TOPICAL READING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8254, 6 October 1906, Page 4

TOPICAL READING.

Statistical generalities of a very interesting character Rre provided in the last advance sheet of tbe New Zealand Year Book. In its paces tbe man in the street may learn how much ho pays in taxes annually, what the average man is worth, and how much his credit has been pledged hy the State. The sum ot £4 3s 5d is paid annually in taxation by each individual in the colony, including Maoris, this being made uif by £3 Cs 9d Customs and excise duties, some pay more than others, 8s 6d land tax, 5s 8d income tax and 8s (3d stamp duties. Local taxation works out at £1 6s 4d per head of the Europeaa population. I'he publio debt amounts to £0.9 5s 4d p6r bend of the population, though the amount of sicking fund accrued would reduce this by £2 18s per bead. Agniiist this there is an asset of £58,83(5,103 in tlio publio property. whilo if tbe estimated private wealth of Now Zealand were divided, it would givo everybody and a few pence.

A census of weepers bus just been taken by Professor 0. Stanley Hall, of Worcester, Massachusetts, who has making a scientific! investigation of the psychology and the hygiene of crying. Uomparing the weeping of the young and old, he discovers that the child cries most from pain or for sympathy, whereas the adult's tears are shod over grief or trouble. JVhlle oi'iiuß diminishes from infancy to youth, it increases again from youth to maturity, and then diminishes again. fhs cry of the infant is largely for the purnose of obtaining something, and the anger cry, "which is essentially the child cry," comes earlier than the grief ory. Great intensity of auy emotion, oven of sadness, seems to suppress tears. Professor Hall has made the important discovery that crying is an excellent tundo of exercise and physical rievelopaieaS. "It is useful," ho eays, "in relieving the mental strain of the insane, ami it is claimed that women who are ablo to lind relief 111 team keep their youth longer than those who repress them Crying aids a sluggish circulation, and affords relief to overcharged nerves."

A forl:ti3gli!: ago (says tlie Daily Moil of Angus'; 21st) >Mr Carlyon Uelinirs, M.P., applied to the admiralty tor a return shuwing ( the number of battleships which had actually been begun or which were projected by the various Powers for the years 1905-7, his object being clearly to ascertain whether or not England was keeping pace with CJermany in naval construction. A return was issued after six days' delay, in which it was represented that uermany would begin or bad begun ouly Ave battleships to tho British six. Forthwith it was pointed out in oar columns that Germauy intended to lay down, not fivi.', but six battleships, and that on these figures she would be building just as many battleships as England, lu a letter to Mr Ballairs Mr Edmund Robertson has now admitted that tho official return was wrong, and excuses the error as a clerical one. It is, however, moat unsatisfactory to find tho Admiralty issuing a return which *as defective on ao itn portant a point, and taking no steps to correct its error until repented attention had been drawn to tho misleading nature of its figures.

The Payment of Jurors Aot, whioh was paaa d on September 24th, makes an alteration in the law for the payment of jurors it) oivil oaaoe. It provides that every juror who ia summoned and attends at a sitting of the Supreme Court or District Court to try oivil issues or assess damages sliall for every day that he attends bo entitled to be paid eight shillings, it' ho attends for mote than four hours, and four shillings if he attends for no more than four Hours. The sums payable to a juror shall tie taken from money t.o be appropriated by Parliament out of the Consolidated Fund, and shall be paid to the juror when he is discharged from attendance by the Registrar or other officer of the Court. The party on whose application the jury has been obtained, or, if there Has been no application, the party bringing ou the issue lor trial or tho plaintiff in every assessment of damages shall pay to the Court for every day or part of a day on whioh the jury serves tho sum of £4 for a jury of twelve, and £1 10s for a jury of four. Payment for the first day's service shE.ll be made when the oasa is sot down for hearing, and for each subsequent day's service before the proceedings of the day and all sums received by tho Court shall form part of the Consolidated Fund. The Act does not apply to special jurors,

A gentleman who, says tho Otago Daily Times, haa reaeuty visited

Durban states that, with the exoep* tiou of the geld output,, trade in South Africa is in a bad way at present. Commercial travellers who, prior to the war, oould book orders* for frohl £IO,OOO to £12;000 worth of goods every six months,, now think they do well if their ordersreßOb a quarter of that sum. It is stated, also, that the Boers prefer to import their goods via Delagoa Bay, through Portuguese territory, instead of by way of lJurban,. whinb, of course, tends to make the presont depression more aoute. Hundreds of disappointed people are endeavouring to get away from the seaports, and it is stated that every outward-bound vessel.has the greatest difficulty in circumventing atowaways. Numbers of strong, ablebodied men hang around the ships offering to work their passage in any capacity, only too glad of any uhance to leave the country. Notwithstanding the strictest precautions, some do manage to stow away, a vessel which recently arrived' in this colony, bringing away three hh the result of a day's visit to Durban. Strict search was made all over the ship before sailing, but after being out at sea for three nr four days three young men came to light, being only too glad to work their passage to this colony.