Notes and Quaries

Otago Witness, Issue 3798, 28 December 1926, Page 48

Notes and Quaries

«»-■ '« tar npl/ to i«M *•»««■ not UUr tSu totXuHpAT "«!>>. QuMtiou via TO* to rrpUod ta Hiroofk th« *°Qu«t!oni ant *• Mcompaatad to tb« n.m. and adilraa ot tto writer, but a tOm to plane auj b« adopted i or pubhoattva. •< Ticket,” Maungatua.—Communicate with Mr A. Mackechnie, Boyd s Agency, Princes street, Dunedin. p Argument ” South Canterbury, sends eight samples of wool, and desires the counts of same- (1) 40’s, (2) 44, (3) 46, (4) 48, (5) 50, (6) 58, (7) 56, (8) 60. f Opossum,” Arrowtown, asks: “ (1) Is next season closed for catching opossums? (2) , Where does one procure a license? (3) How much is it?” The information is not yet gazetted. (2) From any post office. (3) £2 10s. New Chum,” Roxburgh, asks: ”Do you know of any instance of young gallah parrots being hatched in New Zealand? If so, by whom, anfi where hatched? ” . No one to our knowledge has hatched out young gallah parrots in the Dominion. I. C. 8., East Taieri, writes: “Where could i dispose of a silver ball made up of the wrappings of silver paper off cigarettes and . chocolates? I understand there is a v channel wherein I could sell it, but don’t know where.” The channel referred to Is unknown to us. Possibly some reader can enlighten I. C. B. * Hawthorn,” Oamaru, asks : “ Can you give me any tips about growing a hawthorn hedge? Will cuttings grow, or must I , plant the berries? What is the best time of the year? ” Cuttings will grow, but it is usual to sow seed which is planted in sand for 12 months and sown the following May in position of fence. Two-year-old plants are sold locally at 35s per 100. .••Mac,” Auckland, wishes to know (1) if crested dogstail grass would be profitable to grow for seed? (2) How much would he require to sow per acre? (3) How many bushels would an acre be likely to produce? (4) How many pounds go to a bushel? “Agricola” replies: “ (1) Valuable as crested dogstail is in any mixture of grass seeds, I do not, seeing -■ that it is a persistent grass, advise growing it for seed. In a flush season, in fact in most seasons, it can be harvested when the demand warrants it, and areas i in which but a few pounds per acre have been sown will, in the course of a short ; period of years, not infrequently appear u> be all crested dogstail, owing to stock neglecting the seed heads and the fallen seed germinating. (2) In view of the -j number of seeds to the pound (some I 886,000) about 121 b of seed should be 1 ample if sown alone, but, as stated, it ,** is usual to sow this along with< other , grasses, when lib to 31b per acre is ample. (3) Impossible even to approximate, as , returns depend upon the fertility of the soil and crop environment during harvest. ,(4) Weight per bushel, 401 b. •» Anxious to Know,” Fairlie, writes : " Could you kindly inform me what is the matter with my pig? I have two healthy pigs, 1 both thriving and fat. A few days ago I i noticed one of them dragging its hindquarters, and not able to do much walki ing It has been lying about now for some days. I may state the pigs were lying in the very hot sun. Woula that have anything to do with the pig getting disabled? Can you suggest any treatment?” “Agricola” replies: A veterinarian approves of the following: Fat pigs are susceptible to the effects oi excessive temperature and long exposure to direct summer sunlight, and must have shade; but the meagre symptoms supplied seem to point to paralysis of the hind- - quarters. This trouble is not uncommon in areas in which the soil is deficient in lime and is, maybe, due to this fact and to feeding rations deficient in mineral ash during the growing period of the animal. Constipation is liable to in. The animal should be isolated and given special treat--1 ment in airy, clean, dry, comfortable quarters. Feed easily digested food of a laxative nature, and containing mineral matter. The bowels should be kept free j. with Epsom salts and, if necessary, injections of warm water and soap. Massage the spinal column with a liniment of equal parts of turpentine, eucalyptus oil, and ’ olive oil. Half a teaspoonful of nu: i] vomica should be given in the food twice daily. Allow the animal to have access

