Flintshire Observer Mining Journal and General Advertiser for the Counties of Flint Denbigh

UNIFORM RAILWAY FARES. Letters are carried by post for long or short distances at the uniform rate of a penny; why should it not be the same with passengers and goods by railway ? That is Che interesting sugges- tion made by ilr. W. Bolland in The Railways and the Nation Problems and Possibilities" (Fisher Unwin, Is. net). It is a startling idea, but Mr. Bolland sees nothing impossible about it- when the railways are nationalised. In the case of a train from Manchester to London: If the fare is so high that only one person travels the cost per passenger is the total cost of the train. If the fare is so low that 600 persons avail themselves of the service the cost per passenger is the total cost of the train divided by 600. The total cost per train mile (not merely for locomotive expenses, but for everything except interest on capita!) in the United Kingdom in 1907 was 3s. 4d., so that the total cost of such a train for 180 miles (Manchester to London) would be £ 30. The cost per passenger in the former case would be E30 and in the latter case Is., and it would not increase the cost to the railway in the slightest degree whether part of the passengers alighted at Crewe or all went through to London. The only effect of stopping-places would be to increase the earning power of the train, for seats vacated at the first or subsequent calling- places would become available for other passengers who might wish to join the train at those stations. The accommodation in such a train is the number of seats it contains multiplied by the number of times the train empties on the through journey. With such a train it is clear that distance tends to diminish and not increase the cost per passenger

"THE WALKING PARSON." The Rev. A. N. Cooper (" The Walking Parson ") has just completed new book, "A Tramp's Schooling," in which he tells of his walks both in England and in many Continental countries. Out- of-the-way information is the special feature of Mr. Cooper's books. They are particularly adapted to summer schools of travel, for they deal with places off the beaten track, and tell how all sorts of travellers' difficulties may be solved. Mr. Cooper's companions are chiefly those of whom the world knows little-the beggar, the village priest, the man who is down on his. luck, and so on. It is evident there is great enjoyment to be had out of the roads of England and the Continent, for Mr. Cooper has no sooner accomplished one walk than he is busy planning another. He has just re- turned from a tour in the Carpathians, a region of which few Englishmen know anything.

ONE FLAG ONE FLEET. In view of Canada's decision to build a Navy of hoe own, an article in the Empire Review" by Mr. Charles Stuart-Linton is of special interest. Mr. Stuart-Linton sees danger in local navies. By all means, he argues, let the Colonies con- tribute ships, but in order to be of the greatest use it should be a case of one flag one fleet." Let us trust (he says) that before long the. splendid action of New Zealand and of New South Wales and Victorit lead to the formation of a true Imperial Navy supported by the resources in men and money of the whole Empire. The time is approaching ivhen the 43,000,000 of people in the United Kingdom will not alone be able to com- pete with the 120 odd millions of Germans and Austrians and the 90.000,000 of Americans. There are, however, 13.000,000 Britons outside the Mother Country anxious to assist, and it is to be hoped that this assistance will be dedicated to the formation of an Imperial Navy in the truest sense of the term, and not be frittered away upon costly local naval forces of doubtful value, thus reducing the strength of the Empire to a mere rope of sand. J;

A MILLIONAIRE'S LIMITATIONS. It would appear from a passage in Mr. Rocke- feller's Reminiscences (Heinemann) that the richest man in the world found more enjoyment in the pursuit of wealth than he finds in its possession. He says: The mere expenditure of money for things, so am told by those who profess to know, soon palls upon one. The novelty of being able to purchase anything one wants soon passes, because what people most seek cannot be bought with money. These rich men we read about in "the newspapers cannot get personal returns beyond a well defined limit for their expenditure. They cannot gratify the pleasures of the palate beyond very moderate bounds, since, they cannot purchase a good diges- tion they cannot lavish very much money on fine raiment for themselves or their families without suliering public ridicule and in their homes they cannot go much beyond the comforts of the less I wealthy without involving them in more pain than pleasure.

