HOMELAND MAIL

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XL, Issue 9291, 28 April 1920, Page 2

HOMELAND MAIL

UNCABLED INCIDENTS.

LONDON, February 20. Members of the Walsall Labour Club are joining some other Labour clubs with the object of raising capital to establish a brewery. It is stated that of the £11,000 needed half has already, been subscribed. •

At Walsall a horse, owned b>v a hauler named Hickin, shied at an elephant and two camels belonging to a menagerie, passing along the Birmingham road. The horse collapsed and died on the spot. A veterinary surgeon stated that death was caused by fright. At Knutsford (Cheshire) Licensing Sessions last week it was stated that there had not been a single case of drunkenness in the town during the past year, a -'record" for the town. • At a meeting of the ; Kingston Town Council it was suggested that if residents gave names to their houses instead of numbers they should be compelled to pay 10s 6d a year if the names were English and £1 Is. a year if they were Welsh.

The to.wn of Loughborough, in Leicestershire, has decided, by a plebiscite vote, to erect as a war memorial a campanile to contain a carillon (with clavier) of 49. bells. The tower, of Gothic design, will be over 120 ft high, and the largest bell will weigh three tons, the cost of the tower and bells being between £10,000 and £12,000. Loughborough will be the first town in England to possess a carillon of ample compass and proportions.

The "Feathered Racer" announces that tho King has consented to become the patron of. the National Homing Pigeon Union, the governing body of the sport of pigeon flying in this country. The King is himself a fancier, having lofts at Sandringham. During the war., 80,000 pigeons were used as messengers by the British Army, Navy and Air Force,

Bear Wood and 500 acres of the estate at Wokingham, Berks, which were recently sold by -Mr John Walter, have been presented to the Royal Merchant Seamen's Orphanage as the future home of the institution. . The donors are Sir Thomas Lane Devitt, senioi partner of the firm of Devitt and Moore, shipowners, and Sir Alfred Yarrow, head of the Clyde engineering and shipbuilding firm.

Mrs Christine Forsyth, the subject of the missionary book, "The Loneliest Woman in the World," has died in hospital at Rothesay, Bute, aged 76. For 30 years Mrs Forsyth lived among the Xolobo Kaffirs, over a hundred Tniles from the nearest white person, carrying on her educational and missionary work and living the same life in many respects as the blacks. Worn out in body; but not in spirit,' she retired to a missionary home in Bute a few years ago. An operation became necessary a few days ago, and the patient was removed to the local hospital. There it waß thought inadvisable to proceed, as it was feared the patient would not stand the chloroform, but she insisted on the operation being carried out without anaesthetics, and this was done. Mrs Forsyth survived .the operation, but died later in the hospital.

The Finance Committee of the Bradford Corporation ; last week ■ passed a resolution that, in view of the famine conditions in Central Europe, the Bradford City Council arrange for 12 months' hospitality for at least 1000 children of school age from the famine areas; that an advertisement be issued inviting offers from citizens to house one or more such children; that the Education Committee be instructed to include such children in the schools with full arrangements for school meals, clothing, and footgear; and that a careful medical record of every such child from the -time of entering to the termination of the experiment be made by the school medical staff. Although all the members of the council, 105 in number,; are on the Finance Committee only 36 were present, of whom there were 23 Socialists, seven Conservatives and six Liberals.

Seven reasons why parents object to glasses for then- children are mentioned by the Central Care Sub-Committee of the London Education Committee. Tho reasons given are:—(l) Appearance—children are nicknamed "foureyes" and laughed at by others; (2) glasses are likely to be .broken; (3) child can see as well without glasses; (4) other children do not need them; (5) father tests child at home and differs from school v doctor; (6) children will not wear them when provided;' (7) mother at work; no time to attend hospital.

That the wholesale drapery trade has enjoyed another very- profitable year's trading is evidenced by the reports that have so far been issued. All previous "records" in profits have been exceeded in many-iristances; compared with the last ipre-war year, profits have invariably been trebled at least. In one case they are seven times greater after allowing for excess profits duty, and in another a deficit of over £6000 in 1913 has been converted into a profit last year of nearly six timesi that amount. Our wholesale house in the fancy goods trade has managed to multiply its 1913 profits 14 times, but the figures in this case do. not allow for taxation. Messrs Crockers*' profits, with increased capital, are 16 times as great, after providing for, taxation.

At the Central Criminal Court, before the Common Sergeant, Maggie Hughes, 25, and Diana Black, 23, two smartly-dressed young women, were found guilty, of stealing from four shops in the. West-End of London. Hughes was sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment with hard labour, and Black to 18 months' imprisonment with hard labour. Detective-Inspector Cornish proved' a number of convictions, for disorderly conduct against Hughes. The witness added that the women were said to be the cleverest shoplifters in the world, and he believed they were. In no instance had they said anything to assist the police in recovering the stolen property. They had successfully covered up their tracks, and they had never been seen to steal anything, so clever were their methods.

The Kempton Park meeting was most successful. Racing coincidences are not, believed, but the "Times's" sporting writer vouches for the story which follows:—A .' certain regular racegoer was about ,to leave with a