HERE AND THERE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17029, 1 May 1923, Page 6

HERE AND THERE.

AN EYE FOR EVERYTHING. BANKS HOAXED. Oertain German banks have been hoaxed. A telegram from Dusseldorr to the “Matin ” states that two men one of whom spoke fluent entered a bank and represented themselves to be French financial agente. They demanded that all florins held bj the bank should be handed over, and threatened to call upon French troops m case of refusal. They duly received the florins, worth several millions of marks, and left a receipt. An ho ir later the bank manager presented hi» receipt at the French office, but was informed that he must have been hoaxed by two thieves. A similar robbery is reported from Essen. POISONOUS FUR. Many women wearers of furs in England have been alarmed recently by a skin trouble on the neck. The theory is advanced that th© cause is a poisonous substanoe thought to be contained in the dye used by Continental fur companies, and an investigation has been started by the Public Health Department of the London City Council. The suspected fur is cheao beaver-dyed coney, imported from France, Belgium, and Germany, an! u disease has in some cases been called “ fur dermatitis.” A consulting physician at the Manchester and Salford Skin Hospital, said that latter.v he has had an average of four or five cases a week. Most of the cases had been caused by the wearing of short rurs round the wrists or neck, and; not FJ vf A sf**” l * l inquiry is tc be held at Manchester. TOWX THAT EMPLOYS TURTLES^ The Corporation of the City of Lonaon knows quite a lot about turtles as an ingredient for making soup. The Town Council of Hillsdale, in America has found, a Btill better use for them; is has appointed a number of them as mumcipa l servant*, and they perform splendid work. The town stands loose soil, and the drains used for oanring off surface water were always Choked after heavy rain or snow owi>ig to the sand and' mud carried into them. As there are miles of these pipes, it Used to cost the ratepayers a lot of money to clear them by means of high, pressure jets. Then the surveyor hit oa a brilliant idea. In that part of the world there is a small turtle which »* never so happy as when burrowing i« mud. He procured one of these and fastened a long cord to. the back of it* shell; then he lowered it gontlv through the grating of a choked drain. For a few moments the turtle remained motionless, but presently the cord began to run out. Half an hour later a shout trom the assistant who was watehi.ru a grating a hundred yards awar announced that the turtle had arrive i. Unoo a burrow hud been made through it the mass of silt was easily cleared away, and the turtle was taken to other places help was needed. GULLS AS GOLFERS.

A few weeks ngo an English golfer who had made a fine drive was astonished to see a gull swoop down upon his ball and carry it array, Exentuallv the bird dropped t-he ball, which fell much farther from the tee than he had driven it. Here was a knotty point not covered by the rules I A still more difficult case occurred durw ing tlie war, when an officer playing on a course behind the lines drove hi* ball into a cow’s ear. The cow bolted, and, when the ball wa - recovered, it uas nearly a mile from the hole! Some birds have a great fondness for golf balls. Carrion crows, magpies, and certain gull* will take them whenever they can. As all these birds are neat, robbers, they probably mistake them foi eggs. One might imagine that attempts to crack a golf ball would lead to such a sore beak that this kind or thing would, be left severely alone in the future. Far from it : no fewer than sixteen balls were found in and near one magpie's nest, whilst a Scottish crow’s home contained four. All records, however, were broken hr on American squirrel (another neat) raider) in whose hole at the foot of « tree on a golf course more than a hun-» dred balls were discovered, DEFINING A SPIRAL, There is a number of thing* which wo know well enough and yet ai* totally unable to describe accurately. In some oases, to give a description of an ordinary common object may re. quire special scientific knowledge, ia others it seems as though it ought to be simple enough to anybody—and yet nobody can do it, An example of the fctruer class is shown by the jok# which was common a little while ago, of asking people what a spiral staip. case is. It takes a mathematician to define a spiral, and the average persoi finds it easier to trace one with hi* finger. But suppose someone is aakedl how lie distinguishes between beef and mutton! That require* nq specialised knowledge, but the chance# are that he will be hopelessly flooredYet when he sees them both he win know each in a minute. Even then h# will probably still be unable to explain exactly how he recognises them. A man was onoe asked to describe (with, out making any diagrams, of cour*#) the. appearance of a violin. He soon got into difficulties and gave it up* Tho reason for this curious inability la explain common things is lack ef practice. A NEW ‘“BISHOP.” London has a new bishop. He cal** himself “ The Most Reverend James Bartholomew Banks. Patriarch-Elect of Windsor,” and was formerly a private in the Artists’ Rifles. According to his claim, he is a bishop, and he has a flab in Maiden Lane His apartments a.-« adjoining his church—or should it bn cathedral?—which he has founded, bub which is only a hall not yet consecrated. A young man under thirty, lie wears a purple cassock and patent* leather shoes with big buckles. During a recent interview, he said: “ I am niu a ‘Mr.’ X was consecrated a bishop b. a bishop in the old Roman Cathoho Church, and therefore 1 am a doctor of divinity." He explained that he e i listed in 1915, but was not physical!* tit, and saw no active service ; instead, he served in a clerical capacity in various records offices. His church i* dedicated to men. who fell in the wa**, and his object is to unite all sects. *' I and others have seen the spirits of dead soldiers in the church.” he declared. “ How were they dressed.” he was asked, “ and how many people saw them?” “Several people saw th* spirits, which were wearing full equioment. including packs.” lie said. Of course, spirit packs don’t weigh any thing, but the real ones were so detested bv infantrymen that it seems curious that even the wrath of a dead soldier should be burdened with lus pack, as one writer sagely suggests. I'his new Patriarch-Elect of Windsor said that he had chosen Windsor because he hopes to have churches in that See. His robes and tlie ritual of hi* ter vice resemble those of the Roman Catholic Church, but he says he doe* not advocate celibacy, although he is not married. He was a theological student at Wells College before he enlisted, and when demobilised he went to Lichfield Theological College : but two or three- years ago he felt that he f-ould not be liappy in any establish© 1 !> rli and was inspired to start on# * himself.