WENDY HUT LETTERBOX.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 July 1933, Page 20 (Supplement)

WENDY HUT LETTERBOX.

LETTERS to be Addressed; “WENDY,” Care Taranaki Daily News, 3ox 119, NEW PLYMOUTH.

“Jonathan Jo,” Ngaere: It really does not matter if you win or lose a football match, as long as you- play your very best, does it ? We sometimes have such big fires at night that we feel sure you can almost # see them leaping up the chim- ■ ney.

Merle Cryer, Manaia: Now, if you were an apple, do you really think you would fall down and say, “Eat me,, little boy”? If I were an apple I think I would try to hide behind the leaves and hope that I should be allowed to live yet another, day! What a lovely trip you had and did you feel giddy when you went round in a circle?

Margaret Adam, Tirimoana: We really feel most important because we have received two letters from you this time, I think your “postie” must have been day-dreaming last week.. It is the very first time we have been asked to name a ’possum, so we are really trying to think of a very good one; how do you think “Minky” would suit the little fellow? I wonder if “Lone Star” feels cold without his mane and long tail ? Colin Wiggins, Stratford: Billikins thinks you have named your calves very nicely and he hopes they wjll grow up to be prize-winners. Do you see your name in the pen-friends’ corner ? If you do not find a pen-friend, Tinker Bell says she knows a little boy who might like to write to you. Does your kitten tangle mummy’s wool up as well as all the string ? ■

“Waratah,” Tirimoana; We feel prouder than ever! Two ’possums to name in one day! After much, discussion we have decided to tender “Ringo” or “Ringtail” for your approval; perhaps you have decided on a better name yourself ? Now that you have watched your little fellow do you understand what “playing ’possum” means ? Their eyes are so starry and round’ they look as if they might ppp out of their heads, don’t they ? “Sunshine of Paradise,” Inglewood: How good it is to hear from you again! Yes, I like the pen-name, although I think it a little too long. There is no age-limit at the Hut, Elveda, and Billikins really thought you were a year older than • you are. We are always so anxious to keep our Tinks with us, because you all seem to have become such friends, that we dislike the idea of anyone leaving the Hut. I should say we do like knitting! Tinker Bell knits all Billikins’ football socks and Wendy makes Baby Margaret’s cosy little jumpers. “Desert Gold,” Rawhitiroa: And where have you been spending most of the winter, lassie ? I suppose your tuis are jealous of any other birds who want the nectar from the gums; this time, of the year is a very trying one for birds for there is practically no honey in the garden at all. Tinker Bell was very interested to read in the paper one day that one man put little bowls of sugar and honey about his' garden and the birds just flocked to it. “Blue Cornflower,” New Plymouth: There is a little spot in the Hut garden that might be ■ a little corner of England; under the maple tree on the. lawn are several little mauve and white crocus, the very first ones that have ever bloomed in the garden. -We are hoping that the rain will not ruin them before we have had time to appreciate them. Your bulbs should be just about in flower. | ’

“Stickleback,” Toko: Thank' you for the jokes, l£ima, but, as we have had them before'we shall not publish them again. The Hut gardener and Billikins are weeding the lawn; they look like a pair of bears crawling about the garden, except that Billikins is wearing a very large straw hat and I do not suppose even bears in a circus wear hats of straw!

Marjorie Dring, Waitara: Billikins says you. have a birthday next week and he wonders if you had remembered it was coming! No, we did not hear you recite, but we kpow the poem quite well, as it has appeared in the Hut Poetry column, and the kettle is singing now, Marjorie, and I can smell Cookie’s nice, new.scones!

Josephine- McKenzie, Ohura:- Since another Tink has the pen-name you wanted we suggest “Eastern Star” instead. Hut dressmaker has had so* many demands for 1 directions how to make different articles, Josephine, that she really is unable to tell you about yours. Anyone who knits a great deal would be able to show you quite , easily. “The Three kittens,” Brixton: You certainly are busy little kittens and we wonder that you find so much time to write so often. We see Lex has a birthday in. a few days, so there will be much excitement then. We cannot feel our noses in the mornings and only skipping reminds us that we really have any toes. .Jeanne Armstrong, Pungarehu: We think your letter was the nicest surprise yet l and we hope that you will keep on giving .us nice surprises,’ Jeanne. So you are.tucked away close under the mountain; what a glorious spot it will be in the summer ! Have you a little mountain stream running through your property so that you can bathe when swim-ming-time comes ? Joyce Salisbury, Egmoqt Village: I think you have left a line out of your poetry, Joyce, so will you write it out carefully and send it again ? Several of the Tinks have got new little calves and the Hut folk are busy with their spring list of names for lambs and calves, because they expect there will be a great rush very soon. '

Albert Salisbury, Egmont Village: Do you find a bicycle more fun tq ride than a pony ? Anyway, ponies do not get punctures, although they cast a shoe sometimes! Have you counted how many tries you have scored this season and how many you have converted ? Doreen Mitchell, Manaia: I think spring must be going to be very early because I saw a bird carrying straw for its nest the other day. It would be a pity if it built it too soon and the strong winds came and blew it away. Billikins is tired of weeding the lawn and is turning somersaults on it instead.

