The majority of the offenders who come to grief are women; the men sometimes fall, but not often.
They get off the right way, the women usually turn their backs to the direction in which the car is moving, and are overbalanced backwards directly they touch the ground.
The reason why women almost invariably leave a car the wrong way has long been a puzzle, but a theory which seems reasonable on the face of it was mentioned by a tramway official to a press representative.
It is that women are habitually accustomed to hold up their skirts with their right hands on leaving a car.
The right hand is so engaged, the left being available to grasp the grip.
On most of the lines, certainly on all the double-track lines, the right hand is the proper one to use on the grip to alight properly.
To use the left means getting off backwards, and a fall if the car is moving.
The habit of women using their right hand for holding up their skirts forces them to alight improperly, and, until that habit can be overcome the leaving of a car will always be fraught with risk.
On Friday night a lady stepped off a car in motion on the Papanui line, near Merivale lane.
She was picked up covered with mud, and with her face bleeding slightly, but stated she was not hurt.
Late on Saturday a young lady stepped off a car before it had stopped at the balloon loop at New Brighton, and she also was thrown down, but fortunately was not hurt.
• It will be remembered (remarks the Sydney Telegraph) that Dr Mawson erected a wireless station on Macquarie Island, and left five of the members of his expedition there before proceeding to the Far South.
This station is doing magnificent work.
In view of the Aurora visiting Macquarie Island on her forthcoming cruise, the secretary of the expedition had occasion a few days ago to send a wireless message asking the leader of the party on the island to send a list of articles required by them.
Within 24 hours came back a reply comprising 197 words.
Recently, however, an even greater feat was accomplished.
At five minutes past 9 one night a message was despatched from Macquarie Island to Mr Eitel, in Sydney.
It was received by the wireless station at Hobart, and transmitted thence to a wireless station at Sydney, the whole time occupied being only 42 minutes.
Shortly after 10 o'clock Mr Eitel rang up the station and asked,
"Can you get Macquarie Island to-night?" The reply came back,
"Easily."
- ODT, 21.5.1912.
