People and Their Doings.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 145, 20 June 1931, Page 8

People and Their Doings.

Freezing Works are not too Cold for Rats : Are Football Grounds Going Begging in the Park? : Anton Lang Favours Passion Play in Hyde Park.

44 JJATS don’t like freezing works, I take it,” said Mr Justice Blair at Gisborne yesterday, during the hearing of the Wairoa freezing works case. If his Honor meant that rats would not live in cold stores, he is incorrect in his presumption. During the days of the war, additional storage accommodation was provided at all South Island works, but even this did not, in the great majority of cases, enable the cold stores to be cleared during the 44 off ” season. The result was that meat was often stored there for a year before being shipped. On one occasion, in 1916, meat which had been in store for about nine months was being shipped out and no fewer than twenty carcases of mutton were found to have been badly gnawed by rats. Later, when that particular store was cleared, the temperature was let up and the store disinfected. The result was that several large rats, with coats of fur half an inch in length, were found. These rats had lived for many months in an average temperature of six degrees below zero. During the whole time, the temperature was never higher than five degrees below zero, and was often as low as seven. The bodies had a liberal coating of fat and some of the skins, which excited a good deal of attention, were tanned by those interested.

sS? sgs the girl from Timaru who

was alarmed over an earthquake prediction, a correspondent writes: “This reminds me of another girl from Timaru, who eighteen years ago dreamed about the war, and a Timaru paper published it in pamphlet form, and it was sold to help the Red Cross.

“ That dream occurred three times on successive nights, vivid and in such recurring detail, that it was written down, dated, affidavited before a J.P. and two witnesses. When the war started about a year after, as predicted, the document was brought out. At the time I did not know that the dreamer, Mrs Maud Goodenough Bruce, was a daughter of Mrs Captain Hayter. The main feature of the dream was a sort of panoramic view of Europe. A huge double-headed eagle was lying stricken across the centre of Europe, the head over the French frontier. The bird was gasping, but the impression was got that it would fevive; but hot for twentyfive years would it be strong enough to ise its head, and when it did, it -would bfe ukthout thfc crown, which it was then wearing. Some other forecasts were made about Ireland and U.S.A. which came to pass.”

ANTON LANG, the Passion Play actor who has three times taken the part of Christ at Oberammergau, returned to London last month after an absence of thirty years. Herr Lang’s fame as an actor has spread all over the world, but in spite of many tempting offers from the United States he still lives his life as a simple potter trying to copy the ideals left behind by the Man whose life he has studied so deeply. He played the part of Christ in the Passion Play in 1900, 1910 and 1922. In 1915 he was reported killed in action, but this was later found to be incorrect.

“ I see no reason,” he said recently, 44 why there should not be a Passion Play in London, staged on similar lines to that at Oberammergau. An open air stage with scenery would have to be built up, but that would be possible in a place like Hyde Park. Actors with the true religious feeling would have to be found, and that again should not be difficult.”

<up 9 ]y£R FREDERICK LONSDALE, one of the world’s most successful and highly paid playwrights and scenario-writers, is engaged on writing his own autobiography as the next talking film commissioned from him by Hollywood. He has led a most adventurous life, and for years English publishers and film producers have been trying to tempt him to write an account of it. “ In the past,” Mr Lonsdale said recently, “I have been an agricultural labourer in Canada. I have been an able-bodied seaman before the mast. I have been a private in the South Lancashire Regiment. I have been in the North-West Mounted Police. Even now I never pass a g&i>l without wondering how I never got inside one.” Mr Lonsdale is 50. He first met with success when he was 26, and wrote “ The King of Cadonia.” Since then he has written a succession of plays, the best-known of which are “ Maid, of the Mountains,” “ Aren’t We All?” “Spring Cleaning,” “The Last of Mrs Cheyney,” “ The High Road,” “On Approval,” and “ Canaries Sometimes Sing.” ® si? A ST RON OME RS in various parts of the world are watching for a rare comet which was first seen in 1913. Even when it is nearest to the earth the comet will be 140,000,000 miles distant! It was nearest to the sun on or about May 2, 1931, and it has taken seventeen years to encircle the sun. In sortie ways it is a very ferft&rkable comet. For instance, it has been seen without any nebulosity, which, when it is elongated, is popularly known as “ tail.” This is unusual. Further, it is associated with Saturn, which has only one or two comets, whereas Jupiter has fifty.

T") 0 FOOTBALLERS make the full use of the football grounds in Hagley Park? At the east end of the park there appears to be sufficient activity to say that they do, and yet there are several football fields to the west of the Hagley Golf Club’s pavilion which are seldom in use. This portion of the park, which formerly comprised two holes of the Hagley golf links, was taken from the golfers and given to schoolboy footballers.

In the first season after the transfer a tally of the extent to which these fields were used revealed that they were played on for four hours only during the whole season. They are still not taken advantage of half enough, and this raises the question, do the schoolboys not get out after the ball enough, or do they not really need these extra fields? 9 9 9 /CARDINAL BOURNE, on whom Dr Marie Stopes says she has served a libel writ, led a pilgrimage to Rome in 1924 and was received with honour by the Pope. On his return he was the guest of the Lord Mayor of London at the Mansion House. His association with London has been so close that the city has honoured him in many ways. His pqrtrait was hung in the Royal Academy in 1923. Cardinal Bourn* has always supported the Government, which, he said, in its own sphere represented the authority of God. He opposed the idea of setting up a Roman Catholic University or starting a Roman Catholic Party. 9 9 9 CIXTY YEARS AGO—(From the “ Star," 0 of June 20. 1S71) A Capuchin monk, in Ireland, recentlj' called upon his congregation to be especially thankful that Providence should have placed death at the end of life, and not in the middle, so that we might have all possible time to prepare for it. Driving Cattle In The City.—At their weekly meeting last night, the City Council amended the by-law relating to the driving of cattle, whereby it is now provided that no goat in harness shall be driven through the City between the hours of 7 a.m. and 11 p.m., or cattle between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.. from the Ist of October to the 31st of March, and between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. from the Ist of April to the 30th of September, both inclusive. Hobart ToWn, June 12 —A deputation, consisting of the two Bishops (Anglican and Roman Catholic), the Mayor, and others, had an interview with the Colonial Sccretarv, to complain of the excessive number of public houses.