News in, Brief.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20543, 19 February 1935, Page 6

News in, Brief.

Plea for Leniency. The fact that the mother of one of the prisoners sentenced at the Supreme Court by Mr Justice Blair was sick, and had had her health affected as a result of a charge brought against her son, was mentioned by counsel when asking for leniency (says the Wanganui “Chronicle”). “A sick mother?” queried his Honor. “ Pretty hand}-, isn’t it? Two men might be brought before the Court, and if one had a sick mother he would get off and the other would have to go to gaol.” “ I was asked to mention the matter to your Honor,” replied counsel. “ Miss Clock.” Telephone subscribers in Stockholm have been provided with a new facility. They have merely to call up a certain number to be informed clearly and accurately by a charming feminine voice what is the time to the nearest 20 seconds. The voice has been chosen for its agreeable tone and clearness. The owner of the voice will, however, not be troubled every time the clock stops in the house of a Stockholm resident who has a telephone. The installation is a combination of an electricallycontrolled clock and a gramophone with records actuated by light cells. When the automatic telephone has put the subscriber in connection with “ Froken Ur” (Miss Clock), as the apparatus has come to be called, lights shine on three records at the places for the hour, the minute and the tenth second. The gramophone loud-speaker then reproduces the numbers for these in their right order. Thus, if the time is 14min 23sec past six in the evening, the voice will say 18-14-20. There is no charge for this service, though the call to mechanical “ Miss Clock ” is counted as one of the number allowed for by the telephone subscription.