NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 112, 17 November 1928, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY

More Down Than Up. At a recent carnival shopping week held not a hundred miles from Wei. lington -the committee in charge of operations concluded proceedings by liberating a number of balloons, a gift being made to each child who captured and returned one. This was great fun for the kiddies, but as time wore on it was discovered that more balloons were being returned than had ever been sent up, and tho supply of gifts ran short. The explanation was that, being late shopping night, it was easy to purchase similar balloons for v. penny or two, this, in the opinion of some bright, if not altogether honest, youngsters being a transaction worth while in view of the free gift and of the fact that they were allowed to keep the balloons as well. Watch the Lights. Largely because pedestrians continue to ignore the light signals at i Courtenay place, the success of the experiment for safety still depends on the forbearance of tho motorists at this busy intersection. Elsewhere in the city it is chiefly the agility of the pedestrian which precludes accident, but the motorists are on their good behaviour at Courtenay place, perhaps becauso tramcars interveno frequently. Tho presence of the latter shows one good point in the arrangement of the lights. They aro high enough up to be seen despite the tramcars. In the opinion of somo it would havo been better had special poles for the lights been erected exactly opposite the eyes of tho traffic they diroct, as nowcomors have to learn where- to look for some of them. A northern Magistrate has already pointed out tho preponderance of trivial cases brought befol'o the Court through broaches of tho traffic laws. Motorists cortainly do take up tho timo of tho Courts, but if the podestrians who fail to keop to , tho whito lines and to obsorvo tho signals in Wellington were nil brought to book, theatre quouos would become insignificant in comparison. Not True to Label. Penny-in-the-slot machines, oven if thoy belong to tho Govornmont, and in spito of thoir austoro external appearanco and mechanical inwards, aro not always as honest as thoy look. Ono such machino installed in the vestibulo of tho Lower Hutt Post Offico played a nasty trick on somoono who, Into, tho other night, desired to purchase two penny stamps in order to post letters to catch tho morning's oarly mail. Having two of the requisito coins, ho inserted ono in the machine's maw, to receive in return one strip of red stampodging. Tho second and last penny followed the first and its purchasing power was tho same. Representations to tho postmaster the next morning resulted in tho financial basis of tho transaction being put right as far as the would-bo purchaser of stamps was concorned, and tho machino receivod the attention that it badly needed, but tho mail was missed. * * An Agitated Sun. At tho prcsoiit timo the surface of tho sun is very much agitated by the presonco of spots; ono of thoso boing the largest that has boon visiblo for some timo. This remarkable sunspot has boon visiblo for somo days, and now possesses a diameter of 12,000 miles in its central portion. Around this contra! nuclous is a large disturbed area of tho sun's surface, with a length of 42,000 miles. This spot thoroforo has a total area of over a hundred million square miles, and is easily visiblo to tho nakod oyo protected by a dark or smokod glass. The earth, placed alongside this spot, would scorn an insignificant spock, so large is tho disturbance. Vory good observations of those spots havo boon obtained at tho Kelburn Obsorvatory. It is quito likoly that tho offeot On torrestial conditions will bo manifested in magnetic disturbances, and, perhaps, auroras, but science Ims insufficient data to make any definite prognostications on tho subject. Winter Show Buildings. The annual report of tho Wellington Manufacturers' Association states that a definite ngroomont has been arrived at with the Wellington Wintor Show Association by which fiIGOO is to bo [laid by tho Manufacturers' Association to tho Wellington Show Association towards tho laying out of tho grounds and erection of buildings for tho Winter Show. A further £1500 becomes duo and payable after tho Show Association has oxpcndod £7500 from its own funds, tho said two sums of £1500 each to form part of tho capital of tho Show Association and to be into of interest.