ENGLISH NEWS NOTES

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 6872, 16 July 1909, Page 8

ENGLISH NEWS NOTES

THE "FLY-BY-NIGHT.” The advertising, mania bos a good deal to account for, and its latest development has resulted in the famous "phantom- airship” of which eo much has been heard lately. The whole thing ■ was a hoax'.engineered by a motor car manufacturing firm. . Two motor cars wore used, one carrying the balloon, a 20-h.p. motor, and a lot of bambo poles lor the steerable car, and the other half a dozen cylinders of compressed hvdrogen. The first "ascent” was on tiu* Chelmsford road, at Writtle. The balloon was secured with ropes and held to the wheel of one of the motor cars, lights were put out or darkened, watchers 'were told off to give an alarm on the approach of strangers, and whilst the "steerable” was held captive, toy iire-balloons were sent up to windward o': it, and the engine of on© of the motor cars was set working in order.to give the impression to any nocturnal observer whose eye might be attracted by the balloon that he heard the whirring of its motor overhead.

EARL SUMMONED FOR TWOPENCE. Lord De La Warr was summoned by a taxi-cabman at Westminster for twopence. His defence was that the driver had taken a longer way than he need have done. Tho summons was dismissed, and . Lord De La Warr was awarded £2 2s costs. A witness said that the combination of the time and distance

.rrangement sometimes occasioned varying charges. "Well do I know it,” said Mr (Francis, who tried the "One night it registers eightpence, and the very next night, over exactly the. same route, I find it Is 2d.” Expert evidence was.given to show that the cabman had not taken the shortest route. The magistrate, however, acquitted him of all dishonesty. THE "SPONGY” LAITY. Canon Horsley, speaking at the annual meeting of the Church House, of the Curates* Augmentation Fund, made a striking indictment of the laity. He

said that, when the report spoke, of the generosity of the public it got his back up. He attributed the went of funds to the want of honesty amongst the laity. When the laity became more honest in their duty, then the grants would be increased largely both in amount and in number. Where was the honesty of the Church laity? As a matter of fact, it did not exist at all. The laity of the Church were a very "spongy" lot; they were ready to, get all they could out of their parsons in every possible way, and they would coll them knaves behind their backs. They expected the clergy to work enthusiastically, and themselves stood by and criticised. That was all they did.

ANGLO-GERMAN COURTESIES. In the midst of all tho talk about English and German armaments and warlike rivalry earnest attempts are being made to maintain pleasant relations. The courtesies which have been extended to many English visitors to Germany have been returned, to theßer- ; lin burgomasters and town councillors, the guests of tho City of London. The rulers of. the German capital have had many pleasant examples of British hos- 1 jutality, and if they have anything to complain of it is that their days have been rather too crowded with strenuous entertainment. They must be strong men to endure with Impunity all the luncheons and dinners and theatres and receptions and performances to which they are treated. For instance, the visitors spent a morning at the City of London School, where some of..the boys mad© speeches to them in the German language. Then they went to the Guildhall School of Music, where they criticised the violin recitations and renderings of Schubert and Chopin, and saw seme delightful dancing by .the girls, which induced them, to pass rapturous commendation on English feminine beauty. A little lunch with the Drapers' Company on aspic and turtle soup and mayonnaise of salmon, and so on, and, of course, a few speeches, fortified them for visits first to St. Paul's and then to the Military Tournament at Olympia. After dinner they went to the Opera, and then on to a reception .at Bath lions© by Lady Wernher, the wife of the ■South African mining millionaire. The delegates have been everywhere received with courtesy and attention; and express themselves charmed with* English friendliness and' good humour. . AIRSHIPS IN:WAR. Those whose special terror is the fear of an invasion by aerial men-o'-war, which would drop bombs and shells into the midst of our most populous towns uiiScatched, may now rest in their beds in peace. Special guns for high-angle fire, which have been most exhaustively tested by the military authorities, have shown that a moving balloon can b© destroyed with a reasonable degree of certainty. Although the methods by which this accuracy is obtained have not been made known yet it is apparent that aero-navigation will be considerably risky in of war—the demonstrations easily proved that. In one. of the tests a battery brought down a balloon in a few seconds. The balloon, a captive one, representing an airship, had been sent up .about 800 feet in tue atr seme 1200 yards away from the guns. The difficulty of aiming accurately was further Increased by. a strong wind, which blew the balloon round in circles. The battery, however, placed three shells well over the balloon, and immediately a cloud of white smoke rose, and tho gas-bag collapsed to . the earth in flames, the silk, being torn to ribbons by the shrapnel. It is satisfactory to know for certain that aeronauts will not have it all their own way : in times of war.