SHORT SHOTS

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 99, 17 December 1931, Page 7

SHORT SHOTS

Odious Repetition A mild rebuke was administered by Mr. Justice Blair in the Supreme Court at Nelson when counsel in a case had similar evidence repeated. "You'd be surprised how much I understand when I hear a thing once," said his Honor. "By the second time I am ge-tting a little full up of it. It is not flattering to one's intelligence to explain a thing twice. It is more flattering to a judge to assume that he can understand simple reasoning. I can do that, you know." Land Sinking Rapidly Apprehension is felt by many of the residents living in part of Barbadoes street, St. Albans, Christchurch, because of the continued sinking of their sections. In some of the properties, the land has sunk as much as 16in. in the past 20 years, and one man told a Sun reporter that he considered the sections to be sinking at the rate of half an inch a year. The main trouble appears to be that the land, is of a very peaty nature, and, with improved drainage of the- past 30 years, the moisture has been rapidly drained away, and the peat has dried out and shrunk. Sodium Chlorate Danger The necessity for care when using sodium chlorate for destroying weeds is emphasised by the painful experience which befel a young man, Mr. Bert Gasson, at Aropi, near Tauranga recently. He was engaged during the day in spraying weeds on his father's farm with sodium chlorate, and at milking time was attending to a fire for heating water when his clothes suddenly caught fire as a result of the spraying material upon them. He threw himself under a water tap and escaped with a badlyburned leg. The Ant Pest "One cannot sit on the ground anywhere in Queensland because of the ants," said Mr. A. Peppe-r, of Aramoho last week, when speaking about his visit to Australia. "In fact," he continued, "one of the pecularities of Brisbane, to my mind, was the fact that all the houses were built on piles some six or se-ven feet high. At the top of each of the piles there is a piece of tin the ends of which are bent over and point towards the ground. This is a preventative against the ants getting into the house. In 'addition to keeping the house clear of the pest it also helps to keep it eool."