NEWS OF THE DAY

New Zealand Times, Volume LI, Issue 12024, 30 December 1924, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

The switch which was used at the official '“turning on” of electricity at Taradale, and: which was afterwards presented to Mr J. B. Andrew, who performed the ceremony, is, it is stated; the. identical swatch with which the Prime Minister (the Hon. W. F. Massey) performed a similar ceremony at Taumarunui-

At the monthly meeting of this Waikouaiii branch of the Farmers’ Union strong dissatisfaction was expressed by members at the apparent termination of cream grading in Dunedin. The general opinion was that the system had not been persevered with for a sufficient period to ensure the desired results to be Obtained. After some discussion the following resolution was carried; unanimously:—“That this meeting learns with regret and astonishment of the discontinuance of cream grading and is surprised l that no company has , the courage to continue so doing; further, it would) strongly advise farmers to support any company which-would recommence grading, being strongly of the opinion that such is absolutely essential to the welfare of the dairy industry.

Discussing the state of affairs in Germany, officers of the White Star Line steamer Zealandic. which arrived at, Melbourne this month from the Unit-! ed Kingdom, said that they were not as bright as had been stated. Stevedores at Hamburg worked only from S o’clock in the morning because of the restricted number of vessels in port. Commodities were highly priced, and £1 was worth only.lß marks under the stabilisation system. The port authorities had endeavoured to cope with wharf milage by issuing passes to members of tiro crew of inoeming vessels which admitted them to the docks. All of these had to ho accounted for before ; tho vessel left, or £1 forfeited for each missing pass, This novel method bad proved l efficacious without being at all j noatlv, 1

