immediately rejected. To avoid soandals arising regarding the campaign funds,'it is suggested 'writes a New York correspondent) that full publicity should be given to each contribution, and it is stated that Presi- "V dent Roosevelt and Mr Cortelyou, / Chairman of the Republican National Committee, will co-operate in securing the enactment of a law having that object in view.