TOPICAL READING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIII, Issue 7983, 10 March 1906, Page 4

TOPICAL READING.

After some ratber startling evidence as to Victorians leaving Melbourne to establish works in Hongkong, where labor could be got at about lOd a day, with a view to sending their glass produots into Australia, the Tariff Commission Bitting at Melbourne gave considerable time the other day to hearing almost a discursive leature on the potter's craft. A china mendei, who had suent almost half a century in the trade, after giving his views in regard to duty alterations, dwelt at length on the quality of British made crockery and glassware. Picking up the glass tumbler from which the Commissioners slaked their thirst he tapped on it two or three times with a pencil. "Not British," he said: "It's a foreignmade one." Incidentally he mentioned that Germans are now dumping jugs at 3d the set of three at Stoke-upon-Tient, of all plaoes in the world, in the very heart of the Staffordshire potteries.

Mr Roosavelt baa oat himself adrift from the praotioe usually followed by Presidents of the United States in accepting free transport on American railways. This departure he naturally feels will allow him a freer band in the campaign be is waging against the railway companies on the vexed question of railway rebates. The newspaper press generally commends Mr Roosevelt's aotion. "There was something humiliating for the nrition," says the New York Herald, in diaoussing Mr Roosevelt's good example, "in the spectacle of the President of the United States 'dead-heading' his way across the country. Such practices may be, and should be, left to tramps and needy politicians. The President should be under no obligation to railway or steamship companies." It is eminently fitting that an annual allowance should be made for the transportation expenses of the President by land, and that his travels by sea should be made in a warship belonging to the nation. Both by sea and land it is now understood the National Treasury will be responsible for Mr Roosevelt's transport.

The great coal industry has done well during 1905, taking Scotland as a whole. In Fife the output from the ports of the county amount to 4,300,000 tons, which is some 650,000 tons above last year's total. These figures do not include another half-million tons wbioh have been shipped from the Clyde. Owing to the strike in Westphalia there has been a suddenly increased demand for Fife coal, and the docks at Methil and Burnt island have reoently been congested with steamers awaiting their turn to load. The number of coal miners in Fife has greatly increased of late years, and is now estimated at 20,000. Many of these are from the West of Scotland and from England, but there are said to be not more than a dozen Poles, who are very numerous in Linlithgowshire, and Lanarkshire. la the Lothians many new pita have been oponei during the year, and further extensions of the coalfield are expected. In Midlothian and East Lothiad there are now 4,500 oolliers at work, and the total output of coal last year averaged about 300,000 tons a month. In the West of Scotland the coal trade has been fairly good, though not in any way a noteworthy yield.

Thirty-eight 'thousand mexi of the American regular army are to be mobilised at Manila" for service in Ohina in case of an uprising against foreigners In the ancient Empire. The War Department has determined to send four regiments of cavalry and seven batteries of artillery to the Par Eastern Islands in addition to the troops already ordered. Rear? admiral Train has arranged with missionaries living in the territory traversed by the Yang-fcse-Kiang to hurry to certain points in case of apprehension of trouble, and upon arrival they will be picked up by men-of-war. The Presbyterian Board of Boreign Missions in New York, m consequence of the embarkation of Amerioan soldiers for the Philippines for possible service in Ohina, has warned its missionaries to use the cable in reporting any antiforeign movement of natives, and to keep in touch with the nearest treaty ports in case bf trouble. "The chief cause of anxiety," said Robert E. Spear, secretary of the Board, "is the constant spreading of wrong ideas of the treatment of Chinese in this oountry. Stories are being circuited through Ohina of the massaore of Chinese in America, and in Ohina they have yellow journals, and the stories have a greater percentage of believers."

Dr. Vallntine, health officer, favours the establishment of a municipal milk depot at Wellington, with inspection by an officer speoially trained for the duty. Interviewed on the subject he stated that a large proportion of the infantile deaths in eauh of the chief cities was due to dietetic diseases, for the most part induced by the infants getting bad milk. There were 15,667 deaths of infants in New Zealand daring the decade from 1894 to 1903, and of these 3,326, or 17 per uent. were due to diarrhoeal disease, and if to that number were iadded 2,805 deaths from atrophy, debility and inanition, it would seem that something like 31 per cent, of deaths of infants under one year of age were directly due to dietetio disease. Dr. Valintine pointed out that some of the dairies near Wellington were extremely filthy, and the reports of his officers showed that the milk supply of other cities was bettefc than that of Wellington.