GENERAL NEWS ITEMS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20088, 27 October 1928, Page 3 (Supplement)

GENERAL NEWS ITEMS.

BRITAIN'S WOODLANDS. Tho total woixlland area of Great Brittin is 2,958,672 acres, according to the Forestry Commission report. Tliero arc, in England, 195,231 acres of conifers, 338,45b acres of hardwoods, and 220,390 acres of mixed conifers and hardwoods. Tho total area of high forest is given as 1,416,890 acres, or 47.9 per cent, of the total woodland area. A 250-YEAR-OLD CLOCK. Tho British Museum has just acquired What is believed to be the first clock to go for a year with one winding. It was made by Thomas Tompion, the " father of English watchmaking," m 1675. Each hour period on the dial face is divided so that the 12 hours actually represent 24. Tho clock had been missing for over a century, and was discovered lying in a cupboard BLOODHOUND FINDS A BURGLAR. A bloodhound belonging to the West Sussex police played an active part ill the arrest of a man who was charged at Worthing Police Court with burglariously entering a house at Goring. When tho bloodhound was taken to the spot, he picked out the trail at once and led the police to an isolated spot on tho sea beach, where tho prisoner was found. , COW'S GREAT MILK YIELD. Two thousand gallons of milk havo been given in one lactation period by u dairy shorthorn cow belonging to Mr. J. W. Barker, of Lazenbv Hall, Dauby Wiske. Tho cow's average for tho lactation period which commenced on August 14 last year, is eight gallons a day, and on occasions she gave as much as BJ> gal lons. Tho animal is now giving 4 gallons a day. ROADS BUILT OF RUBBISH. Salt Lako City has splendid roads that havo been built of rubbish. The material is levelled by means of a drag—stoves, fcnby carriages, bedsteads, etc. being placed by hand. Tho dump is then rolled with a 15-ton fteel rolloi. which so smashes everything that it (Kicks even more easily than dirt as a foundation for a screened gravel surfuco. WAGES OF SANDWICHMEN. A resolution protesting against. " tho scandalous rate of wage being paid to sandwichmen" was passed at a demonstration organised by the Workers' Union in Irafalgar Square, London, on a recent Sunday, -Mr. Charles Duncan. M.P., general secretary of the union, said an organised fight must be niado to increase tho usual wage of 2s 6d a day to sandwiclnnen to a Iniuiinuin of 5s a day. WEALTH IN WASTEPAPER, Tilly circles of wastepaper which fall Jroin tlit perforating machines at tho Bureau oi Engraving at Washington, pile U P tho rate of 12,0001b. a month, and art- sold by the Government to tho highest bidder. Iho Government has never attempted to Utilise this wastepaper itself. Heroto'°ro it has always boon sold to a Baltimore coal concern, which uses it to eprinklo a certain coal sold as a ,f con•ctti coal."

WORLD'S LARGEST BUILDINGS. Tho following buildings aro reckoned by their cubic measurements to bo tho largest buildings in the world. Tho Chicago Fui'niture Mart, 25,370,000 cubic *feet; Equitable Building, New York, 24,000,000 cubic feet; General Motor 3 building, Detroit, 20,411,000 cubic feet, Union Trust building, Cleveland, 20,000,000 cubic feet; Railway Exchange. St. Lonis and Illinois Merchants' Bank, Chicago, each 17,850,000 cubic feet; and tho Continental and Commercial Bank, Chicago, 13,200,000 cubic feet. A PRISONER MAKES GOOD. A remarkable record of work during imprisonment has been achieved by George W\ Davics, a- negro sentenced in 1914 to servo fifteen years in tho Maryland Prison. Although ho entered prison with a limited education, ho has studied assiduously and has completed a correspondence course m law. He has patented a petrol motor invention, saved about £360, end repaid the man ho robbed. When ho is released ho intends to sit for the Federal Bar examination, and if he passes ho v/ill bo entitled to practise tn any Federal Court. SHAVING WITH PETROL. A man who can shavo with lighted petrol and eat glass without ill effects, is to be found in Lynbrook, Long Island, lie has, however, no ambition to display his accomplishments to tho outside world. This man started eating glass when ho was about fourteen. While at school he picked up his inkwell, bit off a portion of tho glass, and chewed and swallowed it. As nothing exceptional happened ho became convinced ho was different from othei people. When ho wants.a shave ho puts petrol on his face, lights it, and burns the whiskers off. His faco is never even scorched. FORECASTS FOR FISHERMEN. Like Trans-Atlantic aviators scanning a weather chart before tho take-off, Norwegian fishermen in eastern American waters now consult with tho oceanographers before they go down to tho sea in sli.ps." The question they ask is: " Will wo catch any fish?" The oceanographei consults his map of the ocean « - urrents that spring from the Arctic regions. If it happens to bo November no can predict as far ahead as February 1 just what the extent of tho codfish run will be, and when tho canneries can look forward to a profitablo season. WORLD'S OLDEST MARRIED COUPLE In a littlo Serbian villago near Semlin aro livin" probably tho oldest married couple m tho world. Documentary evidence proves that Demetrius Filienovic and his wife, Zivana. wero already married and living in the village, where they had spent their childhood days, in 1839. Demetrius •was then ovei twenty-one. Ho is now fully 110, and his wifo is 107. Tho couplo havo lived together for 89 years, and aro now surrounded by numerous children, grandchildren, and groatgrandchildren. Both aro in oxcollent health and in tho enjoyment of all their faculties. Filienovic has never smoked or drunk spirits. Ho took his last glass of wino 30 years ago.

