TOPICAL READING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIII, Issue 7973, 26 February 1906, Page 4

TOPICAL READING.

From the standpoint of the colonial obserrer; the attitude of the new Government toward Imperial problems is of even greater moment than the precise nature of their domestic policy, says a contemporary. The most important questions touched upon under this head at the opening of the British Parliament were the Chinese Labour Question, Home Rule and Tariff Reform; and on none of these points can it be said that utterances of the Libera! loaders have been so definite or so satisfactory as might have been expected. Mr Chamberlain can nardly be regarded as a sympathetic critic of the Liberals; but there was good ground for bis protest against the i "enigmatic" references to Home Rule contained in the Speech from the Throne.

Discussing the quality of colonial butter, the New Zealand Herald remarks :—"The Danes lead us because, as yet, they make better butter, and market it in a more practical manner. When we make better butter,' and have as good distributive methods we shall top the British market, and the Danes will strain every nerve to win back the blue ribbon. The campaign now being carried on by Messrs Kinsella and Thornton and their colleagues has for its purpose the improvement of our colonial dairying all along the line, an improvement which means better buttar, bigger prices, and a more secure market, for there is very much less competition at the head of the list than at the foot. We are pleased to see that the work of the Department is being appreciated by the dairying community, and we may hope to have the first frusta shown in a very short time. The intention to otter big prizes for butter at the next agricultural show should further assist the good work."

Referring to the cadet movement in the colony a northern contemporary says:—"lt y is not only a laying of good foundation for future citizen-soldiering, but it is magnificent discipline for the children, as the best teachers agree. A boy who learns to obey beoause he 8968 at once that suoh obedience to lawful authority produces pleasing results impossible without obedience, is teoeiviug the greatest of all educational lessons. More than this, his membership in his cadet corps gives him a pride in his school. Last, but assuredly not least, rather greatest, it teaches him, with his earliest thoughts, that he has a nation belonging to him, whose life id greater than his own life, and for which when called upon it is his personal duty to venture death. It is not possible for the average lad not to be better braver and more reliable after being a cadet, particularly when he has a teacher capable of bringing out the moaning of the corps. The system Is indeed so good that it ought to be extended and developed as our Board of Eduoatiou urges, and ought to be made the groundwork and basis of the general scheme of our National Defence.

, The question as to the possibility of the retina of the eye to retain an image after tbo original of that image baa been removed from its foous has beuu revived by the distinguished Roman, Professor Martini. A student named Oassale recently confessed to murdering a well-known criminal, Siguor Biauohi. Professor Martini obtained permission to photograph the eyes of Oassale, with remarkable results. In the plate bearing the photograph .of the right eye was a perfect likeness of the murdered man. This, the

Professor declares, oannot be an accidental arrangement of the nerve fibres. It was muuh too detailed. Net only is the posture of Bianobi pourtrayed, but also the expression of the face. The criminal confessed that the image of Lis victim continually haunted him since the commission of the crime. The possibility of such image retention is not without its opponents in the scientific world, but Martini is convinced that his experiment goes a long way towards proving the actuality of the phenomenon.

As was only to be expected, the references in the public press to Sir Joseph Ward's suggestions for a scheme of intercolonial reciprocity have caused a certain amount of uneasiness in Australia. Mr Deakin, the Federal Premier, has found it advisable to warn the Commonwealth that his conversation with Sir Joseph Ward was purely tentative, and committed neither party to any definite decision, much less to any detailed policy. But Mr Deakin, as is well-known, is an ardent supporter of Preferential Trade, and he has gone so far as to assert that if any practicable scheme of reciprocal duties can be arranged that would encourage the growth of colonial commerce, he is prepared to adopt it. However, not all. Mr Deakin'a colleagues are entirely of one mind with him on this subject, and opposition may naturally be anticipated from the representatives of those States which most closely resemble New Zealand m climate or products or staple industries.

The Salvation Army, in Melbourne, is, aooording to the "Age," extending its operations in quite a new direction, and now proposes to add hospital management to its many undertakings. The Melbourne Board of .Health recently had before it an application for the registration of such an institution proposed to be established at Richmond, aud the necessary license was issued for twelve months, butt only on the casting vote of the chairman. There was some strong opposition u o the proposal, upon the ground that althouah it was stated that thu hospital was to be a "pri vate" one, it was really intended by the Salvation Aimy to carry on a public or semi-public institution, and the Richmond Council contended that the existence of -such an establishment would lead to a depreciation of property in the neighbourhood. It was agreed-by the.Boa that the, renewal of the certificate of registration at the end uf the first year should not be granted automatically.