GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIV, Issue 54, 9 February 1916, Page 7

GENERAL.

ll lias been estimated that a. million persons assembled in a crowd, with due allowance of three square feet a person, would cover an area of about 70 acres.

The attention of the Australian military authorities has been drawn to the fact that aeroplanes arc being purchased for private use in the Commonwealth, and purchasers have been warned that under the Aerial Navigation Regulation of 1915 all aircraft must he registered. Failure to comply with the regulations render an offender liable to a line, of £IOO, or in default six mouths’ imprisonment.

A shocking accident is reported by the Sydney Daily Telegraph to have occurred recently at Temora. James Auswild, eight years old, whose father is employed in a butchering establishment, got his hand caught in a mincing machine, and it was only by breaking the machine with a sledgehammer and chisel that the lad could lie extricated, and this after an hour had elapsed. He was placed under chloroform until liberated, and then taken to the hospital, where his right forearm was amputated.

It is proverbial (remarks the Eltham Argus) that the common hairpin can be put to a great variety of uses—here is the latest. On Thursday an Eltham lady was driving home from Hawera races in her motor car when she saw another car in distress by the wayside. Our fair driver pulled up and wished to know if she could offer any assistance. The reply was to the effect that the car in distress could proceed if some wire could bo obtained. No, the would-be rescuers had not wire. Ah! Happy thought, what about hairpins? The driver and lady friends produced hairpins that were submitted to necessary manipulation and the “stickit” car went on its way again, its inmates rejoicing.

For cold-blooded calculated treachery, the following incident, which is told in a letter to Mr 1). M. Yeats, of Grant Road, Wellington, from his sister in South Africa—two of her sons were with Rotha in his victorious campaign against the Gormans —stands out:—“One of our men, Colonel do Meilton, was wounded, and taken prisoner by the Germans, in whose hands he eventually died. A message was sent by the Germans to tell our men of his death, saying that as he was so brave an enemy they had buried him with all honor. They hoped that when our men passed that way they would visit his grave and see how the Germans respect a gallant foe. Shortly after our men did go to the grave as they were marching past, but it was a fortunate thing that they were very cautious in approaching it, as it had from three to four hundred mines laid all round it. Only one man was killed, and the mines were taken up and destroyed.— German kultur!”