A TREASURE HUNT. I There is an exhilarati ne time in store for readers of Moon of Valleys/' by David Whitelaw (Green- ing and Co. 6s.) They will be whisked away from to Ceylon, there to spend perilous day's and nights in searching for the emerald which gives the title to the book. The stone was origin- ally part of the treasure of the Mogul Emperors, ) and passed from hand to hand—the changes in ownership being generally accompanied by a violent death or two—till at last it vanished from mOltal ken. It would have remained in its hiding-place till now, no doubt, but for a variety of circum- stances related by Mr. Whitelaw in the course of his exciting narrative. The plot is much too clever and full of sensational situations to be given away, arid it can only be said that the hunters are hunted in their turn by a sinister little Cingalese who conceives that he has a greater right to the treasure, and who sticks at nothing in his efforts to obtain it. He never does see the Moon of Valleys, however; the man who does is—" driven to Exeter." For an explanation with regard to that excursion the reader may be referred to Mr. ,Whitel tw, and having once begun the book, be will not want to lay it down until he has read the last word of a capital story.

HOW WAGS THE WORLD ? OLDEST IN THE WORLD. The observatory at Pekin is the oldest in the world, having been founded in 1279 by Kublai Khan, the first Emperor of the Mogul dynasty. There are still in it three of the first instruments of observation. The oldest University in the world is also at Pekin, and is called the "School for the Sons of the Empire." Its antiquity is very great, and a granite register, consisting of stone columns, 320 in number, contains the names of 60,000 graduates. VICTIMS OF SCIENCE. Two thousand live rabbits are being sent to the Philippines from Australia to the order of the United States Government for experimental purposes, with a view to dis- covering a serum which will render horses and cattle immune from a disease resembling rinderpest, which is causing much mortality to stock. STAY-AT-HOME GERMANS. Statistics published in Berlin show a re- markable decrease in the volume of German emigration. For the' first time the number of Germans leaving the Fatherland to live abroad has fallen below 20,000 for the year. The actual figures for 1908 are-, 19,883. What this means will be realised when it is stated that in 1881 the number was 220,901. Since 1871 the number of German emigrants has been 2,750,000. Of last year's emigrants by far the greater part went to the United States, which received, 17,951 of the total. Only 280 went to Canada. "HALT OR I SHOOT." The stringent measures adopted by the New York magistrates having had no effect so far in stopping the "speeding" nuisance in the streets of the metropolis,'the police are holding up motor-car "scorchers" with re- volvers. "If you don't halt I shoot," is a tentorian command frequently heard. WOMEN HELP:, STRIKERS. In a strike of street carmen at Phila- delphia the authorities imported strike- breakers, but the imported men were forced to give up work owing to the threats Of the strikers and the constant assaults made upon them. There have been numerous scenes of violence, and most of the active opposition came from the wives and daughters of the strikers, making it exceedingly difficult for the police to handle the situation. Every car was greeted with a shower of stones and missiles. THE RABBIT PLAGUE. An expert witness in a case at Wellington, New Zealand, recently treated the magis- trate to a scientific dissertation on the pecu- liarities and characteristics of the rabbit. He said that he had been poisoning rabbits for about twenty-six years, and was beginning to know something about them. One pair of rabbits would in a year multiply to a thou- sand. He had known a hare to travel over seven miles to a parsley patch. He asserted that it was useless to put down poison Hear the rabbits' water-holes; it ought to be placed on their playground, where they ran and scratched. THE AMEER'S VENGEANCE. Three of the prisoners arrested in connec- tion with the recent plot against the Ameer of Afghanistan managed to make their escape from gaol. One reached Tirah in safety with a small number of men. The two others were less fortunate. Their names are given as Colonel Mahomed Yakub Khan and his cousin Ismail Khan, also an officer in the army. They were seized by the Ameer's officials while passing through Asmar on their way to Bijour and sent back to Kabul. Report says that they were blown from guns. DEAD MEN'S SOCIETIES. In a lecture on "The Secret Societies cf the Banks' Islands," at the Royal Institution, Mr. W. H. R. Rivers said that one function of these societies was the protection of pro- perty. A member of a society put up a cer- tain sign, called a taboo, -and that protected him from people not connected with his society. Societies, therefore, with very few members were extremely popular, and, in con- sequence tended to become large. That was one of the factors which led to the growth and increase of the societies. If two men had a dispute about the ownership of land one of them would put the mark of, his society on the land. The other man also put the mark of his society on the. land. The result was that neither of them could go on it. The secret societies were called "Dead Men's Societies," and there were a large number of things which pointed to the cere,mony, of initiation being a simulation of death. HYPNOTISING A MEMORY. A series of remarkable hypnotic experi- ments has been made at the Grace Hospital, Newhaven, Connecticut, the subject being a iman who has lost his memory. He was un- able even to recall his name after an acci- dent which caused a wound in his head. The authorities were unable to trace his antece- dents, and after nl I G; to restore him, Dr. Diefendorf, specialist in mental diseases, was called in and put the patient in a hypnotic trance, Then, by suggestion, the doctor caused him to tell the history of his life. He said his name was Charles Osten, that he was married, and lived in Forty- second-street, New York. He mentioned the place where he worked, and told, how he came to America from Berlin, went to San Fran- cisco, and afterwards returned to New York. When he came out of the trance, Osten went to sleep. On awaking he was unable to recall anything he had said. Dr. Diefendorf again put him in a trance, whereupon Osten re- peated the same story. The puzzling element is the inability to trace Osten by the New York addresses he gives. and the physicians believe there is some missing link which his sub-conscious memory does not recall. AN AUSTRALIAN HEROINE. The "Sydney Morning Herald" tells a sen- sational story of a woman's splendid heroism in saving the life of a little child aged three and a half years. The Goul- burn Valley train was running about two miles south of Wahring Station, when the engine driver and the fireman noticed the child on the line a short distance ahead. The driver promptly opened the Whistle of the engine, and the screech attracted the attention of Mrs. Lavinia Kennedy, who looking out at the door of her gatekeeper's cottage, saw the little girl on the rail at the cattle pit by the crossing. The train was travelling at twenty-five miles an hour, and was within fifteen yards. She made a' dash forward, and heedless of the risk to herself sprang in front of the approaching train. She jumped on to the cattle pit, and throwing her body across one of the logs seized the child—snatched it almost from under the wheels of the engine, and dropped with it on to the bars of the pit. Even then her posi- tion was most hazardous, for she was ly}n? partly in the cattle pit and partly across' the log, and wedged therein by the barbed wire protecting the pit. Her head was within nine inches of the rail, and the wheels were sweeping her hair as the train passed over her. But she was unhurt, and so was the child. The Royal Humane Society of Austra- lasia have granted to her the first gold medal they have ever awarded to a woman

