NEWS TIT-BITS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 67, 18 March 1916, Page 17

NEWS TIT-BITS.

€a<>l f now OCCU P ie d entirely t>y Germans, including civilians of the professional classes. h " ,ulans of tne of"ri. Cl^. and " White ™ re *« names t/velv at a T 63 Wh ° *W- n!d oonsecu * +nJ*S j &te P n ey inquest, and two of and "B?^ 113 WCre - m^;^erry"

mfntl nurs <* "*</for twelve months have been doing service at Netley Hwprtal have left Lo ndon ior Tok Ihere were twenty-two nurses and two doctors.

nuL ? P f t Of OT B">*t of Rochester, Cathedral, shortly to .be vacant, there arc nearly two hundred applications, and tihe salary M not ranch more than the wages of an unskilled workman.

The death Las occurred at Standon ( Herts') of William Swallow, at the age of Sk He was employed on one farm for ,0 years, and was a bellringer at the parish church for 50 years. '

Lieutenant T. H. G. Tomblinge, R.E. who had taken a room at the Country Hotel. Derby, was found lying in bed with his throat cut. The Wade of a saiety razor had been used.

Lord Selborne, Minister of Agriculture, suggests that to encourage cottagers to keep pigs and so increase food production, local authorities should relax bylaws which at present may prevent pigkeeping.

It is anticipated that the 1915 revaluation will result in a substantial reduction of the total ratable value of the County of London. Among the boroughs which have experienced a decrease are Caniberwell, Deptford, Hampstead, Lewieham, Shoreditch, and Stoke Xewington.

Sir Francis Ley, who was created a baronet in 1905, died on January 17th at Epperstone Manor, Xotte, at the age of seventy. He was the founder and governing director of Ley'si ivorke in Derby, and owned about 6500 acres ol agricultural property

Writing to a friend at Ashford (Kent), Trooper Jack Moulding, of the 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles, exipresees eorrow that his two particular chums (brothere) were killed in a German bombardment of the British trenches, making seven brothers killed in tftie one family.

Through war exigencies, a great scarcity of la-bour is being felt in the Nottinghum lace trade, and it is reported that the position is becoming acute, the demand for British lace having considerably increased owing_ to the shutting out of foreign supplies.

"Auld Ilaneel Monday" lias always been recognised as a festival in the parish of Pprouston, near Kelso, with its old-time Twecdoide hamlet. It is really their Xew Year, and old and young were wont to participate in tlhe festivities. This year, however, as laat, owing to the war, the rejoicings were concelled.

Owing to the drink restrictions, the landlord of a big public-house declared to the Lambeth Guardians hie inability to continue to pay 25/ a week for the maintenance of his two children in an asylum, but promised to do so when the restrictions were removed. The Guardians reduced the amount to 15/ a week.

The latest German statistics show that in twenty-four leading German cities the birth rate decreased during -April, May, June and July, 1015, by 20 per cent., as compared with the corresponding months in 1914, which ia equiva lent to a loss of 400,000 births annually throughout the German Empire.

A healthy-looking young Irishman asked the Lambeth magistrate to sign a green form. A man who supported the application said the lad had only recently come over from Ireland and was not liable to enlistment. The Magistrate: "He is not liable; you are quite right. But I shan't assist him to go out of the country. It is his duty to join."

The Pytchley hounds were twice run i into by trains on the London and NorthWestern Railway. The first time was near Weedon, when two bounds were killed and several badly' mangled. On the second occasion, between Long 'Buckiby and Althorp, an express train Tan into the pack. One was killed, and others were injured.

It was alleged at Kingeton-an-Thames tfhat because he was snoring an inmate of Kingston Workhouse was violently assaulted by William Gillen, another inImate—an old man of 73—and Buffered the fracture of several ribs. Gillen was remanded in order thafc , the evidence might be taken at the bedside of the injured man.

Nine boys, of ages ranging from II to 13, who were sent to a remand home by the Guildhall magistrate, were stated to have formed themeelve.3 into a "gang which they-styled "the Black Hand Gang." The "gang's" sole object was to come to the city in the evening, smash windows, and steal whatever they could lay their hands on.

The famous King Teh Cheeng porcelain factory, which from tbe~"year 1390 furnished all the- fine porcelain for the royal palace of China, is to be reopened. This factory -was partly destroyed during the revolution in which the republic was established, and the various eampleie and patterns kept there were divided among #he leading revolutionists. However, many patterns have been recovered, together with samples.

A remarkable accident happened last month on board H Government veeesl as she was coming to anchorjn theHumber. John William Lowe, aged" 47, a seaman, of 42, Broadmead Road, Clapham, London, had just completed taking soundings He pulled the leadline in 'With a jerk; it flew into the air, and descending, struck ■him heavily on the 'head. The blow rendered him unconscious, and he died from fracture of the skull,

Owing to the spread of the Isle of Wight bee disease among bees in the .Peterborough district 90 per cent have succumbed, and there will -te no honey in the district this year. Until the anpearance of the disease tfbere were 200 beekeepera with 1,400 stocks, representing 70,000.000 bees, and 63,000,000 bees are now dead. The loss in money value is £2,000. The storms of the New Year week in England caused much havoc to the famous 0 tomb of Lady Anne Grimston, at Tewin, Herts. The legend runs that her ladyship denied the story of the Resurrection, and declared that it it were true trees might grow out of her grave. That actually occurred, and for many years five fine trees were to be seen growing out of the grave. Owing to the storms only two now remain.

One of tie results of the war has been | to give a decided impetus to poultry, breeding in South Africa. While the imports of eggs hare .been getting less each year the export trade rose f ro m £8500 in 1913 to £11,000 in 1914, and for the nine months of the present year the fimire was £SSOO, compared with £5800° during the corresponding penod of last year, fut for the lack of freight space this year's figures would-havc been | much higher.