NEWS AND NOTES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume LI, Issue 4405, 23 January 1930, Page 4

NEWS AND NOTES.

Mr. William H. Shipley has died in England at 75. He was a noted parachutist years ago, and Made a record descent of 17,000 ft. “Greenwich” time, famed throughout the world, is determined by the movement of a certain star which, arrives due south once every 24 hours.

Nearly 800 S.O.S. messages were sent out by, wireless in 1928. They reached the persons concerned in nearly 50 per cent, of the instances. Two sets of food coupons posted to Camberwell people in 1919 were recently returned to: the borough officials through the Dead Letter Office.

Nearly -30 blind men are now practising in Britain, with more or less success, in the legal profession, three being recently called to the Bar.

Although the Cenotaph stands in the centre of Whitehall, a croAvded London tholroughfare, it has never vet been bumped by a passing vehicle.

Hundreds of express goods trains run over the various English railway systems, many of them travelling distances of 140 miles nonstop at express speed. Hastings has placed a tablet on the house in which Mr. John Baird, inventor of television, experimented with biscuit tans and soap boxes some years ago.

The Hudson’s Bay railway, rapidly nearing completion, will shorten the distance betAveen the grainfields of Western Canada and the in a fillets of Europe by 1042 miles. Unemployment has cost' Britain the sum of £633,887,000 since the armistice,’more than half of which has been paid out in benefit and £100,235,000 in Poor Law relief. The most expensive animal to keep in captMty is the walrus. Its food bill is £4OO a year—a sum which would supply three elephants with food in the same pejriod. A court dress made recently by a wcll-knoAvn London dressmaker Avas of satin and taffeta, on Avhich was sprayed £OO worth of gold, to make it shine like eoat-of-mail. On the London and North-Eas-tern Raihvay, in 1928, first-class passengers decreased by 227,000, second-class by 99,000, third-class by 1,000,000, and receipts by £489,000.

At Giniov, in Northern Norway, recent storms were so violent that the old church Avas blown a\A 7 -ay into the sea. The neAV church has been attached to its site with heavy chains. If the British Post Office Avere a private concern, something like £4,070,000, subject to the usual takes, would he available for distribution as a, dividend to shareholders. Gold is the best conductor of heat, hut it stands second as a conductor of electricity. Copper is the best conductor of electricity, but stands only fourth as a conductor of heat.

There is to be a through ’bus service betAveen Portsmouth -and Dundee, via London, Newcastle, and Edinburgh. This will be the longest interconnecting iroad service in Britain.

Two of the largest locomotives in the world, outside America, are being built in Manchester for -South Africa. ' They are 90ft. long, Aveigh 220 tons each, and will cost £14,500 apiece. During the past five years the number of workers in London has increased by ten per cent., and in the south-eastern district by 18 per cent. Industry is steadily moving southward.

“Part-time” clergymen, who would ho ordained -and serve under licence without payment while carrying on their ordinary Avodk, is one suggestion for meeting the shortage of clergy in Britain. Minster Abbey, Kent, mentioned in the Domesday Book as “Tanet Manor,” and which formed part of (he Grown lands of Egbert, King of Kent, in A.D. 670, is believed to be the oldest inhabited building in Britain. It has been nsed continuously as a residence since it Avas built.

Joan Blrunton, a 12-year-old girl, has broken all previous records for the -swimming cours'e of 20 miles betAveen Dover and Ramsgate, by covering it in 6 hours 2 minutes. Dried animals’ blood is the “food” supplied to the, famous vine at Hampton iCourt Palace. It is hoav 161 years old, and has a main stem eighty inches in circumference.

“Bungum” is the local name for the river unud at Tilbury, on the Thames, where a neAv dock has just been opened which puts this place among the big ports of the Avorld.

Salt was used on some London hard tennis courts during a tournament in order to collect moisture from the air, as watering the courts was forbidden because of the shortage. Before the Great Fire of London, in 1606, most of London was built of timbers more lasting materials being nsed only for the churches, the finer houses, and some of the city companies’ halls. Indian girls under the age of 16 Avho are married total up to 25,000,000. Of this number, 218,000 are under the age of five years. There are also 396,556 widoAvs of loss than 15 yeajrs of age. The world’s largest lock will shortly be opened for use on the ship canal betAveen Ymuidam and Amsterdam. It is 1312 ft. long by 164 ft. Avide. This is larger than the Panama Canal locks, which are 1000 ft. in length and 110 ft. in width.