NEWS IN BRIEF.

Thames Star, Volume LXII, Issue 17320, 7 January 1928, Page 4

NEWS IN BRIEF.

Irregular Butter Supplies. Wilting to Ms. A. P.. Melville, of Fordell, :in ex-New Zealander living in England, complained that New Zealand butter was most irregular in its appearance on the retail market at Home. Several times he had been informed by retailers that not only were they out of stock, but that they could not obtain the Dominion article, from any of- the distributing agents. It seemed to be a matter which ti.e Dairy Control Board might investigate.

Depreciation of Cars.

The depreciation of motor-cars was illustrated in an amazing manner at a recent sale of Walker's (Tauranga) service cars. The great 15-seater Cadillac, which cost £ISOO, was sold for £7; a five-seater Cadillac brought only £2; and a s&ven-seater Hudson realised just £7/10/-. Considering the price paid for these cars, and the cost of upkeep, it would seem to require a millionaire to own. them without getting .into financial difficulties.

Hawk Attacks Boy.

One does not often hear of a hawk tackling a person, but this happened on Thursday to a boy of thirteen on a farm hear Hawera, when he was out after the cows. A similar happening is reported of magpies on the Eltham golf links. It seems probable, that in each case the bird had its nest nearby, and that it was the natural desire to protect the nest and eggs, or perhaps the young, which caused the attack.

Teaching a Lesson.

It took two Maori girls to teach an I impudent Gisborne youth a lesson the other day (states the Herald). The two girls were swimming in the Kaiti basin, and were annoyed by offensive remarks and the throwing of small pebbles by the youth on the bank. The girls were determined to put an end to this molestation and while the youth was directing his attention to one or the swimmers the other, scrambling out of the water unseen by the tormentor, cam© along behind him, and, lifting him bodily, let.him fall into the water below. As he was unable to swim, the youth found some difficulty in struggling out, but he eventually regained the bank none the worse, but a little wiser, for his experience. It was a sorry-looking figure that left the scene, with the derisive laughter of the swimmers ringing' in his ears. ,

Old Trotting Races.

A race which took place more than 60 years ago was recalled by two "oldtimers" as they sat watching the trotting at Epsom. Although one of the pair had struck a winner, neither liked the modern style of trotting. In the old days, they said, men used, to ride their horses, not drive them. Sixty years ago there was a trotting race from Hawera to Patea, a distance of 20 miles. The big, bony animals of those days were real "overlanders," possessed of great staying power, and the winner did the distance in record time. Competition was keen, because the parties interested were a doctor and a military settler, each of wdiom sought to go one better than the other. One of the. horses expired after completing the course, and the skeleton was found many years later, when a sandbank opposite the Patea Domain was being levelled to make a road to the Patea Heads.

There Was No Dragon

Despite the fact that the Scriptures mention that fabulous monster, the dragon; that it is inseparably associated on our gold .coinage, there is nothing to provide the slighest confirmation that such a creature ever, existed (says the Newcastle Weekly Chronicle). The Greek word "drakon" means a snake,' and the conclusion that the dragon was evolved from the snake is borne out by Egyptian' and Indian' mythology. Previous to the Norman Conquest, the dragon was the standard of the Welsh, and formed one of the supporters of the Royal arms of Tudor sovereigns. It can only be surmised that the ready credulity of our ancestors was taken' advantage of. The Christians adopted the dragon, as the symbol of unbelief, and in picturing St. George triumphing over it is onJy natural to conceive they made as fearsome a monster as thev could.

On the Right Side. Possibly there are very few punters who take the trouble to keep an annual account of their financial experiences of the racing game. However, there is a man in Adelaide who has done so, and he* has now made available his ledger covering 21 years of backing racehorses. He shows a profit, but it is less than £1 for'each year. The backer started to keep his accounts on June -, 1906, and during that time all his investments have; been on the totalisator. He has invested and received from the machine, £3200, and this is big, money when it is realised that he never bets more than £1 on a race, his usual wager being 10./- and 5/,-. His profit over the 21 years amounts to £l/11/-.