HOME HINTS. If a white skirt gets dirty round the bcttom, it can be easily cleaned by rubbing with a piece of flannel dipped in equal parts of flour and salt; well shake afterwards. White silk or fur can be cleaned in this way. Before boiling milk put a little water at the bottom of the saucepan and it will pre- sent the milk from burning. If you have to use a bright, clean saucepan over a smoky fire, smear a little grease over the bright part before putting it on. This prevents the smoke from hurting it; and if you wash it in hot soapy water afterwards it will be as bright again as ever. When sending a hat by post or train sew the hat to the bottom of the box. Simply thread a strong needle with cotton. Put the needle right through the box and through the hat. A few firm stitches will keep the hat in good condition, and though the box is turned upside down the hat will not move. Heavy brooms should always be selected in preference to light ones for thorough sweep- ing, as the weight aids in the process. In buying a broom test it by pressing the edge against the floor; if the straw bristle out and bend the broom is a poor one, for they should remain in a firm, solid mass. To remove rust from flat-irons rub them with a little warm grease and wrap them up in brown paper. Then dissolve a small piece of soda in hot water. Dip the irons in this, rub them dry, and put them to heat as usual. When ready to use rub them on a piece of brown paper that has a little powdered bath- brick upon it. Don't let your baby get into the bad habit of expecting to be rocked to sleep. When it is bed-time put him in his cradle, no matter whether awake or asleep, and., leave him to himself. If this habit is formed from the first he will go off quite happily without any more attention. Boiling a pudding in a double saucepan will be found an improvement on the use of the old-time pudding-cloths. Fill the lower part with boiling water and keep it boiling, in the upper pan put first a disc cut from oiled paper, then pour in the pudding. It will come cut a good shape. STRAIGHT-BACKED CHAIRS. Many mothers insist on their girls sitting on straight-backed chairs, with the idea of making them grow straight, but a well- known doctor maintains that constantly sitting on straight-backed chairs is more likely to make a girl grow crooked than straight, unless the lower part of her spine touches the back of the chair all the time; and he advocates that girls be allowed to sit in more comfortabe chairs. HOW TO DRINK MILK. Why milk is "distressing" to so many people as they commonly complain lies in the method of drinking it. Milk should never be taken too quickly or too much at one swallow. If a glass of it is swallowed hastily it enters into the stomach, and then forms one solid, curdled mass, difficult of digestion. If, on the other hand, the same quantity is sipped, and three minutes at least are occupied in drinking it, then on reaching the stomach it is divided, and proper digestion is obtained, as well as a most nutritious effect. VENTILATING THE NURSERY. The. ventilation of the nursery is a most important matter, as the health of the chil- dren is sure to suffer if they are constantly in a stuffy atmosphere. And the little ones are far less likely to catch cold if they are accustomed to open windows night and day, even in the winter. A draught, of course, is very dangerous, but there is no need for them to be in a draught if the door is kept shut. Always, while the children are out for their walk, the nursery window should be opened top and bottom, and the door left ajar, so that a current of air goes through the room., CUTTING SPEECHES. It is a pity that girls who are disposed to be witty at the expense of others do not know how unattractive they make themselves, and how often they offend against good taste. A smart girl sometimes says unkind and untrue things about her comrades, and thinks it all ,right when those to whom she says them laugh at them. Do not be deceived girls. Two or three sharp and uncharitable speeches may cause you to lose your seem- ingly sure conquests, though your heart may be kind and true and loyal, and, put upon its mettle, would disown the acrid utter- ances of that thoughtless little tongue of yours Cutting speeches do not pay in the end. LUNG EXERCISE. Pay attention to the great importance of deep breathing, that is, of inflating the lungs to their fullest capacity. Shallow breathing is the rule, deep breathing the ex- ception; that is why consumption finds such a fertile field in a large proportion of people. The individual with a pair of healthy lungs might inhale millions of tubercle bacilli daily with impunity. Like every other organ in the body, the lungs become vigorous with use; disuse means decay; therefore, to develop the lungs, they must be exercised by deep breathing.

