NEWS AND NOTES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 923, 26 November 1910, Page 4

NEWS AND NOTES.

A total eclipse of the sun will take place on April 28 next. So far as this hemisphere is concerned, it will only be visible from the south-east of Australia (Twofold Bay), between the North Cape of New Zealand and New Caledonia, from near Norfolk Island through Tonga, north of the Equator in longitude 154 west.

One of the impressions gathered by the Rev. J. Mackenzie during his travels is that New Zealanders are not regarded as modest persons. At the welcome gathering tendered to him by St. Andrew’s congregation Christchurch he said that on the way out from England he met a young Englishman, who remarked to him, "Yes, Australians are pretty bad ; they think a good deal about Australia, and a great deal more about the State they happen to live in ; but for full-blood ‘ swankey ’ commend me to New Zealanders.”

Said a Loudon constable in evidence, ‘T kept observation for some time, and then heard footmarks inside the house.” Apropos. A New Zealand city station sergeant paraded his 9 o’clock relief. "Show your appointments,” said he. The men rattled their batons, handcuffs, bullseyes and whistles, "There’s been a lot of bur-glar-ies in the city,” he continued, "so kape your oies open fer the sound of dynumite! Doolan, Oi see yez hoidin’ behind your baton, laughin’ and shufflin’ your fate. Soilence ! and right turn, the lot of ye! Jokin’, is it. Mar-rch !”

The uses to which photography is put nowadays are manifold. At the Mangatoki sports last year, it may be remembered, one of the officials became suspicious about the bona fides of one of the competitors, so he armed himself with a camera at the starting point. Though the offiicial referred to really knew nothing about pressing “the button"’ his ruse achieved its object lor at the sight of the deadly instrument the “dark ’un” bolted from the grounds. Now the Taranaki centre has resolved to forward a remit to the New Zealand Aihletic Union that a club shall have the right to compel a competitor to be photographed if necessary.