Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-11-05
GLEANINGS AND GOSSIP.


are to be used largely on the private
railway lines in Austria, about 1000
miles of which are to be bought by the
government next year at cost OF
about 100000.
Canadian railways have been adj
yertieIng excursions at low rates to IN
ducc Iahorers to go out to the western
grain fields The estimated crop of
wheat for 1908 is 100000 bushels.
which it will require more than 10000
men to harvest.
Schenectady has the honor Of being
the first and at present the only city in
New York state in which grade cross
in"s have been wholly abolished. 1t is
an achievement of which that city may
well be proud. Since the public service
commission was organized only 80
grade crossings have been abolished in
the state. and there are still S733 on
steam roads alone. These death traps
are killing people at the rate Of 100 d
year and making as many more Grip
pies for life.
Among .he applicants at Carrick- ON
Shannon Greland) rostoffice for an old
age persion fern was man named
Pat Reynolds of the COOtehall district,
who has attained the patriarchal age
Of 100 He is hale and hearty and in
full possession of all his faculties.
A supply of sponges from Yucatan
may be loked for before long. There is
a large growth of fine sponges left I'M
touched SO far, as the native divers do
not usually take sponges at Il greater
depth than Is feet. The better class
grow in the greater depths, and these
are now to be gathered.
In ii paper presented to the British
association by Mr.. Makower. Miss
White and Mr.. Marsden, at it's recent
meeting. an account is given of some
novel experiments made at the Man
chester university kite station, Glossop,
in which a kite was connected to a gal
vanomcter by wire. and then to the
earth. Owing to the upper layers of
the atmosphere being at a higher cleo
trical potential than the earth. a cur
rent flowed down the wire to the earth.
The current varied between and
23-1O0, Doth part of an ampere.
The Congress at La Paz the capital
of bolivia, has. passed the bill which
orders chat hereafter the export duty
paid on copper and bismuth, the chief
products of the country shall be in pro-
portion to the price of those articles in
Europe on the day they are exported
from Bolivia. The Congress is dis
cussing another bill presented by the
government. to the effect that the ma
tiona bank should be authorized to
send silver bars to European mints and
when they return, coined. the law shall
prohibit the export Of that money.
Tho value Of the output of the British
potterieS is varously estimated at
from $27 900 to 500 100000 The pot
terics are located in various parts of
the United Kingdom, including Stat
fordshire. London, BRISTOL Leeds,
tlc-on-Tync and other small
districts. The bulk of the manu-
factories. however. are in Staffordshire.
ir the west of England. where extern
sive beds of clay and mari have been
the basis Of the industry for nearly
two centuries. 1t is estimated that so
per cent of the pottery manufactured
in the United Kingdom is in this dis
trict
Consul General George e. Anderson
writes that the Brazilian state of Rio
Janciro is preparing for the reception
of 500 japanese families a year as i'm
migrants, under an arrangement with
the Japanese government and emigra-
ton companies. The state is to sell to
these immigrants lots of land of from
Is to 20 hectares (%1.0 to 1912 acres) at
the rate of from 20 to 40 milreis ($6 TO
s12) for cleared ground. and Is to 80
milreis ($4.50 TO $9) for fallow ground.
Tho best lant, therefore, will be sold
them at something like S. an acre. The
japanese will farm the land in their
own fashion. but it is expected that the
Immigrants will consists largely of rice
farmers. and that they will effectually
introduce Lapenese methods of rice cul-
ture in the state and develop the rice
industry materially.