GENERAL NEWS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 8 May 1913, Page 7

GENERAL NEWS.

FALLOWING 48 XEKDLES,

A few months ®go, Mdl!?. Tiers on, a young lady of Rh«im«, whether lu< cause «he felt tihat her system required a tonic, or because she had been crossed in lore, swallowed a packet containing four dozen of bar mamma's most superior needles (says the Daily Telegraph's Paris oamwpendent). For a long time nothing happened. But "rien rie ?e perd dans la nature," and needles, like murder, will out. About a week ago the young lady experienced a sensation in the palms of her hands, which she described in the apt, if homoly, phrase, as that of pins and needles. Needles, at least, indeed, it was. For the last few clays the .hands and feet of the young lady hare been ejecting a needle per hour. Forty out of the forty-eiglit. Iliave already been accounted for, and "still they come" is the cry of Mdllo. Tierron. But site must not do it again. It is really too much for her to swallow. It is almost too much for us.

ARTIFICIAL TALLOW,

As an example of the way the technological chemist is disturbing with his discoveries the equilibrium of the world's markets, Professor Piasterfield, in his inaugural address, a® president of the Wellington Philosophical Society, cited the case of tallow, an important article of export from Australia and New Zealand, quoted at present at £4O a ton (says the Post). The chemist had taken various cheaper oils, such as cotton seed oil, quoted it at about £2O a ton, and turned them into fine tallow' by a very simple process —merely by introducing about 2 i>er cent, of finely divided nickel a,nd passing heated commercial hydrogen through it. Only a very small quantity of hydro™en was required, and the nickel acted simply as a ''catalyst" or ''hustler," hastening the process of transmutation. The result was the manufacture of the finest tallow, which could' be sold at £3O a ton, tlhtis undercutting one of our principal articles of export.

A BAD SHOT.

Oil the ©pening day of the shooting season a year ago, M. Pradeau inadvertantly potted the neighbouring gun, M. Masson, in the (reports the Daily Telegraph's Paris correspondent). The latter, as soon as he could ihobble into the law courts, sued the inexpert sportsman far £4OOO damages. The ease raised sereral nice points of shooting etiquette. The circumstances of the accident were not disputed!. They were these, M. Masson possessed a dog. M. Pradeau, who was a visitor in the district, di<l not. So wttien M. Masson 1 s dog pointed vigorously his polite owner signalled to M. Pradeau to come nearer in order to have a ibetter shot. M. Pradeau did so, but with such precipitation that he fotgot to keep tlio muzzle of his gun pointed to the ground. The gun went off, and the full charge entered M. Masson's leg. M. Pradeau's counsel pleaded divided responsibility. If M. Masson had called M. Pradeau to oome nearer, the accident, lie'urged, would never have happened. Not so, argued M. Sig~ nftfilio, counsel for M. Masson, and himself an ardent sportsman. It was not the proximity of the shooters, but tftie position of the gun, that caused the acident. Further, the charge which entered M. Masson was of a- calibre much heavier than that ordinarily employed by expert shots at the opening of the shooting season. Impressed by tihe technical knowledge displayed by M. Signarino, the tribunal awarded £I2OO to his injured client.