NOTES AND QUERIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3509, 14 June 1921, Page 35

NOTES AND QUERIES.

Questions tor reply in coming issue to be r» •cired cot later than SATURDAY night. Questions will NOT be replied to through th* post.

E. G. B.—(1) Make application to th© Minister of Internal Affairs, who will supply you with a printed form containing all the information you require about the fares charged for assisted immigrants, etc. (2) Under the Carnegie Trust fund regulations the library' must be a free public library. Of course, you would receive no Government grant. The librarian of the Dunedin Free Public Library has kindly consented to supply you with information if you care to write to him. He lias a long experience of Free Public Libraries. Grateful asks the following re the game of hockey:—(l) If a player in the defending team intentionally hits the ball out of the circle, behind her own goalline, when a goal would probably nave lieen secured by the attacking team, what is the penalty—a penalty corner or penalty bully? (2) When a goal is shot at, ar.d the ball glances off the stick of the defending goalkeeper and then between the goal posts, is that counted as a goal? (3) If the ball is arrested on its course by strik ng the referee, should the game Ire re-started by a bullv-otf at the spot where the ball was stopped, or should the game just proceed as if nothing had occurred ? (1) A penalty corner. (2) Yes. (3) The practice is that th© referee exercises his discretionary power. D. E. C.—Melt some good chocolate in a lined pan. thinning it if necessary with a little syrup. When, melted add chopped nuts or almonds, pour on to a buttered dish to the requisite thickness. Boarder. — Under th© conditions stated by you the student would appear to be entitled to boarding allowance. The best thing to do ;s to make application to the secretary* of the Education Board in your district. A. M.—Any permanent resident of the Dominion may nominate any person or persons residing in the United Kingdom, for a passage at reduced rates. Application should be made to the Under-Sec-retary for Immigration, Wellington, who would supply all details. Pension asks: (1) Is there any pension allowed by the Government to a widow who has had two sons serving at ths war—one of whom lost his life while serving? (2) If not, is there any pension at a!!, apart from the old age pension allowed to a widow under slightly different circonditions, arid what are tin* conditions? (3) If there is any sucli pension, what is th? amount payable, and where would a person apply to for it? 1; You ate entitled to apply* for a war pension. Application should be made through Hie Registrar of Pensions :n your nearest town. There are several conditions attached to the granting of this pension—for instance, —unless your sen contribu ed to your support for 12 months before enlisting it is not granted. (2) There is the Widows’ Pension granted for eveiy child under 14 y'ears. (3) For one child under 14 the pension is £39, and the exempted income or earnings of the mother is £52.

Foxglove asks: (1) How to prepare and tan opossum skins. (2) How to prepare and tan eel skins. (3) To prepare tobacco leaf to make into cigarette tobacco. Do not skin the opossum until quite cold, -as the fur is easily plucked. Skin carefully and spread the skin squarely on a hat surface, tacking 1 with small tacks. Skin from the tip of the tail t-o the tip of the nose up the belly. All the skin is valuable. Remove all grease, etc. Hay the skin flesh side up, cover with bicarbonate of soda (baking soda). If the skin is just taken off the animal nothing else is required: if the skin is dry, it should be soaked a bit. Leave it till dry. Then knock off the superfluous soda, and rub the skin about a bit, and it will become beautifully white and soft. It is much better than alum or salt curing, because it never has that clammy feeling which alum gives a skin. The leather of a skin so treated resembles chamois, only it is white. Here is a good method which may be handier, and which has given good results, in some cases at all events: —'Soak the skin for 36 hours in water, and then spread it over a smooth, curved surface, .and remove all fat, and scrape off flesh with a very blunt knife. Now soak in salt water for 48 hours, and "iye another scraping. Make a bath containing 2lb chrome alum, 2lb washing soda, .and four gallons of water. See that the liquid quite covers the skin. Stir or souse the skin in the liquid occasionally. When the cut skin shows white right through tanning is complete. Remove, rinse'* thoroughly several times in fresh water, and dry slowly. When dry, scrub with a piece of sandstone on the flesh side. (2) We have no guaranteed recipe for . the curing of eel skins, but the following might prove satisfactory, -and is worth trying. Soak the skins in water for 36 hours, then, with a blunt knife, remove all adhering flesh or fat. Soak the skin in salt water for 48 hours. Make a. bath containing 4oz bichromate of potash dissolved in two quarts of water with loz sulphuric acid added. Pour the acid slowly into the water, not vice versa. Immerse the skin, taking care that it is immersed and remains completely covered by the liquid. After a day remove . and soak in another bath made by dissolving 4oz sulphate of soda and Joz sulphuric acid in one quart of water. If tannage is not sufficient at this stage, repeat 'the process. (3) We are unable to give directions as the process is very elaborate. Bluestone, Dunedin, asks whether “Bluestone” is a volcanic rock; if not, what is it? If you refer to “bluestone,” the copper sulphate of commerce, it is compound of copper and in nature is found in masses, and in crystals associated with silver, or in the more common ores as a sulphide of copper and icon, etc. The ore is treated with .acid before it is known on the market as “bluestone” in the crystal form. If you refer to “bluestone” largely used for road metal, etc., it is found in districts that have been disturbed by volcanic agencies. Spegimen, Dunback.—The rock specimens forwarded by you are just ordinary stones, and have _no fertilising value, and are not very similar to rock phosphate. Constant Reader, Takaka, Nelson.—Mr H M. Davey, Frederick street, replies:— A lot depends on the amount of water you have got. If scarce, the higher fall would certainly be the better, also you do not state sufficiently about the ejector for an opinion worth having, to be given. Pressure, Colac.—Mr H. M. Davey, Consulting Engineer, 61 Frederick street, replies:—Your pressure means about 300 ft fall, and at that fall a 2in nozzle should allow fully two and three-quarter heads of water to pass, that is if your pipes are of sufficient diameter; you might get about B.H. power, with a suitable motor. With a 2Mn nozzle you might get, if your pipes are sufficiently large, about nearly four and a-half heads, and about 117 B.H. power, if the motor was suitable. You will see that if the pipes are email, the friction is great, how great is not known, < seeing your description of your pipe-line is absent; it may be miles long, or quite short; it may be of ample size or quite the reverse.