NOTES AND QUERIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2572, 1 July 1903, Page 51

NOTES AND QUERIES.

Quettions for reply in coming issue to be received not later than MONDAY night

Wakatipu.— Mr H. Davey, consulting engineer, kind'y replies: — (1) From the amount of your water and your fall, the theoretical horse power is 131-h.p. (2) From the amount of your water and your fall, the theoretical horse power is 210-h.p. However, presumably you want the actual h.p., but for this you will have to give fuller information. For instance, you do not give tho lengths of your pipes. Thi s affects the carrying capacity. Are they nearly all 9in or nearly all 13in, and what is the total length, approximately, of each size? Then, what motor do you use? — Since your actual power would be, say, from 65 to 83 per oent. of the figures above, according to the efficiency of it. GLENORCinf.— Alum dissolved in the boiling fat, or even a handful of slacked lime mixed with the fat when i»l a liquid state, is used for hardening candles. Use lib alum for every 6lb tallow. Fir3t dissolve the alum in ■water, then put in tho tallow, and stir until they are thoroughly mixed, when the fat is run into the moulds. Aqua — The diagram will appear in next issue. S. E.— The matter is dealt with elsewhere in this issue. Jane. — To every pound of carrot pulp allow one pound it sugar, the grated nnd of one lemon and the juice of two, sax chopped bitter almonds, and two tablespoonfuls of brandy. Select young carrots, wash and scrape them, and cut into round pieces. Put them into a saucepan w.th sufficient water to cover them. lie 1 - them simmer until perfectly soft, then beat them through a sieve. Weigh the pulp, and to every pound allow tho above ingredients. Put the pulp into a preserving pan with the sugar, and ul tiw it to boil for fivo minutes, stirring and skimming all the time. When cold add the lemon nnd and juice, the almonds aud the brandy. Mix these well with the jam, then put it into pots, which must be well covered and kept in a dry place. J. C, Bluff.— We have been unable to get a complete statement for a later year thau 1839, since when cona.derable advances have been made. For example, in London in 1897 th« percentage of men who could neither read nor write was only 2.6, a.nd of women 3.3, while in some of the EngJish counties the percentage was five, and in others as high as sue. In Scotland the percentage in that year was 2.16 men, and 3.27 women; while m Ireland it was 15.1 men, and 13.2 women. In 1889 the percentage of those who could not write was . — United Kingdom 10 Spain 72 France .. .. 15 Holland .. .. 16 • Germany .. .. * Belgium ..^ .. 20 Russia . * .. 85 Scandinavia .. 3 Italy 53 Switzerland .. 5 Austria .. .. 45 United Italy .. 8 Ignoramus.— An 1.6. U. is legally valid though ■written and signed in lead-pencil. As general misapprehension appears to exist on the subject of lead-pene 1 writing in lieu of ink, we quote a few remarks dealing with the point from a textbook universally conceded by the legal profession to be the highest authority on the subject •— ("Byles on Bills," 16th edition, pages 88 and 89): "A b.ll or

note, or any other contract, may HT printed or written, and in pencil as well as in uik." "There is," says Abbott, C. J. (Geary v. Physic, 5 B. and C, 234), "no authority for saying that when the law requires a contract in writing that writing must be in ink. There is not any great danger that our decision will induce individuals to adopt the mode of writing by pencil in preference to that in general use. The imperfection of thi9 mode of writing, its liability to obliteration, and the impossibility of proving it when so obliterated, will prevent its being generally adopted." Contracts written and signed in pencil are constantly admitted at Nisi Prms (Jeffrey v. Walton, 1 Stark, 267), and testamentary writings in pencil often in the Ecclesiastical Courts (Rhymes v. Clarkson, 1 Phil. 22). Miner. — The owner of every coal mine situated on freehold property is compelled by law to contribute to a fund for the necessary Tehef gf ¥oal miners who may be injured whilst working in his uv.ne, and foi the relief of families of coal nuners who may be killed or injured v.hist so working, and for tho purpose of fuc!i fund must, in the months of January, April, July, and October in every year, pay a sum equivaluit to *d per ton on the output of bitumirous coal s»^l •>•] ncr ton on lignite sold during tlia

I preceding three months respectively ending on the last day of the previous months of December, March, June, and September, into the Post Office Savings Bank nearest his mine to the credit of an account called "The Sick and Accident Fund," in connection with the miners' association of the district where such mine is feituated. In case there is no miners' association, the amount must bo paid to the credit of the Mnnister for Mines and the Public Trustee, in an account called "The Coal Miners' Relief Fund." Fifty Years' Subscriber.— The chairman haa no right to refuse to put the motion. At the same time it may be as well to mention that the board- discountenances the use of schoolrooms for dancing. The following is the board's regulation on the subject- — "56. The board strongly disproves of the schoolroom being used as a danomg school, for frequent periodical dancing assemblies, or for other purposes of mere amusement. Tho furniture and appliances must on no account be put outside me school." [Please accept our congratulations on your attaining your lubilee as a subscriber to the- Witness. Few i_ndeed can say they ha-ve subscribed to a colonial paper for 50 years — Ed.] Subscriber, Duntroon.— We have riot been able to get tho exact date yet, but are makjjwt juvcther inquiries. Wo fancy it was in

1876, but shall reply definitely next week, if possible. E FVans.— An article which appeared in the Otago Daily Times of December 22 last would give you a good idea of the principles, origin, and scope of the Monroe Doctrine. Should you desire to study the subject more exhaustively, you wall find an excellent article on the Monroe Doctrine in the Fortnightly Iteview of November, 1902. Both magazine and paper can be seen in the Dunedm Athaneum. P. C, Waimangaroa— The number of Alb loaves baked from a 2001b sack of flour varies from 66 to 68. A fair average would be 67 41b loaves, or 134 full-weight 21b loaves. Tralubard.— Whether the Gouin system of learning languages is better than the usual system is largely a matter of opinion, but it certainly has some excellent points. Two text bo^ks m the subject are published by George Phillips and Sons— viz., "The Art of Learning and Teaching Languages, price 7s 6d; and "First Lessons in French," 2s 6d, being translations of Francis Goum'a origina.l works. They may be ordered from any bookseller. Guiden.— (l) The curtailing of the article on the Rose of Sharon may have obscured the meaning a little. No one can possibly

identify the plants referred to in Scripture. Opinions may be formed, but these do not constitute facts, and as so many different claims are made, it is better to discard the lot. Among the few practically established is the Oedar of Lebanon, sge and surroundings verifying it. Many notions have been, formed regarding this Tose, but in our acceptation it has no connection with th« "Rosa " family, and in all modern dictionaries and special publications on plants its v«ry name is omitted. Growiri* strawberries in barrels is easily dona by boring holes Touad the Slides, in which the plants are inserted, the cask filled up ■with soil to receive the roots, and then placed on a pivot in order that it may be turned round, exposing each plant to the sun. For varieties choose the best obtainable. A visit to Mr Bennett's grounds, Broadacres, NorthEast Valley, where the method is in full operation, will serve betteT than any writttn description. — I. M. I.