TOPICAL READING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8189, 26 July 1906, Page 4

TOPICAL READING.

Interest is at present being taken in England in the preservation of the boyhood home of Romney, the celebrated painter, which is situated at High Oocken, about two miles north of the town of Barrow-in-Furnace. This house, where Roinney passed themost impressionable period of his life, has been condemned as unsafe, and demolition has threatened it; but urgent efforts are being made by art-lovers and antiquarians to preserve it as an objeit of national interest. The cottage stands on high ground on the edge of a steep cliff, which is part of a large quarry. John Romney, the painter's father, bought the property in 1742, and a few years later installed himself and his family there. George Romney, then a boy of 11, assisted his father in his business as a cabinet-maker, joiner and wheelwright. The elder Romney also did a little farming, and it so happened that one of th« labourers that he employed, who was of a literary turn of mind, subscribed to a monthly illustrated magazine in which young George took much interest. Ho used to copy the Illustrations in chalk on the walls of the workshop, attempting to improve on them, and latter he tried his hand at some sketches of his own. Gradually he acquired a local repu - tation, and it is said that crowds of idlers would come from far and near to see the drawings with which he covered the doors and. walls of the shop. In 1735, when 21 years of a»4e, Romney left home to join the travelling portrait painter Steele. The old workshop is now' in ruins, though part of the; wall Is still standing. The house commands an extensive view over the sea.

Th<j extent of which British shipowners dispose of old vessels is shown in statistical tables published in Lloyd's Register of Shipping. The tonnage oleared off in that way last year was 512,701 tons, comprising steamships of 422,395 tons and sailing vessels amounting to 90,306 tons. By these sales, which were the largest since 1900, Germany acquired 101, 9C3 tons, Italy 78,671 tons, Japan 66,328 tons, and Nor™ way 53,702 tons. It must in many ways be a considerable advantage to have a market such as this for second hand vessels. It is interesting to not® the apes of the vessels disposed of as far as posssible, and the.tables indicate that about 18 per cent, of the tonnage removed from tbe register beoause of foreign transfers was built before 1880, nearly 43 per cent, before 1885, 62 per cent, before 1890, 78 per cent, before 1895, and over 90 per cent, before 1900. In addition to the seoond-hand tonnage transferred to foreigners, 52,464 tons were transferred to British colonies during 1905, compared with 37,464 tons in 1304, 62,907 tons in 1903, and 32,603 tons i& 1902.

Dealing with the outcreak of fire amongst the wool cargoes of Homegoing vessels from New Zealand, a writer in the Adelaide Register says: —"The ships recently referred to in this connection are laden with Now Zealand wool, and it is more exousable for wool to bo shipped damp from there than from any of the Australian States, a3 most of the New Zealand wool is grade wool of some sort or tho other, crossbred, etc., and, although a lighter wool, and containing less grease than the merino, is mor3 likely to contain moisture. It, is lmrjh harder for a merino sbeep to get wet to the skin than for any crcsabred or grade wool, and the grease woald also assist dampness being adhesive. Probably the ships were laden with 90 peruent. or more of crossbred and grade wool of some sort. I do not entertain the idea that the high price ruling for wool now in the Home market or elsewhere has anything to do with the shipping of damp wool. Such a deliberate wrong would never be allowed by practical sheepfarmers and wool experts. J am Klad to note that no damp wool has gone or been reported from the Australian States for a long time. It is, however, imperative that the matter should be brought before the public and the Shearers' Union, beoause inferior and inexperienced shearers are so liable to complain of 'wet wool' when the wool is not wet at all—< only greasy, lb New Zealand nearly ali wools are washed artfloially or naturally by rain, and have little if any grease."

The acting-statistician for ?New South Wales has prepared a statement of tbe estimated value of the production of tbe State during 1905. A substantial increase in every branch of industry is shown. Referring to wool, the statistician states that although the quantity

produced in 1905 has been exceeded on eight previous ocoasions, the value—£l2,lo2,Boo—is the highest ever received. The quantity of butter produced showed a slight decline, from 53,591,0001b to 53,040,0001b; but the prioe was 11 per cent, higher. About 48million lbs were made in publio factories. In agriculture there was an inorease of over 20 per cent., from £5,414,000 to £6,611,000. Wheat and hay accounted for £4,331,800. The output of coal was, with the exception of 1903, the largest on record. The value of gold produced was the highest since 1899. The exports of minerals from the State for the past half-year total £2,639,412, showing an inorease of £395,536, compared with the corresponding period last year. Ihe shipment of coal from the State for the half-year is 488,101 tons in excess of last year. Indications point to a reoord this year in the export trade.

The total number of Jews in Russia in 1897 was 5,250,000; but under the whip of murder and outrage this number is fast diminishing, says a Southern contemporary Since 1890, 1,250,000 Jews have emigrated from .Russia; the number of flying Jews in the year which ended June, 1905, was 92,000. A new and strange Hegira is in progress. The popular dislike to the Jew in Russia is, no doubt, due to the fact that he is usually a trader, with the genius of his race for making money, and a hardness of temper born of centuries of persecution. That they probper even under the hard conditions of their existence in Russia is proved by the faot, reported in the newspapers, that £38,000,000 is deposited in German banks, belonging to Jewish refugees from Russia. But the Jew in Russia is dreaded by the authorities because, as a rule, he has brains enough to make him dangerous. He belongs to the "intellectuals" ; and the Russian Government with the true instinct of despotism, oounts intellect its deadliest enemy.