Items of Interest April 25, 1914 Issue

Items of Interest

The rare collection of works of art belonging to the Marquise Arconati-Visconti, and valued at three million francs, has been given in its entirety to the Louvre museum. The bequest was made some time ago by testament, but the giver wishes to supervise, herself, the arrangement of the collection in a special hall which is to bear her name, and it is to be hoped that the state will authorize, with the least delay possible, the expenditure of the thirty or forty thousand francs necessary to effect the installation. This collection, of which each piece is a masterpiece, is one of the best known in the art world, and is especially noted for its homogeneity. It consists of paintings, sculpture, furniture, and other works of art of the middle ages, the renaissance, and the eighteenth century. The Italian as well as the French renaissance is particularly represented.

The post-office receipts of Great Britain in respect of telegrams, telephone rental, and fees, the rentals of private wires and of newspaper wires, during the year ending March 31, 1913, amounted £9,656,671. The expenditure included £7,003,180 in salaries, superannuations, and maintenance of the telegraph and telephone systems; £981,698 on annuities payable to the commissioners for the reduction of the national debt in repayment of sums advanced for development purposes; £1,000,000 for interest and part repayment of the purchase of the National Telephone Company's plant; £17,399 on the purchase of sites, and £12,107 on extensions. The value of the telegraph and telephone services performed free of charge for the other public departments was £106,670, and the balance of expenditure over receipts was £377,846.

The corn harvest in the Rosario territory promises to be the largest in the history of Argentina. There is anticipated throughout the Argentine corn belt a crop of almost four hundred million bushels. The exportable surplus now is estimated at more than half this quantity. Placing corn on the United States free list had the effect of bringing many inquiries for this article, and a number of steamers are preparing to take thousands of bushels of the product to the northern country. Chicago is reported ready to use large quantities. One recent order is for two hundred and fifty thousand bushels, to be shipped via Montreal. While this great distance is a factor in the price, it is yet stated that Argentine corn can be laid down in Chicago at less cost than the western article demands.

Send a comment to the editors

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit

Items of Interest

We'd love to hear from you!

Sign up for unlimited access