TOPICAL READING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8183, 16 July 1906, Page 4

TOPICAL READING.

On May 14th the final services of a chapel famous throughout the Wesleyan Methodist connexion were celebrated. Old Norfolk Street Chapel, in Sheffield, was opened by John Wesley on June 30th, 1780, and holds the proud position of the mother chapel of Sheffield Methodism, being twenty-five years older than the Conference Chapel in Carver Street. It has been served by many able ministers, particularly by the late William Morley Punshon, and possesses a long roll of honourable names, among which the mo*t prominent are those of the three brothers Cole, who went to Sheffield acd settled in business in the early forties. The structure is now about to be demolished in order to make way for a large new central hall in connection with the Sheffield Wesleyan Mission, of which the Rev. George H. McNeal is the superintendent. The Rev. Marshall Hartley, who ministered at Norfolk street from 1875 to 1878, and is an ex president of the Weslejan Conference, preached at noon in the and Mr T. Skelton Cole occupied the chair at a great evening gathering. Mrs Cole finally looked the door at the close of the meeting. The process of demolition will begin at once. The uew premises are expected to cost £40,000.

Inquiry mad'' by the Tim&ru Herald of managers of wool stores .and others, elicited a consensus of opinion ,that greasy and clean Boonrsd wools t'ave never been known to become,heated, but slipes and half cleansed woolb imperfectly dried, had been known to become hot. These experiences were always met with in winter, and in wools from oouutry fellmongeries, where wools are dried on the ground. This indicates imperfect drying. The first sign by which healing in a bale is recognised in store is dampness on the floor, when a bale is moved, and this has a distinct smell of ammonia. Hot bales that hav d been opened have been found to bo too hot to biar the hand in, steam issued from the wool visibly, and the smell of ammonia was very strong—"enough to knock .vou down," said one storeman. The manager of the woollen mill stated that half-washed wool, thrown into a heap, will become warm and feive off a smell of ammonia in forty-eight hours. He had never known warmth to be generated in ureasy or clean scoured fleece wool. Ono person suggested that the effect of chemicals used to loosen the wool fram pelts should be inquired into.

The Government intends to renew the bonuses for the discovery of phosphate rock (mineral manure), which were first offered about three yearj ago, but never claimed. The bonus will be £SOO for the discovery of phosphate on Grown land and £250 if found on private property. Phosphate (generally [supposed to be the remains of marine animals) was originally found .in this colony at Milburn, Otago, and subsequently in the same province, but the deposits at the latter place only are being worked at tbe present time. The bonuses are offered for the discovery of deposits at [laoes which have nut been previously worked, and the aupply available, to entitle the finder to the bonus, must be sufficient for the ordinary demands of the colony for Ave years, j Phosphate rook has been found, besides in Otago, in Nelson and in the Weka Pass, Canterbury, though not in any quantity. There is no definite evidence of this deposit having yet been discovered in any part of the North Island. "Phosphate," according to scientific opinion, "is just what the soil of this country is defloient in, and for turnip or mangold growing there must be plenty of it. As tbe colony's prosperity depends largely upon its power of growing fattening feed for sheep, its value Jto the farcer caauo!. b« over estimated."

The great wortt of resuscitating San Franoisoo has obscured another remarkable American exploit which is rapidly approaching completion. This is the salvage of Galveston, wbiib fioarisbing port was swamped by tbe sea in 1900. Since that time a great aea-wall over four and a third miles in length nas been fcailt completely roand the front of the town, facing the Golf of Mexico. It is seventeen feet\high and Bixteen feet thick, at the base, and five feet aoross the top, being substantially protected from undermining by an "apron 4 ' of stone and sheet piling. But perhaps the most interesting part of the work of re constructing tbe town is the raising of the proteoted district. This huge enterprise, reports tbe British Consul in April, is about a quarter completed, and the details afford every evidence of American ingenuity. A feature of the sobeme is to bring sand from tbe gulf itself, and to pump ic through pipes on to tbe land. This is making the sea disgorge its spoil "with a vengeanoe."