NEWS AND NOTES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 2815, 25 November 1924, Page 4

NEWS AND NOTES.

The Japanese divide the day into six day “hours’' of 120 minutes each, from the rising; to the setting Of the sun, and six night, hours from sunset to sunrise.

A giant searchlight which throws a beam of 300,000,000 candle-power is to he erected in Cleveland, Ohio, as a. “lighthouse” for the night air mail service.

Within seven miles of Paddington’s busy railway terminus there is a .10-acre wood where London birds inav mate and nest undisturbed. It is the Brent Valley Bird Sanctuary, where for 20 years the Selhourne Society has carried on its work.

An eagle measuring Sft. from wing-tip to wing-tip is reported from Chatham, Ontario, to have swooped down upon a golf course, clutched a hoy of 1-1, and lifted him sft. in the air. The boy’s clothing gave way and he dropped to the ground..

Tramway restaurant ears have appeared on the line between Dusseldorf and Crofeld, Germany. During the journey of 13 miles., which takes one hour, passengers can have cold meat, salad, coffee and beer at moderate prices.

A warning against the practice of some cyclists in taking “towage” from other vehicles was given in the •igistrate’s Court at New Plymouih (lie other day, when a young man was convicted and lined for an offence of this kind. The magistrate commented on the danger of such a practice, and said that if it was persisted in someone would come to trouble some day.

A novel addition to the Invercargill jetty is a small hut compact cook’s galley, which is kept on the wharf and nyoved about to suit the requirements of the men employed there. Although not much higgei than the average piano case, it has a built-in-range and a cook can cater for'the needs of the men regardless of the weather.

When the graving dock was pumped out at Lyttelton this week on ilie occasion of the docking of th« steamier Waikouaiti, hundreds of fish were left branded on the botm. Investigation showed them to he young kahuwai ranging from a half t(i three pounds in weight. So thick was the shoal (lnu it was impossible to walk on Hie lower end of the dock without treading on them.

Tile reason that piercing the llesh with even the finest needle! hurts is because I lie ner. es are so thickly matted just under the skin that not even the lines! point can he introduced without wounding one or mure A venturesome bather in tiu j Park hike at Maslerlon ia>t Saturday found himself confronted by one of ihe swans which'was harbouring a brood of Jive cygnets. Without warning the parent bird attacked tin", anther who tear bed the.bank tinner pressure ahead of the enraged gulf, tall. if the entering a.t Wembley has been on a wholesale ■scale, so have been the breakages. An English coi respondent writes that from ihe inauguration of the Exhibition until September 30 the crockery casiial.it;.' list read as follows: — (.tups b oken, 370,000, the majority with smashed handles; saucers Aokmi. 200.000, irrespective of iiinrc slight!', cracked but n'bh* to continue on duly; teapots. -150,000, fie fly with broken spouts; glasses

■ i;ii shapes and sizes), 479,000, I ties.* jig a res, he adits, it asttilllidng, are nevertheless official. Visitors to the Exhibition have mummed <125 tons of butter and 200,itttO lbs. of tea of all kinds, 850,;,00 plain Inms, 200,000 Swiss buns, 530,000 rock buns, 075,000 phi in mils 750,000 21 b. loaves of bread, md 250,900 rock cakes.

Those who did not cmiic to New /ealand in the early days because they were afraid of the diHicnlitew were the target for some .satire by his Grace Archbishop C. Julius, at i father and son banquet at ilia Ghristclmrch Y.M.C.A. (says the Sun). He “look off" splendidly the ■hi Somerset fanner: “W<d (>i go in that No<> Zealand? Wh.i, wots lie good o' that? Woihl ni do a - muil me beer? Tlier ain't a pub in the ’ole of Non Zyeelund!" Then there was the fussy lady, whose mincing tone the Archbishop imitated ‘ excellently :• “What, go to N T p\v Zealand? Oh, nt.v dear, you knows there’s those horrid cockroaelies on those ships. And think of nil the trouble we would have to get the mattresses aired properly.” Naturally the Archbishop’s little character sketches were vastly appreciated.