BOOKS AND WRITERS

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21220, 17 September 1940, Page 8

BOOKS AND WRITERS

BOOK BY AIRMAN NEW ZEALANDER’S TRIBUTE

! CRITICISM OF AUTHORITIES I ; Reviewing a book, entitled “The ■ Complete Air Navigator,” by the i well-known Australian, Captain D. C. T. Bennett, Francis Chichester, | New Zealand airman, in the Aern- ; plane, says that Bennett is one of the i outstanding men who, in the national ; interest, should have been given a j big job when the war broke out. “Considering his unequalled knowj ledge of long-distance navigation, his energy and originality in devising I the best method for a particular I type of flight, his sharp-cut thinking i and reasoning, one can only accuse • the R.A.F. authorities either of negliI gence in not using such a man or ; Lear that his superior qualities would I result in his passing others in the i promotion list—an accusation heard j too frequently,” says Chichester, i He expresses the opinion that few I men in the world have demonstrat- ; ed, as Bennett has done, that they | excel equally in the theoretical and I practical navigation of aircraft Captain D. C. T. Bennett is a Queenslander in his early thirties. From 1930 to 1936 he served with the Royal Air Force. Entering commercial aviation, he joined Imperial Airways and was appointed to the command of one of the Empire fly-ing-boats in the early stages of the Empire service. More recently he has been a skipper of a flying-boat attached to the Atlantic division of Imperial Airways, flying the Atlantic from England to Newfoundland and New York. Captain Lester Brain, of Imperial Airways, a personal friend, said that Captain Bennett was a very competent pilot and navigator. His book, which he wrote after he entered commercial navigation, was specially written as a text book, to assist those pilots who were studying for the First Class Air Navigator’s examination. “BEHOLD, NEW HOLLAND” BOOK ON WESTERN AUSTRALIA ILLUSTRATED BY DAUGHTER Twelve-year-old Barbara Weaver, a clever young artist, has done the sketches for a children’s book written by her mother, Mrs M. Weaver, of Perth. The book will be published shortly, but before then Mrs Weaver’s first novel, “Behold, New Holland,” based on the early history of her State, will appear. It will be the first novel ever published in Western Australia, and royalties on the book will be given by Mrs Weaver to the Red Cross during the war. It will appear under the name of “Rix Weaver.” The foreword has been written by Dr. Battye, Chancellor of the Perth University. “The book deals with the first ten years of settlement in Western Australia,” said Mrs Weaver. “I have always been happiest working with historical material. The great difficulty was to unravel the tangled records and make sure that my facts were right. Tale Historically Correct “Dr. Battye, who is also an authority on Western Australian history, assures me that the tale is historically accurate. Daughter Barbara created four colour pages and a number of black and white drawings for her mother’s second book, to be called “Jocelyn’s Jolly Jingles.” “Collaboration with Barbara was quite a happy accident,” said Mrs Weaver. “I wrote the verses for her and she, in return, worked up some sketches. “The publisher liked them so much that he decided to include them in the book, which will come out for Christmas.” Favourite writing time for Mrs Weaver is from 3 a.m. on, while the world is sleeping. “Behold, New Holland” was begun at the outbreak of the war, and' was finished in three months. Mrs Wfeaver has also written a full-length play round the Biblical character, Esther, which is to be produced in Perth.

NEW ZEALAND WRITER WAR WORK IN ENGLAND ROSEMARY REES’ COMMISSION Rosemary Rees, the New Zealand writer, who is in England, has been given a commission in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force, in which she has been working since practically the outbreak of the war. She passed second in the examination she took at Oxford, and she has now been given much more responsible work. PITHY REMARKS FROM THE NEW BOOKS I “Consistency is the enemy of enterprise.”—From “Graven Image.” “Hatred is the strongest motive in public life.”—From “Those Days.” “Inviolable integrity is wasted in a woman.”—From “Snow White Murder.” “ There is no end that is not a beginning.”—From “ Cottage Pie.” “ Dogs are certainly like the people that own them.” From “ Paris, France.’’ “ Names is just handles, and they're only worth what they lift.”— From “ Cleaned Out.” “ Vultures have never been known to lay dove’s eggs."—From “ The Leagues Gather.”