USEFUL RECIPES. BAKED HASTY PUDDING.—Boil two ounces of Hour in a pint of milk, stir until it is thick and stiff, put it in a basin and add half an ounce of butter, a little nutmeg, and sugar sufficient to sweeten. When cold add three well-beaten eggs. Line a pie-dish with thin paste, put a layer of preserve, or of orange marmalade at the bottom. Pour in the mixture, and bake the pudding in a moderate oven for half an hour. It is very good without the paste, and may be baked in a Dutch oven. SWEETBREADS.—Take two or three sweet- breads and wash them, cover them with milk, and let them simmer for twenty minutes. Beat an egg, and draw them through it, and roll in fine breadcrumbs; fry a nice light brown. Have ready a smooth paste of cornflour and add to the milk the sweetbreads were cooked in, boil till it thickens, and pour over the sweetbreads. A little mashed potato with it makes an excel. lently light meal for an invalid. COFFEE CAKE.—One cup of sugar sifted with one and one-fourth cups of flour, one- half teaspoonful of soda, and one teaspoon of cream of tartar. Sift all together. In a cup put one-fourth cup of butter; place on stove till melted. When it boils up break into it two eggs. Quickly remove from, fire and fill cup with milk. Stir into flour, etc. Flavour with almond or vanilla and bake in quick oven. ORANGE ROCK CAKES.—One pound of flour, six ounces of butter, six ounces of sugar, two eggs, grated rind and juice of two oranges, very little milk, and two teaspoon- fuls of baking-powder. Rub the butter into the flour, add sugar, baking-powder, orange I rind and juice. Mix into a stiff paste with the eggs well beaten and a little milk. Place in little rough heaps on a greased bakino- tin and bake about fifteen minutes. b

