A BACKGROUND TO THE NEWS

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 122, 16 February 1935, Page 13

A BACKGROUND TO THE NEWS

Octopus A man is stated to have had a tug-of-war with an octopus at Point Jerningham, Wellington. The octopus won. The common octopus, though sufficiently hideous in form and ob-1 noxious in character, is not the gigantic creature that the fictional writer sometimes describes with a wealth of detail. A body the size of a football, with tentacles from four to five feet long and as thick as a plan’s wrists, with a total weight of from 200 to 3001 b., may be accepted as about the limit of size. An octopus of these dimensions, with its tentacles outspread would cover a circular area 10 feet in diameter. One of the large creatures is quite capable of seizing a man and drowning him, fqr the most powerful swimmer, if unarmed, could not disengage himself from the five or six score of suckers on the loathsome entwining arms. Its body is sombre brown in colour; its eyes are large and appear to gleam with implacable hatred of every living creature. Under the head is a remarkable apparatus, a membranous tube, which is connected with the gill cavity. This funnel, or siphon, is an additional locomotive organ. Normally the siphon, without liny apparent effort, ejects the water that has passed over the gills; but specially violent expulsions give rise to a motive force, always propelling the octopus backward, but in .varying directions, according to whether the aperture is turned to the right or left. Through the funnel the animal can also discharge an inky-black fluid for discolouring the water, under cover of which it can escape from an enemy. It likes a lair among rocks, where it can prey upon crabs, which form the greater part of its food. Its saliva appears to be poisonous to the crabs and it acts very quickly. Manchurian Bandits. Tongsin, Korea, reports that 200 Manchurian bandits, led by the notorious “Volunteer General” Li Kiangkuang, invaded Korea, sacked a border town, and killed numbers of people. Bandits have long been a problem iu Manchuria. Indeed Japan has maintained that it was to protect her investments and her nationals in Manchuria that she was forced to interfere in that country, an interference which has resulted in the setting up of Manchuria as the independent State of Manchukito. Before then it was estimated there were 55,000 bandits in the country. After September, 1931, following the defeat of Chinese opposition to Japanese aggression, the remnants of the Chinese army under Chang Hsuehliang, about one-third of his total force of 300,000 men, became pseudo-patrio-tic political bandits, professing themselves “patriotic volunteers.” Thus Japan’s financial interests in Manchuria, her nationals, and her extensive railway and telegraph communications, were at once exposed to the danger of the destructive activities of these combined bandits and disbanded soldiers aggregating over 21,000. This large number of bandit-soldiers scattered throughout the country, though receiving money, munitions and military supplies from China proper, had to obtain food and similar supplies by themselves. They have, therefore, indulged in ruthless looting of the peaceful native farmers, while Japanese/ and Koreans have suffered wherever they could be found. They hove also burned villages, destroyed railways, and killed, or kidnapped peaceful citizens. The number of bandits, through Japanese intensive operations against them has now been reduced to about 50.000.

Addis Ababa. Negotiations between Italy and Abyssinia are proceeding at Addis Ababa, the capital of Abyssinia. The town houses some 60,000 persons in normal times, although during the national feasts the great chiefs bring in many thousands of soldiers and retainers, and camp them in and around the town. Two rivers run through .the town, which is built on undulating ground, and, taken all in ■.all, is picturesque and even fascinating, with its quaint conslomei'ation of white buildings standing up from among the thousands of native huts in a sea of foliage. For, due to the late Emperor Menelek’s foresight in introducing the eucalyptus which grows freely in Abyssinia, Addis Ababa is literally bowered in trees; woods surround the town, and, Indeed, straggle all over it. The better class Abvssinians, European traders and the Indian and Arab merchants live in stone-built, tin-roofed houses, the ugliness of which is to some extent mitigated by the trees and gardens surrounding them. The only really good buildings, however, in or near the town, are the Foreign Legations, in lovely grounds some four miles out, the Bank of Abyssinia, the regent’s small palace, and the Church of St. George. Every day at Addis Ababa is market day, and the teeming thousands, with their hundreds of beasts of burden, that fill the red-earthed centre of the town, make up a wonderful picture, exhibiting every variety of native produce on the piles of stones chat-serve as stalls. The rainfall in the town is about bb inches annually. Bermudas and Azores.

Sir Philip Sassoon, Under-Secretary for Air, referring to the proposed trans-Atlantic air service, said a new airport had to be constructed at the Bermudas and permission ot the Portugese obtained to use the Azores. The Bermudas are British, and tneir position gives them much strategic importance, despite their very small size. They are in mid-Atlantic, 2900 miles from Liverpool and 677 miles trom New York. Though the number perhaps 100 islets, and more than twice that number ot rocks, they are only 19 square miles in all, the whole occupying a space of about 14 miles in length by little more than five in width. The intricate channels which lead into the central lagoon are fortified : there is a garrison, and the group forms a naval station for the. North American squadron. The islands are composed of brown coral sand, and are surrounded by a living, growing reef of coral—the most northerly of atolls. Two-thirds of the population are negroes. Owing to the damp heat the summers are trying. ’ The Azores, or Western Islands, comprise 10 islands stretching over a distance of 400 miles. Their total area is 919 square miles. They are of volcanic origin, and most of them are still liable to eruptions and violent earthquakes. Hot springs are numerous. The Azores are considered a province of Portugal, not a colony, and are regarded as being part of Europe. The coasts are generally steep atftl rugged, the interiors abounding in ravines and mountains. The climate is moist but extremely equable. Oranges are the chief article of export.