THE FREE AMBULANCE.

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 71, 20 September 1930, Page 15

THE FREE AMBULANCE.

Seeing the sale of art union tickets in aid of that excellent institution, the .Free Ambulance, four visitors after each purchasing a book, decided to subscribe in equal shares a joint donation to the funds, agreeing upon the total sum to be sent. Upon counting the cash that each had with him, F. found that he had .exactly one-third, more thantho amount of "each share, U. was six shillings' and eightpence short of bis, \\ had only half of his quota, while D. had exactly twice the amount of uch contribution. F., U., and A l, then ?ave their money to D., the four sums totalling four pounds fourteen shillings and tenpenee, which was in excess of the amount agreed to be given. Now, if the. aggregate sum mentioned was in excess of the total contribution, by fourpenee more than the sum one of tho party had with him at the time, what was the total subscription donated by these four generous visitors—P., U., N., D.?. "SANS" FIGURES. A correspondent, "Best Friend," writes: "X. had no brothers or sisters, but I. was a near relative inasmuch that the mother of X. was the mother-in-law of V.'s mother. How were tho, two related?" Perhaps the reader can enlighten the questioner. Whilst in this vein here is a curious statement that has been argued and discussed on occasions without end, and is still a snbject_ of controversy. Is it possible*' in NewZealand, or was it ever possible under the law, for a man to have married hi! WIDOW'S sister? The word has been written in capitals by way of indicating that there is ho confusion in the mind of the writer of these notes with the term "Deceased wife's sister." A simple "YES" or "NO" is hardly suffi-» eient without 'an explanation, which will be given next Saturday. In tho meantime perhaps tho reader will ponder over it.' POSSIBLY DIFFERENT. * Here is a little puzzle that may possibly, in some respects, be different to any that the reader has had before him, though it may not be wholly new, especially to experts in "magic-square" problems. Take seven strips of paper and write on. each the figures 1, 2 S 3, 4, 5, 6, .7, in that order. Tho problem is to. place the forty-nine' numbers in a seven by seven square, so that the seven' perpendiculars, the seven horizontals, and the two long diagonals will each add up the same. OC course, if tho figures were separate, it would bo easy of solution, but tho reader is permitted to cut tho strips of paper; into as many single pieces as desired, tho successful solver being the one who accomplishes the feat in the fewest number of "outs." Mr. Ernest Dudnoy is the author of this entertaining little poser, and perhaps our "magic-square" devotees may like to comment upon it. FIXING THE SIZE. The reader having his pencil at hand after solving tho last problem, let him make a diagram of a four-sided figure, with its sides four, three, six, and rive inches respectively. , It will be observed that such a figure under these or similar conditions could be of various sizes according to shape, even though tho sides be perfectly straight as in tho present case. But if we mark a point within the figure an equal distance from each corner, it can be of only one size. What is the area of the figure in the diagram just drawn? There is a simple little rule for this which is useful to know, and will appear with the solution next week. A SUEPLITS. This has no reference to State finance, though it concerns a commodity that is an important factor in producing a "Budget" surplus. An empty voom in a largo freezing works measures in length -twelve feet, width ten feet, and eight feet,in height, with no posts or other obstacles to prevent maximum storage. The workmen had just finished stacking to its capacity a number of boxes of butter when the overseer gave instructions to place one inch battens under, each layer. This having been completed, there was, of-course, a surplus of quite a quantity of, butter which could not be re-stored, and if the boxes' wore; of uniform size, viz., each side ninety-six square inches, each

end eighty, and top and bottom each one hundred ancl twenty square inches, what was tho-surplus after repacking: