TOPICAL READING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8106, 28 March 1906, Page 4

TOPICAL READING.

With reference to a case heard recently in Christchuroh, a solicitor on Saturday pointed out what he called "one of the foolishnesses of the New Zealand laws." If a man was ordered to find sureties to keep the peace for a period of, Bay, twelve months, and could not do so,jhe had to go to gaol. The peculiar point was that if the circumstances necessitating the order passed away, the imprisoned man got no relief. For instance, the person who sought protection might leave the country or die a week after the order was made, but the tvrm of imprisonment would continue, though perhaps quite underserved. There was no means of reviewing the order. In England the law is different; because if the circumstances obange it is possible to obtain a rehearing.

Far down the West Coast Mr T. E. Donne and his fellow-travellers, on their expedition over the proposed new route from WestlaDd to Otago by way of the Haast Pass, found a little Maori hapu, the Ngati-Mahaki seotion of the Nga>

tahu tribe—the moat remote and isolated Native community in New Zealand. This was-on. the banks of the Maka-whio ("Riverr of the Blue Mountain Duok''),!.a&hort distance north of Bruce Bay. The Maoris who only numberisorae twenty or thirty in all, were much surprised at being greeted in their own tongue, for the Maori language is not cultivated by the white men of the Coast. The principal man of the village is old Hakdpa (Jacob} Eapo, who was bom at TaumutUi in Canterbury, and is related to the Taiaroa family, of Otaga Heads. These people were once expert in the manufacture of greenstone weapons and ornaments, but nowadays their pursuits are pretty well identical'with'those of thoir pakeha neighbours, and they live in weather-board cottages. In the bend of the Maka-whio (also known as Jacob's River), near here, specimens of pretty malachite stone (called "Aotea" by the Natives) are often round. The London correspondent of the Sydney Morning Herald writes:— There seems to be a prevalent belief in certain responsible circles here that the problem of aerial navigation is well-uigh solved, I am not sufficiently in the secret to say why men who are at once cautious and responsible talk in this way, but in any case an idea does exist that we are getting near a final mastery of the difficulty which has so long perplexed the best intellects of the world. I heard it seriously stated the other nigbt by a man, to whose opinion I should attach much weight, that this year would not pass without a tremendous step being taken in the' direotion of aerial flight, and I may say that he was neither an inventor himself nor an enthusiast, but an official who for official reasons might be expected to know somethiug about this, and who certainly has gone judiciously into the whole question. 1 need hardly bint that any development of tbjs sort is of the utmost importance from a military point of view.

Many people do not appear to be aware that it Is an offence under the Orchard and Gardens Pest Aot to sell or offer or expose for sale, or to distribute in any manner fruit or plants, which are diseased or infected. Hitherto there has been little attempt made to cope with orchard pests in this district, with the result that most of the fruit brought into the local showrooms and shops is badly infected by codlin moth, scale or other diseases. A forcible reminder to orchardists and salesmen of the state of the law was given this morning (says Saturday's Poverty Bay Herald), when Mr D. H. Williams, the Government fruit inspector, appeared upon the scene and ooniemued the consignment of apples and pears in the two auction marts, the fruit being found to be badly riddled with moth, and to be bundled promiscuously into the cases without any apparent effort of sorting. The inspector gave the owners an opportunity to sort the fruit and submit to the mspecton the best of the apples after they had been picked over, but ordered that the great bulk of the fruit be taken away and be burned.

The idea that Canada can offer attractions superior to those of some parts of Australia is scouted by Mr C. S. Soammel, Immigration Commissioner for West Australia in London, who says that his State is in a more advantageous position than any other part of the British Empire when it cornea to a question of settling an emigrant upon the land. This he recently illustrated by a comparison between West Australia and Canada. In the latter case an emigrant who, having brought his 7160 free acres under cultivation, desired more land would' have to buy it from some private owner or syndicate. In West Australia, however, the Stateowned vast areas of agricultural landi and after giving 160 aores free, sold more at 10s an acre, payable without interest in 20 years. As to rates, if a prospeutive emigrant had a famiy and £IOO, the Government landed him in West Australia, for £3 per adult, and proportionately less for children. Further, if any resident ia the State nominated any European as a suitable emigrant, and investigation showed the nomination to be justified, the Government paid half that person's passage money out.

During a conference on domestio service for educated women, held recently in London, Mrs Walter Ward, the founder of the Norland Institute, told of her success, which, she said, had been steadily increasing in the twelve or thirteen years of the Institute's existence, during which nearly 1,000 lady nurses had been trained. It was proposed that a committee be appointed to deal witn the whole problem, and Dr. Kimmins,, Chief Inspector of the London County Councils Education Department, suggested three definite points for consideration: What course of training is most suitable as a preparation for domestic service? . Would certificates of efficiency be of value? How far would certificates issued by recognised publio examining bodies be of service, or will it be necessary to have some certificate of efficiency based upon absolutely different lines? One lady suggested that the solution of the probleem would be in the adoption of the communal system.