LATE CABLE NEWS

Hokitika Guardian, 2 April 1930, Page 7

LATE CABLE NEWS

THE NEW PLANET. IMPORTANCE OE DISCOVERY. LONDON, March 19. Sir James Jeans, astronomer, and secretary of the Royal Society, writing in the Observer, describes the discovery of the new planet, beyond Neptune as a tremendous event in astronomical history. He suggests that the existence of the new planet may not account for ail the vagaries of the motions of Uranus and Neptune, and that astonoaners may find evidence of another unknown planet still further out in the depths of space.

The new planet is 45 times further from the sun than the earth, and must take 300 years to travel around the sun. It is too cold to lie inhabitable, as the temperature is probably 400 deg. below zero. Its discovery may provide valuable information bearing on the origin of the solar system, and may even compel the abandonment of the present views about the system. USES OF PENGUINS. OIL FOUND VALUABLE. LONDON 1 , March 18. Sir Douglas Mawson counts penguins’ eggs among the riches which will at some time be developed in Antarctica. A firm of London caterers has tried them, and found them very rich in albumen, and excellent for many purposes, Penguin oil has valuable industrial uses, including the making of bindei twine, and experiments have shown that the flesh can be treated to remove any fishy flavour until it much resembles chicken. An English firm making clothing foi babies found penguin feathers, or perhaps it is fur very suitable for the purpose.

INDIAN AIR MAIL. NIGHT FLYING SERVICE. LONDON, March 20. Preparation is being made for a night-flying service to India, for which five aerodromes in Eastern Persia, are being equipped with floodlights. Experiments are now being made in alighting on the water at night time by supermanne Napier flying boats. \ arious methods have been tried to assist the pilot to calculate the height above the water before alighting. The most satisfactory so far are small searchlights on the wings with their beams crossing at a known distance below the flying boat. When the junction of the beams shines on the water the pilot knows the exact height.

DERBY SWEEPSTAKES. POSITION IN ENGLISH LAW. LiONDON, March 20. The suggestion that there was one law for the rich and another for the poor, in the, matter of sweepstakes, was denied in the House of Commons by the Secretary of State for Home Affairs, Mr J. R. Clynes. Mr Clynes said that he understood that the Stock Exchange Derby sweepstakes henceforth would be purely private and strictly confined to members. If it did not involve sale of tickets or shares therein to non-members he would not initiate legal action against, it. Although anyone could take proceedings he did not think the police would do so in view of his opinion on the subject but if any sweeps, large *». small, were not kept private the authorities would have no option but to take action.