It has been discovered that owls have .two pairs of eyelids. During the day time one set is lowered oyer ! the eyias, ’but even with its vision thus obscured it can ..see further than, a; .human being. . This upsets the theory that the owl is blind in the day time. The Government electrical line has been completed through the Takapau district, and the Central Hawke’s Bay Rower Board has just about completed the erection of poles (states the Napier “Telegraph”). The wiring of poles will he started shortly, and the wiring of houses is well advanced. The statistical department of the city of Tokio has just published! a final report of the losses and damages caused by the earthquake and fire in Japan:—Tokio, 1,900,000,000 dollars; Yokohama, 590.000.000 dollars; other areals, 250,000,000 dollars. This does not include the losses of Art treasures and personal property. It is believed that if they Were included the losses would total 5,000,000,000 dollars. ■ Major-General Mason M. Patrick, of the United States Air Service, has added a new chapter in - aviation by launching an aeroplane 2000 feet up. The experiment was made with a ’plane hooked underneath the car of an army dirigible. It was intended to show primarily how, in war times, dirigibles ban transport ’planes. The ’plane is hooked on to a trapeze, and may attach itself back again. This opens a new vista in the nse of the aeroplane, ’both in peace and war. The extent to which motor transport is competing with the railways is becoming more evident every day, says the “Wanganui Ghroniole.” The'latest payable scheme arranged by a local firm was the transference of lambs for the Christmas trade from Mangamahu to Wanganui. They are caried in huge crates —similar to railway sheep; trucks —built on motor lorries. The custom of Mangamahu. farmers in the past has been to drive sheep to Fordell for railage. Relating some of his experiences abroad, Mr W. G. Reid, manager of the New Plymouth Saab and Door Company, stated that whenever New Zealand’s name was mentioned in England great interest was shown. Nothing but the. highest opinions were expressed of our soldiers. New Plymouth’s centotaph, said Mr Reid, was a facsimile of the one, at Whitehall, which. was regarded with the greatest reverence. No matter whether travelling by oar, ’bus or oh foot, men always paid their respect to the fallen by lifting their hats when passing. The number of overseas ships which ( will have arrived at Auckland during the year will be nearly a record, and ’will average about one a day. The | total for the year up to Saturday last .Was 361, compared with 326 which arI rived at that port during 1923. Last 'year the number of overseas ships that arrived at Auckland exceeded the total number of;! those that arrived during the same period at Wellington, Lyttelton and /Dunedin. The number of. I vessels that arrived at those three 1 ports during 1923 Was 227, the .figures ; being: Wellington, 166; Lyttelton, 48; and Dunedin, 23. , . - One of the best .informed and keenest men -connected with, the dairying industry in Taranaki has informed the Hlawera “Star” that he has been experimenting for some. time past with the use of salt as a weed-killer, and had found that none qf the -weeds j upon wjhioh he had used salt had;been I able to resist it, not even blackberry. Fine salt was not effective, but the vary coarse kind,, in appearance lake rice, was preying very satisfactory. The: application of . about a tablespoanful was sufficient. The salt-did hat disappear with the first’ shower of rain, but dissolved slowly for about three weeks,-during which time it destroyed the weeds-, effectively. A man could do about an acre a day, - and the cost would not be very heavy. There is a man in a New South Wales gaol who bitterly realises that fate can inflict greater punishment on a wrongdoer than any man-made law. One night in October be, was found lying on the footpath outside a suburban hotel. 'lhe ' manager of the ihotel' had heard a, window being forced, - 'then an explosion, and later had seen the prostrate man. The police were called and found a jemmy and other housebreaking material in the man’s possession. His right hand had been blown off,' and his left eye destroyed. Reduced to pitiableness by his injuries, the nmn admitted that these had been the ’ result of the explosion of a dynamite cap he was carrying with a plug of. gelignite. Records showed that the man had previous convictions, end was'even then out on license in regard' to an unexpired sentence. • A feat of remarkable endurance and courage is reported from Barrallier, New South Wales, A few nights ago, as Gladys O’Brien, the 14-year-old daughter of Mr P. O’Brien, of Nattier Valley, was awaiting the return of her parents, who were visitifig some neighbours; a man named Keogh called at 1 the homestead, and. asked to be put on the road to Picton,. about, 18 miles away. Questions elicited the (fact that Keogh had that afternoon been bitten by a snake. He had applied rotlgh remedies, hut was anxious to see a doctor. The girl donned a coat and set out with him across rough, hush country and through mountainous gorges, in a cold’ rain, for 15 miles, until the main road- to Pioton was reached. Here she pointed out the direction to Keogh, saw him well started on the last three '-milte of his walk, and then retraoed her. steps to her home, which she reached at three o’clock next morning. Control of the physical form, temperament and 'sex of human beings by chemistry was forecast 'by Dr. Edwin B. Blossom, editor of “Science Service,” Washington, at the Sigma XI. dinner in New York, and he supported his statements by citing such chemical achievements as causing a fish to grow one eye in the middle of the head -by the addition: "of magnesium chloride to the water in which the fish Uvea. Dr. Blosson said: “It .is already apparent that the. forms Of all creatures from the microbe to -man are determined by certain chemical compounds in extremely minute amount. This may put it in the power of the chemist to Control the size aind shape of plants or animals, to fix the number and location of their bran dice and leaves, or kvrt p,nd eye®, t-o jrodifv colour- or Complexion, and to determine or alter sex. 'The .factors of heredity and tho origin of species, when you get down to Bedrock, are chemical problems.” At the same gathering in New York, Dt. Fi-aiiois Carter Wood, director of cancer research at the Crookor laboratory of Columbia University, New York, said:: “Cancer is an independent life inside of another life. The problem of the ultimate cause of cancer will, therefore, be solved only with the oofttplettion of our knowledge concerning life itself.” !

The co-operative movement was Urst introduced in 1844 by flannel weavers in Rochdale, England. It was •-wended to provide a means of relief from existing unemployment and high prices. The secretary of the Wellington Hospital Board thankfully acknowledges the following donations to the Christfas Cheer Fund: —Messrs Orichtr , MdKay and Hanghton, £s'ss; B. L. Hart and Co., Ltd., £1 Is. “How long have you been driving horses through the town?” asked Mr H. Y. Widdowson (coroner) of a witness at an inquest at Christchnrch. “Oh! as long as I can remember,” replied witness. “How long is that?” asked the coroner. “I don’t Enow,” was the reply. “.What?” “Oh! well, about two or three years!” For the past two or three seasons fishing in the Rakaia has been disappointing, and comparatively few catches of any consequence have been recorded. This season gives promise ofi a better state of affairs, as is indicated by a report that during last week-end Mr C. I. Denby; of Christchurch, and a friend caught 14 fine trout, fishing near the mouth of the river., All were in good condition and the heaviest weighed lljlb. • Situations on farms have now been found for all the; members of the last quota of English public schoolboy immigrants, and at a meeting of the immigration committee of the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce it was reported that the lads were settling down well, and few transfers had taken place. The number of applications from farmers for boys for next season was considered, and although nominally the applications closed on November 29th, the matter bas not been finally disposed of.