NEWS IN BRIEF.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15521, 31 January 1914, Page 1 (Supplement)

NEWS IN BRIEF.

The Anglo-Saxon. race controls one-third of the earth. ' - It is stated officially that the funds of 'r, the National Union of Railwaymen total £515,000.- : , The brain of an ant is larger in proportion to its size than that of any known creature. ,-.., According to scientists, not a single microbe exists in mountain air above the height of 2000 ft. There are only about 100 negroes in Paris, which has an approximate population of 2,500,000. The leaf of a pineapple plant can be wrought into a serviceable cloth. The plant is extensively grown in Florida.

A new lightship, with a 40,000 candlepower light (the largest in the world) and an improved fog-horn device, has been, placed at Mersey Bar.

Out of a population of 52,000,000 in Japan, less than one per. cent, ; have the vote. There is a strong movement on foot for extending the franchise.

The Burmese have a curious idea regarding coins. They prefer those.which hay© female beads on .them, believing that coins with male heads on them' are not so lucky. An enterprising conjurer some time since vainly advertised a reward of £1,00 for any Indian magician,, who could show him a trick which he could not already perform. ?. s - , ".'

Not only-New South Wales, , but Victoria and South Australia, are cultivating the olive with good results, and the'oil is likely • to become an ; important article ;cf commerce. '"' . *^„ ..."„^.:::.^.-... ..

. . Most of the world's supply .far comes from; the Russian .Empire;; ; The = hunters, of Russia and Siberia-annually : capture 3.000,000-ermines, 16,000,000 marmots, and 25,000,000 squirrels. .' ■:■ J .„.' •*"

