STANDARD X

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 175, 21 April 1937, Page 17

STANDARD X

A Spare-time Column

NEWS AND NOTES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

What is Standard X? This question you must answer for yourselves, for the answer really depends upon you. Standard X is any standard and every standard—any form or class you happen to he in. Do not read this column until your set lessons are done and posted to your teachers. Then, and only then, you are invited to enter Standard X. « a ♦ Some Fun Interrupted. Two schoolboys who were enjoying themselves in a quiet spot on the Tinakori Hills yesterday had a surprise when their fun was interrupted. They had been watching men burning gorse, and decided they would have a fire of their own. So they found a little hollow and soon were having good fun seeing how thick they could make the smoke. But suddenly one of the men came striding across the grass and shouted to them to put the fire out and clear off, or he would send the police after them. No doubt boys think the authorities are a nuisance, but lighting fires where the grass is long and the shrubs are thick is a dangerous practice. World Wants Peace. Mr. George LansbAy, a British member of Parliament, has created great interest in England by telling the people about some talks he has had with Herr Hitler, the German leader, about peace. He is finding out if the nations will have a conference about money problems and friendship, to pave the way to peace. Lord Nuffield Does Sleep. Of course you have heard of Lord Nuffield, who used to be simple Bill Morris before he got rich building motorcars and began to give millions of pounds to charity. Shortly after he had left New Zealand a few weeks ago, an English newspaper reported that he had slept only one hour in ten years. Now Lord Nuffield says it is nonsense and he is very angry, He sleeps eight hours a day, he says. He is a wise man and knows the value of sleep. Even supermen cannpt do without some sleep, and you generally find people are mistaken when they say they do not sleep. Sometimes you think you remember staying awake all night, but you probably slept very well really, without noticing. The American inventor, Thomas Edison, was a man who slept very little, but even he had two or three hours a night. Has Led an Exciting Life. Not many men have lived as exciting a life as you read about in books of adventure, but Count Felix von Lucknet is one of those who have. He made himself famous during the war by raiding Allied ships in his sailing vessel Seeadler. When ho was at last captured be was put on the island of Motuihi, Auckland, but he escaped by a daring plot and was only captured with difficulty. Now this interesting man is coming to New Zealand in his new motor-yacht, Sea-Devil, aud-bringing his wife with him on his visit.

Mrs.'Harry Bonney Again. Did you trace on a map the course of Mrs. Harry Bonney’s solo flight over 14,000 miles from Australia to Cape Town? Beginning at Darwin, take the line of flight across the sea to Koepang, in Timor Island, and then to Sourabaya, in Java. On Saturday she landed at Muntok, Banka Island, in the Dutch East Indies, and went to Singapore on Monday. Look through other pages in the paper this morning to see if there is any other news about her.

First Lump of Sugar. .-Who gave us our first lump of sugar? It was Henry Tate, born at Ghorley, in Lancashire, England, in 1819. He began work as a grocer’s assistant, and passed on to a sugar refinery at Liverpool, acquiring an invention by which loaf-sugar could be cut into cubes, and becoming king of the sugar market. Franklyn the Camel Boy. Franklyn is only 18 months old, but he has spent 12 months of his life on a camel. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Jones, and has completed a trek across Australia, arriving in Sydney with four camels. Mr. Jones had more than 100 camels, and he and his wife made the journey from Innamincka, in Central Australia, taking little Franklyn with them. Most of the way he jogged up and down on the camel on a pillow fastened in front of his mother. His perambulator was not forgotten; it was strapped up with a primus stove and a bassinet and other baggage on one of the other camels. It must have been great fun for the little traveller.