to rock salt, wood ashes, cinders, or charcoal.” Farmer,” Albert Town. —In our last issue you inquired about a spotlight to shine on the road. Mr G. Wilson, of Gore, writes: “The light he (‘Farmer’) means is on my car. It is not a spotlight, but a revolving headlight. The left-hand light turns right across and shines on its own radiator, and on the right-hand side of car showing wheel and right side of road where the other car passes as safely and as comfortably as in daylight without any glare.” Mr Wilson also forwards the following clipping from the Mataura Ensign :—“ At the present moment the question of safety on the roads is being very widely debated. Special attention is naturally being paid to the matter of night driving, and motorists are generally arguing the issue, to dim or not to dim? A device which may serve effectively to overcome the existing dangers attendant on night driving has been_ brought to our notice. The inventor is Mr Sam Nlcolson, of Duke street. Gore. One of the lamps of the car to which the device has been affixed is projected forward by a steel arm, allowing the lamp to be turned to the right or the left at the direction of the driver by means of an easily worked lever attached to the steering rod. The lamp may be turned about 45deg, thus allowing one light to be concentrated on either side of the roadway, affording an excellent view of the side of the road for the driver if he is approaching a motor with dazzling lights. The swinging of the lamp also allows the motorist to see round corners. He can concentrate his light to the left or the right in accordance with the direction in which he desires to travel, and thus warn approaching traffic of his intentions. When the invention was demonstrated to the traffic authorities at Dunedin it was pointed out that it would be a good idea also to have an anti-dazzle arrangement on the other lamp, which remains a permanent fixture. Mr Nicolson has provided for this by means of an aluminium plate which fits inside the lamp. The plate is perforated with longitudinal holes, which does away with all glare. The invention is one of the most ingenious we have yet seen, and. has many advantages over the dipping headlight arrangements which are attached to many cars nowadays. Mr Nicolson has taken the precaution of patenting his device throughout the world, and if motorists can be induced to accept *lt it has large possibilities. Steps are being taken to exploit the invention, and we understand that mass production of the outfits, which will be worth about £2 each, will be undertaken at Dunedin. Motor engineers in all parts of the world have 4)een working on the problem ,of headlight glare, and if this evil can be done away with or fought by a device such as Mr Nicolson has, then road conditions at night in the future should be appreciably safer.” LAW QUERIES. [Answered by a solicitor sf the Supreme Cssrt ifVew Zealand. Letters and Telegrams must bs addressed to " T IX,” c/o Editor, Otago Witness, Dunedin.] “Subscriber” asks: “J owe rent to my landlord. Can he stop me from taking away my furniture? ” -No. If he has taken out a distress warrant you cannot remove your furniture if the bailiff is in possession of the furniture. “ Anxious Subscriber.” —If the mortgage is overdue the firm of stock and station agents can sell the property under the power of sale cofitained in its mortgage. “Puzzled.” —(1) As the mortgagee has not consented to the lease to C he can reenter the farm and determine the lease. If C remains in possession of the farm he will require to pay rent to A. (2) C cannot claim compensation from A, but his remedy is against B. “ New Chum ” asks: “ B and D own adjoining farms, and a roadline runs through B s property and next to D’s, and the only fence is the fence separating D’s property from the roadline. Who is responsible for the fence?” Assuming the fence was erected by D or his predecessor in title, B must pay to D 10 per cent, per annum on half the cost of the fence, and B and D must share the expense of repairing the fence in equal shares.

The carelessness displayed by some people in regard to their luggage when they are travelling is really surprising. Railway officials continually have the experience of finding portmanteaux, suit cases, and such like articles in carriages without the semblance of any marks to indicate the names of the owners. On Friday two passengers stepped off trains and, apparently completely forgot all about their luggage, which had to be looked after by the railway officials. “We have a lot of trouble as a result of passengers not addressing their luggage," said a railway man to a reporter on Saturday. “In some cases numerous inquiries have to be made over an extended area in the effort to locate articles that have been carelessly left in trains. If passengers would take the precaution of addressing their belongings our difficulties would be minimised very considerably.” Some of the newspapers are making an attractive feature of the sidelights in the city police courts and of the little human touches that never find their way into the ordinary reports (writes our Sydney correspondent). One paper, for example, featured the extraordinary fact, which reads almost like fiction, that, a man named Luck was fined a day or two ago at one of these courts for having driven a car while ecmder the influence of liquor; that one Robert Burns also came under the eye of the magistrate; that a man named Salmon had to answer to a charge of having stolen a tin of salmon; and that a gentleman named Crook had to answer another charge. The mention of Salmon reminds one of a candidate by that name at one qf the State parliamentary elections. Among his audience on one occasion was a man who obviously did not agree with him. He had been silent for a long time, but finally he had to make artioulate his objection to the candidate's arguments, “Oh,” Be muttered, “get book into your tin.''