TWO MIGHTY SCORERS. "RANJI" scores on the Cricket Field, but GAMAGE f Scores in Holbc*rn. CHEAPEST and] BEST HOUSE |y| SPORTING REQUISITES WV GAMAGE'S of H0LB0RN.#ft> Write or call to-day for comprehensive Catalogue of 200 pages, SPORTING REQUISITES WV IS t GAMAGE'S of HOlBORN. i. HH Write or call to-day for comprehensive Catalogue of 200 pages, ':r. sent post free anywhere on receipt of a post-card. -< GAM AGE, Ltd., castor liberally for all SPORTS and (lAMU" BATS. I I Half-cane Handle, size 6 3.11; men's, 4/11. H All cane „ 4/11; men's, 4/11, 7.0. H Superior All cane, men's 9/6,11.-6. II (damage's Yorkshire Driver, warranted 14 0. H Cramage's selected" Referee," guaranteed 18,5. H The Gramage" patent double-spliced bat, specially selected blades 21/- H CRICKET BALLS. 0 Gamaee's Australian," Catgut sewn 5/- THE Dark's 3-searn Match 5/- Gramage's Referee 3-»eam Match 4/G. Composition Balls, youth's, Sd. match size, 5oz., lOld.; "Eclipse," ma.tch size, 1/9. Postage 3d. CRICKET BAGS. The "All Enpland," with two handles 3/11. Tapestry, with two straps NJl. Ex. quality, leather bottoms 6/11. I The Marylebone S/ 9/6. All Leather (Handsome Bag) 28/6. CRICKET NETS. With Lines top and bottom, Poles, complete 8"3, S10/- With Lines top and bottom, Poles, with Two Side Wi- gs complete. 17/9,19,10, 22/ STUMPS. gEKESH Polished Ash, boys'28in 2' men's, 2 6. I I I Super Brass ferruled, 28inr~ 2/6; men's, 3 = = Solid Brass Tops*. men's, 5 3. Super Quality 5/11.6 9, 7/9, 8/ 9/6. Postage, men's 9d., boys' 6d. BATTING GLOVES. 'Strong Leather, Rubber. Boys', 3/9. Men's, 4/- Postage 3d. GAUNTLETS. Chamois Leather,ventilated, men's, 2'9; boys', 2/6. Super Qua.lity ditto. 3/6; 3/3, ¡ LEG GUARDS. Moleskin Guards bovs', 3 3; men's, 3 6. Buckskin „ 4/6; 4/11. L J J Buckskin 1, 4/6; 4/11. L — J FLANNEL TROUSERS, f f f Special Job lines, all sizes 411. Super Quality, White or Grey 7,11, 9/11,12/6! Super Quality, White or Grey 7,11, 9;11, 2,6. CRICKET SHOES. ¡ Brown Canvas, Sewn Leather Soles 311. Brown Calf Shoes 4/6. Extra Quality, Fine Calf 6/11,7/11,9/11. White Buckskin Boots or Shoes 10/6. Best Quality ie/6. Postage id. below 10/- Send size when ordering by post. TENNIS RACKETS. II; Cedar Handle, full size, 3,11: Fish Tail h/H "Referee" 9A Gramage's Holborn n/& The Gramage (guaranteed^ II 18/6. The "Demon" (Slazecgor'gj 11/6 Ayse'e"Champion" 13/3, TENNIS BALLS. She "Gamage," the Best Ball fc the Market, warranted, regulation fcuee "Wk and weight .per doz. 30 6. Ayre's Champion" „ 12/- VSE- isjewi Slazenger's Champion" g/a. jW"' >riie "Referee," Felt j covered and Cemented „ 'V G-araage's Practice „ £ POLES AND NETS, complete, from 9/- THe "REFEREE" (Rogd.) TENNIS SHOE. With the New Steel Spikesfor Wet and! Slippery Weather. Tan, Calf, or White Buckskin 12/6,14 ;6,18/6. Brown or White Canvas Shoes, with plain, or corrugated Rubber Soles, from. 218. CRICKET AND TENNIS SHIRTS. All Wool Flannel 3,11,4/11,5/11. The Club Shirt, coarse canvas 2/6. ft/ (White, Pink, or Blue.) Orders over 10s. Carriage Paid unless otherwise stated. The ULiversa-I k w. mm LTD At'I&s' ftutters, HOLBORN, LONDON. E'

SUPPORTING TWENTY TONS. Even the weakest human being performs prodigies of strength without knowing it. Take first the question of atmospheric pressure. On every square inch of our bodies the air presses with a force of fifteen pounds. The head alone sustains a pressure of a ton and a half, and the whole body supports some twenty tons. Of course the outward pressure of the air in the body helps us to endure this burden, otherwise we should be crushed fiat. But this is only one feat performed by the body. Let us next consider the work done by the heart. Every twenty-four hours the heart of an average man performs a task equal to lifting a weight of 120 tons one foot from the ground! As another example of the tremendous ex- penditure of energy which is all the time being made by the body there is the fact that in twenty-four hours it develops and gives off heat enough to raise a weight of one ton 3,000 feet high. In a single week the energy exerted in breathing alone would, if it could be concentrated, enable a man to lift two tons with ease. Nervous and restless people would be appalled if they could be shown the enor- mous amount of energy they waste in a single week by needless movements-such as twirling the fingers, swinging the arms, and shifting the feet about.

