NEWS AND NOTES

Hokitika Guardian, 25 June 1931, Page 2

NEWS AND NOTES

SODA GUSHER 'SPURTS. An enormous gusher of borate ot soda, similar to oil gushers in America, recently spurted through the earth at Leghorn, Italy, as workmen were sinking a well. It reached a height of 825 feet, accompanied by a tremendous rush of gas and stones. There were no injuries or damage, but the noise was so great that schools within a radius of eight miles wore dismissed. After several hours the gusher subsided in a height of 'about .300 foot. This district is noted for tbe production of borate of soda and its by-products.

NO SAFETY RAZORS. Ecuadorian men will be forced to wear beards or get shaved by barbers i' the plan of the local barbers’ union

for solving the depression in their trade is adopted. The barbers’ union called a mass meeting for the purpose of obtaining the concurrence of other unions in a petition to President Ayora demanding, ail 800 per cent duty or absolute prohibition of the importation of safety razors. The barbers contend that safety razors hurt their business, which, they hold, merits protection during the present hard times.

RIGHT, BUT WELL WRONG. What is believed to be a world record for a “wrong number” was heard in London recently, The long distance telephone in Reuter's London office rang furiously. An excited voice was heard speaking in a foreign language. “Parlez voits Eranci'iis? Sprechen sie .Deutsch? Habla list'd Kspatiol?” a Reuter's editor tried before realising tbe tongue at the other end was Italian. Then the following dialogue took place. “Hello! Hello! Are you Thun, Switzerland. No. 14?” “No. we are Trunk. London, No. 14. Afraid you’ve been troubled with the right number but the wrong could ry.”

PRISON'S ELECTRIC GUARD. Death by electricity will be the fate of prisoners attempting to rscare over the .wall of the new State prison coloriv at Norfolk. Massachusetts, when it is completed. The “great wall” surrounding the 36 acres of land on which the colony is being built will be surmounted bv ‘strands of barbed wire three feet high, which will lie charged

on emergencies with 2300 volts of electricity. The high voltage will be switched on only in case of a riot which may throaten a general gaol .break. Normally only 11.0 volts will course through the wires during the dav and 220 volts at night.

ZCYDER ZEE RECLAMATION. Holland’s great national work oi draining the Zuvder Zee and adding 550.000 acres to her farming area is likely to lie finished this year. It wil mean at least 10.(KX) new farms for hci population. These will produce pigs, poultry, and dairy produce, tomatoes potatoes, vegetabri, bulbs, and hothouse fruits of all kinds. There is no reason why Great Britain shouli fear the competition of these now farms. Their rents are to be based ci the cost of tin* reclamation, and wil be high. Rates are also heavier fo the Dutch agriculturist, and taxatip' is high. Wages are very little lowo than in England. What, i.s in their fav our is their highly efficient marketin organisation that enables them to reduce costs and offer supplies of reliob 1 brands of produce in great bulk.

GA NG STKR ’ 3 EU NER AL. ’Hie New York underworld recent paid a tribute to one of its heroes Ip sending him to Ills grave in a solii bronze and silver coffin costing £’Booo He was followed by tbe greatest earn van of floral pieces find mourners which ever did honour to a racketeer “Joe the Baker” Catania, leader ir the grape-wine racket and a notorimi; bootlegger, died from the effects of a load of buckshot fired at close quarter from a aawn-off shotgun. His friends and foes, numbering 10,000, passed hi biei;, while police alld detectives stood by or searched suspicious-looking char actors !)or com. "filed weapons.) Fiv funeral directors uere mwe»arv t< manage Catania’s last ,•"■!. which co-" £'Booo to stage. The body was J »»lerrp in a beautiful mausoleum of white mar hie at Wood lawn Cemetery cost in. l £6OOO.

LURE OF THE AIR. Tt was stated in the House of Com irons that the number of privatel.v-owr ed iff remit-, including craft owned b civil flvin/c schools and k’glit ’plan* clubs, in December 31, 1928, 1929 am’ 1930 was 223, 328 and 499 respectively I ho number of persons killed in nriv atcly-mvned planes was 10 in 1928, ] • in 1929 and 15 in 1930.

FROM 1 STAGE TO CONVENT. Widely advertised as “the most lovely girl in the world,” Miss Dorothy Knapp, the actress, is retiring from the stage to become a nun. She was recently engaged in New ‘York in a legal suit for £50,000 against Mrs Anne Penfield, backer of the musical comedy, “Fiorotta,” in which the beautiful actress had lost the part o.' the leading lady. After the suit was over Miss Knapp was to have begun a two years’ novitiate in a Mexican convent.

FOUR OF A FAMILY. The size of the average American 'nmily lays,.been declining steadily for the past 70 years, according to official statistics going back to 1850. the first ■ear when such a census was made. Thus the Ifso family averaged 5.6 neons. the 1360 family 5.3, the I Q 7O amily 5.1, the family 5.0, the 1890 family 4.9, the ]COO family 4.7, lie 1910 family 4.5, the 1929 family 1.3. Assuming the average rate of decrease has been continued in the ■>ast decade, the present average family numbers only four persons.

’RESH WATER LAKE NOW SALT

Once upon a time there was a deep 'also of fresh water on Sober Island off he shores of Halifax County. The lake 's still there but a storm came, ancnow the water is quite salt. Adding new territory to their Atlantic domain hungry seas tore through a wide wall of earth and trees ten feet high, and the mile-long hike that provided generations of fishermen with ice mid n natural rink now vises and falls with tho tides. At high title fairly large vesvofiiiels pan enter through the wavebeaten passageway and anchor in trio lake. One island resident, looking oack 85 years, says that never before within that period has sjilt water entered the lake,

TOO FAT TO GET OUT. •So fat is .loe Rnggio, of Philadelphia., that for eleven years he has been trapped in his own home because he i.s too big to get through the door. Though only 27 years old, Joe' weighs 50st lib, and measures 6ft Bin round the waist. His height is only o'tt Bjn. “I live to eat. In fact I love it,” says Mr Baggio, to whom 41b or 51b of Frankfurter sausages, a loaf ol bread anil eight cups of black corree are but a snack to keep him going for three, or four hours. An occasional game of cards and reading are his only other occupations. Joe’s shoes are home-made being slabs of wood with canvas straps to hold them on. His widowed mother makes lids shirts when she has time for such a herculean task.