MORE PATENT ACT RESULTS.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume L, Issue 12145, 10 December 1908, Page 3

MORE PATENT ACT RESULTS.

THE TiRITON'S IGNORANCE OP

HIS EMPIRE

A JUSTICE'S PRIVILEGES

QUACK RELIGIONS

Yet another notable manufacture is to ho carried on here in order to -oon-

j form with the Patents Act. Everyone has seen the numerous Penny-in-the-Slot machines which supply one with enything from a piece of chocolate to one's correct weight. The idea originated in America, where so many ideas como from, and the new factory will bo tho British branch of *he Mills Novelty Company, of Chicago, of which Mr H. R. Mills the . ■ "Benny-iij-thb- ' Slot-King" is the head. Mr 'Mills is here just now on this business, and he intends to erect a ■'■',■ FACTORY NEAR THE METROPOLIS Twenty-fivei inventors and several thousand skilled mechanics, said Mr Mills to an interviewer, the .other day, p.ro constantly working iv his company's Chicago "buildings upon the evolution of the novel coin-operated machines. Five, and even seven years are sometimes spent upon perfecting one 'device. _ A happy .idea—an ingenious machine which draws a ready stream of small coins from the public's pocket—will make its inventor's fortune." A clever fortune-telling device for instance,, happened to hit the public taste so WG-i recently that over 50,----000 of the machines were sold. The evolution of the idea, with three- brains at work, was done in half an hour; ■tho ultimate -profit represented a sum of: well over £300,000. An attractive ppririy-in-the-slot machine situated in a busy locality will sometimes take as many as '2,000 COINS IN ONE DAY. But people aye strangolv fickle wh°n they havo pennies to spend. That is the difficulty. Often they ignore a beautifully constructed machine which an inventor has srent years in' pprfectfiis; ( nnd a manufacturer may "have sunk thousands in building,, to pour coins into a simple device which has been tho inspiration of a moment. Machines with a humorous idea are usually a great draw. An automatic representation of a popular game is often an .immense success. People seem never to tire of testing their weight-lifting, and striking powers. Fortunes, indeed, have been made o\it of machines operating punching bags, dumb-bells, and bar-bells. In America they are experimenting with a machine by which Tramway^car passengers dropping coins into a slot will purchase their tickets, • thus obviating the employment of a conductor. Many shop-krqpers are now having t special automatic . machines built to^flispense some cTiear> and nni- j form line of goods. Automatic machines j arej'' as a'matter of fact still- in their ■ infancy.' . ■ I am often surprised, \in .wandering around, to find what supremo ignoranca exists, especially among the middle and lower middle, classes, of tho various parts of the British Emp'ra. Many folks, even, who are proud to talk of their "Empire on which tho sun never sots'' have'deligbtfully vague ideas of i its whereabouts. The general secre- | t/ary V"' the New; South Wales Alliance, iv!k> lias just returned from an eight months' trip tc England, 'says the ignorance here as to Australia and the '! Australians is appalling. One lady to whom he" was introduced was frankly surprised when she had looked him up and'down. ■ "WHY YOU DO LOOK CIVILISED," she exclaimed. On a train journey he was asked if he were an American. "No,"vhe replied, "I am an Australian." "I knew you were a foreigner- of some kind," was the comment; But tho toughest nut of the lot was the I man who, At the conclusion of an address given by the visitor from Australia, came round to the back of the stago to see the; lecturer. "Excuse me, .Mister,'"'/" ho said,, "but . did y' ever meet a lons, dark man, name 7 of Jones, out : there?" . i '■/-. Which reminds me. Some time back I. was very much amused in discovering .the-following in. a Melbourne journal. • It should be read with interest by members of ;■ Parliament over here: It will take time .and the expenditure of a considerable amount of money to -advertise; Australia properly. It costs Canuda: £100,000 a year, and if 'Australia is ftp become as well known as-the DoTniniori, the sam& amount of money will be required. That: ignoranco of Australian marfcters is not only confined to the masses, but prevails amongst educated people. HOLDING PUBLIC POSITIONS, tho .following incident should prove convincing. The lion William Morris HughciS" M.P.. who was in London as ono~.pi1 tho delegates to the maritime conference, 'was talking to three prominent men coming up by trd.in from the great naval review at Portsmouth. Mr Hughes' travelling companions were Messrs J.H. Lewis, M.P., the Junior Government Whip, . Owen Phillips, M 1.,, chairman >of the Royal Steam Packet Company,; and Sydney Low, a member of the London County Coun- j oil. These-. three public men were quite suro; tliaii tho. Commonwealth Government endeavoured '£ o keep people out of.Australia, and that no one could land unless, possessed of £100. Mr Hughes said that it was: not a fact. They then brought .down the amount to £10, and when again contradicted ■they ■■ ■■ ■.-■*. ' ■•'• ... ■".■".■;•' • '■■