THE "CHEER-UP LADY." A strange but admirable occupation is followed by an American lady, whose work in life is to go about diffusing brightness and contentment. She is known as tilt "cheer-up lady." Invalids and other sufferers send for her to amuse them and put them in good spirits. She reads newspapers or books to her clients, plays cards with them, gossips pleasantly, or tells stories. The question of remuneration is not allowed to become obtrusive, and it is said that the people she visits regard her far more as a friend than a professional atten- dant. She is an elderly lady of genial presence and full of tact and sympathy. Her voca- tion, therefore, is one for which she is naturally fitted, and she has a large number of clients whose dejection and gloom are rapidly dispelled by her wit and cheerful- ness. There is plenty of work for those who adopt this profession, but it is clearly one in which great natural endowments are re quired.

At Tottenham a female officer in the West Green contingent of the Salvation Army ob- tained a summons against a local resident for doing wilful damage to a drum belonging to the Army. Having moved a vote of condolence with the widow and family of the Chairman of Rams- bury District Council, the acting Chairman, Mr. A. Edwards, was seized with a severe uaralvtic stroke.

CUPID AMONGST THE DUTCH. In the spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love." But that is not the case in Holland, where the lover's mouth I is November. Except when conducted by the fireside there is nothing very cheerful or romantic about courtship in the winter, and, indeed, the method adopted in some parts of Holland is singularly methodical and business-like. The first Sunday in November amongst these stolid folk is known as "review Sun- day," when, after the morning church ser- vice, the village youths and maidens assemble together and walking solemnly up and down, make their choice of sweethearts. On the following Sunday the youths declare their preferences, and if the feeling is mutual a matrimonial understanding is arrived at. On the third Sunday the formality of ask- ing the parental approval is gone through, and this being granted, the young people appear in public on the fourth Sunday as for- mally engaged couples.

A movement to secure a national memorial in Scotland to Thomas Carlyle has been: initiated by Mr. A. Johnstone Douglas, of Com- _ongon Castle, Ruth well, Dumfriesshire, in co- operation with Sir James Crichton Browne. Six working men of Rochdale who are visiting the Rhine cities, unanimously declare that as regards schools, Poor Law administration, ard municipal institutions generally Germany is far ahead of England, while as regards the cottcn industry Lancashire is still years ahead of Germany.

THE SPIRIT OF THE RACE. Mr. Robert Hichens, the author of "The Garden of Allah," is finishing a new novel, which possesses some remarkable features. Mr. Hichens is a great believer in the influence of locality on authors, and went to great trouble to find a suitable environment for writing his new book. Part of it has been written amidst the picturesque ruins of old Greek theatre near Taormina, Sicily, and part in Egypt, where some of the scenes in the novel are laid. The serial rights of "The Knock on the Door" (as the story is called) have been secured by "The World's Work" Magazine, which publishes the first instalment as a supplement to its June issue.

INJURED WOMAN'S PLIGHT. A woman named Theresa Casley was foursd early the other morning lying under the shelter of a stand on the Bristol City football ground, Ash ton Gate, suffering from a broken thigh. The story she told was to the effect that on the previous evening she was knocked down by a cyclist who rode away. Afterwards a second cyclist appeared and car- Afterwards a second cyclist appeared and car- ried her into the football ground, laying her where she was found. He could not have rea- lised that she was so badly injured, because on leaving her he said, "You may be better pre- sently." She had lain there helpless through the night.

MILLIONS FOR PAUPERS. No less than £ 7,317,300 was expended, says a Local Government Board return, on poor relief during the Michaelmas half-year of 1908, an increase of nearly a quarter of a million on the figures for the corresponding period in 1907. London's share was £ 1,947,288. Persons in receipt of relief on July 1 last numbered 882,012, of whom 139,605 were in London. The aggregate expenditure was equal to a rate of 4s. lld., but, taking London alone, 4 the rate comes to 8s. ltd., while per head of total population the expenditure works out at Is. Hid.

