TOPICAL READING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 827, 29 September 1906, Page 4

TOPICAL READING.

An Important Government scheme for colonising England is outlined !by tne Daily Chronicle. There are now 70,750 aores of agricultural land, the property of the State, under the care of the Commissioners of Woods and Forests, and of these over ,4,000, aores are now vacant for want of suitable tenants. This land is to 1 be placed under the oare of Lord Oarrington, who intends to offer all the vacant land to small holders at once, and as the other Crown land farms become vacant, to do the same with them wherever possible. A start has been made with a farm of 916 acres at Burwell, in Cambridgeshire, which Is uow being cut up into small parcels. The advance in the price of wool during the last 12 or 18 months has put hundreds of thousands of pounds into the pooketß of Australians, says an Australian paper, but there are indications that in tne long run it is the Home manufacturer who is going to benefit most from" the rise. What may be described agjja reaotion is now setting in and Australians generally are going to feel the ill-effects of the rise in the wool in an unexpected manner. Within tha past IS months the price of merino and fine orossbred wool baa moied upwards to the extent of between 12 and 15 per cent English manufacturers of goods in whioh wool is the principal article used have taken advantage of this rise to advanoe the price of their goods as much as 20 per cent, in some oases. In his annual departmental report Dr. Mason, the Chief Health Officer, makes some reference to his proposed scheme for.the medinal inspection of school children. His suggestion, which has received the approval of the Minister of Public Health, is that the name of auy child whioh the teacher considers in any way not up to the normal stiulard of health should be placed on a list, and a medical inspector should be appointed to examine theße children, making his report to the parents. Dr. Mason admits that this scheme wilfoast on addition 1 responsibility upon the "not over-paid and already J hard-working" teuohars. But from what he bud been tolJ, ho believes that they would accept it without any strong objection, especially as many of them have for some time past been carrying out the system, though in the absence of n medical fnspeotor they have had to report to the parents direct. The object of enlisting the aid of the teachers, Dr. Mason frankly admits, is to lessun the cost since the medical iusneatoi'g, instead of having to examine all the ohildren attending the State Schools, would only be expected to look after those sotted out for them by the teachers. Complete medical examination would be more desirable, because, though the teachers will be v ' able to detect simple cases of maladies or weaknesses affecting the eyesight, hearing and speech, spinal troubles and bad teeth, they will no doubt pass over other oases whioh the trained eye of the medical man would notioe at once. The selection by teachers may, however, become the preliminary step towards the larger and more thorough scheme.

(Jeuerarjßooual reproduces in toe Paris Temps extracts from the farewell order of the day issued by General Kuropatkin on his retirement from the chief command in Manchuria. This order. General Bonnal thinks, may bo described as Kuropatkin's military testament. Besides the insufficiency of effectives, the principal causes of Russia's non-Hueoess in Manchuria were, according to General Kuropatkin, the numerical weakness of fcho mountain artillery, the want of projectiles of

high explosive power, the wans of machine sane, and the inadequacy of means of transport. Bat it was the intelleotaai and moral deficiencies of the troop* trader hie command* upon which General .Kuro.s patkin laytf most -streW Theresas no fighting enthusiasm,' no T desire for distinction, and no "will to conquer." The officers were brave enough, persohally, bat, as la shown by the fact that the mortality from disease was greater among tbe'offloers than among the men, they were physically unfit, and had no idea of safeguarding their health in the field. The fact that the Russian army was ill trained, that its tactical ability was bad, that it knew- nothing of the first principles of reoon that the officers were either inaapable, lazy, or unmindful of tne orders of their superiors perhaps, all three. Gradually the soldiers found oat thai they were losing battles through the "incapacity of their officers, and they even lost the little enthusiasm they showed at first. Speaking of the officers, General Kuropatkln says: "We are poor in men distinguished for their independence, their energy, and their initiative. In peaoe time snob men were considered a nuisance, ami were often prematurely driven from the service. On the other hand, men without character were pitobforked into high positions because they were ready to echo the opinions of their chiefs."