TOPICAL READING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIX, Issue 8125, 25 April 1906, Page 4

TOPICAL READING.

Farming haß many carious products nowadays. Bu; it would be difficult to find farms more odd than those described below. "There are, in the suburbs of Rome," says "Cosmos," "two farms where antique medals are made in large quantities. This would seem to be a singular agricultural product, yet nothing is more exact. Ihe people who devote themstlves to this odd industry cause to be swallowed by turkeys aoins or medals rouqhly struok witb the elllgy of Tiberius or Caligula, After remaining for some time in the bodies of the fowls, the little discs of metal beoome coated witb a remarkable 'patina.' If this coating were only the result of the gastrointestinal voyage, it would secure it by treating the coins to be aged with dilute hydrochloric acid, for instance. But the mechanical action of tjtie tiny stones contained in the gizzard is added to the purely chemical action of the gastrio juice, partially effacing the figures, and toning down the hardness of the features. It is to be feared that some of the specimens in public collections obtained by this curious process."

One quality of the new British House of Commons is tbit it has a quite new temper on the licensing question. Jn the last Bouse there were no fewer than 129 members directly interested in the liquor trade, and 75 of these were rejected. The last House, counted only eightyeight total abstainers, the new House has 176, or exaotly double the number. Out of seventy-two Soottisb members no fewer than Bixty-one are N pledged in favour of local veto; and Scotland, it must be remembered, is the land of whisky. At the conference of the Parliamentary Labour Party it was decided by 666,000 votes to 103,000, or by a veto of more than six to one, that "the inhabitants of every locality should have the right to exercise the veto in regard to licenses." The Chancellor of the Exchequer already proposes to extract £3,000,000 of additional taxes from the liquor trade, more than doubling the burden that trade already oarries.

The membership roll of the Wellington Law Society, contains 159 names, including 95 of solicitors practising in the oity and 64 of oountry praotiti oners. There are 206 solicitors practising in the Wellington district—ll2 in the oity and 94 in the oountry. Twenty-eight applicants in the distriat presented themselves for admission to the profession daring the year. This ia the largest number ever admitted in Wellington in one year. Of the twenty-eighc, twenty were admitted as solicitors, two as barristers (one by examination and the other under the Act of 1898), and six as barristers and solicitors. The number of solicitors practising in the colony ib 756, showing an inorease during the year of 46. The council is of opinion that it'would be to the advantage of the profession and the public-if the Law Practitioners' Aot Amendment Act of 1898 (abolishing examination in jurisprudence in Roman law before a solicitor could practise as a barrister) were repealed.

Whilst the'amount of batter exported from New Plymouth in the year ended March 31st showed au increase on the previous year, there was a slight decrease in the quantity of factory butter. The total graded was 117,566 boxes, of which there was shipped to the United Kingdom 105,815 boxes factory, 9,031 boxes seperator, and 388 mind, thel remainder being shipped to Australia, auva, South Africa, or stored at the end of the year, awaiting shipment. The total value of outter graded, averaged at was approximately £405,316. The grading averages, were very high, oqly 1.82 per oenfc. of the factory butter being not first grade. Twelve per ceut. of the separator and 27 per cent, of the milled was under first grade. A total of 550 tons of unsalted faotory butter and 15 tons of separator were shipped to the United Kingdom. Cheese shows a great inorease, 9,212 cases having been shipped., valued at about £30,000, as compared with 5,701 cases in the previous year. It is estimated that the total export of butter and cheese from Taranaki was valued at about £750,000.

An inoident of the Rusao Japanese war oame before the London Probate Court last month, when Sir Qorrell Barnes gave leave to presume the death of Captain Edward Evans Thomas, who, in September, 1904, sailed from Ban? Dock in the steamer Glaverdale] with a cargo of coal for Vladivostok. Ihe vessel arrived at Hongkong, in the following month, and on the 24th she left for Vladivostock. Since thai date nothing had been heard of either the captain or the crew, and the vessel was posted at Lloyd's as a total loss. In February, 1905, a boat belonging to the Glaverdale was picked up at sea, and in September the Glaverdale herself was discovered ashore, about 450 miles north of Vladivostook. The ship had been plundered of [everything muvabe, and 'nothing could be ascertained as to the fate of the captain and crew.