NEAR AND FAR

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 102, 21 December 1931, Page 4

NEAR AND FAR

Buried Forest A quantitty of timber, believed to be the remains of a forest buried ages ago, was unearthed by a machine digger which was being used in connection with sewer excavation at New Plymouth the other day. This timber is well preserved and of small dimensions at the. depth reached. When died it burned with a. strong sulphurous smell. Earthquake Lights Earthquake lights — a newly observed* and mysterious phenomena — are reported by the Japanese seismologist, M. Musva, who has just published records obtained from 1,500 persons who claim they saw , the strange lights in the sky over a large area around the centre of the 1930 quake at Idu, Japan. They. were somewhat similar to lightning flashes, but lasted much longer. Most of those who saw them described them as blue, or reddish-blue. They were described variously as looking like "rays of the rising sun," as 'searchlights' and as 'fireballs.' They usualiy were pointed in the direction of the centre of the quake, . and -apparently were seen simultaneously with that event. ... "A Little Sacrifice" A letter from a debtor in response to a demand for payment of money, read by a solicitor acting for a .creditor in the Dunedin Magistrate's Court, recently, caused some amusement, in which the magistrate (Mr. T. B. McNeil) joined. "Mr. Forbes repeatedly tells us," statecL the letter, "that everyone must make some little sacrifice. I am afraid that the amount mentioned by you must be your client's little sacrifice."

Governnient Economy A measure of economy in Government departments is seen in the following instruction issued throughout the Post and Telegraph Department's offices: "In view of the present financial position and the need for strict economy in departmental expenditure, cash payments for overtime for Christmas and New Year holidays cannot be paid this year. Time off is to be allowed where ovqrtime is worked." « Like the Cobbler's Shoes' Curiously enough, though Thames is a well-known fruit-growing centre, and just as well-known as a fishing centre, not a single ton of either fish or fruit was exported by sea from the town. On the cqntary, 'five tons of fresh fruit came in by sea during November. It rather reminds one of the cobbler's shoes, or taking coals to Newcastle. — Thames "Star." Warning to Second'hand Dealers An unusual charge of having purchased a watch and chain from a i child under the age of 16 years was brought at the Napier Police Court recently against William James Keen, a second-hand dealer. Senior-Ser-geant Pender stated that the child had stolen the watch and sold it for 2/6. For the defendant it was stated that the child had told him that his father had given him the watch. The magistrate stated that second-hand dealers should show far more eare in their business. A fine of £2, with 10/- costs, was inflicted. Nigbtingale Heard The song of the nightingale, while perfeetly familiar to those residing in the Old Country, is a sound that has been denied to the majority of New Zealanders, despite the fact that several years ago birds were imported and realeased at Auckland. One evening at dusk a Mangapapa resident whose home is situated in the locality of Hospital Hill, and who has heard nightingales in England, is certain that he heard and saw one of the beautiful songsters on his property. The bird was perched ,on the top of a pine tree, and the resident I watched and listened to it for fully j 10 minutes before it took to the j wing. The incident is interesting in j that up to date only very occasional I reports of nightingales have been reeeived since the birds were imported into New Zealand. Bees In Hamilton Sbop A swarm of bees alighted on a eornice of a shop building in Ward Street, Hamilton, one morning and attracted a good deal of attention (states a cori*espondent). Two business men scrambled on to the roof of the building, and without the use of gloves or other protection transferred the bees to a kerosene box and removed them to a. suburban farm. In the afternoon a small number of bees collected in the same place and they were also reomoved. Anti-Jewish Animus. The existence of a strong antiJewish animus in Germany, especially in Berlin, was ref erred to by Miss E. Scherer, of Hamilton, who has just returned from Europe, in an interview. She had witnessed a Nazi demonstration in Berlin from the top of a bus and had seen many Jews maltreated. Most of the feeling, she said, was due to the fact that the wealthiest people in the ,city were Jews while the majority of the populace wqs.poverty-stricken., .. , . We Don't Want Votes "Not one of the things we did was calculated to catch votes." (Mr. Scullin, Australian Prime Minister). No, indeed. We are sure that they werq not. The reason that all those things which were not calculated to catch votes had to he done was because there had been so many things done which were calculated to catch votes by previous administriations of Mr. Scullin's friends. • Anyway, if his actions were not calculated to catch votes, his speeehes certainly are. Plenty of "released credits," work at union rates for everybody, restoration of wages and pensions, pockets full of pound notes — what more can a man want for -his vote? If we fiadn't heard it all before. we might. ourselyes he tempted to vote for Mr.' Scullin, and then go and buy a lovely gold brick from the shady-looking gentleman outside the pub. ....