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Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 17645, 23 December 1922, Page 15

An interesting sketch oE the svsten.ofxSpeS Rp^S: Victoria. About 130 al V^ S °' Then a n +ltPi-A were; no savings banks. ambitious clergyman s f 6 t v id SS S »» rf d ttat in whom thrift had been greatly latil bV the new Sunday hank, ashed why should -a collection hav^to be.taken up if salvation was fre©, us ,JJ r ii j> S?a in » "--Ji ES h out chargo. But if you .have it laid on to your house you have to pay for rt, Tn this caee the salvation I=. kid on. To bo killed through- the of a soarrow was the fate of a returned so - 1* nlmed >?»»* VMb, w* f <*■ three at Te Aioha on Sunday last. At tS Inquest on Monday evidence was •Sen showing that Webb examined tne transformer at tho on the'platform and found, the 30°0-volt switch' all right. He was opening the centre .fuse to when his companion Loekyer, noticed an electric flash st Ke his forehead: Webb immediately falling to the platform. Loekyer climbed up and found A\ r ebb apparently dead. He also-found a dead sparrow beside too bode All the switches had been aimed off/and there should have been :u> current passing c!.r#gh any ct the wires. Alfred Waters. tlio board % electrical inspector, said he ta.v, tbc spanotf", which had its beak and one leg partly burned off. On inspection lie found an arc on a wire connecting tlio knife of- the air switch and the oil switch: also, an arc on the air switch clip which the knife would fit into if closed. He was ol opinion that the sparrow got across between the knife and the clip, thus inducting li; 000 volts into the wires where Webb's shoulders would be. iiie Coroner returned a verdict that Webb, met his death by electrocution, no blame being attachable to anyone. The biennial ''Science Congress" which takes place in Wellington next month promises to be a great success. Owing to the alteration of the days of arrival of steamers from Sydney, the Congress date has had to be altered from January 9th to January 11th, si as to enable" the scienuiic people from Sydney who are coming over to be present at the opening. It is expected that about ICO. of them will reach Wellington on the morning of the lltli, and in the trening of that day Mr G. 11. Knib.bs, whose work as Commonwealth Statistician is so widely known, will deliver hi? presidenta] address. Mr Knibbs is now Director of the Institute of Science and Industry in Australia. Later on in the week Sir Fa'dvin Spen'er and Sir Bouglas Mawson will give-lectures of general interest. In addition to these, there will be innumerable sectional meetings, each section dealing with one branch of science in which papers of a special nature will bo read, , and excursions to D'larcs of interest near Wellington will be made. It is expected that the meeting of the Association, in Wellington itself will last about a week, after which tho distinguished visitors will depart(no doubt in groups) to see such of the New Zealand sights as may interest them.