The independent., 1905-08-31


from that source, the house and senat military
committees are bound to improve the plan, and
it is feared that this amendment will in the end
defeat the object of the war department, which is
to have reserve force in this country independ-
ent of the national militia.
The "Erae Weekly" sixteen-page newspaper
for the blind and the first of it's kind ever
issued, has just made it's appearance in Edin-
burgh AS its name indicates the paper is printed
in the raised characters invented by Braile,
blind Frenchman, who died in 1852, whose system
is the Cne in general use by blind persons the
world over. recent Improvement in the en-
b0ssing process renders the cost OF production
very moderate, and it is believed sufficient sub
scribefs will be obtained to make the new venture
a success. The paper contains editorial, war and
foreign news, together with sporting intelligence
and various light features Special permission
has been given by the leading papers and press
agencies of the United Kingdom for the reprOduc
tion of kilograms and articles and, as far as pos
sible, nothing has been left undone to give the
blind the newspaper advantages possessed by
those who have the blessing of eyesight
The report of Major General Corbin, COM
mander-in-chief of the United States army in the
Philippines for the fiscal year, 1905, in part, says
that greater efficiency harmony and economy
could be obtained if the division commanders were
members of the commission and, in addition to
their other duties, performed those of the secre-
tary of military affairs to the governor general,
thereby placing all the military forces, army
scouts and the constabulary under one directing
head. The result would be more union of action
than has occurred in the past. Division COM
manders should be selected with a view to their
special fitness for this duty on the commission
ard should always be persona grata to the govern
or general. Major General Corbin thinks that
the inauguration of president should be heralded
throughout the possessions of the United States.
He recommends that the army regulations be
onn0r r16nGf tn for fha Grix,rr of
salute at noon on Inauguration day at every army
post. He recommends reconsideration of the
ruling of the chief of staff of the army that no
more colOnels with civil war records be promoted
to be permanent brigadier generals and cites
many cases of able colonels who are deserving OF
permanency, the service being entitled to their
knowledge He prophesies that the Philippines
in the near future will not only furnish their own
coal supply, but will compete with Australia and
Japan in the markets of Singapore
In a note which he recently presented to the
Academic des Sciences, M. Vidal shows the eff
cacy OF the new hail-destrOying bombs which he
has invented says the Scientific American. On
the first of August of last year, a severe storm
which was condensed on the highest SUBMITS Of
the Bernese Alps, at attitudes above 10000 feet,
came down through the narrow valley of the
Rhone With great speed it passed across the
northeast end of Lake Leman, the rich plains
of the Vaud Canton then ended at the Lake of
Neuchatel. All the localities were much damaged
by hail. except the small towns of Lonay and
Echichens. These were the only places where
the bombs were fred into the air, and this seems
to be good proof as to the efficacy of this means
of preventing hail. Besides this, M. Videl brings
out point in meteoroogy discovered during the
storm and hitherto completely unobserved. The
clouds seemed to have been banked in, and were
only allowed to follow a certain path. 1t is re-
markable that all the localities which lay higher
than 2200 feet altitude escaped damage by the
storm. We thus have a valuable indication as to
the height Of the storm clouds, and it seems GER
tain that they kept at very short distance from
the ground. He considers that even When
formed at a high altitude in the upper layers of
the air on the snow-covered tops of mountains.
the storms tend to approach the SOIL and the
more SO they are more highly charged with