NEWS AND NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 17 July 1929, Page 7

NEWS AND NOTES.

WELLINGTON’S CARILLON. The two largest bells of the Wellington Memorial Carillon—one of 5 tons and the other tons in weight—have been landed from the Hurunui at tne Pipitea wharf and are now stored in the big shed there. The Harbour Board is providing storage for twelve days only, when the bells, will- have to be removed to some other pmce. Sucli weights are not handled easily, and the task of moving them may require the provision of sheer-legs. The same vessel also brought a number of th,! steel girders for the bell framework of tne campanile. As the rest'of the carillon is to be .erected in Hyde Park (after having finished duty at the North-east Coast Exhibition at New-castle-on-Tyne; it wilj not arrive until the end of the year. A BURGLAR. While sleeping on the porch of her home at 10 Hobson Crescent, Mrs G. Carmichael awoke on a recent morning to see, on looking through a kitchen window, a man fumbling with her shopping bag, which was hanging on the wall of her kitchiefn. She immediately accosted the stranger, who ran up the passage to the front door, hut she pursued him and held him until assistance arrived. The mnn, who was in the house without authority,, was John Joseph McQlintock, a bootmaker aged 42, who admitted in the Magistrate’s Court to breaking into the promises mentioned with the intent, to commit theft therein, McClintock, who pleaded guilty to the charge, was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence. , PENSIONS' ACT ANOMALIES. In pointing out certain anomalies in the Pensions Act to the Hon W. A. Veitch, a deputation, of which Mr Wallace was the leader, stated the case of a woman, who, on the death of her husband, obtained a pension in respect of herself and her two children, but on the death of her second husband was unable to have the pension reinstated so far as it related to the children of her first marriage. Another instance of an anomaly was chat in which a pension was granted to the wife of a man who was committed to a mental hospital, but whici was cancelled as • from'the day of the patient’s, escape from hospital. The deputation asked that such anomalies shoud be adjusted, and that the benefits of the Act should be extended to ; wLives and dependents who lost their breadwinners when the latter became chronic invalids Mr Wallace went s far as to suggest that in such cases the Miiiister should have discretionary power. Mr Veitch promised to consider the suggestions, and, where necessary, to confer with Cabinet. PICKING UP MAILS AT SEA. A new invention, by means of which an aeroplane can pick up mails at sea, will be used by tho Leviathan on her return trip westward, states the “Shipping World.” When 600 miles off New York an aeroplane from Newark Metropolitan Airport will meet the vessel, take off the mail, and land it in New York one day ahead of the usual time. The new device is the invention of Dr L. S. Adams, of Seattle. A tall steel structure will be set up in the stern of the Leviathan, provided with a snap-lock from which a mail-bag will be bung. The aeroplane will drop a cable and pick up the mail in an operation that should take only a few seconds to accomplish. It is proposed to carry out experiments 1000 miles from shore, and officials of tE United States Lines state that another day in the transmission of mails could be saved by dropping the m ils on board the sh : p on her outward journey. TURKISH CONTRACT LOST. An important Turkish contract has been lost to Great Britain owing to Italian firms, promising more speedy delivery, writes the “ Shipping World.” For this reason the construction of two destroyers, two submarines, and other vessels will be undertaken by a group of Italian yards. The contract amounts to 15,000,000 Turkish pounds, and the ships are to delivered in twenty-two months. It is explained that the British tender, though advantageous, was rejected owing to the period required for delivery, while the American tender was rejected on account of the high price. The French price was in the neighbourhood of the Italian, but a longer time for delivery was asked for. It is known that the conditions of payment give the Italian constructors only a moderate profit. Thirteen per cent of the price will be paid on delivery and the remainder spread over eight years. ' But the Italian firms hope that other contracts will follow. THE FUTURE OF THE TRAMP. Sir John Latta, in adressing the shareholders of the shipowning firm over which he presides, referred to Mr Philip Haldin’s recent suggestion that tramp ship owners should have their “ confidences ” as the liner companies have their “conferences’” (reports the “ Shipping World ”), and suggested that it may not be beyond the wit of

