TOPICAL READING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIII, Issue 7982, 9 March 1906, Page 4

TOPICAL READING.

The Japanese are not popular in tbte East, lays a Northern contemporary. Their emissaries in China and Manchuria are doing their best to prevent Europeans fiorn obtaining concessions and to secure them for themselves. They are popularly believed to have stirred up the Chinese to anti-foreign demonstrations,.and to have an eye to all that is worth having in the Chinese world. Their treatment of Gorea is very bad. Everyone understood quite clearly that Corea would become praotically Japanese territory. If it had not,, it would certainly have become Russian. When we hear of the Japan? ese claiming timber concessions, and' mining concessions, and hampering, foreign enterprise, we need not be very surprised. It does appear that the Coreana are being robbed pretty openly, and that they are treated with small respect by the conquerors. The fact is that the> Japanese are not perfectly civilised, as we understand the term..

The subject of the shortage' of rolling stock for the goods traffic of the Government railways- was referred to at the annuali meeting of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce,, last week. Industries along the main line are being seriously ham* pered by the inability of the Department to carry their produce. Perhaps one of the 'most shaking examples of the past to which matters have been brought is afforded by the T&upiri Goal' Miaes Company. The mines of this company, owing mainly to an insufficient supply of railway trucks,, have been working only seven days in the fortnight since- Christmas,, and last week the men were employed but one and ai- half days. Many of the men, as a consequence, are leaving to find work elsewhere, and the distribution of the coal is disastrously retarded.. This is but an example of the way in which the goods traffic is disorganised by insufficient rolling stock.

Referring to the dairy season the New Zealand Trade Review points out that batter shipments to date are not equal in quantity to those of last season, and a falling-off in the output may now be looked for. No business has, so far, been reported for the autumn market, forwbich the quantity apailable and prices realised will depend largely on the course of values in the British market. Unlike butter the exports of cheese show considerable increase. Last season's shipments averaged about 5,000 cases, but those of the current season will be heavier by fully 75 per oent. Prices have been well maintained throughout, and those who supplied milk to cheese factories ought to have a record year. The quality, however, is not what it should be and there is little hope of improvement, until a thorough system of inspection and instruction among milk suppliers is established under Government control.

Dealing with Imperial poiitics an English writer, in an article, says:— "The Labor party is not unlikely to very largely embarrass Sir H. Campbell - Bannerman,. and his Liberal Brigade. Like the.,lrish,Nationalists, they are olassed among Radicals, but they will have do oonueotiou with either of the two great

parties in the state, and their ends will not be the ordinary Manchester Liberalism. Mr Chamberlain seeks consolation in the belief that the l'uture mast bring eiher rampant Socialism or tariff reform. And it is remarkable that Mr Keir Hardie comes to the same conclusion. Bat with Mr Chamberlain, It is to be : tariff reform that shall arise triumphant, like a phoenix, from the ashes of his own destruction; with Mr Keir Hardie, it is to be Socialism, on the lines of the great iabo'r; movement of the world. Tfaeie is a stirring future, for this old country."

At the Dairy Conference, at Auckland, last week, Mr A. Buscfe said the Danes believed in technical education, and their agricultural education was far in advance of that of any other country. In Denmark lb« system known as hegelunds was generally adopted. This ; had Increased the milking capacity about I.olb of butter fat per cow. If they took the number of dairy cows in New Zealand to be 500,000, and based an estimate on figures similar to those adopted by a Canadian' professor, this increase' in milk yield of 0ill ! b per cow would mean, some £625,000' per annum, .or an addition of 30 1 per cent, to the' present export from; New Zealand, He* ad>vocated 1 breeding of only first-class animal's which had nearly doubled the supply of milk in some herds in Denmark.. In; 1898 he estimatedthat the Auckland province alone was losing over £2oo>ooo' per annum in some 60;000 cows, through not breeding and feeding properly. He advised diairy factories to combine and appoint a special officer to pay the factories surprise visits-. It was the duty of dairy associations to give demonstrations at suitable farms where every description of dairy work was carried out to perfection!

it is not generally known that the Government is j doing an> excellent work- in the' geological and topo>graphicalisurveys now being'carried l on in the colbny; The surveyo are so exhaustive and 1 oompMe under Dr. Bellas management that a< wealth of information is being pl&ced on record of the various localities in which her works; The State has now to take the pl&ce of the old enterprising'prospeotor. For private enterprise' the work - is too great, aud demands- the ability of men who oannofc work for prospeo* tive returns. With the detailfc given by the geological! party it'will beknown exactlj' of what the country consists and where- the wealth isto be found. Dr. Bfell: is most sanguine that the wining industries ofthe colony will go on with ia>creasing vigour nnd beoome one ot the best assets of colonial'enterpriser His description of the beauties of the unknown country are excellent, and his reports willloontain informs tion that will attract thousands to New Zealand. It is to l be regretted that to the- staff* of thegeological' party am experienced photographer is not attached;. The many excellent scenes could then be put on record! and distributed freely, much to the enjoyment of those unable to climb, and a great, incentive to lovers of the beautiful! to visit the soenes^portrayed.