TOPICAL READING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIII, Issue 7962, 13 February 1906, Page 4

TOPICAL READING.

Some interesting figures given at a recent meeting of the Hawke's Bay Laud Board, by the Secretary, Mr T. E. Tayjor, are quoted by the Hawke's Bay Herald. He stated that about £62,000 had been paid to the Reoeiver of Land Revenue as rents from all sources since March 31st, 1905, and that, as there was nearly two months to go to the end of the financial year, the total receipts would probably establish a record for the district. For the previous year the figures for the prinoipal land districts of the colony were as follows:—Canterbury, £124,047; Auckland, £80,279 ;Otagc, £17,985; Wellington, £60,050; Hawke's Bay, £52,599. It will be seen that the Hawke's Bay revenue for about ten months of this year exceeds that of the Wei lington district for the whole of the previous year, and it is expected that at the end of the financial period this district will rank fourth on the list for the colony. Mr Charles 3. Glidden, ; of Boston, Massaohussets, who was in New Zealand last year on a motor oar tour round the world, and visited Maaterton in the course of his travels, writes from India, under date December 31st, 1905, that on December 29th he had reached the extreme north-west corner of India-Landilco: tal, in the Afrid country, bordering on Afghanistan. Up to that date Mr Glidden had toured 2,700 miles in India, making a total of 27,800 miles since he started his tour. By January 6tb, of this year ho hoped to reach Muttra, India, which would make his total in that oountry 3,350 miles out of the total 4,000 intended to be done, and a world total to the date mentioned of 28,450 miles. Mr Glidden was the first to circle the globe in a v motor oar. He was also the first to cross the Arctic Cirole in Sweden, on August 16th, 1903; the first to reaoh the most southerly road in the world, on February sth, 1905; and the first to drive upon railway tracks from Minneapolis to Vanoouver, a distance of 1803 miles, duriiig September, 1904. A story, which does infinite oreidit to the ingenuity of its writer ana

places him on the imaginative level of Baron Munchausen, comes from Thunder Lake, Wisconsin, writes the New York correspondent of the Express. It relates to the arrest of tiiram S: Sparks, a notorious poacher, for a scheme which surpasses the inventive genius of Baron Munchausen. Thunder Lake is a resort of thousands of wild duck, and is one of the most carefully preserved spots in Wisconsin. Early one morning Sparks was observed to be engaged in the apparently harmless task of distributing food for the ducks broadcast over the lake. The birds Soaked in unusual numbers, and fed for over an hour on the substance which Sparks had so freely scattered. Suddenly a loud report was heard, and as the wild duck rose in their thousands a volley of explosions rent the air, add every one of the birds diooped dead in the water. Appalled by the widespread destruction of game, wardens instituted an investigation into the cause. They found that Sparks had mixed dynamite in the food with which he had covered the lake. When the ducks had fed on this sufficiently long to fill their croDs he fired a gun and the vibration exploded the dynamite charges which the birds hud swallowed. Anothei' version of the story states that the explosions were caused by the partioles of dynamite rubbing against each other in the process of digestion. Those who have been bestirring themselves with a view to direot trade with West of England ports will be interested in the remarks made by Mr Kiusella, a* Invercargill, recently. He said that he had visited most of the important towns there, and made careful inquiries in connection with the likelihood of their taking large quantities of New Zealand produce. He found that the purchasers there were very anxious to do business with New Zealand, but the trouble seemed to be to get the goo'ds direot to them. He did not wish to say anything about any steamship service, but he oould say that those places were anxious to do business, and that the people here should cater more for such markets as were offered by Bristol, Cardiff and Manchester. In other places cheese boards purchased fortnightly from the managers, but here the whole season's output was. taken at a fast price, the producer taking no, risk. The establishment of cheese boards would be getting away from the original idea iu connection with the branding and grading systems, viz., to get the butter and oheese an the same market annually, and have them go through the same ohannels. Iu (.his State (writes a Melbourne correspondent) one dare net bint at any blemishes in the local products for fear of being branded as unpatriotio and a d.ecrier of his country. This weapon is being used with great freedom lately in the fiscal controversy. Before the Tariff Commission, in August last, Mr Max Hirsoh, an ardent champion of Freetrade, gave evidence as to the large percentage of cotton used in the manufacture of Victorian flannels. Mr Hirscb had to submit to a good deal of abuse for his opinions, but the Commission was induced to order analysis to be made of a number of English and colonial flannels. The report was presented to the Tariff Commission last week, and the local manufacturers come out rather badly. Summarised it shows that the total number of samples said to be of Victorian manufacture was 20 and of these 15 contained cotton. In these latter tha minimum quantity of ootton found was 26 per oeut., the maximum being 58 oer cent. Of the 20 Victorian flannels five were all wool. The number of flannels submitted as being imported was 36. Of these Ave contained cotton, the minimum quantity being 28 per cent., and the maximum 40 2-5 per cent. Of the 36 samples of imported 31' were all wool.