NEWS BY MAIL.

Hokitika Guardian, 11 December 1923, Page 1

NEWS BY MAIL.

; KINEMA STARS IN PANIC. 5 1 IN PEAL EARTHQUAKE FILMLAND. : Southern Californir, from San hi | Barbara to San Diego and eastwards i i'i the Imperial Valley, was shaken I recently by an earthquake, which lasted from 11 to 20 seconds. At Holy wood, the Metropolis of Filmland all the burglar alarms rang simultaneously. Affrighted kinema stars with one accord tried to communicate with the police, hut discov ered that their telephones were out- of order. So far serious damage is reported only from San Bernardo, a town of about 18,000 inhabitants not far from Los Angelos. The walls of the Hall of Records cracked, tons of brick falling on an adjoining bouse and fattaly injuring one man. As the electric lights went out, (lie inliabitanls made a conceited dash for the streets. The experience of Redlands was similar. Chimneys fell by tlie score, and plateglass windows were smashed. About 2,500 patients at a hospital at Patton suffered serious alarm as the building rocked and plaster rained on tlie.n from tlie ceilings. SHOCK CURED BY SHOCK. A suggestion that a mechanical shock given to persons snll'ciing with an electric shock assbts i heir recovery is, made by Mr. C. S. Ram. senior electrical inspector, in (lie annual report of f lic Chief Inspector of Factories and Workshops, published yesterday. Persons who have a had fall follow i ing a severe electric shock provided i (lici'f* is no serious injury, usually recover from the original shock, lie i says. Other points in the report are :

Man}' employe!s are utilising the period ol trade slackness to nioderti-i.-e (heir plant so as to take fuli advantage of it trade icvival. Though hours of work now vary from 4-1 to •Bi a week, against (50 pi e war, some employers say the output is almost if not quite what it was. Accidents hist year nnnibeted !>•!>,9:50 (5,421 more than 1921), the reason being that more persons were employed.