tramp owners in their present dilemma to conceive and bring fortn something at least helpful. He directed attention to “ the unfair inroads persistently made on tramp trades by liner companies.” “It is apparent,” Sir John added, “ that the liner companies, on the strength of their privileged outward and partly protected homeward freights, are 'adopting yet another method of overcoming those who provide imports and exports with the safe guard, which the survival of the fittest policy yields.” Sir John Latta quoted an instance of this policy which recently occurred in Australian waters and expressed some doubt as to whether the tramp owner can continue to exist if he depends solely on the “sur-vival-of-the-finest” dictum. FREEDOM OF THE SEAS. Admiral Sir Richard Webb, who came into close association with the shipping industry during the war, is opposed to what is known as “freedom of the seas,” states the “Shipping World.” He doubts whether a measure of freedom of the seas, if agreed to in time of peace, would be observed in time of war by these nations, if any, which were neutral, and that, he said, opened up the very much larger question of whether there would or should be any neutrals. He pointed out that the weapon upon which the i-eague of Nations relied for dealing with a recalcitrant nation was the very negation of the freedom of the seas, since it proposed to assert, not only against all neutrals, whether members of the League or not, belligerent rights more drastic than any that had been admitted in the past, or than any that had been urged b\ the most ardent advooate of Uaval rights, Finally this officer urges that the concurrence of Great Britain in tin proposal of tho freedom of the seas would expose her to dangers greater than those that could threaten am other country from tho same cause. “To adopt a measure of freedom of the seas would be for this country to renounce the power to make war, wit' the lveight which that power gave while leaving untouched the same power in the hands of those Powers wliic’ maintain armies.” A MODERN LIFEBOAT. There was launched at Cowes, Isle of Wright, on 22nd May, the largest lifeboat in the world. She was christ ened Princess Maryland at Padstow (Cornwall) will take her place in the great ring of lifeboat stations whici encircles the British Isles. She hai been built for the National Lifeboat Institution out of the gift of £14,50. made by the P. and O. Line in response to the Prince of Wales appeal ill© boat has a length of 61ft, witl loft beam, and is of two thicknesses o. teak. She has fifteen main, and' 1(F minor watertight compartments, and displaces fifty-five tons of water. Hei excess buoyancy is equal to nearly oncand a half times that weight. _ Ii she shipped ,in round figures, sevent. tons of water, she would stiil reman afloat and manageable. Power is sup plied by two Royal National Lifeboai institution D.L. 80 h.p. engines, whic are enclosed in watertight compart inents, so that even if they becam< submerged they would continue t . function, provided the air inlets sti remained above water. The boat cai attain a maximum speed of 9J knot per hour, with an economic cruisin speed of knots. At the latter spee< she has a cruising range of 500 miles There are two cabins, capable gether of accommodating some fift. lo sixty persons. In reasonably caln weather'another 250 could be carried on deck. In rough conditions her cap acity would be about 150, excluding the crew, which will number nine o; eleven, according to weather condil ions. Mrs .Seely, wife of Major-Gen oral J. E. B. Seely, Lord Lieutenant o the Isle of Wright, performed th. launching ceremony. “May goo< luck ever go with this lifeboat,” sli said as she broke a bottle of champ ague on her bow. During a subsequent trial run in the Solent a demonstratioi was given of picking up a shipwrecked mariner. A man suddenly dropped overboard. In a moment a lifebuoy war Hung to him, and the vessel circled round and back to him. Lifeline. l were thrown out and he was safely hauled aboard. The Princess Mary i fitted with a net to catch peoplo wh are prepared to jump from a sinking vessel. Electric appliances have beei installed for cooking, and patent de vices for spraying chemicals in case of fire, and she is also fitted with wire less.