TOPICAL READING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8172, 30 June 1906, Page 4

TOPICAL READING.

A romantio and pathetic life story is that' of the ex-Empress Eugenie, who recently completed her 80th year. Born io Granada, [on the fifth anniversary of the deatn of Napoleon 1. the daughter of a Spanish noble and Scotch lady—she was destined to become the wife of Napoleon 111. in her 27th year. The Emperor created a sensation in marrying her in spite of the aotive and avowed opposition of his Ministers. For 18 years she presided over one of the most brilliant of European Courts, aad when Sedau made revolution a certainty she found asylum, with the Emperor and the Prince Imperial, in England. Three years later Napoleon 111. died, and the widow, to whom Queen Viotoria became greatly attached, devoted herself to the education of the son whom she fondly hoped one day to see wearing the French crown* The tragedy of her life was, however, not yet complete. 'lbe young prince, serving as an officer in the British army, was killed in the Zulu War in 1879, and one of the saddest pilgrimages ever undertaken tu South Afrioa was the Empress Eugenie's visit to the spot where her son fell.

A report has been received by.Mr T. Soott, Secretary to the Federal Postal Department, from the Deputy Postmaster-General, with reference to the complaints in New South Wales cf the disappearance of piotorial postcards. A packet containing about 500 undelivered postcards has been received from Sydney by Mr Soott. In scores of cases there were elaborate messages, birthday greetings, notifications of appoutments; but the writers had absolutely forgotten to give the address of the persons to whom they wished the cards to go. Many other cards had been posted without a written word of any sort, ana there were several instances where the postage was insufficient, or the address wrongly given. The Sydney Deputy states that on the average 1,000 letters and a greater number of paokages, unclaimed by persons to whom they are sent, daily find their way to the dead-letter office. On the 6th iust. there were between 500 and 600 postcards awaiting claimants. "It is very easy," he remarks, "to assert that postcards are stolen iu the post, but quite a different tbiui* to prove it." The maximum punishment for stealing postal articles is imprisonment with hard labour for three years, and the Deputy states that when officials know that they may be watohed from observation galleries in the post office, it is unlikely that they would run the risk for the sake of securing a comparatively valueless picture-oard.

It is well known that following the great fire of London the corporation drew up a series of farreaching rules and regulations for the prevention of fires, and the checking of an outbieak on its occurrence. These rules were embodied in an Act. This latter is somewhat of a rarity, but a copy bearing the date 1667 was met with on a book stall a short time ago, and purchased by a correspondent for a few pence. The Aot itself is full of interest. It specifies the number of leathern buckets, long ladders, sand squirts of brass, nickaxe sledges, and shod shovels to bo kept in readiness in each section of the city and by the aldermen and leading citizens. It also details Ihe procedure to be followed on a fire breaking out. Directions are given for the preservation of law and order; imposes on residents the responsibility of providing "some secure place" in which to place the ashes of their fires; and warns readers against placing "combustible commodities" where sparks from torches, a light thrown down —a very frequent cause of fires nowadays—might set them alight. Last, but not least, it authorises the Lord Mayor and hiß subordinates to destroy by gunpowder any bouses likely to lead to a spread of the flames, the question of compensation in such cases being referred for consideration to the corporation.

Mr Kider Haggard's scheme for attacking the unemployed problem by means of agricultural colonisation settlements has been adversely reported upon by the Seleot Committee set up in the United Kingdom to investigate his recommendations. The Committee asserts 'that no thoroughly successful effort fn that direction has yet been made, and though Mr, Haggard may reply that he gave the results of successful experiments in America by the Salvation Army, it will at once be said that these were upon a very small Bale and among people closely associated with the land and exceed-

> ingly adaptable by temperament, For the time being, at any rate, the report in ( question planes Mr Haggard's scheme oat of court as far aa prospect [of its ~national adoption is ooooarned. In the face of it, says the Auokland Herald, the moat sympathetic British Government could not he expected to expend large sums of money in the hope of establishing the unemployed on the land. But the unemployed problem is far too seiious to be shelved simply beoanse investigation has not shown Mr Haggard'« agricultural settlement scheme to be praotioable. The unemployed are there in Britain, many thousands of them, many with wives and childi en. To the finding of work the British Government must direot its best efforts, having the oertainty of publio condemnation if it fails. For the Chamberlain party are pressing the claims of protection upon British workmen, employed and unemployed; and, unless the Bannerman Government does something to mitigate the distress, it will find its fiscal theories antagonised at the polls by the great bulk of those who sympathise with the unemployed.