NOTES AND QUERIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3312, 5 September 1917, Page 39

NOTES AND QUERIES.

Qaeations for repSy in coming issue to be receive* not later than SATURDAY night. Qu««tions will NOT be replied to througl th» poet. - Britisher. —Authoritative information on the point is not available. A change in the system of training has been made; but it is not likely to be the result of a superiority on the part of the enemy. There has been a far greater use of the bayonet in this war than in any previous onea —almost since the bayonet was invented. After the Peninsular and Napoleonic wars the old soldiers used to assert that in the open field troops never actually crossed bayonets. One side or the other invariably funked the shock ; wounded men were bayoneted as they lay on the ground, and in street fighting also, when men were so crowded that they could not get away. In '66 and '7O the percentage of bayonet wounds was almost infinitesimal; but there vrsa one authentic case of a Turkish and Russian force, about 2000 each, meeting in fair shock in the open. There were also cases in the Russo-Japanese war where men fought with cold steel; but no one expected anything like as many cases as have unquestionably happened during the present war. Old Subscribes.—There was what was termed a " language of stamps," by which the placing of a stamp upside down on the right-hand top corner was said to in- ; dicate " friendship." The postal regulations have effectually killed the language, because it is now insisted that all stamps must be placed on th& upper right-hand corner. This became necessary with the introduction of the stamping machines. H. A. asks if a soldier can make out his allotment to a friend, or must 't be to a relative? The authorities, with a view to protecting the soldiers' interests, have recenty issued an order that a soldier's pay can be drawn only by a relative or some person of whose bona fides the department has proof. A. M.—Tho subject has not been dealt with in any book on botany within our knowledge, and authorities to whom we submitted your question have had no experience on it. Constant Reader.—The cost for a milk license is five shillings per annum. The license expires on March 31 of each year. Apply to the nearest inspector of stock. A Reader. —So far as is known by those in the trade in Dunedin, no one in the Dominion has so far stocked the self-generat-ing electric cycle lamp about which you sent a -cutting. is somewhat singular that the address of the manufacturers is not given in the advertisement. M. M. H. H., Waikaia.—Mr H. M. Davey replies: " Your letter got to me only on the last day before publication. I cannot get a reply from the electricians in time for this issue. I will look you out a book in a day or two if I can find a suitable one. With the summer water your wheel should give you about 1J b.h. power, and, of course, if it takes the winter water, it would be about 5 h.p." Electricity, Matakanui.—Mr H. M. Davey replies: " Now I would very much like to reply to your question, and will do so as soon as you rendar same possible. What quantity of water is available? What fall can you get? What distance horn your house to tho water-motor ? the make of which can only be determined when the former questions ars answered, unless you possess a water-motor already. Do you need haaiing means as for cooking or ironing or power, as for the runny purposes power is used, or not? Kindly reply, and all the necessuiy information will be gi""en."