NEWS IN BRIEF

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 10, Issue 71, 10 January 1947, Page 6

NEWS IN BRIEF

A New Art A' most unusual and artistic exhibition of typoglyphs—sketches executed on the typewriter—was on display recently at the Nelson Technical School. “Drawn” by the typing and shorthand instructor, Mr R. Maple, who claims to be the originator of this new form of art, they appear at first to be pencil drawings, but closer inspection reveals that letters and numbers have been cleverly interwoven to produce a most colourful effect. Sketches shown include a wind-jammer under full sail, a church, a glimpse of Port Nelson, and an army parade ground scene. Canadian Navy The Canadian Navy will begin the New Year with an estimated strength of 8600, according to a dispatch received by the High Commissioner for Canada in New -Zealand. The authorised peacetime complement is 10,000, and the Navy recruiting of new entries and re-en-tries is approximately 200 monthly, although applications for entry are in excess of 2000 a month. The prewar Canadian flept, which consisted of a handful of destroyers and minesweepers has been replaced by a modern fleet that includes an aircraft carrier, two cruisers, destroyers, frigates and Algerian escort vessels. It is expected that a second aircraft carrier will be added to the Canadian fleet in the latter part of 1947. Would Not Advise He would not presume to give advice, but merely make observations, said Dr. W. W. Greulich, Professor of Anatomy at Stanford University, California, when he was speaking at a Mayoral reception in Christchurch. He recalled the fate of a famous radio personality in the United States who gave advice to the lovelorn and solved domestic problems. Just before he left the States, said Professor Greulich, this dispenser of free advice was being sued for divorce by his wife. It seemed to point a moral. Kingfisher Not Harmless Kingfishers are not the harmless birds many people believe, and two further instances of this were seen by Mr A. L. Nalder, ap. inspector under the Scenery Preservation Act, and a vice-president of the Wanganui Acclimatisation Society. Inspecting reserves, Mr Nalder saw a duck with a clutch of young, and the duck seemed to be very much disturbed. The reason was obvious when a kingfisher came diving down, and tried to collect one of the ducklings. The mother put up frenzied resistance, and although the kingfisher managed to stun two of the young, it could not make off with its prey. Further up the river Mr Nalder saw another kingfisher in action, attacking a yellow eye which had hatched eight young. Samoan Canoe An unusual sight on the Wellington harbour recently was an outrigger canoe manned by two Samoans, T. Annandale and R. G. Talosaga. The canoe is hollowed from a single trunk of an islands’ tree and is 18ft long with a 13ft outrigger. It is owned by Dr. L. C. McNickle, of Wellington, to whom it was presented some time ago when he visited Western Samoa. Dr. McNickle could not assemble the canoe, however, and until the Samoans came to his aid it was unused. Now, however, it will probably become a regular sight on the harbour.