LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 15, Issue 80, 28 December 1921, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A Chinaman named Joo Wai yesterday afternoon fell off a bicycle at Wadestown, and was removed to the Hospital suffering from concussion. Ho was Conscious last night, and progressing as well as could bo expected. Further evidence of the enterprise of the taupata comes from Mr. W. Muir, of Majoribanks Street, who states that <i taupata bush has been growing in tho fork of a pinus ineignis tree in his garden for a number of years. It is now about four feet high, and people are constantly gazing at the oddity In plant fife with' wonder that it should thrive on such a tiny portion of eoil.

Mrs. ‘Sutherland, residing at No. 1 Grafton Road, Rosoneath. was driving a trap yesterday at Silvorstream when it capsized. She was admitted to the hospital at 19.30 p.m suffering from a fractured leg.

A. North Shore (Auckland) resident, who for many years was connected with tho fishing industry in the eastern districts of Scotland, says that ho is not at all surprised at the religious revival that has broken out there, reports the Auckland “Star” The war with nil its attendant disasters affected the fisherman’s mind in a way that left him a different man. There were pent up feelings that had to find vent somewhere. The fishing folk have an intense faith in the supernatural, and many of them are what is known as seers and sec visions, and, their mode of living and their training fosters this spirit. They will wrestle- with a passage from the Scriptures, and read then' own interpretations into, it according to tho light they have, and then they try end influence their fellows regarding it. Tho revival is a natural outcome of the happenings that hove taken place since 1914. and under wise .guidance _ tho fisherman’s life will he impro;ed by it. A peculiar domestic situation has arisen in ° district not a thousand miles from Palmerston North as a result of, matrimonial alliances, states an exchange.' Two farmers, who wore neighbours, had the misfortune to lose their wives and to bo left with families of daughters. Both of ihem married a second time, each taking as his bride a daughter of the other. Each, therefore became the other’s father-in-law, and the wives occupied a peculiar relationship. As both of the ' young women have families it would be interesting to know the relationship of these with their parents and with the family of the first marriages.

Mr.. A. J. Dacombe, a young New Zealand electrical engineer, living at Sydenham. who has been carrying out experiments in wireless telegraphy for, a number of years, claims to have invented an instrument which should attract the interest of wireless men all over the world. Speaking to a "Press” reporter, Mr. Dacombe stated that when a wireless message was received two notes were heard—a high or compensating note and a low note, tho latter carrying the message. For years, he said, attempts had been made to eliminate the compensating note, but without success. By means of Iris invention, however, he claims that not only will the compensating note be eliminated so far as receiving messages is concerned, but the strength of the wireless will bg increased by about 50 per cent. In addition, the invention will dominate the effect of electrical disturbances on wireless plants by fully 20 per cent. Mr. Dacombe has conducted his experiments with tho assistance of a private wireless plant, and he claims that he r an receive messages from any part of tire world.

“The Assyrian came down like a wolf on the fold,” quotes the Auckland “Star,” commenting thereafter as follows: That one musical lino of Byron’s is quoted by thousands who haven’t the slightest idea who wrote it or what the context is about. Its wonderful rhythm fixes it in the memory like glue. Probably owing to this haunting perpetuation of the name of that ancient race we owe one of the commonest colonial errors of ihe day. Time and again you will read of some “Assyrian hawker” that has met with one of the numerous set of circumstances that necessitate a newspaper paragraph. , The “very best people” are guilty of i;his lapse in nomenclature, and many people are quite surprised when you offer to wager -a small sum in contradiction of something they say about an “Assyrian”. hawker, or what not. When you tell them there hasn’t l>een such a thing for a few thousand years they think a lot, and then gradually realise the difference between Syrian and the Syrian plus AS. These hawkers are all from Syria, which as a matter of cold fact is the home of not a national race, but of a multiplicity of people known generally as “Syrians.” This error of tacking on to these people the name of the warlike race that used to live down Nineveh way is so common that it is the right name that now causes surprise when one sees it, but one would, hardly expect to find the mistake embalmed in a sober Government/publication. However, anyone who takes the trouble to look up the last “Gazette” will find this proof of lack of Biblical and other history staring him in the face in a regulation dealing with Maori villages.

From Japan has come a request to the headmaster of St. Andrew’s College, Christchurch, for information regarding the college (savs the "Lyttelton Times”) The writer, Tomoyana Sanyo, says: "Please send me your reports, bulletins, journal, catalogs, and ilusirated guide.” The letter, although addressed to Mr. J. K. Anderson, headmaster of the college, came through the Department of Industries and Commerce. Whether it suggests the possibility of an application for admission to the school is not clear, but that St. Andrew’s is becoming more widely known is evidenced by tho fact that the latest pupil enrolled was from Buenos Aires.

Meetings have been held of the different sections of the Canterbury Employers’ Association to discuss what collective action should bo taken Jo assist in bringing the economic position buck as near normal as possible (slates tho Christchurch “Press”). It is proposed by the Employers’ Federation to hold a conference in Wellington early in the New Year for the purpose of adopting .means to carry into effect the federation’s resolution affirming the necessity for reducing prices in order that a material reduction in wages shall bo warranted in May next. A meeting of those trade sections of the Canterbury Employers’ Association which have not yet considered the question is to be held at an\ early date, when, in addition to discussing ’the federation’s resolution, each section will be asked to nominate representatives; in turn these represen-., tatives will appoint delegates to the Wellington conference. An instance of the great advance made in the popularity of music in Christchurch was given by Mr. R. B. Owen, director of the Royal Christchurch Musical Society, at'a social given to Dr. Bradshaw in the Art. Gallery Hall (states tho Christchurch "Prose”). Many people thought a short, time ago, said Mr. Owen, that, what with picture entertainments and jazz clubs, there would bo nothing left for the musical organisations but to shrivel up and go out of business. How far wrong this was was shown nt tho performance of "Tho Messiah," given by the Royal Musical Society and the Malo Voice Choir in the King Edward Barracks, when close on 5900 paid for admission. This was a matter of amazement when ii was realised that just a few yearn ago such performance would have drawn an attendance of about 750.