NEWS IN BRIEF

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 16, 13 October 1933, Page 2

NEWS IN BRIEF

Items of Interest

FROM ALL QUARTERS

Although there has lately been a change to higher temperatures at night, the jig-saw puzzle craze has shown little signs of decreasing in popularity. One shop that experienced a fairly heavy volume of business in sales of jig-saws during the winter reports that the puzzles are still being asked for; especially medium sized ones of scenic views, and ships, aeroplanes, etc., for children, are still selling well. A representative stock of puzzles is being prepared for an anticipated Christmas rush.

A veteran horse trainer was Questioned in the Supreme Court at Auckland by Mr. Northcroft about the special skill necessary to train horses so that they might win races. “Thatis the object of training,” said the witness. "Yes, but not necessarily the purpose,’’ retorted Mr. Northcroft. “Not necessarily the purpose," the trainer agreed, “and I can tell you why.” But he did not get an opportunity to expound the mysteries of this distinction further.

“I did not see benzine at a higher price than 21 cents a gallon,said a Wanganui resident who has just returned from a trip through the United States. He said that the oil wells on the west coast, between Los Angeles and San Francisco, were very numerous. Some of them were as far as a quarter of a mile out in the sea.

At the most recent monthly meeting of the Otago Motor Club the president (Mr. P. W. Breen) referred to the conviction in the City Police Court last week of four men who were charged with' car conversion. He said he was sure that it would be a matter of satisfaction to all motorists that such salutary sentences had been imposed, and it was hoped that this would act as a deterrent and correct the impression that seemed to be abroad, that the law provided little or no punishment for the unlawful conversion of motor-cars.

There was a refreshing note of candour about the reply of the Spriggens Park caretaker (Mr. George Morgan) to a toast in his honour at the Wanganui Rugby referees’ dinner. He had two complaints to make, he said, adding: “One of the complaints I want to make is about the referees. There is too much time lost in accidents to players in Rugby. What I say is that there should be one ambulance man on each side of the ground, and when a player is hurt drag him off and let the game go on. They were dragged off in the old days, or came off themselves.”

A preference for the present method of voting at local body elections by crossing out rejected candidates' names against the system of marking names against the system of marking names of favoured candidates by a cross, was expressed at a meeting of the Mount Roskill Road Board. “Voters enjoy being able to cross out the names of a candidate whom they dislike,”/ commented Mr. R. Sanft. “I hare never used anything but the striking out system,” remarked the deputy-chairman, Mr. S. Scarborough.

Losing his way twice in a flight from New Plymouth to Auckland a day or two ago, Mr. Lightband, a Taranaki pilot, took five hours for the journev instead of the usual time of two hours. He left New Plymouth at 1.15 p.m. and, mistaking the route when in the Waikato, 'crossed the Hauraki Plains. Arriving at Thames, he flew up and down the coast in search of the aerodrome, and finally landed at the Parawai racecourse on account of fuel shortage. After replenishing his (,ank and receiving instructions, he was able to complete his journey without further trouble.

The ready wit o£ the chairwoman of the Napier Townswomen’s Guild raised a laugh during a meeting in St. John’s Hall, Napier. Miss Violet Macmillan, in the course of an address to the members of the guild on the subject, “Food and Health,” supplied her listeners with a great amount of useful information as to what was the right food and what -was not. “At afternoon tea parties,” she said, “people would think me Insane if, instead of taking a cream puff, I was to ask for a carrot —and yet the carrot would be a far better form of nourishment.” At the conclusion of the address Mrs. Henley, after thanking the speaker, announced: “Afternoon tea may be obtained in the hall— l am almost afraid to mention it.”

Things go in cycles, even the craze for collecting all sorts of queer things. At present, says the Auckland “Star;” the craze is the collection of matchbox tops, but even this is not new. It was known in Siam in 1893. And this is the story. One of the professors at the Auckland University College was looking for a passage suitable for translation purposes. He had a copy of the “Financial News” of July 29, 1893, and this is what he found: ‘‘As pretty nearly everybody in Siam of the age of four years and upwards smokes cigarettes, the consumption of matches is considerable, and the import In 1892 was 11,972 cases, equal to 86,495,400 -boxes—an increase of 1815 cases on 1891. English matches, it seems, are unknown in Siam, and the trade is almost entirely in the hands of the Chinese, who have quite driven out the Swedish match in favour of the Japanese article. It is curious to learn that the consumption of matches may have been greater than it would otherwise have-been on account of a curious mania for collecting match labels, which was prevalent for some time recently among the upper classes of Siamese, but which, like other crazes, has had its day. Match labels were even made a means of exciting the gambling spirit so innate In the IndoChinese character. Guests at evening parties, bringing with them their collection of lebels, ventured large sums on the wager that the labels held by them were unique, and that nothing similar could be shown by anyone present.”