Forth St bridge unboxed

The new traffic bridge in Forth Street has now emerged from its chrysalis of forms and seeming tangle of reinforcement, and is now nearing the completion stage.

The main decking of ferro-concrete gives promise of being a sturdy and neat job, and should be able to cope with the great volume of traffic which will be inevitable during Exhibition period. The workmen at present are preparing the kerbs, and the finished structure should not only be an ornament to the city, but an excellent example of the bridge-builder’s art.

Stage pistol hurts actor

It is not usual for anyone not associated with the stage to realise that stage revolvers and their charges of blank ammunition can cause any damage. Walter George, the producer of the revue that is appearing in a Dunedin theatre at present, has, however, been rather seriously injured by the firing of a revolver which was for use in one of his playlets. When going over the "props" needed for his production he picked from a case a revolver that was at full cock. He released the hammer, and discovered that the revolver was loaded, the result being that his left hand has been split open, and he has been compelled to enter the Stafford Street Hospital for treatment. The injury is painful and rather serious.

Radio aids picture projection

Motion pictures of a windmill in action are said to have been projected, with the aid of radio, on a screen five miles away. The inventor, Mr Francis Jenkins, predicts that his apparatus will be sufficiently refined in a year’s time to make wireless motion pictures practical for commercial use.

Phone kiosks for taxi users

In place of the small receptacles at present in use for the housing of taxi telephones, glassed-in boxes are being installed at all taxi ranks. This should be an improvement both as regards the protection of the telephones and the convenience of those using them.

Honi soit qui mal y pense

The impressions of at least one schoolboy in Dunedin regarding the departure of the American fleet on August 20 make interesting reading. In the course of an essay on the subject of the visit of the fleet this lad refers to the departure in the following terms: "The sailors started throwing their hats to the people on the wharf. Some of the women on the wharf threw up their garters. At this one of the sailors took a pair of garters from his pocket and said, ‘These are the kind they use in Melbourne.’ After that they left Dunedin with many sad partings from their friends."

Southern Lights

Those who were abroad last evening about 7 or 8 o'clock and spared time to glance heavenwards, beheld a perfect replica of the celebrated Southern Lights, when the sky was illuminated by a visitation of the beautiful Aurora Australis. The soft colouring made a pleasing sight in the tones and shades blending in a kaleidoscope of orange, pink, and crimson.

NZ inventor’s cruise missile

London, August 14: The Daily Express publishes an exclusive interview with Captain Alban J. Roberts, of Wellington, who is reported to have invented an aerial torpedo, which is directed from the safety of the ground and cannot be controlled by any outside influences other than the person who is in charge of the apparatus below. Captain Roberts is to give demonstrations of his torpedo before high officials of the Navy, the Army, the Air Force and Post Office during the next week or two. "I am confident," Captain Roberts is reported to have said, "that no human being can interfere with the torpedo which I have designed."

— ODT, 22.9.1925 (Compiled by Peter Dowden)