NEWS AND NOTES

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 2914, 25 July 1925, Page 1

NEWS AND NOTES

The fastest train in England is the 3.45 from Swindon to London. The schedule speed is 77i miles in 75 minutes, or Gl.B miles an hour. A (lying average, Challow to Ealing was made in 47m. 505., or at the rate of 74.5 miles an hour. Eighty-nine thousand persons with a total income of £510,000,000 paid £02,500,000 in super tax for 1023-1024 in Great Britain. They also paid £114,750,000 in income tax making a total of £177,250,000 or 34.8 per cent of their income. To indicate the size of an immense new locomotive an American railway company loaded 200 men on it and moved them a distance of several yards. Needless to say, the men were clinging to every projection possible and there was very little room to spare. Nineteen columns are occupied by the Smiths and their hyphenated relations in the London Telephon Directory. The Browns, with and without the final “e” have 10 columns alloted to them, and a brave show is made by the Williamses and the Joneses with nine columns each.

Comment has been made in England on the subject of birds' love of colour. The curious fact was mentioned that for live miles around Christ’s Hospital, Horsham —the home of the Bluecoat Boys from London —birds' nests are lined with the Huff and scraps of wool of the boys’ yellow stockings.

Building statistics for Greater Vancouver indicate that 2,032 homes were constructed during 1 ( J24, compared with 1101 in 1923. The total value of the buildings erected last year is 12,882,474 dollars, as against 9,(306,641 dollars in 1923. Last year’s figures exceed by nearly 10,000,000 dollars the value of buildings constructed in 1922. The shooting of a black swan at Point Shevalier in contravention of the game restrictions was admitted by a youth aged 18 in the Auckland Court. A penalty of £2 was imposed and a. man who took possession of the dead swan was lined £l. The amazing incomes at present being made by rabbiters was indi-

rated bv some questions at Invercargill the other day when a man who had tiled in bankruptcy stated in evidence that he was making from £2O to £4O per week in his pursuit of the furry post. “I made £4O hist week,” he added. “That is working hard—the way I’m doing.” The question of introducing male nurses into the hospitals, which has I,oen before the public for some time now, was referred to Mr W. Wallace, chairman of the. Auckland Hospital Board. “I absolutely oppose the introduction of male nurses,” he said. He pointed out that if any assistance were required in dealing with difficult patients, there was always a porter at hand. He was satisfied that patients preferred female nurses to male attendants. Miss Taylor, matron of the Public Hospital, was of the same opinion, and did not agree that the male nurse could replace the female

nurse. Mr .J. A. Smith, who was on Tuesday, appointed by the Ilorowhenua Electric Power Board to succeed Mr Overton as Chief Engineer, lias been assistant engineer for the past 18 months. Mr Smith has high quulihcations, liaving had a long experience of electrical undertakings, as well as a wide acquaintance with engineering generally. He qualiiied a h a mechanical engineer at Greymouth, and then took up marine engineering-, following his profession at sea until he gained a chief engineer’s certificate. He then joined the stall' of the Dunedin municipal steam power plant, and later took part in the construction work at Waipori under the Dunedin City Council, this being the tirst hydro-electric enterprise on a large scale in the Dominion. For live years Mr Smith was managing engineer for the Dunedinlioslyn Tramway Co., and just before coming to JLevin he spent ten years on the commercial side of electrical engineering in Auckland. Mr Smith is an Associate member of the Institute of Electrical Engineers (England).—Chronicle.