A representative meeting of sawmill owners, employees, and others with business interest, met in Ohakune to discuss the importation of American softwoods. The gravity of the situation was stressed by the Mayor of Raetihi and Ohakune. The remedies advocated were the total prohibition of imported timber and the amendment. of the local bodies’ by-laws permitting the freer use of timber in buildings. The millesr guaranteed that no advantage would be taken of the protection to increase the prices to the consumer. The meeting was the third of a series held at Pokaka, Raetihi, and Ohakune. The resolutions carried will be forwarded to the Minister concerned, and will incorporate the above views. Committees were elected to protect the interests of 10,000 workers and dependents who are threatened with unemployment. A geological report on the recent Morrinsville earthquakes has been furnished to the Dominion Observatory by Mr L. I. Grange, of the Geological Purvey Department (states the Evening Post). He describes the 41 tremors which were felt, giving the most severe shock a value of 8 on the scale. The severity of the shocks was confined to a small area embracing the township, an outer area of only a few miles in diameter being affected. He reports confusion as to the direction from which the shocks came, but states that they were evidently of shallow origin, and probably caused by movement along a fault trending W.N.W. on the eastern side of the Pakaroa Range. Rumours that the shocks affeoted the Te Aroha hot springs he shows to be without foundation. The trustees of the Commercial Travellers' and Warehousemen's Blind Soldiess’ and Sailors' Fund have received • legacy of £SOO from the estate of Mr George Newsham Curtis, Inglewood, Taranaki.

Early in the New Year the main building of the Auokland Hospital will be equipped with a fine wireless set and a number of head 'phones for the patients (states the Auckland Star). This is the beginning of a scheme that is expected finally to embrace every ward in the hospital and thus bring the patients into close touch with the outside world. The task of equipping the whole hospital with wireless is a somewhat formidable one when it is considered that each bed will probably have to be fitted with separate head ’phones. These are necessary in order to avoid the inconvenienoe that a loud speaker might cause to patients not in a fit state to listen. In the main building alone there are 184 beds and the main difficulty to be overcome, and also the most costly part, is the wiring. It is proposed to commence with a few head ’phones and to increase the number as time goes on. A wet Christmas Eve in this country somehow seems far from fitting, but the good people of Dunedin and their friends and visitors had to make the best of such a Christmas Eve this year. At about 8 o’clock in the morning the rain set in quietly and steadily, and never for a moment did it cease throughout the day and the evening. In spite of this the town was very busy all da”, but it was inevitable that the weather should have a dampening effect on the spirits of the shoppers and holiday makers, and especially on the young folks to whom the Christmas festivities mean so much. In the evening the main streets were thronged with crowds that seemed to be quite as dense as in previous years, but perhaps it was because the rain drove most peqple off the streets to the shelter of the pavements that made progress go 9low. It was evident that an extraordinary proportion of people leave part at least of their Christmas shopping to the eleventh hour, and grocers, fruiterers, refreshment rooms, fancy goods shops, booksellers, and not a few others were doing a roaring trade till a late hour. Balloons of enormous size were the fashion with children of all ages, and all the city bylaws, back by the vigilance of the police, could not quite suppress the explosion of squibs and crackers dear to the heart of small boys and some others. There were certainly fewer children than usual about for such an occasion, but the Christmas spirit was abroad and everybody seemed to be enjoying himself or herself in spite of the severe struggle at times to get along the street without losing one or two of the parcels or two or three members of the family. Dunedin is well off for loyal citizens who thoroughly appreciate the rare scenery with which the city is endowed. What individualor organisation is going to be the first to come to the rescue of the Signal Hall reserve and make it accessible to the public once again? The glorious and far-stretch-ing view to be commanded in all directions from the twig station there has long been recognised as quite the most enchanting to be obtained within easy reach of the city. The Opoho tram has made the walking distance shorter than ever, and the City Council has cleared a good road right to the Government reserve, which crowns the summit. A promising sign directs the visitor “To the Scenic Reserve.” When he reaches it' he will discover that the. whole of the area has been taken possession of by as healthy a young forest of broom as ever barred the way against intruders. A few muddy cattle tracks soon divide and disappear in its depths. Doubtless an expert bushman with an axe could blaze a trail through it to the trig station if he knew just where to look for it; but for an ordinary sightseer the case is hopeless. Doubtless in due course the trouble will be remedied if the City Council secures the area for tree-planting, but in the meantime all that is wanted is a clearly marked track through the broom to the summit. Perhaps the Amenities Society or the Tramping Club could find it within its scope, or a sturdy troop of Boy Scouts could make the necessary track through the tangle in a day and recover this lost asset to the city. Whoever is first to move successfully in the matter will certainly earn the gratitude of all who have regard for the magnificent views that our city boasts. The Abstract of Statistics for December gives the populations of the four chief centres of the Dominion as follow (reports a Press Association telegram from Wellington): —Auckland, 173,632; Wellington, 117,986; Christchurch, 98,935; ' Dunedin, 84,131. The total for the four chief centres is 474,684. When the cry “A shark!” was raised at the Ponsonby salt water baths the other day it did not require much persuasion to get the bathers out of the water (reports the Auckland Star). There was some excitement and much curiosity, which was turned to laughter when the caretaker harpooned a poor little sharklet two feet long and without a tooth in its head. The intruder had got in through a grating, which was soon put to rights. These baths are particularly popular these hot days, and during the school holidays they are always crowded. Many of the habitues wish the City Council could see its way to put in the electric light. If that were done, bathing would bo highly popular during the warm summer evenings, when it is so hard to get cool on dry land. One frequenter of the baths points out that electric light would be very useful when tho baths are being cleaned out at night, as at present the work has to be done by the light of an electric torch—not a very satisfactory way. A heavily-laden motor waggon, owned by the New Zealand Express Company, met with a mishap on the Birch street whan on Wednesday evening. The lorry, which was* carrying a ship’s propeller weighing over five tons for shipment by the Katoa, was proceeding along the outer portion of the wharf when a small section of the planking collapsed. - The off front wheel sank into the depression, and the heavy lorry was canted over at a dangerous angle. The driver jumped clear. It took over four hours to raise the lorry and remove it dear of the hole in the wharf. The work was carried out with lifting jacks.

