NEWS FROM ALL QUARTERS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 253, 24 October 1936, Page 4 (Supplement)

NEWS FROM ALL QUARTERS.

LIGHTHOUSES FOR MOTORISTS.

"Lighthouses" with illuminated glass walls on which are shown the distances to, and the directions for reaching Berlin, Dresden and many other leading cities, are the latest traffic facilities to be introduced at Leipzig. The signs have been so built that they can be seen for a considerable distance in the city and thus serve as guides. They are supplemented by other illuminated indicators at cross-roads which indicate the nearest and clearest main roads through the city. RAILWAY NOVELTY. Yet another, novelty in railway travel, a touring car on :rails fitted with a sliding roof, has been introduced by the German Railways for excursions in the Rhineland. It is equipped with Diesel engines and, unlike the "glass trains" in service on the railways near Munich, it is able to run on all sections of the track and not merely the electrified sections. The special advantage of the carriage, hoivever, is the movable roof, which can be. imtwo sections by electrical pressure. Numerous windows pa'neid with safety-glass provide an uninterrupted view of the countryside. STONE "UMBRELLAS." Seven gigantic structures of umbrel.lasliaped stones — forming an Indian "Stonehenge"—have been discovered near Tricliur, Southern India. They are believed to be more than 3000 years old. A column of stone, 20ft to 25ft in circumference, forms the base of each "umbrella." Surmounting every column are four massive blocks of stone forming a conc. The structures are known as Kodakkals, meaning literally sticks of umbrellas. Two have fallen, but the other five are in fairly good condition. Tho archaeologist in charge of the excavations believes the stones belong to the pre-Vcdic (before 1000 8.C.) period of India's history. Further excavations are expccted to yield interesting results, and the Government of Cochin State is considering buying the land for that purpose. 1416 YEARS' IMPRISONMENT. A total of 570 years' imprisonment has been meted out to one family in Santa Cruz (Laguna Province), four members of which have been convicted on murder charges. They are "Captain" Kulas Encallado, dO-year-old leader of a gang of brigands who for some years have terrorised Sierra Madre mountains, and his three sons. Encallado himself got 90 years on three counts of murder; -Vis son Engracio 210 years, on seven murder charges; another son, Dominador, 180 years, on seven murder charges; and another son to 90 years' imprisonment for being involved in the crimes committed by his family. Encallado's gang was composed of 34 men, all of whom have now been rounded up. The remaining 30 received sentences ranging from four to 120 years, making the whole gang's prison sentence 1410 vears.

ITEMS OF INTEREST IN PASSING

AN OLD MAN AND HIS TREE. A picture has been found in the Canadian achives of an exceedingly old gentleman gazing up at the branches of a very ancient tree. The discovery is of historic interest since both the old gentleman and the tree have themselves made history. He is Allen Mcintosh, who, as a young settler in Ontario, discovered an apple tree in a wild state on his homing and duly started to cultivate its fruit. From this small beginning a great industry has grown up, for the Mcintosh red apple is one of the most sought after in the world. What Mcintosh and his tree have done for Canadian producers may bo gathered from the fact that last year the total Canadian apple crop —toward which the Mcintosh Reds contributed substantially —was estimated at 4,500,000 barrels, a considerable increase on tho previous year. They were valued at roughly £1,250,000. Half of the output was exported and nearly all of it went to Britain. KING GEORGE'S WAR TUNIC. One of the exhibits at the Imperial WartfMusOum in the old Bethlem Hospital, Lambeth, and recently opened by the Duke of York, is a relic of King George's fust visit to his troops in France. It is the gift of King Edward. A glass case contains the khaki tunic and cap the late King wore on October 25, 1915, when a sudden burst of cheering caused his horse to rear and fall back upon him. The King, the inscription explains, lay still after the accident, but then struggled to his feet. King Edward, who as Prince of Wales was serving with his Guards battalion in France, was informed, and at once left for England to reassure Queen Mary. Close by the Royal rclic, says the "Daily Telegraph" is the service jacket which Earl Haig wore for nearly two years —from the retreat from Mons until the battle of the Somme. MODERN "SANTA CLAUS." Brightly-coloured .toys piled four and five feet high in every room of a twostoreyed house in Cardigan Street, Carlton, a Melbourne suburb, were found by tho police when tho occupant of the liouso died. Dolls, toy motor cars, tricycles, bangles, drums, trumpets and hundreds of other toys were spread all over the floors, heaped on shelves and even tied to the lights and bannisters. Known to most Carlton children as "Santa. CI a us," an old man, with long hair and flowing beard, had occupied the house for many years. A long time ago he made a promise that he would have a toy for every child in Carlton at Christmas. Year by year he repeated the promise, but apparently was afraid there would not be toys for all. Year by year he made no distribution, but added to his collection until all the floor space was occupied by toys, hundreds of which were tramped upon as he walked' from room to room. The only free space in the house was three square feet beside the stove, where he cooked and ate his meals. And, to reach this oasis, it was necessary to clamber over piles of toys.