COMMENTS AND EXTRACTS

SHARKS AND STINGRAYS BOOK ON AUSTRALIAN FISHES The first volume of what will be a comprehensive work on Australian fishes, is that section dealing with sharks and rays. The author, Mr C. P. Whitley, is the ichthyologist at the Australian Museum. Unlike the check-list of fishes by the late Mr McCulloch., this work is more than an illustrated catalogue, and. unlike Mr Roughley’s very fine volume, it deals with all kinds—not with a selected number of the most important fishes. The sharks naturally give scope for the compiling of a volume not interesting merely to scientists, but to all who have ever scampered from the water of a Sydney beach at the shark-bell, or read with horror the story of a shark fatality in the newspaper. The fact that a shark is not a true fish, and that the only real cones in it are the jaws, teeth, and vertebrae, and the fact that some breed viviparously, and others lay eggs, are here recorded for the scientific, and for the others there is a chapter, with illustrations, on shark attacks. Danger of Attacks We are reminded that Fort Denison (“Pinchgut”) was regarded as an excellent prison, because the danger of sharks would deter the convicts from attempts to escape. The first shark attack recorded was that on a boy of 12, Alfred Australia Howe, who was taken in the Macleay River in 1837. About half the cases end fatally, and, strangely, though the shark is an emblem of voracity, corpses are rarely attacked. The shark is more likely to attack a moving object than a stationary one, and divers, experienced in the way of sharks, keep still when one is seen approaching them. In the past 40 years only one case of attack on a diver wearing suit and helmet has been recorded. Out of 20 recorded cases, 15 occurred after 3.30 in the afternoon. Many experienced swimmers believe that the conditions for shark attacks are found where a sandbank encloses an inshore channel. Depth of water seems to have little influence. Almost all the victims have been bathing alone, or in a small party, or have been separated from the other bathers. Rescuers are rarely attacked. Interesting observations are made from the log of an aerial observer, Mr E. V. Collibee, who, it will be remembered, used to patrol the beaches, giving shark warnings. His reports show that, during southerly weather, sharks are absent from the inshore waters of the beaches. They are most prevalent on north-easter-ly days. About five tiger-sharks were sighted for every one of other species. More sharks were seen north of the Heads, and long open beaches appear to attract them more than those which are short and protected. Capture of Sharks Meshing off the beaches in the six months to April, 1938, 557 sharks considered dangerous were taken. With wobbegongs, which have been responsible for attacks on bathers’ legs, the number was over 1000. Confirming the areial report that more sharks were seen north of the Heads, the nets captured 70 off Palm Beach, 40 off Whale Beach, 46 off Avalon, while off Bondi 23 were taken, Bronte 31, Maroubra 31, and Cronulla 33. “The fact that there have been no shark attacks around Sydney in the last few years,” says the author, “may or may not have been due to the Government’s praiseworthy meshing efforts.” The book is published by The Zoological Society. FRANKTON LIBRARY SEW BOOKS- ADDED The following - new books liave been added to the Frankton Public Library: “Journey into Fear,” by Eric Ambler; “The Little Sinner/’ Ruby M. Ayres; “Rich Girl, Poor uirl,” Faith Baldwin; “Mother at Large,” Kitty Burne; “The Valley or Thunder,” Rex Beach; “.Not a Bail Show,” Francis Beetling-; “yuiet Corner,” J. D. Beresiford; “Man on Horseback,” B. M. Bower; “Bitter Creek,” James Boyd. “Cleaned Out,” Max Brand; “Green Glory.” John Brophy; “Mr Westerly Missing,” .Miles Bu.l'toii; “Happy Christmas.” Joan Butler; “The 'Eagles Gather,” Taylor Caldwell; “The Little House,” Isabel Cameron; “Death at the Dog,” Joanna Caiman; “Jacob's Ladder,” Elizabeth CartTae; “Another Little Drink,” Peter Clicyney: “Charley Manning,” Elizabeth Corbett; “Golden Ashes,” Freeman Wills Crofts; “The Cherry Garden,” Simon Dare; “Penny,” Jane England; “A Matter of Business,” Jeffery Farnol; “Exit John Horton,” J. J. Farjeon; “Paris Gazette,” Lion Feuctwanger; “Prelude to Love,” Jo-! and a Foldes; “The Bird in the Tree,” Elizabeth Goudge. “Blackshirt Strikes Back.” Bruce Graeme; -rue Mad O’Hara of Wild River,” Jackson Gregory; “.Saddle and Bide.' Finest tlaycox; “Maris,•• Grace Livingstone Hill; “Here is an -.0..5.,” sydney Hurler. “Europe To Let,” storm Janle?on; “The Crimson Box,” Harry Stephen Keeler: “Lady Blanche Farm.” Frames Parkinson Keyes; “Queen Aimes Lace.” Frances Parkinson Keyes; “Pudding Lane,” Phillip Lindsay; “And .No Man’s Wit,” Rose Macaulay; “Lady with Jade,” Margaret Maekay; “Watch Below,” William McKee; “West Wind or Love.” Compton Mackenzie; “The Mixture as Before,” .Somerset Maugham; “Tale or Three Cities,” D. L. Murray; “Wide and Dark,” Netta Muskett; “The Grassleyes Mystery,” E. Phillips Oppenheini; “Mam’zelle Guillotine,” Baroness Orczy; “Life is to seek.” Diana Patrick; “Chorus ol‘ Clowns,” Eden Phillpotts; “The Secret Pact,” A. O. Pollard; “Voyage to Paradise,” Dorothy Quentin; "In Old Captivity,” Neville Sliute; "Top Hand,” Charles 11. Snow; “Fame is the spur,” Howard Spring. Lion in the Garden,” G. R. Stern; "Double ror Death,” Rex Stout; “A Crook in the Furrow,” A. G. Street; “Whispers in Tahiti,” Frederick Thwaltes: “The Disappearanee or Julie Hintz.” seldon Truss; “Faked Passports,” Dennis Wheatley. General.—“ Ships and Women,” by Bill Adams; “In Korean Wilds and Villages,” Sten Bergman; “The Battle or the Plate.” A. B. Campbell; “The Merchant Navv Fights,” a. D. Divine: “In the Wake o> the Raiders,” A. d. Divine; “The Man or Boom 10.” Sir Alfred Ewing; “Behind the Surgeon's Mask,” James Uarpole; “Failure of a Mission,” Neville Henderson; "Along the Indian Road.” E. Stanley Junes; “The Thirties,'’ Malcolm Mugeridgc; “Nemesis,” Douglas Reed; "A Bing at the Door,” George Sava: “The Grand Inquisitor,-’ Walter Starkie.