TOPICAL READING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8387, 23 March 1907, Page 4

TOPICAL READING.

Chief Justice Madden, of Victoria, in a recent speech, dealt with the shipping of the world, and said that in 1850, the total tonnage of the world was 11,500,000. Britain owned 3,500,000 of it. In 1906 the world's total was 31,600,000 tons. Britain owns 16,000,000 and Germany owns 3,400,000. Britain's increase of tonnage during the last six years was 4,000,000 tons, or 600,000 tons more than all Germany's shipping. Her increase for one year was equal to all the merchant shipping of Japan. It is a splendid' evidence of our success, said his Honor, that Britain owns half the world's tonnage, and carries two-thirds of all her foreign trade in ships. , ;

The Melbourne correspondent of the Sydney Daily Telegraph reports that the terms of the Convention agreed to recently by the British and French Governments, for the control of the New Hebrides, will not operate until the officials have been appointed and sent out. No intimation has been received as to when these preliminary necessities are likely to be arranged. Through the courtesy of the Admiral, Mr Deakin has had an opportunity of seeing the report of Captain Bentinck, of the Prometheus, who had, he states, personally inspected or seen every shipload of Kanakas that has returned to the islands. Captain Bentinck mentioned in the report that all the Kanakas appeared to be in good health, and to be satisfied with having got back to their homes. His impression was that there was no likelihood of any disturbance. The only development promised was thctt for the first time in the history of the islands there was a probability, as a result of the return of the men from Queensland, of a demand for higher wages.

Speaking to a reporter in Christchurch, Mr F. M. B. Fisher, M.H.R., said that he feels that the position in regard to the strike has had a decided effect upon the reputation of the Conciliation -and Arbitration Act, and that it will have to be amended next session. He suggests that the whole machinery should be revised and replaced with new. In the first place, he said, abolish the Conciliation ; Boards entirely. "They are no good; wipe them out altogether," he said. He would alter the constitution of the Arbitration Court so that there should be five courts, sitting in five separate districts, each Court with a restricted area under its jurisdiction. Each court would have a Magistrate as Chairman, and there would be a Court of Appeal, consisting of all the Chairmen of the Arbitration Courts sitting together./ To Mr , Fisher's mind, that "is the only method ; of solving the problem which has arisen.

The . English Farmer and Stockbreeder, speaking on rural depopulation in England, says:—"How ; rapidly the ranks of the labourers have been thinned may be judged from comparing their numbers in the last three census years. In 1881 they numbered 983,919; by 1891 this total had been reduced to 866,543; by 1901 to 689,292. Sixty years ago there were a million more argicultural labourers than there are now. If a census could be taken to-day we are convinced that a still further reduction, would have to be noted. Judging from the tenor of the communications from the three hundred correspondents of the Board of Agriculture, on which the report is based, the diminution is proceeding at a slower rate than during the ten or twenty years preceding 1901. That may be accounted for by the increased attention which is being paid to dairying, ai,d in a less degree to market-gardening. But in ordinary farming fewer men are required every year. Tho rbw, but steady, shrinking of arable land in this country, which is the direct result of cheap foreign imports', it. the chief factor in bringing this about. Then there is the increasing use of steam cultivation, and of every other kind of machinery. Everything, nowadays, in farming tends to lessen the need for the human agent."