Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1898-02-17
NOTES AND COMMENTS.

gions should be thoughtful enough to
claim their share of the governments
:elief supplies before they start.
A way has been discovered to redeem
rancid butter. After treatment it is
put on sale as a first-class article. The
pure food organizations of Western
State is, however, hard at work in an
attempt to detect and condemn the re-
deemed article.
For 5000 years the Hindoo standard
Of living has been almost the same for
! rich and poor. The rajah's floors are
bare and the rich man washes in the
open air and dries himself in the sun
like his poorer brother, and so simple
is the mode of life and so great the fear
of robbery that immense amounts of
wealth are buried.
Now that the Greater New York is
fact, the troubles of the great city
begin. 1t Is found that some of the
smaller boroughs had gone ahead so
fast in increasing their debts. that the
total exceeds the ten per cent. amount
of their total valuation. Now they are
in the city, New York's borrowing ca
, pacity Is correspondngly decreased.
And now Texas comes to the front
with extensive platinum deposits. In
view of the fact that this metal Is more
valuable than gold and that the elm
ate of the Lone Star State has much
the advantage over that of the Klon-
dixie, why shouldn't some of the SUI
perabundant immigration now getting
ready to go to the latter region be turn
/, ed to Texas.
About 700 years ago coal began to
come into use as a fuel. From time to
time great uneasiness has been ex-
pressed touching the supply. This, too,
in the face of the fact that known de-
posits of great extent in all parts of
the world have scarcely been touched.
In one region of Canada there are $50
square miles, which, it is estimated,
will average $4,000 tons of coal to the
square mile. The coal riches, as well
as the iron riches of Canada, are yet to
be developed.
Writing of the possibilities which lie
before the empire, some clever Rus
sian statistician figures that within the
next twenty years Russia's population
will reach 115,0O0,000. OF course, this
calculation is purely speculative, but
in view of what the past few years have
witnessed in the marvellous growth and
development of Russia, it is hardly safe
to challenge the prediction. In the
meantime the civilized world can only
watch with interest the constant
changes which are going on in that
wonderful empires process of evolu-
ton.
Statistics of child labor in Michigan
included in the annual report of the
late Commissioner OF Labor, show that
in the factories inspected last year, and
which employ when running at full
capacity III ,44S people, only 10 chill
dren under fourteen lears old were en-
ployed, while the number of children
under sixteen was less than 1000. The
inspection laws in Michigan do not
give the inspector authority outside of
manufacturing institutions, and Com
missioner Cox recommends that they
be broadened so as to permit thorough
supervision of child labor wherever it
is employed. Certainly the results al
ready accomplished are satisfactory
enough to warrant an extension of the
s. stem.
Within the last few weeks elaborate
plans have been devised for the build
ing of huge canal from the Baltic to
the Black Sea, to cost not less than
500, 100000; and work on this canal
is scheduled to begin during the
early spring season. The can
al is to be used for naval as
we'll as for commercial purposes, and is
to be deep enough to accommodate the
most ponderous member of the Russian
fleet. When completed, this immense
waterway will give Russia direct and
uninterrupted connection with the
Mediterranean Sea. In order to make
the most of this southern outlet, Russia
negotiated several months ago for the
acquisition of Mount Athos, on the
Mediterranean coast, and is already in
possession of that important strong
hold.
Says The New York Times: The
population of Japan is 42,7OS, 264. Ac-
cording TO the figures presented by the
japanese statisticians, the island has
100000 more men than women, and the
number of families is little over 81
100000. OF mobiles" there are 4,375; of
''shizo-ku," whatever they may be,
there are 2,06T ,997, and all the rest,
40,G35,S92, are common people," This
is a very good showing, particularly as
the japanese noble, as such, has no
special powers and few special privil-
eyes. And the population of this ISL
and kingdom is increasing rapidly, the
increment last year having been 49,
GA. These figures include only what
are called fixed residents, and make
no account of the Formosans, who, ap-
parently, are not considered the real
Japanese. 1t is customary to think
Japan as a small country, but obvious
ly lack of men will not prevent her
from holding her own against any Eu-
ropean forces likely to be sent into the
neighborhood of her shores.
Daily medical inspection of schools
bad its beginning in Boston, and every
public and parochial school in that city
nad daily undergone this examination
for the last three years. 1t Is pro-