NOTES AND QUERIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3014, 20 December 1911, Page 51

NOTES AND QUERIES.

Questions far reply in coming issue to be received cot later than. SATURDAY night. INTERESTED.-Th* Land for Settlement Act was passed in 1892. It 1894 and 1899,. and consolidated and amended in 1900. Several amendmentshave been mode since the latter year.. The members of the House of Representatives just elected who were in Parliament in 1892 are / Messrs Allen, Buchanan, Fra«ex T. Mackenzie, • Sir A. Guinness, fcir J Carroll, and Sir J. G. Ward Messrs Allen, Buchanan, Fraser, and T Mackenzie belonged to the- Opposition party. Inquirer—Applications for entry to the navy by colonial youths should be made to the commanding officer of o,ne of H.M, ships who, if satisfied as to the qualifications of the oandidate, wall apply for permission, to enter the boy under the prescribed . regulations. Boys., must be from, 15 to 16 years of age. of good character, able to read and write, and have the written consent of parent or guardian. The standards are:—Age, 15i to 15$ £ height (without shoes), sft Jm; chest measurement, 30£in.. Age, 15J to 16; heigh,, (without shoes), sft I£n; cheat measurement, »l-in. Candidates must undergo a medical and educational examination. J M Wair-arapa.—.Send an application to the Under-secretary for Justice, Wellington The newly-elected member for ;.pur district might be able : to assist' you in •obtaining a position. ■■ %•■ Miner—An application for an , old-age pension can be lodged some little; time before • the applicant's 65th. birthday. If "the proof of age is aatisfactory, and the necessary inquiries show that the particulars contained in the application are correct, very little time will elapse after reaching the age of 65 years until the pension is payable. If ' the applicant is 65 years, say, on January 15, ■ the pension would not begin to accrue until the Ist or February, and the first ' instalment would be payable at the, end.of .February. Farmer. —The New Department of Agriculture has not' adopted the system in operation in Canada of publishing the work done at the Government experimental farms in a separate volume. A short sun£mmiry is included in the annual report of the department, and intimation made that tho detailed results of experiments will appear from time to time in the Journal of the Department, published ' monthly. jj ac Agricola replies ~ as follows:—The Japanese superphosphates are as a rule high-class, and have a larger amount of water soluble jhoaphate (40 to 44 • per cent.) in them, than other good superphosphates-, but it is a matter of opinion whether that is an advantage or not. They have not been landed here for the last four years, so that no recent information is available as to first cost. There is «o little between them and other high-class superphosphates that the grower will ho well advised to use that one in which the condition is found to be .suitable for goino- through his drill. There are British superphosphates landed here, so sticky that they cannot be got through a drill, and although the Japanese may have a greater percentage of water soluble phosphate, and therefore ha better value ton for ton, yet if its condition is not perfect it will not prove the cheapest to use.. In ..reference to Algerian oats, they yield a clean bright straw, but Mr Gillander, of. Mbuma.haki, does not seem U> be impressed with them. He says: —" It has several drawbacks, the most objectionable, perhaps, . being its erratic germination. In several sowings not more .than 50 per. cent. v of the seed germinated, while in other oases where the circumstances were no more favourable a fairly °ocd germination resulted. This oat is also invariably very slow in covering the 'ground, which gives the- weeds un extra chance." Why not stick- to those yo-a know will do well with you ? Southland asks how to preserve, green peas. Gather the peas on a dry day; they should be full-grown, but not ' old. Take some perfectly dry, wide-necked bottles, put in the peas, shaking the bottles so that they aire as tightly packed as possible. When they are full, cork, then cover them with a piece of bladder. Put them in a large pan of cold water, packing them round with hay, and put some

hay under them. Bring the water to tha boil, and let it boil for two hours. Leave the bottles in the water until it is quite cold, then cover the corks with melted resin, and store them in .a cool day place. Or, .after filling the bottles, bury them deep down in a dry part of-the 'garden. Parrot.—There is no specific cure for feather-eating in birds, but the following treatment has been found effective. Give daily one-eighth to one-quarter of a grain of acetate of morphia, with a grain of oalomeil twice a week, and in addition carbonate of potash to the drinking wrater so as to give ii an aJkaline taste. Anoint the parts of the body affected with carbolated vaseline or a stiff lather of carbolic isoap to create a dlsfas'te. Remove all feather stumps. See that the drinking water is pure and the cage oleaii. Harvester asks at about what date will the harvest start in the*districts, surroundtag Tinnaru and Ashburton? Much will- depend on the nature of the weather experienced during the next week or two. : , We understand that at Leas* one crop has oeeri

already cut near Ashburton. ft is probable that harvest will be fairly undler way in the districts named by the first week m January, «and probably general a week or so later.

