RANDOM NOTES

Dominion, Volume 25, Issue 170, 14 April 1932, Page 6

RANDOM NOTES

Sidelights on Current Events LOCAL AND GENERAL

(By

Kickshaws.)

We understand on reliable authority that things are so bad in Dunedin, that they have even had to call their mayor Black. Now that the peace negotiations at Shanghai have been transferred to Geneva, the way seems clear for a fight to a finish.

“I am quite prepared to believe you and I am quite prepared to believe Mr. Roberts, but I cannot believe you both at the same time,” remarked Mr. Justice Frazer, in the Arbitration Court. Evidently this is a case where beliefs like sentences, should not run concurrently.

It seems hard lines that Tattersall’s Committee has ordered a bookmaker to pay £5 a week for only a year in connection with a bet of £5 a week for life to half a crown, made by a “punter” against a horse called Gold Meter. If this bet is not the most remarkable in history it comes very close to it. Possibly the most remarkable bet ever wagered occurred during a debate in the House of Commons. It is not remarkable for the huge, sum involved, one guinea, but for the fact that Mr. Speaker himself was'a party to It. When Walpole was speaking in the House he quoted a line from Horace. A political opponent called Pulteney promptly rose on a point of order and corrected him. Walpole indignantly bet a guinea that his rendering of the quotation was correct Mr. Speaker thereupon suspended business while the Clerk of the House consulted Horace. Pulteney was declared to be in the right and Walpole, Prime Minister of England, thereupon flung a guinea across the table of the House to honour his bet. Walpole’s bet may not be as spectacular as that of the American politician who bet he would push his political opponent four miles in a perambulator if the opponent won. But then that deed was duly carried out after hours not, so to speak, during lessons.

The Scottish Amalgamated Silks case that has just ended after a trial lasting thirty-three days, is said to be the longest criminal trial in Scottish history. Legal verbosity is usually somewhat more restrained in the case of criminal trials, but In commercial cases lawyers let themselves go. Possibly a case tried by Sir Thomas Raffles Hughes holds the record for length. The case was known as the “Amalgamated Properties of Rhodesia versus Globe and Phoenix Gold Mining Company.” Altogether the case lasted 145 days, as well as 12 days on appeal. During that time more than 50.000 questions were put to witnesses. The final speech by Mr. Upjohn, K.C., occupied no less than 45 days. Another astounding instance of verbosity was when National Telephones held their famous arbitration case against the Post Office in England. Over three tons of documents and exhibits had to be carted to the law courts in lorries. The telephone company’s engineer, Mr. Gill, gave evidence for eleven days and answered 25,000 questions. This case lasted 72 days at a cost qf £359,000 — or roughly £6OO an hour.

It was stated in “The Dominion” recently that the world’s largest book, an atlas, and the world’s smallest book, half an inch square, are in the British Aluseum library. In spite of the fact that no mention is made of the size of this alleged world’s largest book the claim requires investigation. For example, the Bible has been printed in so many extraordinary ways that the world’s largest Bible must be a very close competitor with the British Museum’s record book. The largest printed Bible in the world was made by a Los Angeles carpenter. After two years’ labour he produced a Bible that measured 434 inches by 34 inches and 34 inches thick. This Bible weighs nearly half a ton and has a spread of Bft. 2in. when open. Its 8,048 pages were all hand printed. But a hand-written Bible in existence beats the printed record in size. It is sft. 2in. by 3ft 6in. Twelve goat skins were used to bind it.

In the preceding paragraph a claim was staked for some of the world's largest books. It is only fair to compare the smallest book in the British Aluseum, .half an inch square, with other competitors. There was a time, possibly remembered by some, when people eagerly bought up freak volumes so small that a magnifying glass was required to read them. Hailing from Glasgow there still exists a copy of the first edition of Burns’s poems tucked away in a book that measures one inch by half an inch. Moreover, the Bodleian library still treasures a copy of the Bible so small that it can be hidden under a postage stamp. A Dutch almanac production called tlie “Court of Flowers.” printed in the 17th century, was so small that four copies could be laid side by side under a postage stamp. There is obviously a limit to the size of handwritten matter, but so far as can be seen printed matter inav be printed so small that even a germ could read it. The record for written matter lies between the individual who wrote nine words on a grain of rice and the Birmingham chemist who presented the Queen’s “Doll House” with the Lord’s Prayer written six times on a piece of paper smaller than a threepenny piece. The smallest invented printing machine, destroyed by its inventor William Webb'on bis death-bed, was capable, of printing the whole contents of the Bible fifty-nine times on a piece of paper one inch by one inch. « » »

While on the subject, of beauties, mentioned yesterday, one would imagine that Paris, at any rate, has now had about enough of Beauty Queens. Each year it is the custom to elect a “Miss Paris.” Miss Paris of 1931 not only ran away Immediately after she was crowned, but It was discovered that she was the mother of a four-year-old baby. The committee decided that the second prize-winner should be installed as “Miss Paris.” Miss Paris number one promptly sued, the committee. She said that she had a baby to assist the » Government scheme recently launched to keep the birth rate from falling. For this she deserved praise, not punishment. The judge of the court was on delicate ground. With the skill of Solomon he announced after careful deliberation that “Miss Paris” number two was the reigning “Miss Paria. 1931." while “Miss Paris” number one was the “former Miss Paris. 1931.“ Incidentally, another Miss Paris. Miss Paris. 1928. is now serving a sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment for killing her lover.