General News

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26196, 21 August 1950, Page 6

General News

Canterbury’s Captain’s 100th Game D. H. Herman, captain of the Canterbury Rugby team, played nis hundredth first-class game when he led the team against Otago last Wednesday. Herman first played for Canterbury in 1937. In that season he played against Buller, Southland, South Canterbury. West Coast, and North Otago. His latest representative game was against South Canterbury on Saturday. He has also represented the South Island several times, and he played in the trial matches for the selection of the All Black, team that toured South Africa, la grade football he plays for the Technical College Old Boys' Club.

Fishing With Electricity The catching of fish by the use of electricity will soon be tested in the North Sea, says Reuter’s Hamburg correspondent. Two German scientists have developed a system for attracting fish into a magnetic field and there paralysing them. It is claimed that, because the larger fish are more easily paralysed by electricity, the smaller fish will automatically escape. An assurance has been given that' the crew of a trawler using the apparatus will not suffer electric shock.—London, August 19. Bright Aurora A bright aurora was seen from Wellington on Saturday evening. The predominant feature of the display was a bright dawn-like glow. Mr I.’ L. Thomsen, director of the Carter Observatory, said that observers on Campbell Island had reported a very brilliant display lasting most of the night. A small but highly active sunspot group had been watched with interest at the observatory all last week, he said, and bad radio disturbances were predicted for Friday. “From the past and present studies of solar activity at the Carter Observatory and the occurrence of magnetic and allied disturbances, it seems highly probable that we are entering a period during the next year or two in which some very great auroral displays may be expected,” Mr Thomsen said.—(P.A.) Substitute for Iron Lung A small electrical apparatus which can replace an ordinary iron lung in some poliomyelitis cases was demonstrated to the World Physiological Congress, which ended in Copenhagen today. Doctors described the apparatus as “a sensation.” Electrodes are placed on the neck nerves of the patient and electrical currents produce reflexes which keep the patient breathing, even if his muscles are paralysed. The apparatus was demonstrated by Dr. David Sarnoff, of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.—Copenhagen. August 19. New Flagship The Karoro, a Lodestar which was the flagship of the National Airways Corporation’s fleet, was retired from service on Saturday, says a statement issued by the corporation. The new flagship of the fleet is the Papango, ZK-AOD, which was originally commissioned by the corporation as a freighter in June, 1947. This aircraft is at present being converted by the corporation’s engineering department at Palmerston North into a 24-seater Douglas airliner and when she enters service in October will be the latest addition to the passenger fleet. She will serve on the main trunk routes, and the New Plymouth, Gisborne, Napier, and Palmerston North services. One Chance in 20,000,000 The accidental use of the wrong key showed a New Plymouth businessman that the key to the front door of his home could open the front door of his office, and that his office key would fit the keyhole in his front door. The keys are of a well-known type. Ea'‘n such key and its associate lock are designed differently by making slight but complex variations in such parts as keyways, tumblers, pins and serrations. According to a recognised authority cn keys, what has happened at New Plymouth is the mathematical chance of one in 20.000.000. Wet Tunnelling

Deep in a hillside in the Hunua Ranges, a small grdup of men are toiling at a rock face while thousands of gallons of bitterly cold water pour down on them each hour. They are tunnellers working on the Auckland City Council’s scheme which will eventually bring another 10,000.000 gallons of water a day to Auckland. Working in pairs for four-hour shi r ts, they are performing their job while a steady deluge pours on to them from overhead, spouts at them from left and right, and shoots out of the very face at which they are working. At one stage there was a flow of 6000 gallons an hour at therp, but in the last two weeks the men have forced their wai 175 feet further into the rock, and now the flow has eased to about 4000 gallons an hour.