TOPICAL READING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIII, Issue 7952, 30 January 1906, Page 4

TOPICAL READING.

At the warehouse of Messrs Isaac Lancaster and Son, Bradford, yesterday (says the Yorkshire Observer of December 21st) there was to be seen a single fleece of wool weighing 391b. This was shown in the grease from a Lincoln ram, one of the flock from which another ram was sold in the summer for a thousand guineas. Another ram fleece from the same flock weighed 311b. Five of wool from two sheep Ten or twelve pounds is a fairly heavy fleece for such big sheep as Lincolns. Some years ago, writes the Daily Mail's Beulin correspondent, a man, aged' forty,, was suffering from a nervous disorder, and the doctor who treatedhim gave him pills compounded of nitrate of potash and nitrate of silver. The remedy was successful, but whenever attaoked with pain, the patient returned to the cills, until after some years his skin gradually took on a silvery linge. His face and bands now look as though made of| silver, says the "Wooensohrift Medizenesche Klink," and the doctors declare that they will always remain so. The King of Spain's betrothal to Princess Ena (daughter of Princess Beatrice) harmonises most happily with the wishes of his subjects. The Diario lllustrada, of Madrid, organised some months ago a plebiscite as to the most popular prospective consort for the King, and the result was that Princess Ena led by 30,000 votes. Princess Victoria, of Oonr naught,came next with 21,000, while a long way behind came Princess Louise of Orleans third -with only 3,000 votes' It was recently stated that the Princess, who is 18 years of age, one younger than the King, bis been taking instruction from a Carmelite monk in London in the Roman OAtholic religion to prepare her for her future position.

The theory held by our politicians that dredging irrevocably ruins land would be effeotually exploded, says the Southland Times, by a visit to one or two of the areas m this district where reclamation operations have been carried on. There are several examples in the Waikaka Valley of dredge-areas being utilised, and there is a telling example on the Charlton Creek tailings. Clover and grass seed were sown on these tailings some years ago, and there is now a thick sward of grass. The land was previously low-lying and subject to flood, and the dredging has had the effeot of making it comparatively im mune in this respect. It is not to be urged for one moment, of course, that where the land was previously of a good quailty dredging improves it, or even leaves it at the same standard of productiveness; but on low-lying, swampy flats dredging actually improves the land by draining it.

Sir Thomas Sutherland declares that the P. and O. Company are carrying passengers to and from Australia for within a fraction of Id per mile, iocluding meals. He olams that the passenger trafflo of the Company, far from being extravagantly remunerative, really yields a very slender profit. The Chairman of the P. and 0., however, is able to detect one bright &Dot upon the horizon, and that is the reduction of the Suez Canelidues from the beginning of the New Year by 750. per ton, which, he says, will represent a saving to the Company of £30,000 a year. The concession will cost the Canal Company over £400,000 a year. The P. and- O. Company's building programme during the last three years has cost them over £3,600,000, and their ships stand in the balancesheet at the ridioulously low valuation of £& 10s a ton.

In pursuance of permission obtained from the Wellington Education Board, Mr W. Hobbs, dentist, made an examination of the teeth of a number of childreu at the Taita School. Out of 21 girls whose teeth were examined all required attention. The girl with apparently the best teeth was a child of six years, who only required one extraction. Two others had two teeth each, oall. ing for attention. The recommendtioiis regarding the 21 girls may besummarised as follows: Extractions: Temporary teeth, 63; permanent, 19. Fillings: Temporary teeth, 12; permanent, 35. Total, 129. Average, 6 3-7 th teeth per girl. The teeth of 21 boys were examined. A boy of ten required only one tooth filled, and there were six who each required two teeth to - be attended to. The recommend ations may be summarised as follows: Extractions: Temporary teeth, 34; permanent, 16. Fillings: Temporary, 11; permanent, 13. Total, 14. Average, teeth per boy.

""It i 3 among the common places of sanitary knowledge," says the Times "that one half of the present annual mortality of the United Kingdom is preventible, and that, perhaps, almost as large a prooortioa would actually be prevented if the administrators even of the existing law would discharge the duties whioh a variety of Acts of Parliament either enjoin upon them, or, at least, permit them to undertake. In short, our weapons are allowed tu rust while the foe surrounds ua on every side. Aad, if this is true of the social system," it is equally true of the individual. Many diseases might be prevented by taking thought of the six golden rules of health—those which prascrioe bathing, deep breathing, eating less, eating slowly, fresh air and exercise. Were these followed s we should hear less of the deterioration of the race, while the individual would have fewer bodily ailments and a more cheerful outlook on life."