HERE AND THERE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18187, 21 June 1927, Page 8

HERE AND THERE.

AN EYE FOR EVERYTHING* Officer’s Plea for Swindler. A sense of comradeship in arm* prompted Commander O. LockerLampson, M.P. for Handsworth, who saw service with armoured cars in France, Russia, Turkey, Persia, Rottmania, and Austria, to plead at the Marborough Street Police Court, London, for leniency for Frederick James, a confidence man, who, with Frank Grey, was sentenced to three months' imprisonment for stealing £199 from Edward Protz, a Melbourne carrier. Commander Locker-Lampson testified that James was his orderly when both were marooned in Lapland. They escaped from Russia when the ice breke up and fought in Persia and Galida. James, he said, was brave and honourable, and had been twice decorated. :: x Chilblains. Chilblains are very prevalent this winter. The excessive variability of the weather is probably the principal reason (says a medical man). Chilblains are practically an early stage of frost-bite, and, like it* attack the extremities (toes, fingers and ears) most readily. Local preventive measures include the wearing of loosely fitting warm gloves or socks. Tight ones, by constricting the blood-vessels, make the task of circulation more difficult. Those who, even in comparatively mild weather, are habitually troubled witu “dead” fingers and toes will readily contract chilblains. They are usually sufferers from an abnormality of blood pressure called Raynard’s disease, and a course of.treatment under medical advice, with trinitrin, will often help matters considerably. Almost all victims, too, benefit from taking 15 grams of calcium lactate twice or thrice daily. Every care should be taken to prevent the early swollen stage from going on to ulceration. Protection with a dressing of lint smeared with icthyol ointment will usually achieve this object, se te n Old May Day Customs. Nowadays very few people dance round the maypole or perform any other of the traditional rites associated with May Day. But the first of May was one of the greatest festivals of the year among our ancestors. On that day young and old, rich and poor, united in pretty pageantry and innocent sports, and the month of flower* was ushered in with laughter, dancing and song. Some strange customs were practised on May Day' by our ancestors, and a number of curious old beliefs associated with the occasion still linger in different parts of the country. For instance, girls used to believe that going into the fields and bathing their faces in the dew was a sure way to become beautiful, and one can still find traces of this superstition. A Railwayman’s Record! A Lausanne railway guard has been making some interesting notes from a diary he has kept of the journeys be has made during 32 years of service. This shows that he has travelled 1.552,482 miles in passenger trains and 31G,518 miles in goods trains, making m all a total of 1.869.000 miles, equal to 76 times round the world. During th * time he has had ISB9 days of holidays, with 11S days of illness caused by act :- dents and 155 days of other illnesses making a total of 273 days of He has passed through the tunnel in the world, the Simplon, * times.