GENERAL NEWS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 93, 10 October 1911, Page 7

GENERAL NEWS

A train from Melbourne cut oil' the forearms of a fourteen mouths' old infant at the level crossing near a suburban railway station. The child's mother, who attends to the gates-, did not notice him crawl from the house just before the train came along. He reached' the first rail ami placed his arms on it when the engine ran over than, severing them at the elbows.

After kissing 286 babies, ranging in age from six months to four years, and consecrating them to the "cause of Zion," Overseer Wilbur Glen Voliva, successor to John Alexander Dowie, stood by a barrel in Shiloh Tabernacle on August 1, and watched his disciples toss 27,500 dollars into it as a "sacrifice offering." Voliva kissed the infants and consecrated them in exactly 48 minutes.

A trout with three heads was discovered by Mr. C. Rides at the Canterbury Acclimatisation Gardens last week, while he was securing fry for distribution. The little creature had a tail with three perfectly-formed heads growing from it, and presented a most peculiar sight. Mr. Rides states that he has never before, in a long experience with tfbiit fry, found a phenomenon of the kind.

Mr. Harry Stowcll (Hare Hongi), in lecturing to the Wellington Arts Club recently entirely discredited the truth oi the pretty story of Hincmoa and Tutanekai —the girl who swam out to her lover across Lake Rotorua. He showed how the myth contained wisdom in tabloid form. He compared also the legend of Daphne and Apollo of the Greeks with the the- pursuit by Hinititama by Tan* in Maori lore.

A Dunedin paper states that there is every prospect of the local building trade being brisk for some time to come. In addition to several large jobs now in hand, there are a number of others to be started within the next few months, all of them being situated practically in the centre of the city, and it is estimated that eight or nine of these will run into well over £150,000. It is said that a record amount in buildings will be spent in Dunedin this year.

With regard to the New York .Sun's cable message, to the promoters of the greenstone syndicate of the West Coast, asking the extent of the lode discovered and the nature of the proposition, it is considered probable ( tclegruphs> the Greymouth correspondent of the Press) that Mr. Kranz. who visited the West Coast nineteen years ago and took a large greenstone boulder to New York, which he sold to Mr. Pierpont Morgan, who presented it to the New York Museum, is making the enquiry, after reading of the discovery of the lode.

I "I hear different people quoted as I Empire builders," said Lady Islington at the last meeting of the Wellington SoI ciety foi the Protection of Women and I Children. "But I think those ladies and I gentlemen who throw their energies into such an association as this for the protection of women and cliildren, who try to make the way easier for those who stumble, and advise and help people less happy than themselves, are the true builders of Empire. I fancy it will be to workers of this sort than the answer -will be given: 'lnasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me.'" Mr. G. P. Donnelly, after visiting the Taupo district, telegraphed thus to the Premier: "As Taupo waters are now well and almost overstocked with fish it would be a great boon to Wellington, Auckland and the whole Dominion if small freezing or cold chambers be erected at the southern end of the lake to enable fish to be stored until such time as it could be got away by coach or rail." This is, says a correspondent, a capital suggestion, and if acted upon will solve the problem that preplexed some friends who enjoyed two weeks of wonderful fishing at Taupo last season, but ,whose attempts to cure the catch of get the fish in an eatable condition to the table proved a failure. It is proposed to net Lake Rotorua, and dispose of its .superfluous population to those who want fish, and if they can be sold in a frozen state at reasonable cost, the State will not only confer a benefit upon the public, hut the Acclimatisation Society will net a handsome sum and heaps of thanks.

Discussing the improvements being I made in the manufacture of motor cars, ( an importer told a Ckristchurcli reporter that this year the direction in which improvements are being made is in the matter of self-starting ' contrivances which will render unnecessary the cranking that now has to be done. The selfstarter adopted by the manufacturers of one type of car is electrically'controlled, \ and is in the worm of a dynamo, which takes the place of a magneto for ignition, charges the accumulators, and provides the electricity for the car lamps. It starts the oar and will keep the engine turning for 20 minutes. The importance of this new method will be fully appreciated by motorists who have had experiences not altogether satisfactory with starters operated by compressed air or by springs. The electric lamp* have been much improved, and it is now possible to regulate and focus the light. There have been, also, great improvements in the body designs. As to the question of cars for people of moderate- means, tire importer said that cars of this class are coming on to the market, and appear to be just as popular in the States, and there is as big a demand for them a«s in Xew Zealand. They aro generally purchased by beginners, who. after becoming proficient, usually go in for higher-priced cars. In the State four-seaters run from £2,10 to €3UO, and two-seaters can be purchased from £l5O to £2OO. So great is thc\ demand for these cars that a number i of. manufacturers are increasing their plants.