ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22751, 11 December 1935, Page 8

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS

" Under a Cloud," Kalkoral.—No person has a right to prevent access to a public right-of-way. If tho facts are as stated an action at law would stand against any person acting in the manner indicated. " Map," East Taleri.—The road map referred to In " The Motor World " column in the Otago Daily Times has not yet been published. When it does appear the fact will be mentioned in our motoring feature. J. W., North Otago.—A man may register as unemployed immediately after ceasing work In private employment. The amount of money to his credit In the Post Office Savings Bank does not prevent his registration, but' it may affect the amount of relief to which he is entitled. "Rough," Tuapeka Mouth.—Mr R. M'Sklmmlng won the Clutha seat in 1931 as a United Party candidate. Tho Reform and United Parties had formed the Coalition, and Mr M'Skimming preserved his political Independence with respect to tho Coalition. Although the Party was not contesting seats as a party Mr M'Skimming won Clutha as a member of the United Party. "Inquirer." Alexandra. — (1) The elements In chemistry to the number of 92 have been discovered. Atomic number 91 is protactinium. Proto-actinium Pa =: 230 is a radioactive disintegration product between uranium and actinium and an isotope of brevlum. It forms the genetic link between the uranium and actinium series and was discovered in 1918 by Hahn and Meitner. It has a half-life of 20.000 years. No. 92 is uranium, a metal discovered by Klaproth, in 1789, in pitchblende. It would be impossible within reasonable space and in non-technical language, on account of the chain of research and discovery, to describe when and how they were isolated. Dr Frederick Prescott, in " Modern Chemistry: The Romance of Modern Chemical Discoveries " says:—" When we speak of new chemical elements being ' discovered' we really mean that some new clement has been detected or isolated, which had previously escaped detection either because of its extreme rarity, or on account of its lack of easily recognised physical and chemical properties. It may occasionally happen that other matter associated with it masks its presence or renders its separation difficult." (2) The paragraph attached to your letter Is Inaccurate in some particulars. A bullet fired by an enginedriver of a train travelling at 60 miles ah hour from a rifle capable of /propelling a bullet at 60 miles an hour would, if the enginedriver was a straight shot, certainly hit the guard. The statement that " the average rifle bullet is shot at about 30 miles a second " is obviously incorrect. The sliced of the fastest projectile ever flred was just under one mile a second, and the average high-powered rifle fires a bullet at about 2240 feet a second. " Roseneath."—lt is to be feared that you have supplied us with the wrong date. We have been unable to trace the item.