AIRPLANES AND EGGS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 743, 16 August 1929, Page 8

AIRPLANES AND EGGS

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HEN-DERSON, Thursday. THE ROYAL. FOWL, COMMISSION A to inquire into the menace of low-flying airplanes to Poultry continued its sitting in the Supreme Roost here today before Mr. Justice. Orpington and the Commission Exeew. tive. Mrs. Bantam, the first witness called, told the court that on the Savin question she had been quietly pecking in the fowl run when she had noticed the approach of an airplane. She had watched it with some alarm. Her nervous system was rather upset and she was shortly expecting to lay an egg. His Honour (hurriedly): Clear the court. The court being cleared the witness resumed. She had watched the airplane for some moments when it suddenly started to spin. She had immediately gone into hysterics and contracted the staggers. When her egg was laid it was found to be corkscrew hi shape. It also bounced-

At this stags the egg was produced for his Honour's inspection. His Honour: Reminds me of that story about the curate. (Discreet cackles. quickly suppressed.) Under cross-examination witness denied that she was fond of much pepper in her bran-mash. Neither was she an india-rubber addiet. She admitted that she had once swallowed a length of garden hose, but she had thought it was a worm. Witness denied that the cause of her corkscrew egg was that she had eaten a worm that had tuned. The second witness, a coloured hen, gave her name as Mrs. Minorca She corroborated the evidence of he first witness regarding the approach of the airplane, but denied that she was frightened. Under cross-examination she admitted, however, that she had been under a misapprehension in that she thought the airplane was a new species of fowl. (Loud cackles.) Mrs. Rhode Island Redde, the next witness, said that at the time of the airplane’s approach she had been hatching a sitting of eggs. She admitted that she was broody at the time, but denied that she was at all morbid. She had been so alarmed at the airplane that she had endeavoured to get under the eggs. Finding this impossible, she had become panicstricken and had gone into a violent false moult. She was completely bald afterwards and had to borrow a newspaper to see her home. Since

then she had been compelled to wear false feathers. His Honour: Birds of a feather . . . (Cackles.) Mrs. Lizzie Leghorn, in the wit-ness-box, said that when the airplane flew round she had come over all funny like. His Honour: All funny like what? Witness: I had one of my turns. Witness went on to say that she was aware that the Government had given a guarantee on exported eggs, but if the Government tried to export the one she had laid when the ’plane came over she would guarantee that the Government would have a hard job. The neighbours had also passed remarks about it.

Witness said that her owner 4 ad been forced to put a notice in the paper to the effect that if certain persons didn't stop scandalising her hens, proceedings would be taken. Witness attributed all this trouble to the airplane, also the fact that a subsequent chick of hers was known as the Barnyard Idiot. (Proceeding.)