" NUTS !"

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 71, 25 March 1933, Page 9

" NUTS !"

AN OVERDRAFT.

INTELLECT SHARPENERS All rights reserved.

(By T. L. Briton.)

Readers with a little ingenuity will find in this column an abundant store of entertainment and amusement, and the solving of the problems should provide excellent mental exhilaration. While some of the "nuts" may appear harder than others, it will be found that none will require a sledge-hammer to crack them.

In June of last year three prospectors who had started to make a ijareful examination of some, southern country likely for payable gold, first arranged with a local Jiank for a "Joint and Several" overdraft, the fixed amount of the limit being an even nuinbur of pounds. No traces of the yellow metal had been found by the end of June when the sum overdrawn in accordance with the bank's agreement had reached the limit. By the end of July, however, they had better luck, for the account at that date- showed that it had been reduced to less than half what it was at the end of June. Their "finds" right through the period that concerns this' problem Wero "patchy," for in August they were not able to ."pay in," and the amount' of the account at the end of that month was exactly double what it was at the end of July. September was a good month:and th© overdraft was reduced by exactly the same sum as in July, but. October proved as bad as August, and at'the end of that month the overdraft' was exactly three limes the amount that it was at the end-of September. In-November the account was reduced by the- same sum as. in the two- successful months mentioned, but the'expenditure over receipts in December made the overdraft four times what it was at the end of November. The hard-working prospectors were able, • however,'to reduce the account in January by the same amount as in the other ''good" months referred to,, but the recurrenca of another unsuccessful month in February saw the amount of the- account exactly five times what it was at the end of January. In .March th ey . again '' Struck it rich' '.for the men.paid in to their credit that month a,sum equal to each of the other good months,' namely July, September, November,and January. Now here is an interesting question: if the last payment exactly "wiped out" the overdraft what was the limit granted by the- bank, the sum being over £450, but less than £600? A "WEIGHING" POSER. A small weighing machine can be used only for weights up to ten stone ten pounds, and the following details of.the.doings.of three youngsters, Bill, Charle3, and Dick who were endeavouring to weigh themselves oa it, may provide, a few-moments of good mental exercise for the reader who will try to find the weight of Dick. The platform of the scales was large enough*for the three to stand upon, but their aggregate weight was more than the capacity of the machine. . After the two biggest boys had succeeded ;in weighing themselves, Dick would not go- on without one of the others so the position after sundry .weighings was this: Bill .and Charles weighed exactly five stone more than the third boy who was found to be ten pounds less avoirdupois than Charles. Now if we assume that had the machine been capable of weighing the three together they would have '■'■turned" the scales at exactly eleven stone, the reader may find that sufficient data has been given to enable the' exact weight of Dick to be determined. What was it? .MISREAD THE AMOUNT. An unusual mistake was mad a by a cashier misreading the amount of a cheque that he had cashed for a customer, the sum being under ten pounds, paying out pounds for shillings and shilling for pounds instead of as they appeared in the cheque. The person receiving the cash did not count it before placing the money in his pocket, and only discovered the mistake when paying an account at a shop some little time afterwards, discovering afterwards' that he had cash to the extent of sixpence more than twice- the amount that he should have had, for he had no cash with him when he went to the bank to cash the cheque. He returned at once to:the cashier who had not discovered the error, but -upon reference to his own figures on the back