GENERAL NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 91, 26 July 1910, Page 7

GENERAL NEWS.

Victoria has a very original kind of bullock-driver. He is "an old -ailor, and ho names his bullocks after ships he h;i* starved in. iHe does not use ordinary bullock-driver's language when driving his team, but uses ::-iutical terms, ,<nch as ''port," ■'starboar-'. "hard over,'' "starn all," etc. No one else can drive the team.

A pleasing ease of commercial integrity came under the notice of the Ollicial Assignee in Bankruptcy at Oamaru (says the Mail). He was the recipient, of a cheque tendered in payment of debts that were incurred over thirty years ago, and since cancelled by bankruptcy. The payment was made by the son of a deceased bankrupt, who, having been fairly successful in business, considered himself under some obligation to discharge his late father's debts, although not in any way legally bound to do so. Touching upon the question of smoking. Sir Robert Stout, at a meeting oi the Victoria College Council, Wellington, said that eminent physicians agreed that smoking had increased of late years, and £ 15,000,000 .had ibeen spent in cigarettes in England last year. Comparing the amount of tobacco consumed per head in England and in New Zealand, it would be found that the people of the Dominion were the heavier smokers. Tobacco smoking was one of the worst habits which the student could acquire if he wished to study.

A possible revolution in gunnery—naval and military—is foreshadowed by the experiments which Messrs Armstrong. Whitworth and Co. have been carrying out on their experimental range at Silloth, Cumberland, with a gun which is shortly to be delivered to the War Office. The greatest secrecy has been obsi-rvei?, but it is understood the leading feature of the new weapon is the replacement of recoil springs by chambers containing a patent liquid and air. There new recoil cylinders are understood to have been such a success that it has been demonstrated possible for the gun, once laid, to remain in the same position for ten consecutive shots. The gun experimented with is a 13.31'b breech-loader, but there appears to be no reason to prevent the mechanism being fixed to other types of gun, notably the weapon employed on our Dreadnoughts. The increase in steadiness and accuracy of shooting is remarkable, as is shown by the statement that of ten shots fired, as stated above, five passed practically through one point, a feat hitherto unknown in the annals of gunnery. The gift of the river-front land to the town of Wanganui 'by a Maori chief is about 30 acres in extent, and includes the famous Patakataka pa. In addition to the value of the gift as a .pleasure ground for all' time for the people of Wanganui, Patakataka possesses many historical associations! The pa was originally built by Tukarangatai, the famous ancestor of the N;:apaenuigi tribe, whose rights extended down river as far as Aramoho. Tukarangatai's people became a mighty tribe on the Wanganui river, and though their ancient glory has departed, a few of them still remain. They still remember with pride that their ancient stronghold of Patakataka was never taken by an invader. In later days the pa was rebuilt and strengthened against invasion !bv the Waikato natives, and near it was 'the famous rock which, legend asserts, was enchanted, and, sinking into deep water, the spot was tabooed, becoming the hiding place of a famous taniwha, or dragon, long the terror of the Wanganui riveV natives. Many other legends and facts of Maori history are associated with Patakataka. It is also a place of great natural beauty, easily reached from Wanganui, being only 15 miles distant.