A BACKGROUND TO THE NEWS

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 194, 14 May 1936, Page 7

A BACKGROUND TO THE NEWS

Mt. Ruapehu Lake Mt. Ruapehu's lake is reported to have lost its colour as the result of the recent volcanic activity. Mr. R. Speight, M.A., B.Sc., F.G.S. (later Professor Speighb, of Canterbury College), predicted in 1908 that Ruapehu would be active again “perhaps not in the near future, but almost certainly after a long space of time. Its general form, the character of its lavas . . . suggest that Ruapehu has not passed through all the phases of its life-history,” he said. "The summit of the cone is occupied by a large crater-lake, nearly a mile across and filled with ice. It was n 0 doubt formed originally by a powerful explosion which bore away the top of the mountain. The only present signs of activity exist in a small subsidiary crater occupied by the hot lake. . . . The most remarkable feature of the summit! of Ruapehu is the het lake which lies near the eastern side of the great crater. It is about 200 yards across, nearly circular iu shape, and depressed beneath the level of the ice about 150 feet. Its walls are partly of volcanic rock and partly of glacier ice, which is rapidly melted by tne heated water as the ice moves down to it. . . . There is evidence that the lake boils frequently, and on March 22, 1900, it ejected quantities of mud over the surrounding snow. It is usually quiet, however, but it emits a strong sulphurous smell, and is of a dirty colour. No doubt it is largely formed from tihe melting of the ice by steam issuing from a crack or fissure in the mountain. It is highly likely that the water percolates through the porous walls of scoriaceous rock on the eastern side, and perhaps forms the true source of the Wangaehu River.’’ The Territorial Army.

It is reported that during April, 5610 recruits were taken on the strength of the Territorial Army in Great Britain, compared with 3735 in March and 3096 in April, 1935. "I am very anxious to increase during the present year the numbers of the Territorial Army," said Mr. A. Duff Cooper, Secretary of State for War, on March 12 of this year. “We are about 40,000 short, and we must somehow collect those men if the Territorial Army is to play in our national defence scheme the great part that has been assigned to it. . . . We rely upon them, in the first place, for the defence of our coasts. ... In the second place, to the Territorials has been handed over the duty of defending us from the land against attacks from the air. Here in London ... the Territorials have during the past year been formed into an anti-aircraft division. . . , This is the only great country in Europe in which there is no form of compulsory service, and the reason why we can dispense with compulsion is because we are confident that the good sense and patriotism of our own people will prove sufficient to protect us in any emergency. I am not surprised that the figures of the Territorials are so low to-day, because, frankly, the pressure of economy has made it very difficult for us to treat them as generously as they deserved. . . . The bounty for the Territorial is to be restored from the reduced sum of 30/- to the full £5. Marriage allowances—which hitherto have been limited to married men over the age of 26—will in future be granted to all married men over the age of 21.” Sir Alfred Butt. One of those who insured against an increase in tihe income tax, and who have been mentioned in connection with the Budget leakage, is Sir Alfred Butt. Sir Alfred, who was created a knight in 1918 and a baronet in 1929, has been Conservative member of Parliament for Balham and Tooting since 1922. He is a theatrical manager, chairman and joint managing director of Victoria Palace, chairman of a syndicate owning the Globe and Queen’s Theatres, and has interests in other theatres in London and in Glasgow. He served in the Ministry of Food from 1917 to 1918. “Hue and Cry.”

Mr. Harold Thompson, one of the brothers reported missing in Australia, now says he was surprised that there had been such a hue and cry over their disappearance. In early English law “hue and cry” was the term given to the procedure adopted to secure the arrest of a criminal. The constable of the parish, on information of a crime being laid, and any other person discovering a felony, might call upon the inhabitants to follow in the tracks of the suspected criminal, and when the pursuit reached the borders of the next parish the hue and cry was passed on in turn to its constable. No defence was'permitted to persons taken by hue and cry if evidence of guilt was found on them. The term is derived from “hucr,” to hoot or raise a cry, and “crier,” to cry. Arras.

The Secretary of State for War and Chairman of the Imperial War Graves Commission, Mr. A. Duff Cooper, unveiled a tablet in Arras Cathedral to the dead of the British Empire who fell in the Great War. During the French Revolution a guillotine was erected permanently in the most prominent part of Arras, and travellers would go 30 miles out of their way rather than pass through. During the war of 1870 the Germans reached the gates of the'city, but did not enter. Although the Germans in the Great War occupied Arras for only three days—September 6 to 9, 1914—they remained at the very gates of tho city for 31 months. There was almost a daily bombardment, and thousands of shells were flung into the city, sometimes from a range of less than two miles. Out of the 4521 houses forming the town (exclusive of the suburbs), only 292 escaped injury. In March, 1918, even those buildings wore practically demolished by a recurrence of the German bombardment, until in August. 1918, the British broke through and the Germans were compelled to retreat. Climbing Everest.

These attempting to scale Mount Everest are now at a height of more than 21,500 feet. Describing the difficulties to be met with in climbing the world’s highest mountain, Sir Francis Younghusband says: “At the actual moment of turning back from further effort to reach the summit, Everest climbers have no sense of disappointment —only a feeling of relief. Through the shortage of oxygen their susceptibilities are dulled, and they have so exhausted themselves that they are almost dying men. For the time being they are indifferent to success or failure. But once they are back at even the 15,000 feet level of the plains of Tibet their keenness revives. The actual climber of Everest at the actual ’> moment when he is standing on tho summit will have no appreciation of its glory, or even pride in himself. From want of oxygen he will bo in no state to feel anything. It will take all his remaining energies to enable him mechanically to descend the mountain,”