The conditions under whioh the New Zealand Fruit Export Control Board may give notice of its intention to assume the control of fruit intended for export were prescribed by an Order-in-Counoil last week. Where notice is given by publication it must appear in the Gazette and in at least two newspapers circulating in the provincial district affected. Notice by service may be given personally, or forwarded by registered post. The time to be specified as that from which control will operate shall not be less than 30 days from the last publication of any notice given by the publication or from the date of service of a notice served personally, or from the date when the notice served by post should be delivered in the ordinary course of the post. “After a visit to many law courts in England, I am satisfied that justice is being carried out with traditional dignity and incorruptibility, stated Mr J. Stanton, an Auckland city solicitor, who returned from a tour abroad by tHe Rotorua on Friday. He added (reports our special correspondent) that both bench and lawyers displayed an efficient knowledge, and the administration of justice was wonderful. In Christchurch there are 17 blind people who have free use of the Braille books in the Public Library (states the Lyttelton Times). Of these, six are heavy readers, but the remainder do not read a great deal. By paying £lO 10s a year to the National Library for the Blind, London, the library receives 80 books a year in quarterly consignments of 20. These remain in Christchurch for three months before being posted baok. Th© Dunedin, Auckland, aqd Wellington Public Libraries work under the same system and there was a proposal that a system of exchange should be instituted among the libraries, but so far nothing has been done in the matter. The National Library for the Blind was founded in 1882 by Miss Arnold, a blind woman, and her friend, Mrs Dow. They started work in a small room at Hampstead, Miss Arnold acting as librarian, and lent out, at a charge of a penny a week, to a little circle of blind readers the few books that they were able to produce by hand. From that small beginning has grown a library of 96,000 volumes, which are circulated throughout the Empire. There are 10,000 readers to whom books are lent free, and the library has on its shelves a wide range of books of fiction, theology, science, sociology, poetry, foreign literature, and music. According to a gazetted amendment to the Local Election and Polls Act of 1926, which embraces every description of vote recording from a loan poll to a general election, returning officers and their deputies and assistants are in for a busy time. At previous elections it was only required that the- roll number of the voter and the initials of the returning officer should "be put on the voting paper, which was then stamped, involving in all three movements. Under the amendment five movements are required, e A consecutive number has to be put on the voting paper, which is then turned down at the corner, the roll number has to be placed on the paper’s counterfoil, the paper ha 3 to be officially marked with the officer’s initials and then stamped. Under the amendment, too, a bona fide voter not on the roll can vote by declaration. This latter will also involve additional worjc and will probably necessitate the assigning of a special deputy for the job, with the possibility, also, of having a special booth for the taking of declarations. It would seem, that the elections of the future will prove costly and laborious affairs. Mr H. G. Ell, who has been instrumental in introducing a coach and four to Christchurch, waited on the City Council on Tuesday night to object to the action of the By-laws Committee in refusing the application of the Christchurch Coaching Club for permission to establish a Cobb and Co.’s coach service (states the Star). Mr Ell said it seemed to him that it was exceptional treatment. He _ had seen pantechnicons in the city with as many as six horses. H© did not intend to use the main streets at all, and he did not want a parking place for the coach. The most delightful parts of the city had been selected for the drive, and the coach would not interfere with any traffic. He wanted to leave Christchurch with an English stage coach, and he asked for the opportunity of charging half a crown merely to help, him in attaining He had a careful driver, and was willing that he should be submitted to any tests by the chief traffic inspector. After Mr Ell had retired, Cr Agar said that the By-laws Committee was most sympathetc wth Mr Ell’s proposals, but, in view of the report it had received from the traffic department, it had decided that it could not recommend that the application be granted. Cr A. W. Beaven moved as an amendment to the adoption of the report that the 1 " report be referred back to the committee with a view to some arrangement being made with Mr Ell. Cr Beaven’s amendment was carried. Smut-free barley has been produced on several areas in the Leeston district this season (states the Lyttelton Times). The seed was treated by Mr C. J. Neill. Government Field Mycologist, who subjected it to the hot water treatment. The area sown in barley totalled 504 acres. Fiftythree acres were sown in wheat, and a few acres in oats. The whole of the barley areas, as far as examination has shown, are absolutely free from smut, and to preserve them in that condition the Department 4>f Agriculture, on the recommendation of the Board of Research, has purchased a new mill with whifch to thresh the crops from these areas and from areas that will be Similarly sown in the future. The hot water treatment has been known as an effective method Tor the past 40 years, but it is not a method which the individual farmer can adopt, because the variation of one or two degrees in the temperature of the water materially injures - germination. In the hands of an expert it is possible to treat the seed used in a district and so clean up the whole country, district by district. The areas in Leeston on which the smut-free barley has beon grown have produced sufficient clean barley to sow the whole of the areas in Canterbury usually devoted to barley*

