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Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 28 February 1935, Page 4

Auckland pedestrians and motorists were surprised to see a motor ear wheel careering along Customs Street West towards the intersection of Queen Street on Monday afternoon, without any apparent reason for its solitary trip. One of the onlookers chased it and retrieved it, wondering what to do next. However, the owner was quickly on the scene, and the reason was evident when it was seen that a large touring car had its axle resting on the asphalt on the other . side of Customs Street. The wheel had crossed the road and set off back to Queen Street.

Fatigue and exertion to people coming down long fire escapes were referred to by Mr V. R. J. Hean, in an address to the Fire Brigades’ Conference in Christchurch on fire-protect-ing design in buildings. He said tfmt in one of the big New York skyscrapers, three athletes we’-e asked to go from top to bottom of an outside escape. They did so, and on arrival at the bottom were exhausted. Cases had been known where people had been carried off on stretchers after negotiating an escape.

When five memoer s of the Mount Eden Borough Council attended a demonstration of a flame-throwing tvpp of weed-removing device, arranged ju one of the borough streets by a city firm a few mornings ago, it was discovered that neither the demonstrator nor any of the councillors could pro duce a match with which to light the device, all of them being non-smokors “In these days it was remarkable to find six non-smokers together,” remarked Mr S. E. Chappell, one of the party, when reporting on the demonstration. at a meeting of the council this week.

Placing himself on guard in the vesti-

bule of the Avondale Public Library on Monday, a large Alsatian dog threatened a number of subscribers, who were unable to pass the animal and enter the library. Several tried to coax the dog, but it refused to make friends, and turned fiercely on those who attempted to either enter or leave the building. Those inside retreated by the rear door, preferring to leave the snarling dog to himself. * Constable C. H. Maisey was summoned, and he arrived with a shotgun. He tried persuasive methods on the Alsation, which bared its teeth and snarled at him. The dog then made off along St. George’s Road, but later returned to the library, only to be driven off again by the constable. -Constable Maisey stated that had the dog bitten anyone he would have had every reason to shoot it. He hopes to be able to trace the owner of the dog, who will no doubt be prosecuted.

-Some idea of the advanced study of geophysical prospecting at the Colorado (United States) School of Mines was given to a Wellington interviewer by Dr. C. M. Focken, lecturer in physics at Otago University, who has returned from America, where ho spent J 5 months. He w-as recommended by the New Zealand Government for the Commonwealth Fund Fellowship, which was sot up by the late Mrs Steven V. Harkness to promote education by travel, and general amity between British and American people. “Studies in geophysics,” said Dr. Focken, “do not replace geology. Geophysics is, however, the science of determining by physical means on the surface the nature of the underground structure. It is largely of use to the Government of this country through the work of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, and is applied to keep up gold production in the mining industry.” Dr. Focken stressed the importance of the science for oil structure work. Through geophysics, many big finds had been made by oil companies in America.