HERE AND THERE.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12306, 5 August 1914, Page 4

HERE AND THERE.

COLD STORAGE FOR FLOAVERS. Many have marvelled' how tut flowers can. mate tho long journey from tho Rivier-a, to C'ovent Garden and arrive itt splendid condition. A large refrigerating Xia.ll lias lately been erected at Nice, which keeps the temperature just two degrees above freezing-point, tlere the gathered blossoms are stored, and 1 will retain their freslmes-s, color, and perfume from four to six weeks. They are taken out when required, and sent' ia refrigerator waggons to their destination.

BREEDING MOSQ UITO-KILLER S. A;'series of experiments is being carried on at the P-arel Laboratory'. Bombay, with a view to reducing the Dumber of malarian. mosquitoes. It was.,recently discovered that there exist in-Bombay waters several species of fish. which teed on mosquito larvae. Major Liston, director of tlio Bacteriological Laboratory, is now conducting experiments designed to show which aro the most suitable fish to propagate. He-has achieved some valuable results. Incidentally it has been shown that the notonecb'dao fly is an excellent mos-quito-killer.

WAR- DOGS UNDER FIRE. ° A series of competitive trials for military and police dogs was held recently at St; There wero nearly 3CO, entries. Among them was tlio veteran Treff, who is seven and a-half year# old, now working in Moscow. Many: of the trials wero performed under. lire. and only a few of tlio younger Jogs snowed any trepidation. The dogs,.when ordered, left the firing line, and ; pelted away to fetch reserves of "ammunition. They returned to their master with 100 or more cartridges carried in bags on their backs. The dogs also draw miniature Maxims. GLEANING THE BULLETS. Millions of bullets picked up on the battlefields of tho Balkans are arriving in,.-Marseilles. Gleaners have scoured the scenes of the recent fighting, picking up tho bullets that either had gone ■tp. ; waste or had killed or wounded some soldier, and selling them to dealers :'n old metal, who ship them to France in sacks. Ono vessel alone carried 2000 sacks, weighing altogether moro than 100-tons. These bullets are molted and used for casting gas and water pipes and making capsules for bottles; The gleaners have also picked up and shipped millions of brass and copper cartridge shells, which bring a good price. All old metal has its value.

POLO IN THE STREET. Viscount Eduam, Viscount Granborne, Prince Paul of Servia., and Mr Oldric SpencOr Portal, undergraduates, were summoned at Oxford recently for playing polo on bicycles in Merton street. The defendants pleaded' guilty. A police const-ablo deposed' to seeing defendants riding bicycles, and they had polo sticks and a ball. ; He stopped Mr Portal, who said he did not think they were doing anything" wrong, as they had been, there all the afternoou. Lord Cran-borno remarked that ho did not think there was any annoyance to the residents. On the other hand, they seemed to be - entertained by it. (Laughter). The mayor said; the defendants - would be fined half-a-crown and oosts or seven days imprisonment-. (Much laughter.)

£IOO A MONTH FOR DRESS. The question of a. husband's liability for unnecessary purchases 'made by his wife is the subject of an important decision, by tho Appelate Division of the Supreme Court, in New York, which has non-suited a woman's Mr Solomon Rosenfeld, who claimed £ll3 from Samuel W. Peck, a rich manufacturer, for wearing apparel furnished to Air Peek's wife. The husband argued that tho purchases were made on the individual credit- of Mrs Peek, and <*ouM not- be classed an necessaries. Mr Peck's evidehco was to tho effect that he and his wife lived at the rate of £6OOO per year. Ho allowed Mrs Peck £IOO a. month for clothing in addition to the £7 a week pin-money. Mrs Peck's sister gave evidence is support of her brother-in-law. saying that when the purchases for which Mr Peck refused to pay were made Mrs Peck had possession of thirty dreses, a. dozen hats, ninety pairs of silk stockings, three dozen pairs of gloves, two dozen pairs of shoes, ten pairs of silk equestrian tights.

UNION STEAM SHIP COMPANY OF NEW ZEALAND. LIMITED.