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King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 329, 18 January 1911, Page 6

The possible danger incurved by firemen from directing the stream of water from their hose upon wires which carry electric currents of high voltage (says "Popular Science Sittings) has not yet been definitely settled. Two curious accidents have recently been reported. Both occurred to men working on an electric railway, supplied with current by a third rail. The first man was washing a portion of the line with water contained in an iron bucket. Having finished his task, he carelessly threw the water ; upon the roadway. The falling water | struck the third rail, so that the i electric circuit was completed by the ; water, the iron bucket, the man's ' body, the earth, and the line. The i workman received a severe shock, ' although it does not appear that he i was seriously injured. The second accident was of similar character, I but the water was of physiological ; origin, and no bucket was used. !

Whan the Hon. T. Mackenzie, Min- ; ister of Agriculture, passed through j Christchurch on Monday, he was i asked what he intended to do if the j Taieri constituency, which he repre- ! seuted, was abolished in the re- : adjustment of boundaries before the ■ next general election. "To begin ; with," he said, "Taieri is not wiped : out yet, and it is a puszle to me ; why people have specially selected it i for annihilation, unless they aie , guided by the principal that every i seat I am elected to must be wiped : out. Taieri is the fourth constituency ' I have contetsed an,: 1 , won, and I be- ; lieve that I have now represented in ■ Parliament almost all of Otago except l the City of Dunedin. Seriously, I ; think that it is a great pity tlia'c the constituencies were not left as they were. The public are tired of Ibe changing about which Las taken place. | No sooner does a member know his district and the people in it, and no ; sooner do the people know him, th3n the whole thing is shuMlled again like a pack of cards. As to the Taieri, I can only say once more that I am not at all certain that it will go."