A BACKGROUND TO THE NEWS

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 107, 30 January 1935, Page 7

A BACKGROUND TO THE NEWS

The Morse Code A lost Air Force aeroplane in. England was saved by a postal supervisor signalling to it in Morse code with a ear lamp and a mirror. The Morse code is the invention of an American. Samuel Finley Breese Morse (17911572), who conceived the idea of the first practical recording • telegraph while returning from Europe on the packet-ship “Sully” in 1832. Before his arrival in New York, Morse had made plans for a telegraph recording instrument, and laid the principles for his dot-dash-space code based on the duration or absence of the electrical impulse over a circuit. It was not until 183 G that he invented an apparatus which would work, and this was exhibited with success at the New York University, a patent being granted in 1848. By 1851 50 companies using Morse telegraph patents were in operation in the United States, and in IS6I the invention spread to Europe. The code has proved quite easily adaptable to transmission by signal lamps or flag signalling. Australia Day. Anniversary Day in Australia was observed by a holiday throughout the country on January 28. Actually the name of the holiday is now Australia Day, and it is celebrated ordinarily on January 26. The Government effected the alteration in name in 1931. The date marks the day after the arrival of Captain Phillip in the first fleet in 1788, when the flag was broken at the masthead of the ship. The fleet arrived in the vicinity of Botany Bay, where the land was found unsuitable for .settlement, the expedition then moving to Sydney Cove. The formal proclamation of the colony was made on February 7. As early as 1817, patriotic citizens joined in observing the day on which the colony was established, though not until IS3S was a public holiday proclaimed. One year before this, in 1537, the Sydney Regatta was first conducted at Fort Macquarie—a regatta which was destined to be- . come the principal feature of the anniversary, though not before 1542 was it definitely referred to as the Anniversary Regatta. It lias been held annually ever since, and in 18SS the Government voted £5OO for a special cup to mark the centenary of Australia. The regatta has been held in gales and flat calms, but its motto has been “keep on.” For many years it has been the custom to pass a resolution “that the regatta be held no matter what the weather may be.” Maori Population. “Although the Maori race has survived its contact with Europeans, its survival is due largely to its own characteristics rather than to any speciallyfavoured mode of treatment,” said Dr. I L. G. Sutherland, of Victoria University College, at the Melbourne Science Congress. Although there were once fears that the Maoris would eventually die out, during the last few years the natural increase ratio of Maoris has exceeded that of the Europeans. Heavy fluctuations, however, occur in Native data, and the completeness of registration is not yet entirely above suspicion. The first official general census was taken in 1857-58. and others occurred in regular sequence- from 1874 onwards. Owing to inherent difficulties the earlier census records made no pretence toward complete accuracy, and even some later enumerations can hardly claim to be more than approximations. The first census showed the Maori figure to be 56,049, and the lowest figure, 39,854, was reached in 1896. The 1926 census showed that a total of 69,780 persons possessed some degree of Maori blood. Of these, 45,429 were classed as of full Maori blood, this term including all persons ranging from seven-eighths Maori blood to unmixed Native descent. The degree of purity, is, however, probably over-stated, and the number of Maoris of pare descent is unlikely to exceed 50 per cent, of the total. The estimated number of Maoris in 1934 was 72,883, of whom 69,734 were in the North Islard. Auckland province contains the hulk of this number, particularly in the Auckland Peninsula and Poverty Bay regions. Hawke’s Bay contains some 5500, Taranaki 4200, and Wellington 7650. The Maori population increased by 1752 during 1933-34. Railway Gauges. Mr. G. M. Wilson, late superintendent of motive power for the Canadian National Railways, has remarked that the difference that exists in rhe railway gauges in the various Australian States seems a great drawback to the progress of the country. Not only is considerable expense incurred in the shifting of freight between States, but the changing of trains is a considerable inconvenience to passengers Federal railways have two different gauges, State railways five. There are 6064 miles of the sft. Sin. gauge, 7257 of the 4ft. Slin. gauge, and 14,119 miles of the 3ft. Gin. gauge. At least one step has already been taken toward ’he standardisation of gauges in Australia, by the construction of the line fr?m Grafton. New South Wales, to Brisbane, Queensland. This line was opened in 1930. and was constructed to overcome the break of gauge between Sydney and Brisbane. There are some 3320 miles of State railways in New Zealand, all constructed to run on a standard 3ft. Gin. gauge. Jamaica. The Duke and. Duchess of Kent have left for Jamaich, where they will greet the Duke of Gloucester. Jamaica, with an area of 4207 square miles, is the largest island in the British West Indies. Two-thirds of the island are occupied by a plateau of deep-sea white limestone, forming a region of great beauty broken by innumerable hills and valleys covered with luxuriant vegetation. The island was discovered by Columbus on May 3, 1494, and he was subsequently stranded for a year on the north coast. A Spanish governor was appointed in 1509, and from that date until 1G55 the island, known to the Spaniards as Snnt’Jago, remained under their rule. Sir Anthony Shirley, a British admiral, plundered and burned the - capital. Spanish Town, in 1596, but effected no occupation. When Cromwell attacked the Empire of Spain in the West Indies, the Admirals Penn and Venables captured Jamaica in 1G55, finding that Spanish nobles had discouraged immigration so much that the total population was only about 3000. Slaves escaped to the mountains and their efforts to retain independence resulted in much fighting; buccaneers made a resort of the island, and were not suppressed until IG7O. Later Jamaica became one of the great slave marts of the world. A severe earthquake in 1692 destroyed most of Port Royal, and hurricanes a few years later eventually caused the transference of the capital to Kingston. More slave revolts followed, until their emancipation caused much distress among the planters. There was a negro uprising in 18G5, with loss of life, and an earthquake in 190 J killed about 800 people.