CAUTIONS FOR MOTORISTS. There aro nearly 200 offences for which motorists in Britain are. liable to punishment. But the polico themselves probably don't know half of them! At Croydon, a magistrate said that the number of offences under the Motor-Car .Act was 88, but £\ Scotland Yard official declares he has underestimated tho total. It is, in fact, impossible to estimate tho number of possible offences unless a staff were put on to tho job of going through tho various Acts and regulations extending as far back as 1835. No concise list of offences is available for motorists, and it seems as though car owners will ioniain in ignorance of tho risks they run of falling foul of tho law. A HEW KING IN EUROPE. Many countries of Europo turned from monarchies into republics at the close of tho war: now a republic has turned into a monarchy. This is the wild mountain Stato of Albania, ou tho cast coast of the Adriatic, formed out of tho ruins of tho Turkish Empire 16 years ago. The change will riot mako much practical difference, for Ahmed Zogu, who is now king, has ruled as ho chose sinco lie seized power three years ago. 110 calls himself King Scanderbeg the Third, alter tho legendary heroes ot the Albanians in t heir long struggles with tho lurks. Though ho is no democrat and many brutalities havo been perpetrated under Ins rule, Ahmed means well by his people, and has done much for their wellaro. A Constituent Assembly has proclaimed the change with much show of enthusiasm. THE PALACE GUARD. It is only very occasionally that any regiments outside tho Brigado of Guards aro on guard at Buckingham l'alaco or St. James' Palace. But a line regiment recently took over this duty, tho Irish Guards being relieved by the Ist. Battalion Prince of Wales' Volunteers (South Lancashire). This regiment is over 200 years old. It was founded in Nova Scotia under the name of " Colonel Phillip's Regiment," but later became tho 40th. Regiment of Foot. Its history is adorned with battle honours in numerous wars, notably in the Peninsular and tho Great Wars. A critical crowd watches tho daily changing of tho guard outside tho palaces, and comprises many good judges of military ''form." They have agreed that the men from Lancashire mako a very eflicient substitute for tho Guardsmon. PASSING THE AIR PILOTS. I'o test tho fitness of prospective air pilots, a novel apparatus has been invented which quickly shows whothor they are likely to feel at homo in an aeroplane. Sitting in a seat liko that of an aeroplane's cockpit, tho candidate grasps realistic controls whilo an inspector shouts at him: " Left bank! Spin! Noso dive! Stall!" What tho would-be pilot does with his joy-stick and rudder bar, in responso to theso imaginary emergencies, is recorded on a charting devico. By examining tho record tho inspector can tell in a moment whether tliG applicant can fly a piano. If ho has becomo excited and pulled tho wrong control when ho imagined himself in a noso divo, ho is summarily rejected on tho machine's recorded evidenco But if ho has kept his wits and reacted speedily and accurately to every situation, no is adjudged to havo " flying senso" and has qualified as a pilot.

AMONG THE WHALES. Back in tho early eighties finback whales were found in great abundanco off the New England coast of the United States. Shooting them from tugs and steamers was a regularly organised business. A veteran Now York fish dealer used to recall that the tug-boat William H. Clark once towed four whales at one timo into a Maine port. Tho whales averaged about sixty-fivo feet in length and were utilised by the factories that converted porgies and other vanities of fish into fertiliser. These plants wcro in their heyday half a century or so ago and scores of New Zealand coast ports maintained from one to half-a-doxen of them. Tho porgy factory owners estimated that each whale netted them about £BO in fertiliser and oil. One factory handled moro than 100 whales in a singlo season. STUDENT AMONG RED INDIANS. Tho latest news from tho University of Chicago is about Cornelius Osgood, a young man who is going into tho Arctic Circle for material for tho essay which is to brings him a doctor's degreo. There is in tho region of tho Great Bear Lakes, in Northern Canada, a small tribo of Red Indians of Athabascan stock about whom anthropologists would like to know more, and Cornelius Osgood has gone to find out. Ho is to live and work among the Indians, and their Eskimo neighbours for a year. Mr. Osgood's equipment will include a recording phonograph, 50 discs to register native songs, 24 notebooks, two rilles, an eiderdown sleeping-bag, and very little elso. Only six white men havo been there before him, and Stefansson, who was ono of them, declares that ho would not go alono. CYCLING JUBILEE' IN ENGLAND. Tho Cyclists' Touring Club in England has Celebrated its jubilee very tyodestly at Harrogate, where it was born. Pcoplo who think tho bicyclo has had its day will bo surprised to learn that thero aro 1300 cycling clubs and over seven million bicycles in use in Britain. When tlx* cyclist first came many people were very angry with hun, and said ho was driving them from tho roads. When tho motor came it was said the motorist would drive tho cyclist from tho road. Mr. Ford mado motoring a popular pastime, sayt. a London writer, and Mr. Morris showed that Englishmen could do »s well as Mr. Ford, but the cyclist heh' his own against both. Whether ho could havo dono so on tho old high penny-far-thing and without the safety bicyclo and pneumatic tyro is another question. A STRONG MAN TRICK. Strong men on tho music-hall stago aro fond of lying on their backs and having placed on tho chest an anvil, which is subjected to blows from a heavy slcdgo hammer. As a " turn" it invariably creates astonishment, but any man could do it, provided ho were strong onough in tho first place to support the heavy anvil. Tho blows indicted by tho sledge-hammer are negativo. Scientists explain this by what is known as action and reaction, which aro always equal. Tho anvil strikes tho hammer as forcibly as the hammer strikes tho anvil, and should tho anvil bo heavier than tho hammor, it will not bo moved. Suppose tho hammer weighs 101b. and moves with a velocity of 16ft. per second, it will strike tho anvil with a forco of 1601b.; but the anvil, perhaps, weighs 2201b., and in consequence will not bo niovod. Thus tho " strong" man is able to roceivo the weight of tho blows without discomfort.