Myra Mitchell, Manaia: The twins found a tap that had been running in the garden and had just dug a nice little canal along the path to make a river when the Hut gardener discovered them 1 Now two very sober little faces are watching their work being filled in, because nobody agreed with them it was at all clever as they thought they would. “Woody,” Mangamingi: We were very sorry indeed to hear about your poor old horse, Rex, for all the Hut family are very fond of horses. Do your turkey gobblers ever attack you ? There are some in the paddocks where we sometimes go for a walk and it is very funny to see Tinker Bell warding them off from behind an open umbrella.

“Mary, Mary,” Bell Block: Well, little Tink, if you did not have rainy days, you would miss the joy of a big fire and I am quite sure , you would not get much knitting done if every day were fine. To be sure, many wet days are monotonous, but on those occasions Cookie makes us currant buns which we toast before the fire. But cheer up, little girlie, summer is not far away. “Keep Smiling,” Eltham: Baby Margaret says you are a dear little girl to send her a kiss; it came on a sunbeam just a few moments ago. Yes, our snowdrops are but, too; they are sturdy little fellows and look very white indeed against the bare brown earth. The primroses are in bud, too, and we have already had one in flower, a very early arrival. ONE MORE LOST HERO. HINKLER-THE WONDERFUL MAN. Australia will not easily forget Herbert Hinkler, generally known as Bert, one of * the finest airmep of this, generation, who died on a flight which should have been, left to younger men who had not his genius in invention (says the Children’s Newspaper.) He started on the seventh day of the New Year on a swift flight to Australia at the rate of 2000 miles non-stop, keeping his course secret except that he said he might drop in at Athens to refuel. Nothing more was heard of him until his body and the. wrecked plane were found at a lope spot in the Apennines, not far from-Arezzo. IN THE TREACHEROUS MOUNTAINS. As he wap always scrupulously careful in his preparations, and left nothing to chance,, it is probable that he crashed in the severe storm which was raging in tflose treacherous mountains that day. From the evidence of the plane he crashed sideways, 1000 feet below the summit of the mountain, which is 4600 feet high. Evidently he was trying to get below the area of the storm. Hinkler was bom at Bundaberg in Queensland in 1892. From his boyhood he was rapturously devoted to anything that concerned flying. He never had much pocket-money, but two years stock of it went on building gliders. His. mother had very soon to get used to her boy being in danger. During the war he was an air mechanic, and looked forward to further work in aviation at the close. In 1920 he became a pilot, in the firm ,of A. V. Roe, and .was given an Avro Baby to demonstrate with in Australia. The next year, in this ■ machine,' he did two little nonstop flights of 650 miles, in the second one' arranging that the course should end at his home. He' descended in one of the open greens of the town and in childish pride taxied , the Avro through the. streets to his mother’s doorstep. NO LONGING FOR HONOURS. That was as far as ■ his desire for renown went. He wanted the approval of. his nearest relatives and friends, and had no longing for worldly honours. Nor had he any instinct for business. Anyone he happened' to be’ working with got the benefit of his extraordinary gifts and devotion to his job. Years passed by during which he worked as test pilot, and in 1928 came his first great triumph. He flew in a light aeroplane to Australia, raising the capital himself, and he changed the flight record from 28 days to 15. A greater event still, and a far greater ordeal, was his flight from New York to London by way of Brazil and West Africa in 1931. This was a most hazardous undertaking and involved the severest hardship he had-known. LOOKING FOR THE MOON. It meant flying almost all the time oyer the sea, and for 700 miles the clouds were so low'that he was obliged to fly within a few feet of the waves. Then he Went up 12,000 feet through the cloudbank looking' for ’ the Moon, on whose help he had counted, but had to come down again and was caught in a terrific thunderstorm. He got opt, amazed to find himself still alive, and discovered the Moon and the dawn together, in a calm sky. 1 It was a remarkable feat of navigation and a revelation of Hinkler’s genius tflat after, nearly 24 hours of blind flying he was only about 100 miles out fo his course. He was flying the same machine on his last fatal journey. TREMENDOUS FLYING SPEED. HALF THE SPEED OF SOUND. Air records are made to be broken, and when Flight-Lieutenant Stainforth flew over the measured mile in 1931 at more than 407 miles an hour it was certain that his speed would be increased before long by somebody. . Now the speed record has gone to Italy, Warrant Officer Agello having made four flights over a measured mile on Lake Garda.at an average of nearly 424 miles an hour. , His Macchi monoplane had a Fiat engine developing 2800 horse-power to drive two propellers. Signor Agello’s speed was more than seven miles a minute. How long will it be before man flies faster than sound which travels nearly 13 miles a minute. FLYING GIANTS OF METAL. REAL SHIPS OF SEA AND AIR. Dwellers by the sea are familiar, with the great flying-boats which maintain the coastal patrol, but people who live inland seldom see this type of aircraft. A new boat which will soon be m service is 30 miles an hour faster, than any now in use in the. R.A.F. It is the Singapore HI.; an all-metal flying-boat with four engines, giving a total of 2200 horse-power. Although its weight is 13| tons this giant can fly at the rate of 140 miles an hour. It has good living quarters for a crew of six, and a range of more than 1000 miles. ' ’ The Singapore, however, is a pigmy compared with the great Short flyingboat driven by six Rolls-Royce engines. These develop nearly 5000 horse-power and the machine weighs 33 tons. It is the biggest flying-boat ever built in England. - - -