GENERAL NEWS

Patea Mail, Volume XLIII, 30 July 1919, Page 1

GENERAL NEWS

In a speech al St Andrew’s Univor.'■iiy, Sir Ddi!plus llaig said: —“ In China, vast eoab’cbls exist, sutlicienl to provide will) vase the needs of the whole woi'hl for a thousand years. T have seen it slated that in paris of China ihe eost of a (on of coal at the pit mouth is 1/6.”

According to Ole Hansen, Mayor of Seattle, nobody is withstanding the forces of revolution and anarchy with suilieient vigour, ami “the (lovernment is on the wrong track in starting conferences instead of ceinetrics in dealing with Ihc 1.W.W.. ” What is

wanted is not. meeting places, bi: “hanging places.”

The Fielding Star states that Rir Douglas Haig’s recommendation that all boys shoukl bo taught to shoot is a foolish one. The Star explains that “the rifle played no part in winning the war. It was the machine gun. The rifle as an effective wav weapon is obsolete It is a pity that the British Commander in Chief should display such ignorance of the facts. tVfr. A. W. Burrell, the well-known aslronoiacr of S: ral ford, noting (lie remarkably barometric change sends (he following note to the Stratford Post : •lust to show what the actual change in atmosphere pressure is when (he barometer rises in. On the evening of the 2nd July the barometer stood at 28.0!) in,, on ‘Wednesday (just n week later), it read 20.(it in., a difference of l.bo in., so (hat the atmosphere on the Wednesday night was supporting a column of mercury 1.00 in. higher than on the previous Wednesday. To convert tins into an equivalent weight of water we simply multiply 1 ..Id in. by Id.oO (the specific gravity of mercury)

and wo get a column of water 21 inches higher than on the previous Wednesday. Now, an inch of rain means approximately 100 tons of water to the aero ; so that with 21 inches we now have a greater atmospheric pressure of 2100 tons on each acre than we had a week previous. The barometer was reading 2!Mil on the 10th July, which is only six points lower than the highest reading I have observed for t lie past three years. Of course till the above readings arc for Stratford, not sea-level.