People and Their Doings.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 386, 31 March 1932, Page 8

People and Their Doings.

A Young Golfer who has just made a Remarkable Record : How the Gerlich Bullet Compares with Standard Makes : Melodrama in the Good Old Style.

TT SEEMS that years and experience are to be at a discount when golf championships are being competed for. The practised player in the prime of life, with fifteen or twenty years’ playing experience, frequently has to strike his colours to the youth in his teens who, by some genius for the game, leaps into the front rank without serving any substantial apprenticeship period. Such a case is that of young J. P. Hornabrook, the 20-year-old Masterton player, who on Tuesday found himself acclaimed as provincial champion of Wellington. During the tournament he accounted successively for J. Petley 5 and 4, T. H. Horton 1 up, Rana Wagg (New Zealand amateur champion) 2 and 1, and J. H. Drake 2 up. These are four “ scalps ” which any golfing warrior would be proud to hang at his belt. The young prodigy is a pupil of T. H. Horton (“Bill”), who is probably the finest iron player in New Zealand. The teacher was beaten by his pupil. Australia has two youthful golfers who have won State and National championships, so it seems that youth is not waiting to be served but is helping itself. 9 ® ® 'J'HOUGH VARIOUS ASPECTS of the de Groot incident have been told and re-told, there is a refreshing crispness about the way the Sydney “ Bulletin ” disposes of the matter. Under the title, “ Well, the Bridge is Open,” it says, editorially:— Whatever else it might be, that was a childish performance which disturbed the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Saturday. The hundreds of thousands who, in the present circumstances of the State, would have been better at home or about their ordinary avocations were gathered at the great arch, the inevitable speeches were being made and the time had almost come for the cutting of the ribbon when a young man, a former cavalry officer, mounted and in uniform, under cover of which he had passed through with the escort, spurred his horse forward, and with his sword slashed the wisp of silk, while he spoke a few words in the best manner of old melodrama. Then, still in the best manner of old melodrama, he was dragged from, his horse and taken to the reception house—a nice touch this last, in the best manner of Lang administration, which has brought offensive language and insulting behaviour to a fine art. THE WRECK of the Cunard liner Lusitania, which lies eight miles off the Irish coast south by west of the Old Head of Kinsale, is to be explored soon. Captain H. W. Railey, who is head of the expedition, has returned to England after consulting colleagues in America regarding technical details. Work will begin between April 15 and May 1, and will last about three months. Divers will reach the

wreck by means of a steel tube. The vessel selected for the enterprise will be drydocked at Dartmouth, and the tube fitted and final experiments made. There is no gold in the wreck, and whether there is treasure of any kind is problematical. The purpose is to demonstrate this new form of submarine salvage apparatus, to take motion pictures at a depth and under conditions never before attempted, possibly to broadcast a description of the wreck as she appears, and to carry out important research in submarine lighting. The Lusitania was sunk in eighteen minutes by a German submarine, and 1198 lives were lost.

m 9 9 JF THE NEW BULLET invented by Herr Gerlich, of Kiel, with its muzzle velocity of 5000 feet a second, is nearly as (effective as is claimed, a weapon far more deadly than is at present known has been added to the already big list of lethal instruments. An ordinary .303 Lee-Enfield rifle, of the type which is standard in all British forces, has a muzzle velocity of 2200 feet a second, while the Mauser, with which most of the Continental forces are armed, and the Springfield, which is standard in the United States Army, exert about the same pressure on a projectile. Although a cabled description of Herr Gerlich’s new bullet is not very explicit, it seems as if the nose of the bullet is forced, by the rifling, to assume a shape similar to a propeller. This apparently gives it higher speed* in the air, and is also responsible for its expansion on striking an object.

® 9 the Otago University carries the wooden spoon from the University Colleges’ Easter tournament, it will not be able to hide its achievement under a bushel, for an unusual interest attaches to this trophy. The wooden spoon is a new one made by Mr F. W. Broderick, of Lower Hutt, and presented by the Victoria College Students’ Association, and it is a beautifully executed piece of traditional Maori carving which has been greatly praised by Mr Oliver, Director of the Dominion Museum. It is of solid kauri, and is 2ft 6in long. The bowl is elaborately carved with orthodox Maori designs. Around the border is a band of carving lin wide in the design known by the name of mango-pare, or hammerhead shark design. The centre of the bowl is completely covered in the rauponga style, with a beautiful scroll effect embodying the pitau, or spiral. A narrow scroll design borders the handle, at each end of which is a wonderfully-carved koruru, or head. The back of the bowl of the spoon is lightly carved in a rafter pattern. Space is left on both sides of the handle for the small shields which will bear the names of the colleges winning this trophy.

JT IS JUST AS WELL for any boy who is considering applying to a decorator for a job to know what month he ought to have been bom in, for after the reading of a paper on “ Apprenticeship,” by Mr C. Lilleyman, of Christchurch, before the 1932 conference of New Zealand Federated Master Painters, Decorators and Signwriters, there is likely to be an increased demand for boys born in December and February. “ The New Zealand Decorator’s ” report of the conference contained the following extract from Mr Lilleyman’s paper: But why not allow a little psychology to enter into our considerations. Do you know that a well chosen boy of the birth month of December or that of February is particularly adapted for our trade. The December boy is a deep thinker, trustworthy and reliable, a capable manager and a good organiser. He is naturally artistic and his advice on colour and wallpaper is always welcomed and generally accepted. While the February boy is not so strong in these qualities he is a very conscientious worker. He is a tidy workman and has great perseverance. He does not care to have his own business but is always a capable foreman for his employer and, given just treatment, will remain with his firm for long periods. 9 9 CIXTY YEARS AGO (from the “Star" ° of March 31, 1572) From a Leader-—There Is little doubt that the long-continued dry weather has been productive of much of the sickness that has prevailed in Christchurch during the last few weeks. The heat has acted on the stagnant water in the side channels and drains —the greater portion of which are not lined with stone—and probably a miasma has arisen, causing the locality to become unhealthy. When an attempt has been made to cleanse the foul drains, it has, especially in the suburban districts, been done in such a manner as rather to aggravate than to remove the evil. The felucent matter has been raked out and left in heaps at the sides of the drains, exposed to the full action of the sun's rays, instead of being removed to a place, where distant from human dwellings it would not prove destructive to health. The Shooting Season. —On Monday, the restrictions on the shooting of native game will be removed for the time being, and a large number of sportsmen have prepared to leave town this evening for the various “ preserves.” Ducks are said to be very plentiful, but if the present dry weather continues, they will be exceedingly hard to get at.