GENERAL NEWS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2766, 22 March 1910, Page 6

GENERAL NEWS.

TELEPHONE MANNERS. Exasperated telephone subscribers who, unable to “"et through” as quick, ly as they would like, indulged in harsh language towards the girl clerks, have been cleverly brought to book by the telephone administration (says a message from Copenhagen to the “Daily Mail”). At first it was found difficult to identify the offenders, So a gramophone apparatus was installed in the central exchange. Tlie moment a subscriber began to use unseemly language, the girl would have it recorded' on the gramophone Some of the worst offenders were summoned to the director’s office, and, when they denied.their hasty remarks, they were convicted by an exact repetition of their own. voice on the gramophone. Telephone manners in Copenhagen have, as a result, greatly improved. MAGNETISED SHIP. Weird in the extreme was the story told by Captain Davies, of the Cardiff steamer Trafalgar, on putting back into Falmouth a few weeks ago, with his ship disabled by an unaccountable magnetic visitation that rendered the compass useless. “We have been struck by a comet or a thunderbolt, and our ship is disabled,” he said. "We were bound from Port Talbot to Bastia with coals, and when about ten miles southwest of the Wolf Rock, the vessel trembled violently, and there was a loud report like the explosion of a cannon. The foremast seemed a mass of flame, and the the whole ship became aglow. At that moment we saw a large fiery body, with a tail about 30ft to 40ft long, strike the sea about 20ft- from us. Its appearance was accompanied by a loud hissing noise, and, as it disappeared, a. column of water rose in the air. Directly after the men came running out of the forecastle, saying :t was on fire. The whole of the interior was glowing with a. brilliant light. The effect of the phenomenon in the engineroom was most awe-inspiring, the whole place glowing with a faint violet light, from which millions of spark's emanated. All the men rushed on deck. The second mo.to happened to be sounding the well at the time, and received a violent shock from the steel rod which he held in his hand. The phenomenon did not last many seconds. When we had recovered from our surprise we looked at the compasses, and: found them. all demagnetised and awry.” POLICEWOMAN AT WORK. Frauleiu Margaret Dittmer, who was appointed on the Berlin police staff in October, 1908. has had no fewer than 604 cases to deal with during her first year of service (savs the “Daily Mail’s” correspondent). Her work consists in acting as guardian of youthful delinquents, waifs* and children who are ill-treated by their parents. The former are committed to her charge to deal with as she thinks fit. either to place them in reformatories or to restore them to their parents after she has / investigated the circumstances. Waifs are placed in orphanages, and in cases of parental cruoltv which have been proved in court it is Frauleiu Dit. tmer’s dntv to visit the homes at irregular intervals to prevent the offence being repeated. Of 165 school boys and girls” who ran away from their homes in the provinces, to Berlin, last year, the majority, says Fraulin Dittmer, came to the capital to view the Imperial palace. The remainder either came through a spirit of adventure fired by reading thrilling stories, or because their parents were too severe with them over tlieir lessons.