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Dominion, Volume 19, Issue 254, 10 July 1926, Page 7

In one New Zealand town the postmen who clear the street pillar boxes noticed that there -were often several stones among the letters, papers, etc. (says an exchange). This was ascribed to playful children, until a postman saw a man drop a stone into one of the boxes. “What are you doing that for?” said the amazed postman. ' "Well,” said the man. "I drop a stone in to see if I am in time for the mail. If it hits the bottom of the box I know you have been and cleared it. If the stone lands on something soft I know I am in time.”

A resident of St. Kilda. Dunedin, whilst walking along the Sandhills lately, struck his toe against an object half buried in the sand (reports the “Otago Daily Tinies”). On investigation it proved to ho a cashbox containing a number of cheques payable to the order of Dreavers. Ltd. The box, which it is considered is a part of the contents of a safe which was stolen from the firm’s premises some time ago, was taken to the South Dunedin Police Station, where it was handed over to the sergeant in charge. The police have obtained from the cashbox n valuable clue which they are at present following up. The electric buzzers installed in the Napier trnms may be a boon to passengers wishing to notify the motormnn that thev desire to alight (says the Napier "Daily Telegraph”), but they arc apt, on occasions, to be a source of annoyance to the motorman. Decently one motorman hnd the signal given him about six times on one journey, and wondering why no one alighted when the tram was pulled up in answer, to the signal, made investigations, which revealed that a playful Tad. aged about three years, had been taking advantage of his mother’s abstraction and had been having high days and holidays with the bell push, evidently regarding the whole thing as the best of all possible jokes. The ancient, yet ever-recurring, fnlde of the sea serpent was recalled on the Napier Marine Parade recently, when a long curling, black streak on the wafers of the hay, not far from the shore, created quite a lot of excitement amongst the residents on the parade (reports the “Daily Telcgranh”). So realistic was the sight that the occupants of a motorboat, cruising round in the bay. made over to the supposed serpent, only to find that the fabled monster hnd once more become a fable, the dark streak being cornnosed of nothing more harmful than black, thick oil.