STARED IN ASTONISHMENT. They had, of course in their mind the regulations of the several Australian States whiph are to the effect that before an assisted passage is given, the emigrant must be of a certain typo." Which would seem to show that I (hould alter my opening remark, and include the highest in the land among thosa who are indifferent to the.laws, and customs, and territories of their brothers and sisters, across the seas.

• Apropos of my note last week of the experience of Mr J. Tudor Walters, M.P., iii crossing Palace Yard, I just notieo from the American press,,that the public men of the States are not exempt from similar privileges. Justice Jannetty of Atlantic City once gave a Judgment which was particularly pleasing to the young ladies of that citj'. So overjoyed . were they that they all crowded round him in court and

COVERED HIM WITH KISSES. At intervals, it is said, there emerged in strangled accents from tha middle of the welter, the words. "This court is not a Jiu-jitsu saloon." The learned judge has by this time discovered that thero ir. such a thing as being killed by kindness. Recent legal proceedings hay« reveal-

Ed the fact that the Old Country fc* not tha only place where quack "religions" flourish, and provide lucrative* employment for their originators. Ins Boston, Massachusetts the existences- ' of an extraordinary American sect call— MAZDAZNANA, OR SUN WORSHIPPERS, lias come to light. This denomina— tion does not appear in the official list:, ni religions practised in the United^ States, but the omission means nothing, bec&usa "strange creeds," to quote a recent periodical published by the? church party, "flourish in this enterprising land. They spring up like {&, mushroom in the night, and they disappear like a falsehood before tbetruth.". Mrs Button, of Dorchester^ had petitioned, the court for the appointment of a receiver for the estateof her aunt, Mrs Ellen Shaw, of Lowell,, and the. object admittedly was to pre»vont Mrs Shaw from giving her pn>perty, valued at £20,000;. to the Maz— day.Tianf?. A man named Hammisb,, formerly

A COMPOSITOR IN CHICAGO, was dcscribfcd by witnesses as the leaderof the Mazaznans. Hammish had pectpJiai notions about hygiene, such as? taking dew baths, and .wearing as little clothing as practicable. He talked?" volubly about physical culture and?" rpi ritual strength, and he founded the»'"Sun Worshippers" several pears agcr in Chicago, and to promote his ideals^ he built a temple. Mrs D.:tman, formerly a member of the Hammish household, gave evidence on behalf of Mrs--Dutton, from which it appeared that as^ & trade concern the Mazdaznans was ar littla gold mine. "I bought ojive oxf in bulk,''" deposed Mrs Ditman, "which" was' put up .in bottles and labelleoT' "Sxinshino Oi.ll','.'. Hammish represented this oil as coming rroni Assyria, andf he said it possessed great curative properties. It was sold- in his store forten times as much as it cost. Witness? said that charcnal was put im as

1-; . _-.■ MAZDAZNAN INOBJNSB;-....; its purpose being to cloud tho, brains.* of those who are taking exercise i»~ the temple. Hammish drank nnd ato" Averythit?g. He ate meat, and dranE-. Boer and coffee, although all theset things were prohibited by him in In's^teachings. He assorted that ChrietV birthday was May ,23rd, and that Msr own was December 19.h. On these two--1 days each person attending the. ser^- | vicps contributed 25 cents as a thanks- ! giving offering. Mrs Ditman testifieoT i that there were- different classes in the> •cult." each having different times for exercise. . People in the advanceoT class 'never wore corsets, and the treatment consisted of fasting, massagingy i bathing in tho sun, and studying. Itwas also-jstated that Hammish, withoutscandalising the sun worshippers embraced and kissed his lieutenant, MrsHilton, in the middle of the service ivr tho Mazdaznan temple at Lowell. A httl3 ' Mazdaznamau influence was--" broxight into court, for come excitement.* was caused by Mrs Ditman, who' comrplained that Mrs Hilton, who was in' the court, was "trying; ito hypnotise her.by l iho "left eye line of vison." Truly the- | English speaking race is a marvellous? ! people.