• VILLAGE TRAGEDY. A boy named Frank Stratford, aged ten. was found dead with his throat cut at his home in the little village of Preston Capes, Northamp- ton. The boy's mother, who had rushed up- stairs on hearing a cry, is stated to have found the father, whose reason had suddenly given way, standing over the boy with a razor. She tried to pull him away, but it was then toe late. Stratford was subsequently arrested.

CURED BY TOBACCO. Readers of "Robinson Crusoe" mav re-, member that when that worthy fell ill on his island, he doctored himself by inhaling tobacco smoke. Tobacco, indeed, was, and still is, largely used in medicine, especially in those countries I where the weed is grown. It is said to be most efficacious when ap- phed as a poultice in cases of sprain, eor@ throat, sciatica, and erysipelas. Moist t tobacco, too, is a most effectual remedy for the bite of any noxious insect. In some countries tobacco is used by sol- diers for dressing raw wounds, and it is a notable fact that no cases of lockjaw or mortification have followed after this pre- caution has been adopted.

JAPANESE ENGLISH. Nearly every shop in Japan for the sale of foreign goods is furnished with a sign in a foreign language. No matter whether the language is intelligible; if it is only in foreign characters, that is enough. Many of theseV signs are a study: "The All Countries Boot and Shoe Small or Fine Wares": Old Curious"; "Horseshoe maker instruct by French horse leech"; "Cut Hair Shop"; "Ifi you want sell watch, I will buy; if you want buy watch, I will sell. Yes, sir, we will, all will. Some at my shop. Watch-maker "Hatter Native Country"; "The House Build for the Manufacture of all and best kinds of Hats and Caps."

COAL TRADE CRISIS. Alderman William House, president of the Durham Miners' Association, takes an alarming view of the imminence of grave trouble in the mining world. In an interview he said that the action of the coalowners in South Wales and Scotland, who insist upon terminating their existing concilia- tion board agreements in order, it is assumed, that they may demand and obtain a reduction of day men's wages consequent upon the Eight- hour Bill coming into force next month, is likely to precipitate strife. The organised workers and their leaders are determined to resist a. reduction in wages.