Fog signalling by the explosive method is somewhat dangerous to the operator, and is being replaced by the Marine Department at Pencarrow Head, Wellington and Godley Head, Lyttelton (reports the New Zealand Times). The new apparatus comprises a powerful compressed air plant, driven by duplicate oil engines, so that it can operate even if one engine breaks down. The system adopted is known as the diaphone, a large horn directing the sound out to sea. Its makers guarantee a minimum range of four milea and a-half, but it has beon heard up to 28 miles. As the sound can be directed by the horn, it will be more effective than detonator explosion, which cannot be controlled. The apparatus is being installed at Pencarrow, and it is expected that work will commence on the Godley Head site in February. , That a special feature should be made of teaching reading aloud and “speaking a piece,” was the opinion expressed by Mr T. M. Wilford M.P., when speaking at the break-up function of the Hutt Valley High School (states the Wellington Evening Post). Mr Wilford said he had acted as judge on one occasion at the Victoria College, and had found the speeches more tests of memory than examples of initiative. To the boys and girls who were leaving, he said: “Don’t give up your reading; and whatever you do, don’t confine your reading to one class of literature.” Nothing warped the judgment more, and more quickly produced mental indigestion. He said the difficulty in this world was to deal with unsuitable ability. He had met many men who were brilliant in some ways, but it seemed impossible to fit them into any practical avenue of employment.