Thermos. —The only explanation we can suggest for the bursting of your thermos flask after taking out some hot water in the morning is that fife cold air which replaced the water withdrawn was caused to expand by the heat of the water in the flask until the glass was shattered under the pressure to which it was submitted. ET. P., Ottmaxu—Mr H. M. Davey replies': In this case I consulted Mr Gould, a surveyor associated with Mr L. 0. Beal, who very kindly replied as follows: The area of the combined plots is ac 0-0-17.36 (or, say, about 17 1-3 poles). I could not make out exactly what the centre line was intended for, and had a little difficulty in finding which line it was in the centre of. but subsequently found it to be in the centre ot the line that you have as 25 yards long, and you are correct in marsing it as being 18 yards long.

B. F., Arrowtown—Mr H., M. Davey replies:—There are several ways of finding the length of the circumference of a ciicle approximately, but I am not aware that any way has ever been discovered of finding the ciTC-umiferenco accurately if *he diameter is given, or the reverse. More than that, I understand that we have no combination of figures that would be available so as to state the result if we could find it. . This seems curious, but it seems to" be tine. We eeero to want figures between our figures for this. By proportion (and, as an aid to memory, vou might try 'and remember 11, 33, 55), then as 113 is to 355, so is the diameter of a circle to the circumference, very nearly. Another and less accurate way is t) say tho circumference is 3 1-7 times the diameter. The usual method used by engineers, etc., is to call the diameter 1 and the circumference 3.1416.- or to multiply the diameter by those figures. That is ■ about as accurate as the first method'. A nearer approximation, however, is 3.14] 59265368379323846264338327950. But with all the above figures we only manage to . get slightly nearer the fact. Seeing that you want to be accurate, I regret not being able to lay my hand on the figures sometimes Used for astronomical purposes, which go to over a hundred places of decimals, but still , without finality;. for that we do not seem' ever to be able to' reach. Electric. Weubaorunga.—Mr H. M. Davey, i consulting engineer. Princes street,' replies:—(l) It would be better-if you were -to tell, me- at ■'■ least some of your conditions. You ask what quantity of water you should have and what fall. Now, if I stated a fall you could not get, or a quantity you could not obtain, you might be disheartened, whereas if you stated what you had, the best could be made of it. If there is an option, get the' greater fall, even if the water is leas-, for then you can do with a str.aller and cheaper wheel running at a higher velocity, which is an advantage, as less gearing is thereby needed. Also, go :rouiid your house and see how many lights you need in all; what some might consider enough others would not. (2) I have no doubt that, provide* you have the power, this could be done, but you might" state the number of machines you want to be worked. (3) The size, and consequently the cost of the wire, depends on the amount of lights, etc. ' If you could make a pencil rough plan of the house and position of the shed where the shearing rv.ackines would be, and the other or same shed where the Pelton wheel would be. with the approximate distance between £.ll these and the approximate sizes of the dooms, it would be the best guide for the laying-out-of what you require; but if you carrot, then a few sizes- and distances would be of great help to give you a better answer and one that "would be of more use to you than any with no more before ns than you have stated in your letter. J Water. Frrmldon.-Mr H. M. Davey, consculting engineer, . Princes street, replies- ?<°- U 5 - P,p -> e llr ; e * 6ems *» be - sa y> about 145 ft m length, and the total rise about 30ft. I behove that the best pump for your conditions would be . a semi-rotarv one Ao. 2; price, at Messrs Thomson, Brjdger. and Oo.'s, Princes street, Dunedln, 37s 6d, with railage added The Pipes for this size are supposed to be lin but you had better do the followingHave lin pipes between the water and the pump and have a diminishing socket (lin to fin to fit the |m pipes, from the pimp to flie tank; and Jet the position of the pump be as neaar the lake as convenient. Of course, you could have the 3in pipes and a diminishing socket each side of the pump, but you would find better results it you adopted the arrangement above given. The pump is supposed to give about Ggal per minute.

LAW QUERIES. [Answered by u Solicitor of the Supreme Court of New Zealand. Letteri and Telegrams must be addressed to " LEX," c/o Editor, Otago Witness, Dunedin.]

Anxious asks: —"(1) Can a widow of 60 years ■with no means Of supporting herself get the old-age pension; or (2) is it only widows with ycung children?" Answers:. (1)- ,Nb.-. (2) Yes. M. X. B.—Give written notice to each of the tradespeople that you have revoked your wife's authority to act as your agent and that you will not pay any debts she may incur. Duped asks: —" ff a boy of 17 insures, can tho parents compel the company to refund his money on the ground of his being under age? The boy has insured for too much —more than he can pay."- —■ Answer; No,

