RANDOM NOTES

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 92, 12 January 1929, Page 8

RANDOM NOTES

SIDELIGHTS ON CURRENT EVENTS LOCAL AND GENERAL (By Cosmos.) “The batsmen were very quiet as the ‘Advocate’ went to press,” states a contemporary. A case of fearful expectancy, so to speak. “Collection” and “congregation” are almost synonymous terms, according to a new dictionary. Clergymen, however, know that it is not always so.

A man in Dunedin, turning over the leaves of an old Bible, found a banknote and forgot the quotation he wanted.

If many more finds of ambergris are made along the New Zealand coast, we will soon have an army of prospectors searching for this valuable substance, which at the present time is valued at £7 per ounce. The fortunate man who discovered a lump weighing some 2241 b. in the Auckland district a few days ago, will soon be able to count himself a wealthy individual, provided, of course, that the substance is shown to be the genuine article. ‘What is ambergris, and how does one know it when it appears These are questions which naturally arise when other residents of New Zealand are in hopes of discovering a few ounces of this rare commodity. - There is usually little difficulty in locating ambergris once you are near it. One expert describes it as having: “a smell like all the musty, mouse-infested cellars of the world rolled into one overpowering odour.”

Ambergris is the product of the sperm whale. It floats, and the occasional piece of it which becomes dislodged from the body of the whale may, drift thousands of miles on the surface of the water. Once it,is washed ashore, it may remain on the beach to disintegrate, unless recognised by some lucky stroller. Considering the varying weight, colour and consistency of ambergris, the only fairly reliable identification for one who knows nothing about it is the smell. So, when one is at the seaside it pays to investigate any unusually unpleasant odour. It may not be ambergris, but if it is your financial worries may be ended. While ambergris may be unknown to most people, its great value lies in the fact that it is the base of most of the world’s perfumes. How one of the vilest odours may be transformed into the most exquisite perfumes is one of the many secrets of the chemical world.

' From time to time the spy system of one nation or another is revealed in the limelight, and we are reminded that notwithstanding all the peace gestures of the civilised world, man is still curious, regarding the defensive prepara-; tions of his neighbours. Yesterday we heard that a Danish officer, who had been convicted of espionage, had been sentenced to five years’ imprisonment. Few people realise what a huge organisation sometimes lies behind the secret sejrvice work of some countries, and during the war the ramifications of such organisations were amazing, indeed. Just hqw complete a system of espionage may be, was shown by the German activities in the United States during the war. Germany naturally did not want America to join the side of the Allies, and she accordingly set her spies to work, not only -.to create an unfavourable public opinfe.n towards her opponents, but to injure ffre Allies, through America, as much as possible.

Roughly, there were three executives : Commercial, Military, and Naval. Between them, they had dupes and ramifications throughout America and Canada, In charge were Dr. Heinrich F. Albert, Captain Franz van. Papen, and Captain Karl Boy-Ed. Their headquarters were in the building of the Hamburg-America Line, New York, with many bureaux scattered all over the country. Between the three of them they nearly succeeded in wrecking the chance of American intervention. Heinrich got busy in buying up munition factories all over the country, and huge munition orders were taken, from Britain. Some were never filled, others were completed—with defective munitions. Papen interested himself with a little plan for German-Ameri-cans to invade Canada, blow up the Welland Canal, wreck railways, and make it abundantly clear that there was plenty for the Canadian troops to do at home without going to France. He nearly succeeded in his plans.

The naval side of the organisation made the lot of ships, conveying munitions and food supplies to Britain, just about as unhappy as possible. Bombs were tied to ship’s rudders calculated to go off in mid-ocean, and chemical time-bombs were placed in the holds. Sulphuric acid, eating through a thin partition mixed with chlorate of potash, started many a terrible conflagration. Dr. Walter T. Scheele, a chemist, was the inventor of these bombs, and he made a fortune. The bombs were manufactured on board the Frederick der Grosse, which was tied up at Hoboken, and numerous ships fell victims to them, including La Touraine, Minnehaha, Lord Erne, and a long list, of others. These three German executives built up an organisation which reported just about everything that was happening, including even the contents of every freight train carrying munitions to the Eastern seaboards. Even the'ship and the hold intended to receive these goods were known. Money was spent lavishly. Bribes for ships to change their course and come within striking distance of a submarine or raider amounted to a mere 1,419,394 dollars.

Von Rintelen, a notorious spy for whom, when captured the Kaiser offered any ten British prisoners in exchange, openly boasted that he was backed by a hundred million dollars. He bought two million dollars worth of food weekly and sent it via Denmark to Germany. In fact, for just under 18,000,000 dollars he nearly succeeded in buying 350,000 Krag-Jorgensen rifles, in spite of the fact that President Wilson had said: “You will get those rifles only across my dead body.” In conjunction with Von Der Goltz, one time major in the Mexican army, war was nearly stirred up between Mexico and the United States, whilst really clever working together of the three executives resulted in the sinking of the Lusitania. The vessel received orders purporting to come by radio from Whitehall to proceed 10 miles off Kinsale Head. She did so, but two German submarines were• waiting for her. Thanks to Heinrich Albert, I’apcn, and Boy-Ed, the correct Whitehall message had been treacherously suppressed.