NOTES AND QUERIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2667, 26 April 1905, Page 44

NOTES AND QUERIES.

Questions for reply in coming istue to be received not later than MONDAY night.

Skippers propounds an interesting problernjii the relative cost of kerosene cookers and heaters in comparison with coal or wood fires. We subjoin his letter, in the hops that someone who has experimented tinder .similar circumstances may be able to- throw some light on the question: — Birch firewood costs £2 10s per cord, Kaitangata coal costs £3 10s, and where it has to be divided' into

hundredweights and packed after landing by drays, it is £4 per ton. Now, can anyone who has tested it tell me if £10 spent m coal ■will go further in the heating and cooking line than £1Q spent in ■'he firewood specified? Or is there any kerosene cooking and beating stoves that are mere economical the year round, with kerosene- at 13s 6d per case lip here at Skippers? It so, will the makers or vendors guarantee such ? A Dunedin firm indented for me the Mammoth Ripping-ale cooking and heating stove from Home. The Rippingai Mammoth cooked all right, but it cost far more in kerosene than the • same heating and cocking would come to with wood and coal. Firewood is a great tax on the "people up here, as is also the price -of coal, and. a genuine economical method -of heating and cooking would be gladly considered, 'and adopted. I nave been had twiqe re these "kerosene cookers and heaters. Considering "the cost of transit, would it not be cheaper to use the more expensive true coals. Westpoit, for' example"? The heat given out is much greater, and consequently a very much less quantity would be use-d. Is there no peat to be' obtained: locally ? "With reference to heaters and cookers, they all consume a great deal of kerosene. Would it not have been better to have got a small cooker rather than the Mammoth? Then, again, we should think it would be possible to economise oil "by contriving an insulator cover for the stove ■while it is in use. If the heart is not too great, possibly a felt cover might prove effective. It too great, possibly you. might contrive a cover made from stiff brown paper previously steeped in a composition of flour paste and plaster of Paris, and roughly shaped to the stove while damp, allowing it •to dry before interfering with it. At one time a method of economising firing in the case of a camp oven was suggested somewhat on these lines : The oven was to be removed from ths fire when the contents had begun to cook, and enveloped in a felt caver, this again being covered with old blanket or brown paper, and Jeft thus for a lengthy period. We shall be glad to publish any siiggestions from readers. STCE.VEiyp. — "We have been irnable to get the information you ask for, but probably Mr Steve Boreharn. Oaxaaru, would be able to supply you with it were you to wiite to him. Ceo3£WELL- — We believe it has been done in one case in which more than 'one family was affected. The best thing for you to do is to lav your casa before the seci-etary of the Education Board, and we feel sure it will receive consideration at the hands of the an embers of the board, •[•graTY Teaks' Subscriber, Outrarn. — The total area of French, colonies and dependencies in 1901, including Algeria (270,000 square miles) and Tunis (50,000 square miles), was 4,000.000 f-.quare miles, with an estimated population of from 55,000,000 to 66,000,000. They comprise • —Africa— Algeria, Tunis (protectorate), French Guinea, D»h.oniey, Ivory_

Coast, Senegambia, French Congo, Gaboon, Sahara (protectorate), portion of Sonialiland, and the island of Madagascar, with ceit.un dependencies. The whole North-western portion of Africa, except where occupied by Morocco and Tripoli, ?ncl Spanish. Portuguese, and British possessions, is claimed by France. American— St. Pierre and Miquelon, off Newfoundland, with some smaller islands ; Martinique, Guadaloupe, Basse Terre, Marie Galante, He dcs Saintes, Petite ; Terre, St. Bartholomew, anfl Northern half of St. Martin, in the West Indies ; and Cayenne or French Guinea, in South America. Asia — Pondicherry, Chandemagcre, Karikal, Vanaon, Matree, Cochin China, Tonquin, Annaru,

and Cambodia. Oceana — New Caledonia, Isle of Pines, Loyalty Islands, Huon Islands, Chesterfield Islands. Wall is Archipelago, Tahiti-, Moorea, and the -Society Islands, the Low Archipelago, Marquesas, Austial Isles, Gambier Islands, and Ciipperton, the latter

