TOPICAL READING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIII, Issue 7986, 15 March 1906, Page 4

TOPICAL READING.

In a Parliamentary paper Just issued at Home, entitled "Naval Ex penditure and Mercantile Marine" (for 1904), it is stated thtu the naval expenditure of tbia colony was £40,742. In tbe aggregate revenue and aggregate mercantile tonnage New Zealand figures at £7,113,031. It is interesting to note that tbe aggregate expenditure of Russia on her naval forces during 1904 was £11,827,431; and that of Jap«u during she year ended March 31st, 1905, is given at £2,209,586. A note to the return states tba*i the actual expenditure for any year is seldom known— never immediately—the figures given, therefore, are the sums voted.

The case of Edward James Hulbert the, young New Zealander who, having served three years in the 6th Inniskilling Dragoons, on being placed on the Reserve, oame to New Zealand a year ago, and obtained employment in the Wellington postal service, but was recently ordered Home to report himself, has exoited interest in certain quarters. The case was one of hardship, as Hulbert oould geb no employment in England and was only entitled to Reserve pay-—sixpence a day. He never applied for the money, electing to come out to the colony. His case was placed before the Premier, who communicated the facts to the High Commissioner, with the request that the War Office be approached with the view of obtaining the young man's discharge. A cable message has been received from, the High Commissioner, stating that the War OlKoe proposed to grant Hulbert his discharge from, the Reserve.

Mr Lee, Chairman of the Wellington Education Board, who has just returned from abroad, says that New Zealand's fame is not uni versal, for in Prance he found a tendency to regard him as an American. He would explain that he came from New Zealand, but it was quite useless. Prance only knows two English-speaking races, the English and the American, and accordingly Mr Lee was an American and that was all there was about it. Here and there he found that many people regarded him as an Australian. He would explain once more, but he could not remove the idea that New Zealand is a part of Australia—a suburb or something. But in England be was, generally speaking, surprised to learn that New Zealand was so well'' known.'

The whole of themaohinery of the Transvaal miuea will be worked by elecfcrio power in the near future if a scheme now under discussion in London, aud regarded with much favour by the principal mining companies, be carried out. It is proposed to spend £2,000,000 in ereoting generating plant at Vereeniging, on the Vaal River, where a dam has been constructed, which ensures a supply of 5,000,000 gallons ot water for condensing, and where the necessary coal can be obtained at a moderate price. Thence the power will be distributed over a radius of twenty-five miles, and it is expected that the mines will take 300,000,000 units per annum. If this estmate be realised they will receive their supplies at 7d. Parliamentary authority is being sought to supply eleotrio power to the whole of the Transvaal; and, according to Mr Hammond, some of the principal financiers of London have promised to find the bulk of the £2,000,000 capital as soon as it is required. He also proposes to supply electricity for a railway which is to be constructed between Johannesburg and Pretoria. ' "Why die?" asks Dr Cornwall Round in a little book called "Self- , Synthesis: A Means of Perpetual Life," published at the office of "Light." JUr Round is of opinion that this custom of dying is nothing more than a bad racial habit.

The body, he argues, is not a machine that need wear, out, but one that oan be kept in good repair for an indefinite period by right suggestion. Our forefathers set us a bad example, which, has hypnotised us into the belief ttiat death is inevitable, a hypnotisation which can be conquered by seif-suggestion in the conscious state, "when the S. (or suhjective mind) is under the protectiou of its O (or objective mind)." To be aged and ailing shows that we have ignoiantly mismanaged our bodily affairs. It i«i right, however, remarks the Daily Mail, to add that others besides Dt Round have held disease to be unnecessary. Df S. A. Russell, of Pougnkepsie, phared this opinion until lately, abstaining from food to demonstrate that the mere will to live was enough. The Yorkshire Observer now announces Dr Russell's death from starvation.

"L'llustration" (Paris) publishes the following:— Like reinforced concrete, reinforced glass is now more ana more employed in buildings. Reinforced glass,'the principle of which has been patented by an American, is made by rolling two sheets of glass, between which is placed a metallic grating. The product shows remarkable' cohesion and' tenacity; and, in case of breaking, the pieces of glass, instead of separating, remain adherent held by the metallic grating. That is the princi<pal advantage of reinforced glass. By interesting experiments recently made, M.M. Scalernilzaner and Crocket have proved that a plate of reinforced glass slightly less than a quarter of an inch thick, and a trifle over four and . a half wide, could support a weight* of about 1,0471ib5. Under 1,3221b it did nob break.but was only bent, and cracked. A small! building, the walls of which. f.re made of reinforced glass, resists a very lively Are lit on the inside, whereas an ordinary window breaks at the first touch of the flame.