General News

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 308, 29 December 1937, Page 6

General News

Colour of Road Traffic Markings. X

An experimental change in the col« our of road traffic signs has been made by the Auckland City Council traffic authorities and the road markings at the transport terminal and a pedestrian crossing in Queen Street near the Customs Street intersection have been repainted yellow instead of the usual white. If the colour proves to be satisfactory its use probably will be extended to other parts of the city. At the transport terminal it may be of value as a contrast to the white concrete.

New State Building. Excavation of the site for the new State building alongside Jean Batten Place (Auckland) was started on Thursday. The contract was let recently to the Fletcher Construction Company for £53,000, and on Thursday a mechanical shovel began to dig out the ground for the foundations. A drill was also working for the purpose of breaking-up the concrete blocks left after the demolition of the old Shortland Street post office. When M the building is finished Jean Place is to be completed to provide a traffic highway between Fort and Shortland Streets.

Minister Suggests Prayer. “You ask if everybody will be paid for wet days between now and Christmas. Well, how on earth can I answer that? If you fellows have never prayed in your lives, I suggest that you get down on your knees to-night and pray hard for fine weather,” said the Minister of Labour, the Hon. H. T. Armstrong, to a deputation from the Christchurch and New Brighton branches of the NationaJ Unemployed Workers’ Movement "You are the god in this case and we are praying to you,” said a delegate. “Oh well, if there is extraordinarily wet weather we will probably have to do something for you,” replied Mr. Armstrong. Shocks From Motor-cars

The peculiar sensation of receiving an electric shock when they tried to open the doors of their cars has been experienced lately by several motorists at Cromwell, and almost invariably they have taken their vehiclesAr to a garage for the purpose of hav-jp ing their wiring systems tested for a short circuit. Inquiries regarding what appeared to be a rather remarkable coincidence were made by Mr W. Sutton, touring manager of the Automobile Association (Otago), who discovered that the shocks were due to an electrostatic charge, accumulated from the atmospheric electricity. In hot, dusty weather the electricity is gathered in by the steel body of a car, and owing to the insulation afforded by the tyres it is not grounded until a person touching the car provides an “earth.” Although comparatively rare in New Zealand, the phenomenon is not unknown, ap- k parently, in such hot, dry places as Death Valley, in South America.

Clipper’s Clipped Christmas. Captain Musick and the crew of the Samoan Clipper enjoyed the briefest Christmas Day experienced by anyone on earth. Sunday (Boxing Day) was Christmas Day in Samoa, and the Clipper left Pago Pago when the festive day was only about four hours old. About an hour later the naviga-

tor announced that Christmas Daj was over, and it was now Boxing Daj morning. The Clipper had crossed thi international date line, 180 degreei either way from Greenwich, and it u there the traveller loses a day going west or gains a day going eastwards. Each new day begins at Fiji and ends at Samoa, but a glance along the 180 meridian shows that it scarcely touches inhabited land in running from pole to pole. In the last century, before the Samoan archipelago was carved up into German and (American spheres of influence, the i group was on its “wrong” time, and the erorr was adjusted by celebrating two Fourths of July in one year, but the change caused almost a civil war among the rival sects before Sabbath adjustments could be satisfactorily agreed to, as the unsophisticated natives could not understand why some were on their way to church while others were off to “tabu” fishing.

Shot Sitting Hare. Counsel in the Waipukurau Magistrate’s Court in a civil claim was trying to prove that the defendant, in th< excitement of trying to shoot a hare! had used more force than normal on the bolt of a, rifle, the breaking of which was the cause of the claim. Plaintiff had stated that a friend had had a shot at a hare and missed. Defendant then fired and missed, too. While he was reloading his rifle the bolt broke. Counsel led carefully up to his final question. “Now you particularly wanted to get that hare,” he said “you were most anxious not to miss it, and therefore, I submit that in your excitement you perhaps used a little more pressure than was necessary. You had to be quick so that the hare wouldn’t run away, didn't you?” “Oh, no,” came the reply. “Tho hare was squatting.” “Do you mean to tell me you shot at a sitting hare?” asked counsel incredulously. “Oh. yes,” came the calm reply. “Well, you're no sportsman,” said counsel, as he sat down without gaining his poinu