By converting the contents of theT, ratepayers' .dust-bins ; into- paving, ..curbing, 'and.' channelling -for.,the:'streets,'; Slough Urban District : Council haseffected a saving of £3468 in the past ten years., ..•..■ ■. ..., In 20 places in Europe,? oxalic acid i is made from sawdust,: and in Scotland/saw-;! - dust is used ■*_ to; make 'floorcloth;: wrapping paper/ and millboard, a coarse i kind '■ ■■'-. of pasteboard used by bookbinders-y.nd I others. ' ' ■~■ <■ ,_„ A man who fell 90ft onto the railway j line from Sonning -Bridge,, near. Beading',' r I was conveyed to the; hospital.-■ alive;,and | found to be suffering from 'a; shattered.' ■ ; ankle, a broken leg. ■■'.and slight spinal iri- | Injuries. - ~ , ! . Up to the present time one of the most \< valuable cereal grains, barley,, has-beea. ! employed almost exclusively in the manu- | facture of beer. Barley, flour, how aver, 13 said to/contain more nutriment than any / i other,cereal. ■■.•.-■.'■: New York's new post office' a. massive | pile of pink granite, five storeys in height; | and., two blocks long, is: the -greatest: buildI ing of its kind in, the:world.. From - ■ kerb to the topmost piece of granite la ! 101 feet. It cost £1,200,000...-. ._ .;-. ' [ After ; evidence' had' been given 'in a workmen's compensation r case 'at; Asbby ■ . (Leicestershire) County, Court it was'announced that an agreement - had been ari rived at'of liability for a penny, a- week. Judgment was entered accordingly: : . The. Bushmen, or low-grade Hottentots, on the plains of South. Africa, -'have a. : language which has /been proved by. an authority, to bo a close approximation to : . that of the .higher /apes. It consists/ of hissing, clicking, and grunting sounds.' The canal system in China is the most extensive in the world with-th?' possible'-. exception of Holland. Wherever the lay of the: land .permits, the thrifty:-native',-'■ has; made a canal Thus Ihe is enabled to ; carry-the product of his labour to market }■■ with the minimum. expense.. PIT. JL ■',-,.■, -' .- The 'most., curious use- to which paper, is to be put. : s that suggested by the patent-, ing of a blotting-paper towel.,'lt is a new- , style of bath towel, consisting, of a full suit of heavy blotting-paper. A person, upon stopping on; of hi morning tub, has only : to array himself in one of.-those suits, and a second he -'ill be dry. To enable New Yorkers to find -fire . : alarm"boxes at; night,, the; superintendant of; the' fire - alarm department is: painting .-_- them with luminous paint.. It is of white zinc, aridinsome par;* of .'the city, where! there is,a little light, one. of these 'boxes'can be distinguished for a long' distance. The value of .the paint is obvious, and the fire commissioner, ordered that, the boxes all over rthe city should be dressed with this illuminant. -. ,:;••■-;■;-;;;• | _ The Kaiser's yacht,'.vHohenzollern, I is being , superseded by an even more j splendid vessel,; which is to cost half a ' million sterling. It is said that the new yacht was: partly designed' by the Kaiser himself, who adds a knowledge of -shipbuilding -to; his;' varied stock of informa- ..'•: tion. ',- The vessel will take two' years to ■ build, and Is not expected to be ready be- ; fore the middle of 1915. .. :. r '}- .;. ' . At a meeting of the committee of.the .'• : Temporary Home for Lost, and Starving . Dogs, ; Eattersea, recently, a portrait was/,; r presented to the institution by Mr. : W.' L.- • ; Thursby ;of his Labrador retriever, Wid- • geon: which- lie purchased from the home : in December, 1911. -'■':.'■ It has" since i woo* Vfour; first"; and two championship, prizes'. '. Mr. Thursby picked the dog out of five or'.' six r hundred , stray dogs "always•/.in the home, and became the Owner for 12s 6d. . Some' Suggestive experiments have .been r- £ ; : : ' made on;' German " .warships -with lighted' projectiles, which, it is thought, may take--the place' of the electric searchlight. -The projectile, which is filled with calcium cari bide, is fired from a cannon, and since it I is lighter than water - after . striking 'it ■- | comes to the surface. During its inaner;6ioh water is automatically admitted, and produces, acetylene gas,.,which burns.with. :an S fllumination, .•' to , that - of - 3000- . candles.;' * ' The term "'negro'- is not- applied. to a, single j nation,"- and therefore -' is? not syno-' • nymous with Africans, -but : denotes the ideal, type. constituted by the assemblage ■ of certain ; physical characteristics,- which is exemplified tin the .natives iof | Guiana, .in Western Africa, and ,in their -descend-' ants in : ' America. and' 'the .West/Indies,., whither, they were originally carried, chiefly as slaves.' The origin of the/race is 7 one of the undecided points; ;of tethno;'-: logical science. > ' - -•."-' ; - A large staff of women is employed ai ~ . the Vatican for the solepurpose of -keep-™ ing the Pope's wardrobe in perfect condition.. No spot or stain may disfigure the garments ..worn ■, by His Holiness, . and" as he. always appears in white, even, a/few.' hours'- /wear . deprives the • robes/of; their • freshness. It is considered that no man's " hand is dainty enough for ; their care, -so :■ in 'this .one: respect women are permitted -.: to serve ,the Pontiff .Only the: most deli?.; cate materials are used, moire silk being the summer, fabric and a .specially woven fine cloth-the winter one-. -",.->■•-: , ;■ The destruction of seals is being carried t" out by neighbouring fishermen owing to: their; ravages among the fish in the wash, .England,-and- during the half year the Fishery Board'paid £45 for the noses of. - ninety seals,V The inspector quotes the. , v opinion .of ' one ■■, of ';. the , fishermen's 'J repfe-* 'ientativesL'that'' seals . are ■• the greatest enemy to:all. kinds of fish, ■ and be.ie ' vfirmlyAoonvinced that they are the chief.-"' cause of thedearth of soles and plaice in! o the Wash. ; They have' multiplied- : go-. rapidly in the last. twenty years /that hehopes, there will "be, no. relaxation in the. efforts for their destruction. While Mr. Richard .Kerr, F.R.A.5.,r was "delivering ■ a science lecture to : 600 convicts in Portland Prison his house at Mitcham was ransacked during the ah-/; ;sence of the family/ From the disorder, in several of -the rooms it- .was. evident' ; that a thorough search had been 1 made i for money; even postage stamps were ijiI propriated. ' Mr. Kerr's daughter* /who. iis to be married shortly, had arranged• • : her presents around ' the . wedding cake. , : The - presents were overhauled) and tWm most valuable taken. .The cake -was,',ot'.V. damaged.-Fortunately.: tou^eiv.np,cime„ 8 V of radium used for.lecfcufe.p^^>; : aBS»': overlooked, - • *••..-- r-.:.-<v i v L 7 .'Tr.-. "/*;-.. ■