an isolated and desolate possession m $h&

North Pacific. *;?. W.— (l) The ship Janet Couit, Captain Crav.fcrd, from Glasgow with immigrants, arrived at Port Chalmers oa May 30, 1874. (2) Quarter-plate photos are rarelj of any use for reproduction. We do not think it would be worth your while to send the prints. (3) Veterinary query will be replied to nest week. Sttbscribeb, Reefton. — The s.s. Eld'erslie arrived at Port Chalmers on her maiden trip on October 12, 1834. She came here from Oarnaru. We cannot give you the date of her arrival at that port. Binstead. — (1) We should say yon are quite as competent to reply to the question as we are. (2) Sprinkling the lining of the saddJe with a little benzoline once a month in summer and onoe oi twice during wintei will protect it from wraths. (3) Mr Davey replies-:— A syphon is under the same laws that govern the suction of a common or lift pump — that is to say- that theoretically it will lift fresh water about 32ft in a situation about the sea. level, and in fine weather. I mention fresh water, as it would lift any lighter liquid higher, or any heavier liquid would only be lifted to a less height ; thus, it you had any liquid twice aa heavy as water. < syphon would only be able to lift that to half the heigh' thai; xt covild lift water ; and m the case oi rnercurj, for example, which is somewhere about 13 times the weight of water, it would only rise to about one-thirteenth of the height lhat water would rise m a syphon or

This lift or suction, how-

suction pump

ever, varies as does the barometer, so that ' in bad weather the lift is less, and the highex the altitude the less the lift ; also, roughly speaking, a syphon or pump will lift such water about lft for every inch the barometer registers when placed along-side of it ; but oi course you must know that you canndt use a syphon as a means of "lifting" water, for tha water must subsequently fall to a lowei point m the other arm of the syphon A syphon carries liquids over an obstruction and down the other side of same, to a similar or lower level. I mention this, as persona

have tried to fix «. tap at the top of a

syphon. Seeing that water passed that point, they thought they could draw from it; but this cannot be done. There is the fact to note that often when syphons do not work, leakage is frequently the cause; but not the leakage outwards that can be seen — it is a leakage of aii inwards, as an outwardi leakage of the liquid in the syphon only occurs towards the lover part of the long leg of the pipe. The size of the pipes do not matter, though. I have no particular of how large a .syphon has or could be ni.acle^ anil j>e£-

haps any readers who have used large-sized syphons (not inverted syphons), which ot course may bo any or diameter, and which are often confused with syphons, might write to the editor giving particulars of tlie same, and by so doing as soon as possible they would greatly oblige. D. M. — (1) Yes, the cuh-eit can be enlaiged. (2) If the man was acting under instiuc lions from the engineer, then the engineer is the person to be sued. Of course, you must be prepared with evidence to prove that the damage done to your pioperty was due to some negligence on the part of the engineer or his servants. Pakeitt. — We have consulted the chahman of

tlie Hospital Board, who replies: — Ornakau being outside of our hospital district, any patient from there would require to pay his or her board — namely, 28s per week, 01 receive an order from the Dunstan Hospital Board for admission to the Dunedin HospitaJ. Manners. — (1) If to anyone with whom you are acquainted simply iise the Christian name, but if to a stranger who is called upon to reply, tc pievent confusion it is better to sign " (.Mrs) Isabella Smith," or if the " Kx§ " ifl parentheses is omitted, w.ute tb,e

:td«ress in the-.£orner. (2) It would be very injudicious to ilTi m nnri it ~l n not think you would have any chance ' oi s**ilfic anything. The girl evidently ha-d moie sense than the mistress, her only mistake being that s=he allowed herself to be persuaded to 50 away instead of consulting you. Novice. — Tbe compensation to which a worker is entitled is now fixed by '" The Workers' Compensation for Accidents Acts Amendment Act, 1y04.'" The sum is a weekly payment not exceeding 50 per cent, of the average of the worker's weekly earnings while at work during the previous 12 months. Such payment is to be rnado during the incapacity of the worker, but cannot exceed £2 per week, and the total liability of the einployei is limited to ±'300. The employer is not liable to make a payment for the first week in any case wlieio the worker's incapacity does not continue for a longer period than two weeks, and thf> employer is not liable at all in respect of an mjuiy which is proved to be directly attributable to the serious and wilful misconduct of the worker. No provision has been made in the acts for the award of medical expenses. Readbe. — (1) Ho is entitled merely to charge an entry fee. (2) No, the horse cannot be guaranteed as ■sound under the circumstances you mention. Plovghboy. — The li,!cs .seem to us more adapted for a reading at a meetiay of the Burns Club than for newspaper publication. If you are agieeable we shall be pleased to hand them over to the secretary 01 the club with that end in View.