HUMOUR OF THE WEEK A MILD REQUEST. The Court: "Six years' hard labour. "You'll get a chance to learn a trade, my man." Burglar: "Couldn't I be 11 permitted to learn it—er—by correspondence?" SUBSTITUTE FOR LEATHER. A butcher in a certain town was famed for Belling tough meat. One day a customer entered and asked for a large beef-steak. "Is it for boiling or stewing you want it?" lie inquired. "Neither," replied the customer, "it is for making a hinge for the barn door." THERE ARE OTHERS. If A certain peer who has been very pro- Roberts debate said to me, Lord Roberts Roberts' debate said to me, Lord Roberts gets no further.—"Sunday Chronicle." Lord Roberts isn't the only one, says "Punch." PLENTY OF GRIT. A student who was taking a young lady out in his motor-car remarked: "We are going at fifty miles an hour. Are you game for another ten?" His companion, as she swallowed another mouthful of dust, replied: I'm full of grit." FATHER XNEW! In a Sheffield school the children were asked to come prepared with the meaning of the word "bachelor" for the next lesson. This was one little girl's confident defini- tion: "A bachelor is a very happy man." The teacher wanted to know more. How did the child know that? "Father told me so A PICKER. An amusing story is told by Sir W. H. Hol- land of the answer given by a London waif to a Salvation Army captain. The zealous officer had asked the boy what work he did to provide him with food, etc., and the reply was: "I pick strawberries in the summer, I pick hops in the autumn, I pick pockets in the winter, and oakum for the rest of the year." HIS LITTLE JOKE. An American newspaper says that Jack London, on his last visit to New Tork, was introduced to a musician in a cafe. "I, too, am a musician in a small way," said London. "My musical talent was once the means of saving my life. There was a great flood "in our town, in my boyhood. When the water struck our house, my father got, on a bed and floated with the stream until he was res- cued." "And you——?" asked the musician. "Well," said London, "I accompanied him on the piano." TOO SMART FOR HIM. He was a smart junior, with a rising repu- tation for genius in the art of cross-examina- tion. Said he to witness, a garrulous but alert old lady:- "How much money had you in your pocket :when you say it was picked ? "Four shillings, two sixpences, and a sove- reign in gold," came the reply trippingly on the tongue. "Did you ever see a sovereign in anything but gold?" was the next question, cynically put. "Yes; I once saw King Edward in a car- riage." F THE BLIND MAN'S BUFF SHADE. "Have you got any buff trimming to go with this stuff?" asked a flashily dressed Ionian of an assistant in a large draper's Bear Regent-street the other day. "I think so, miss," answered the polite young man, taking down a piece and spread- ing it on the counter. "Buff! Do you call that buff?" exclaimed the woman. "That's too dark for a buff." "But, miss, that is "It's too dark! I can see it is." "Why, of course it's dark, madam," per- sisted the man. "It's blind man's buff-the new shade, you see." A SURPRISE FOR THE DOCTOR. An old lady of great wealth has just died at Fontainebleau. Her. will, which was opened on the day of her death, contained the following clause:— "I bequeath to my doctor the entire con- tents of the old trunk in my dressing-room, the key of which will be found in the mat- trees of my bed." I Great excitement among the relatives, who imagined the treasures of the deceased to be escaping from their clutches. At last the doctor is sent for; the trunk is opened and found to contain, intact and, uncorked, all the drugs and mixtures that he had pre- scribed for her during the last thirty years. ONLY COUGHED! Arriving at a small Canadian station ■where a number of cowboys had gathered after the regular round-up, a young tender- foot asked permission to ride a certain horse :which belonged to a cowboy present. "Why, sure," said the owner, and helped the young fellow to mount. It wasn't long, however, before the pony started to buck, and the tenderfoot was thrown. "What threw you?" asked the owner bf the horse, helping the young man to his feet. ,¡ v? ■ "What threw me?" said the tenderfoot, surprised. "Didn't you see it buck?" "Buckl" said the cowboy. "Why, it only coughed." PARADISE LOST. A fervid female suffragist was eloquently pleading the cause nearest her heart in public, and wound up with the question: "Where would man be if it had not been for woman?" She loked around the crowded hall. The silence was intense. She cried again, im- pressively "I repeat, where would man be if it had not been for woman?" Then arose a voice from the rear: "In Paradise, ma'am." EMBARRASSED BRIDEGROOMS. At a recent wedding, says a vicar of an East London parish, the bridegroom, in re- peating the passage in which "cherish" occurs, in a faltering voice expressed his Willingness "to love and to 'perish. "Oh, sir, I do feel that nervous!" once pleaded another embarrassed swain in the middle of the service. A widower, who was very awkward in mak- ing the responses, apologised by saying: "Really, sir, it is so long since I was mar- ried last that I forget!" QUAINT ADVERTISEMENTS. SALE. Baker's business, good trade, large oven, present owner been in it seven- teen years. Satisfactory reasons for leaving. WANTED.—In factory, girls to sew but- tons on the sixth floor. WANTED.—An industrious man to take charge of 3,000 sheep who can speak English and German. REQUIRED.—Capable man to undertake sale of a new cough cure that will prove highly lucrative to the undertaker. i

A PROBLEM OF TO-DAY. A writer in, the" International Review for June deals with "The Problem of Over-Grown Cities." The counter-movement, which is endeavour- ing to empty the town by degrees, depends, he says, upon the cost of travelling, and he shows how in Belgium, where the railways are state- owned, town-workmen are enabled to reside in the villages. The fares fixed by the Belgian railways are so low that the workmafi pays less for six return tickets than the ordinary traveller for one. The Belgian State Railways make great sacrifices in this way, estimated at £ 600,000 yearly, but in this way only is it possible to uphold the Belgian villages and to avoid to a certain extent the serious danger connected with the overgrowth of great cities. In the same way, through the low railway rates, and by facilities for the conveyance of milk, flowers, fruit and vegetables, for whi-ch special wagons are provided and are attached to express- trains, many of those rural callings requiring con- siderable labour, which hitherto were barely possible on the outskirts of towns, can now ba carried ion at further and further distances from them. The article is an argument for the nationalisa- tion of railways and their management, not in the fiscal interest of the State, but in the social interests of the population. >