Dbain—The owner and oocupier are jointly and severally liable under the Public Health Act if the drain becomes a nuisance through want'of repair and has to be put in order by the local authority. F. W. writes: —"A buys a house from B. Can B, after A has" been in possession, come into the hcuse and take down the fixtures, such as an overmantel nailed to the wall, grates, etc?" Answer: Yes. The chattels named are not fixtures. Inquirer.—(l) Yes; you must appear in answer to the summons, notwithstanding that the' hearing is erroneously set down for "January, WU" instead of for "January, 1912." (2) If you explain to the magistrate the circumstances under which the summons was served he will no doubt disallow the olaim for mileage. E. T. writov :—"A country :road runs between A's and B's properties. A culvert oh the load has become blocked, and the outfall, drain through B's land is' also blocked,.; damming the water back oil to A's land. '•• "(1) Can' A compel B to clean out the outfall 'drain; or (2) can the County Council com-: pel him?"—Answers: (1) No. (2) Yes—under section 62 of "The Laud Drainage Act, 1908." Strained write*: —"A husband and wife ■ agree to separate. The husband has a form, andus, going to sell it. (1) How much can the, wife claim as her share? There is also one child 10 years of age, Whom the wife -is going to take. (2) Can the wife claim anything for the child?" —-Answers: (1) and (2) The wife can claim for herself and child a 'veekly payment sufficient to sdequately maintain both. She had better see a solicitor about the matter without delay, as it sometimes happens that the husband clears out of the country altogether and leaves wife and children destitute. Netting- writes: —"A and B are neighbours. A has erected a four-wire fenoe with wire netting. Is B responsible for half the netting wire when he has no use for netting?"——Answer: B is not not liab'e to pay any portion of the cost of the erection of the fence if A did not serve lain with a written notice to fence before erejting the fence. But if A did Eerve B with a notice to fence prior to erecting the fence and B did not within 21 days after the service, serve A in turn with a cross-notice signifying his (B's) objection to a wire-netted fence, then B is liable for half-cost. It is assumed, of course, that B did not agree to go halves with A in the cost of the erection of the fenoe Anxious writes: —"I am a divorcee, and wish to re-marry, but find I have lost my former marriage certificate and the decreo nisi. To obtain copies of these will takesome months. Will the registrar require copies?"—Answer: No. You give notioe of the intended marriage' te the registrar of marriages, and in the notice (a form of which is supplied to you at the registrar's office) you state your condition as being divorced.* The registrar thereupon requires you. to make a solemn declaration of the truth of the statements set out in the notice. 1 must warn you, that if you contract a marriage before the decree nisi is made absolute you will be guilty o" bigamy. J. S. asks:—" What is a solicitor's charge for/being engaged in a oase* for two day* (three hours each day), > the distance from his office -to the courthouse being two chains?"—Answer: It depends upon the amount at stake - and the time spent in preparing . for trial. The distance from.: a "solicitor's, offioe to. the courthouse is not taken into consideration at all unless a railway, steamer, or coach journey is involved, and then only actual travelling expenses are charged. A solicitor charges mostly for the work of research in looking up authorities and precedents. The charge, for a moderately- difficult ca.se- involving a fairly large sum of money, and. opcupying three hours each day for two days, would be £& 6s. It is understood', of-course, that you refer /to. a case in the- Magistrate's or Warden's Court. : The charges for Supreme Court cases are higher. Ignorant writes:—"At a general election, (1) have the returning officers - and scrutineers to be sworn in? If a returning officer takes sick, (2) can another person or his wife take his place and legally complete the business if they are given permission but not sworn in? (3) Can the scrutineer legally leave the booth while people are voting? (4) If you answer " ¥es" to the first question; them have , they to be sworn in by a J.P. or "only by. an. elector? (5) Under any of the above circumstances could an election be' upset?"—Answers: (1) The deputy returning officers and scrutineers have to make a solemn declaration that they will maintain the secrecy of the voting. (2) The substitute shouldf 1 before entering upon the i duties of the office, make and sign before a j Justioe of the. Peace a declaration that he (or she) will maintain the secrecy of the ballot. (3) Yes. (4) The declaration may be made before a returning officer, a -Justice of the Peaoe, or a deputy returning officer. (5) No An election is not invalidated by reason of any failure to comply with the" directions contained in the Legislature Act .as to the taking of the poll if such failure did not- affect the result of the ©lection.

VETERINARY QUERIES. [Answered by a duly qualified Veterinary Surgeon. Queries must be received by SATURDAY night to ensure reply in the succeeding issue.] Constant Reader writes-—A foal born on the 4th December is weak on both forelegs which double back near the pasterns, so that it cannot get the hoof of the leg flat on the ground, except on rare occasions. 1 have tried wood splints as supports, but it ie difficult to get them oh right. What oan I do with it? Is it Worth keeping? Answer i According to your description of the foal, it would seem as though little can be done in the way of surgical treatment, yet it would be worth while to keep it alive for a few weeks, as Nature might strengthen the weak pasterns and make it a useful animal after all. I have seen a foal with weak pasterns which was condemned by wiseacres as useless, but as it grew older straightened up into a beautiful and valuable hunter. Nature is a great renovator.