GENERAL HEWS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2585, 20 August 1909, Page 2

GENERAL HEWS.

Daylight-saving Bills have been introduced into the British and New Zealand Parliaments, but the advocates of the policy of conquering the clock in the summer months have not yet got a sufficient of public opinion behind them to secure a realisation of their ideal. In tho United Stales the reformers have achieved more success, and Cincinnati, Ohio, has definitely decided to try the experiment of putting on the hands of the clock by at least an hour from Ist May. to Ist October, beginning next year. The practice of daylight-saving .schemes, is no new thing in isolated parts of Now Zealand. Years ago, for example, in Mercury Bay, Auckland, where r; ost of the heads of families were directly or indirectly temployed by the large timber mills there, the clock was put on an hour in summer. Tims when the mill whistle nominally announced o o’clock at the close of the day’s work, the actual time was only 4 o’clock, and tho workers gained an extra hour for recreation in the daylight at cricket, tennis, and other pastimes.

Some time ago (says the Ashburton “Guardian”) a local cadet placed a note in a sack of oats that was being shipped to England. It was addressed “To A horn It May Concern,” and the finder was asked to give his opinion of New Zealand’s offer of a Dreadnought, and to say whether he thought it would be accepted by the British Government. To this note a reply has now, been received from Bristol as follows: —“As to the Dreadnought: The offers are now under the consideration of the British Government, which will, I think, accept both New Zealand’s and Australia’s offer. While "-writing I will, if I may, suggest that if there are anywhere in the colonies go-ahead gentlemen who can. write articles likely to help to push a nation ahead, instead of keeping it at the point of fifty years ago, tell them to send them to bo read in the House of Commons. Then, perhaps, we shall not need to depend on our colonios, w'ho are more on the alert than Old England. We have been sleeping, and now we need rousing.

A locomotive running on the C.hrist-church-Lyttelton line, and employed in hauling goods, has been fitted with an oil burner as an experiment. The engine has nowr- been running for some time, > and appears .to bo working as well as others not similarly fitted. Instead of using coal in the furnace, a jet of steam is used to break up a femall stream of oil into a spray, and the spray burns in the fire-box.

A little economy which is being practised in connection with the erection of Wellington’s new Chief Post Office is worthy of notice. When the site was being cleared preparatory to making the excavations for the foundation and basement, an old brick building standing close to the present post office was demolished. A very large quantity o. “second-hand” bricks then became available, and as they could not be disposed of to advantage it was decided to put them to some good use on the spot. They are, therefore, being utilised in the construction of the flooring of the basement, and. as there are enough to make a layer over nearly the whole area, a very considerable»saving in concrete will be effected. Instead of the flooring being concrete right through, that material will only have to he put on over the bricks to a depth of, perhaps, six inches.