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Otago Witness, Issue 3959, 28 January 1930, Page 48

To awaken at about 2 o'clock in the morning with six inches of water pouring through their tents, to dress hurriedly and negotiate, one by one, the flooded creek—their only means of escape—through water up to the armpits, to scramble up a steep lawyer-covered face, and to find refuge amongst the bracken and tussock of a spur of the Malvern hills, was the fate of 14 summer campers in the Whitecliffs district before dawn one morning recently. The peculiar nature of the country and the suddenness with which the water r»se made the risks of the escapees serious, and it is very fortunate that there was no loss of life.

Slight facial injuries were received by A. Bain, aged 11 years, at Takanini recently, as the result of the explosion of some gunpowder, which be had placed in a bottle (says the New Zealand Herald). The lad, who was staying at Takanini on a holiday, extracted the gunpowder from an unused cartridge and placed it in a bottle, in which he inserted a lighted match. He then withdrew a short distance. but. growing impatient, returned and leaned over the bottle. At that moment the explosion occurred, nieces of glass being showered in all directions. Bain was very much cut about the face, both his eyes being closed. Something in the nature of a record for civil business for Wellington was created the other day (says the Evening Posri, v.mri, judgment was given in 600 civil eases. <»f this number there were 140 in which judgment was given for the plaintiff by default.