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Otago Witness, Issue 3823, 21 June 1927, Page 32

During the course of a lecture on celestial- photography given by Dr D. B. M‘Leod at- Canterbury College the other day, the speaker stated that to the naked eye about 5000 stars were visible. With a one-inch telescope 100,000 were visible, with a 10inch telescope 5,000,000. and with a 100-inch telescope 100,000,000. It had been estimated that the total number of stars,- so far as could humanly be ascertained, was 1,500,000,000. y The cleansing of the Augean Stables, and for that matter all the other 11 labours of Hercules, were as nothing to the job that might have cost a man in New Plymouth a> £lO wager recently (says the News). He was unemployed and presumably rather unfinancial. He trudged into. the ken of the Harbour Board foreman pushing a swag oit a push bicycle. An inquiry for work elicited the reply that there wa.i “nothing doing,” and the workless thereupon offered to wager £5O that he could shovel against anyone on the job. The foreman suggested that he reduce his wager to £lO, and at that price he nominated his man, Mr . Thirsting to show his prowess, the workless one sought and finally located his opponent. But tl e odds were too great. Mr was the man in charge of the steam shovel.-