TOPICAL READING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3212, 11 June 1909, Page 4

TOPICAL READING.

THE GAMING LAW. If the Attorney-General proceeds by the way he threatened once to travel, and refuses totalisator permits, we would not care tj insure his political life for a large sum, says the "Southland News." The general public are not too fond of the bookie, cannot understand why he was ever brought back to the course from which he had been safely banished, and find him no end of a nuisance when he is there. There is plenty of evidence that the aim professed by the men- who brought down the amending law — namely, to purify betting and confine it to the racecourses —has not been attained, and not by any fault of the racing clubs with regar.i to the licensing of the bookies. The fact that the bookies have had a great opportunity to do well on the course, and the course alone, cannot be gainsaid, any more than thefact that the street betting and all the other evils which the opening of the opportunity afore- , said was to have dispelled are in greater force than ever. The amending Act, then, has broken down. Let it be repealed.

THE NATIONAL DANGER. Half a century ago no other Power was ambitious of a world-empire. To-day Germany, Russia, and France are rapidly developing huge colonies abroad. The policy of expansion has been adopted deliberately and prosecuted with zeal. At least one Asiatic Power is seeking new outlets for its surplus population. This general expansion constitutes a source of danger to the British Empire. Problems that were non-existent half a century ago are now before us demanding solution. It is clear that for their own protection the peoples of the Empire must draw closer together, says the "Lyttelton Times." They cannot leave the whole burden of defence to the Motherland. With the division of the burden of defence there must be a readjustment of control. The situation is big with possibilities, and the younger generation may live to see a true Imperial Parliament directing the common interests of the British self-governing dominions.

BETTER THAN RAIN MAKING. A considerable balance, said to be between £l2O and £l5O, remains over from the Oamaru attempts at rain-making of last year. This sum Mr D. C. Bates, acting-Government meteorologist, recommends should be utilised in the erection of an observatory in the district, as he considers it would be a much better experiment

than rain-making. In this connection it is interesting to note what MiBates said in his report upon the experiments, which were locally financed. "These costly efforts at rain-making," he wrote, "are regarded at present as misguided and vain by all scientific meteorologists, while to their chagrin really valuable work is often neglectod for want of public interest. . . . Professional rain-makers have made repeated efforts by various methods to cause rain, but. . . . only personal experience seems to satisfy each nation, and each generation of their futility." Regarding the Oamaru attempts to induce rain by explosions, Mr Bates reported that the latter had apparently no more effect on the vast expanse of air than would the striking of a match in a room. The force of the mightiest explosion with all its gas put forth into the air was less than a drop in a bucket whan compared wi th the sweep of the wind.