ANCIENT BATTLEAXE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20538, 12 April 1930, Page 9 (Supplement)

ANCIENT BATTLEAXE.

r A battloaxo, stated to bo 2500 years bid has been found by workmen while making a new road near Schwechat, in Lower Austria. Tho axe is one of fine workmanship and has decorativo designs Scratched on its surface. It is highly 4 polished. In the neighbourhood tho remains of a Roman villa have been unearthed and pn empty Roman gravo has been found.

« THE WORST WRITERS."-

'A statement that bank clerks are worso writers even than doctors was made by Mr. Justice Rowlatt when hearing an action in London recently. 110 was puzzled by a •word in a bank passbook which ho read us " Saul." Then he remarked: "There is no class of persons, in my experience, who write worso than the people who enter up passbooks in banks." Counsel suggested that (he word might be " sundries," but a witness who knew explained that it was '' self."

A BANDIT'S APOLOGY. Robin Hood was never moro courteous ■than a highwayman who started business; in France lately Ho held up Mine. Andree Ivan at tho point of a revolver on a main road just outside of Montpelier and demanded her valuables. j Finding, however, that Mine. Ivan had onlv about 10d fa her wallet the bandit returned her possessions with a courteous tow. He apologised for his intrusion and expressed his regret at her shortage of money. •

Then ho jumped on a bicycle ho had hidden nearby and rodo away.

A FORTUNATE WOMAN. 'A woman walked into a shop in East Ham, London, to buy a putse as a present for a friend. Later sho returned with the purse because she did not liko tho colour, nnd exchanged it for another. But she forgot to take out a wad of Treasury notes she had put in. When the day arrived to mako tho gift to her friend tho woman discovered her loss. Sho rushed back to tho shop, and came out smiling, for the shopkeeper had discovered the notes in tho purse which was first bought and had put them on one sido.

COOL DRINKS FOR HORSES. In the absence of drinking troughs tho Society for tho Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, of Philadelphia, has solved the problem of providing a refreshing drink for horsos in a way that other cities might well heed. Equipped with several buckets, a Stop, Water Your Horse," sign, and ] a wrench for turning on tho water at the fire plugs,, seventeen men are stationed in various sections of tho city during the summer months six clays a week from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Last season 116,640 horses were thus enabled to enjoy a cool drink. '

POLICE MYSTERY CAR. 'A speed of 90 miles an hour through London streets was attained by one of the London I'olic« Flying Squad's new mystery cars in a test made during a visit to Scotland Yard of members of tho Brighton Flying Squad. Tho mystery car, which is capable of a speed of 110 miles an hour, and is fitted with wireless, received a call during a tour in which it was accompanied by the Brighton Squad in its car. It immediately dashed off in answer to tho call, and rapidly outdistanced the Brighton car. . Later the Brighton men were picked up and were shown the wireless room at Scotland Yard, whero tho calls to flying squads are sent out.

"A STATELESS PERSON.'?

The term " a stateless person" was used by Mr. Arthur Henderson, the Secretary of, State for Foreign Affairs, in the House of Commons with reference to >'omen of British nationality who marry Americans.

Questioned regarding the " anomalous state of affairs " existing, Mr. Henderson said that a British woman marrying an American ceased to be a British subject under the British Nationality and Status of Aliens Act, 194, and became an alien, thus having to comply with all requirements for aliens, including registration with the police when stopping in British towns.

SUICIDE BEFORE BAILIFFS. The severity of bailiffs who were put in to levy an execution in the Cafe Westend in Budapest caused the proprietor to shoot himself in front of them in his own cafe. The bailiff told tho owner, Theador Koch, that they had an order to seize and carry off tables. Koch begged them to wait an hour until the head waiter returned from lunch with enough money to pay tho debt. The bailiffs refused the delay asked for, and when the men placed seals on tho tables preparatory to removing them Koch saw that he would be disgraced before all his customers.

Ho stepped back two paces, pulling out a revolver, and fired a bullet at his heart. After ho had been removed to hospital in a dying condition tho bailiffs levied their execution and carried oft tho tables.

MODERN GAME HUNTING. The first large scale big game hunting (expedition in which an aeroplano has been used for transport returned recently to Nairobi from tho Serengetti Plains in Tanganyika. Its members included Baron de Rothschild arid Count Khevenhueller. In a six weeks' trip they bagged five lions, live buffaloes, two rhinoceros, and fivo antelopes. Their three-engined I'okker was found most useful in view of the had roads encountered. One night Baron de Rothschild was aroused by the noise made by an aged lioness devouring camp stores near his tent, and he promptly allot tho disturber of his slumbers.

Baron Rothschild and his party took many photographs and cinematograph pictures of all kinds of game. Of the 120 lions seen many were splendid specimens and black rnaned. Wireless communication was maintained with Nairobi throughout tho safari.

A WONDERFUL TIMEKEEPER There is in Manchester a clock of liUiurto unparalleled accuracy. A gain of only 19.33 seconds a year is n.lono remarkable timekeeping, hub what places the clock by itself in the highest class of instrumental precision is the fact that it gains precisely 19.33 seconds every year. Its rate, of gain never varies. It may ho a subject of wonder why ♦ho clock is not adjusted so that this minute gain 011 time may ho eliminated and (ho clock made to keep absolutely perfect time—a condition which has never vet. been arrived at in timekeepers. It is, however, quite impossible to make so small an adjustment. There are, roughly speaking, 31,500,000 seconds in a year. 'I he clock gains roughly 20 seconds in a year, which means that the gain to 1-1,575,000 th part, of a second every second. The pendulum swings through an arc of about ljin., and to adjust the clock would mean finding a weight, and the correct place to put it, small enough to increase this wing by 1-1,575,000 th fart of l^iu«