Miscellaneous.

Waipukurau Press, Issue 321, 15 October 1908, Page 3

Miscellaneous.

As the result of a raid on unregistered women money-lenders in Liverpool, three women were brought up before the magistrates and sentenced, two in penalties of £lO each, and the third to a fine of £5 and costs. The defendants lent money in small amounts at rates which yielded 300 per cent interest. The police said the profits of Klondike gold mines were “ not in it ” compared with the money made by the defendants.

Cactus, instead of petroleum, is the mosquito exterminator that is being tested by the sanitary authorities of Gaboon, French Africa. The thick, pulpy leaves are cut up and macerated in water, and the sticky paste so formed is 'spread over stagnant pools, giving the isolating layer that destroys the mosquito lai vie by preventing them from coming up to breathe. The paste retains its place for weeks and months, while the petroleum. quickly dries up and disappears in the fierce heat of a tropical sun.

One of the best laws ever passed in American and one of the most efficient (says the San Francisco “ News letter”) is the Pure Food Law. Its fruits are seen in the general health of the people.' Until recently, dietetics was one of those vague subjects that cranks advocated and ordinary folks disregarded or laughed at. How strange that, while even the most ignorant man carefully selects the material for house building, even the intelligent man is so careless in choosing the material for body building. The majority of people have no more taste in selectingfood than they have in . selectingtobacco.

A curious example of international procedure was witnessed recently on the Franco-Belgian frontier, when two Belgians and two Frenchmen, arrested for complicity in a murder committed -in 1905 at Mons, were confronted. As neither Fiance nor Belgium can deliver up their nationals to another Power, magistrates, barristers, and prisoners were conveyed to the frontier, where a waggon was placed half-way across the line separating the two countries. In this makeshift court of justice the prisoners were interrogated, those engaged in the case beingcareful not to overstep the limit between France and Belgium.

An English clergyman at Beyrout, writing on the effect of the new regime in Turkey on Christian missions to Mahommedans, mentions that, twelve months ago, an

early in the season for settled weather to be the rule. Those who started the movement forgetting Labour-.Day made a compulsory holiday favoured its being observed about this date, we believe, so as to make it stand out more distinctly from other holidays. Labour has now secured recognition as a power to be reckoned with in business and politics, and we fail to see that it has anj - tiling further to gain by adding io the list of holidays a day which few seem to care anything about. A DANGEROUS structure. T:ir traffic bridge has been allowed to get more and moie out of repair during the last few months, fill it has reached a condition which is disgraceful to the local bodies concerned and exceedingly dangerous to those who have to use it. The Waipawa County Council, which was understood to have taken over the responsibility for the upkeep of the structure, has informed the Waipuknrau Town Board that it has not control of the bridge yet. because the accounts have not been adjusted. But while the local bodies are discussing the question of responsibility there is likelihood of serious accidents occurring to those who have to use the bridge, owing to the great holes in the planking. After rain the chance of mishaps occurring is increased owing to the holes being covered with water, preventing drivers from seeing the danger. We hope the local bodies among whom the responsibility lies will come to some arrangement at once for repairing ing the bridge, and not wait till serious accident occurs to impress upon them the necessity for action.