MISCELLANEOUS.

Otaki Mail, 12 January 1920, Page 4

MISCELLANEOUS.

"The next war is going to be fought by chemists and bacteriologists, and whole districts will be blotted out by poison gas. If you are not going to back up a League-of Nations, get ready for the next war, and get ready scientifically. "-—Captain "Wedgwood Bonn, M.P.

An exchange prints the following under the head of'A Few Tragedies": —A man struck a match to see if the gasolene tank on his auto was empty. It. wasn't. A man patted a strange bulldog on the head to see if the critter was affectionate. It wasn't. A man speeded up to see if he could beat the train to a crossing. Ho couldn't. A. man touched a trolley wire to sec if it was charged. It was.

The winter prospects in this district from a dairyman's point of view are not encouragiug (says the' "Eltham Argus"). That there will bo a shortage of hay is already plainly apparent, for paddocks that have been kept closed for hay aro still almost bare. The carrot crop, usually so aure,< is not up to the average, being very patchy. Mangolds are fair, but no so good as usual. It'will take a lot of alternate hot weather and rain to bring grass along now. ,-...:_.- .

"Diggers" who were in the Fcathercton camp at the time of the armistico would hardly recognise it now as the same place. All the flower plots, so carefully attended by fatigue parties, arc overgrown with wee.ds, and the white-washed stones are scattered about in all directions by cattlo. At the CI camp at Tauhcrcuikau the buildings were sold hist week. All the patients have "now been removed from. Foathcrston, and the camp will in future be used for storing equipment. Nearly one-half children of New. Zealand resy>fe-«.nc age of fourteen and leave./ -school without having Wi»;>od the-sixth standard, and a great many do not even pass the fifth standard. About one-third of the school children of the Dominion are taught in country schools with one or two' teachers, and nearly all these teachers are untrained and uncertificated. Those New Zealanders who pride themselves that New Zealand leads the earth should take these facts to heart.

The fat stock season is opening and should prove one of good prices for graziers and sheep owners in Southern Hawkc's Bay, for while the northern portion of the province has been suffering from the severest drought for years past, the southern district has been blessed with a sufficient though not by any means*superabundant supply of moisture, and will be able to send forward a very fair proportion of fat stuff. Recently from Mangatera were despatched 14 trucks of sheep to the northern freezing works, while 16 trucks went off to Wanganui.

fn an article on "Dangers of Surf 'Bathing." the Christchurch "Star" says:'Properly indulged in, surf bathing is a most delightful sport, and it would be a thousand pities if anyone reasonably wore deterred from entering the surf on account of the, dangers which exist. If proper precautions are taken, there is very little or no danger attaching to surf bathing. Bathing should always, if possible, be indulged in with the tide coming in, and the strongest swimmer is well advised to keep" within his depth. A good swim can always be had while fho swimmer can touch the sand beneath him with bis .feet if necessary. There are many who. unable to swim, enter the surf up to their armpits, and feci quite safe. It is a great mistake to do this. Owing to the vagaries of the breakers it often happens that an extra two or three feet of depth is added to any given spot by a sudden inrush of water. Thus the bather who is unable to swim, or who can swim only poorly, finds himself suddenly swept off his feet, losses his selfpossession as likely as not, and in the ensuing panicky struggle becomes exhausted, and left to the mercy of the tide, ivihich, if it happens to be Tunning out, takes him with it if assistance is not forthcoming.

Interesting particulars of the resent ' work of clearing the mines laid 02 Cape Farewell by the Germain raider "Wolf ure contained in a letter written to a Wellington resident by the engineerlieutenant of H.M.S. Geranirirn, one of the three vessels—the Mallow and the Marguerite being the others —engaged in Ac work. The writer soys: "This field, also the one near Three Kings, has already been swept by improvised craft under great difficulties, and the object of the unit in re-sweeping them was to place them beyond doubt of danger. . * . Sweeping was carried out within the hours of daylight each day, the ship, anchoring each night tinder the lee of Cape Farwell. ... On tne 12th July, a strong gale and heavy sea jot up, and instead of proceeding to sweep tit 6 a.m. as usual, the ships had to run for safe shelter to small place round Cape Farewell Spit called Totara Nui, about 45 hours' steaming from Cape Farewell. Heavy reas were shipped and the ship rolled tremendously, ju-casionally SO degrees to port and stanvurd. We were weatherbound here Till the- .norning of the 17th July. Sweeping continued without any'further delay, and the minefield was completed" on the 20th July. No nines were found.