News From All Quarters

Auckland Star, Volume XLIX, Issue 11, 12 January 1918, Page 15

News From All Quarters

As much as £3 a ton is being charged for coal in the Isle of Wight. The Department of Agriculture estimates that only 27 per cent of the tillable land of continental United States is actually under cultivation. The Women's Trade Union League of Chicago has succeeded in organising the washerwomen of that city, and the price of washing will toe advanced from 2.10 dollars to 2.60 dollars. Summoned for not sending to -school a little girl of whom she had charge, Mrs. Mary Ann Finucane explained in the Northern Police Court, Dublin, that the child went to school, but the mistress would not admit her because she was wearing the Sinn Fern colours. The magistrate made an order for attendance. BOY BURGLAR'S OUTFIT. Three boys who broke into a shop at Tottenham and stole £14 were found to possess a complete burglary outfit. NOTHING BUT MURDER. The sale of watered milk for consumption by children was described by the Recorder of Dublin as "absolutely nothing but murder," in a case in which a milk vendor was sentenced to a month's imprisonment with hard labour for having sold mUk which, in one instance, was adulterated by 40 per cent, of added water. AS POLITE AS POSSIBLE. A witness before the London Munitions Tribunal sold: "I always like to be as poUte to a man as possible when I dismiss him. I- had told this chap several times that he'd have to 'get' if he didn't 'get on with it,' and so I simply told him to 'shove off.' " ARABS STILL EATING MANNA. The manna with which the ChUdren of Israel were fed in the desert was the honey dew of a species of mealy-bug which lives on the tamarisk- These bugs secrete it l sn just the same way that the aphids secrete the honey dew that is the food of the ants. The Arabs still eat the "manna," and their name for it to-day is "man." A GOOD CUSTOMER GONE. The ex-Czarina was the best customer the makers of French perfumes ever had. It is said that she spent £5,000 a year in scents. Her favourite perfume was made of violets grown In a special private field In the South of France. She Insisted that the violets should be picked between 5 and 7 o'clock every evening, as their fragrance Is greatest toward sundown.—"Dundee Advertiser." GAMBLING AMONG GIRL CLERKS. Gambling is the latest craze among certain sets of girl clerks In Government departments. A few back horses and manage to lose (and sometimes win) quite a respectable sum. The other day a young flapper confided to mc ("Dally Sketch" writer) that she was pretty hard up because she had gone down heavily over' a certain horse. I was amazed. However, she didn't mind. STARVED TO DEATH. During 1916 coroners' Juries <says a White paper) found that forty-one persons were "starved to death," nine being in London ond thirty-two in the provinces. In the previous year the cases numbered forty, thirteen occurring in London and twentyseven In the provinces. In thirty of the forty-one cases no application had been made for reUef, or appUcation was only made when the deceased was in a dying condition. In five cases indoor relief had been offered, but not accepted. RULES FOR THE WOMEN CLERKS. A lady supervisor in one of the Govermment offices, says a writer in the "Yorkshire Evening Post," has issued orders to the women clerks for the proper observance of the rites of dress. For example: — Workers may not dress their hair more than once a day. They may not change their blouses after luncheon. They may not wear white shoes and stockings. To say that she is unpopular Is to say the least of It. WEALTHY AMERICANS. Two hundred and six men with "millionaire" Incomes—ten of them with annual Incomes of more than 5,000,000 dollars and 198 with Incomes ranging from 1,000,000 dollars to 5,000,000 doUars —are shown in the income tax figures of the U.S. Internal Revenue Bureau for the fiscal year 1017. The number reporting incomes between 3000 and 4000 dollars was 85,122; between 4000 and 5000 dollars, 72,027; between 5000 and 10,000 dollars, 150,551; between 10,000 and 15,000 dollars, 45,305; between 15,000 and 50,000 dollars, 59,311; between 50,000 and 100,000 dollars, 10,452; between 100,000 and 150.000 dollars, 2800; between 150,000 and 200,000 dollars, 1255; and between 200,000 and 1,000,000 dollars, 2235. A BIG TASK. Hugh Russell, of Notre Dame dt Grace (Quebec), is the possessor of what Is one of the most wonderful books in the world. It is a copy of the Bible, written entirely in his own hand, and, as now bound, is not larger in size than the old-style family Bible. It is beautifully written, too, bearing evidence in every word of an infinite patience and reverence, recalling the work of a medieval monk. It is a wonderful piece of caligraphy throughout. "It is perfectly legible, and," says Russell, "without making any boast, I would be willing, if I had money, to offer £20 for every error or omission anyone could find in it." There are altogether 1,987 pages, the New Testament taking up 471 of these. There are double columns on each page. Russell began his task in 1894, and finished it on St. November 30, 1916. BIGAMIST'S CAREER. An extraordinary career of fraud was unfolded at the Old Bailey, London, when Charles Newland (43), described as a commission agent, was sentenced to three years' penal servitude for bigamy. Newland, it was stated, married in 1901 and afterwards deserted" his wife and three children. Then he met a waitress In a teashop and posed as a widower, whose wife had been killed by a horse. He told her that he was a wealthy man, and he proposed marriage, but before the ceremony took place at Leytonstone he borrowed £3 from her, while after staying at an hotel the girl had to pay the bill. Under the name of MllUcent Forbes, it was sold, he ran a bogus matrimonial agency, and a warrant had been issued for his arrest for practising as a solicitor. He had also acted as a mlssioner to navvies, and since his arrest the police had been Inundated with complaints regarding him, while another bigamous marriage had come to light.

Of the 10,000 persons killed in railroad accidents during 1916 in the United States, and the 196,722 injured, the greater number were trespassers on railroad property. Last year there were 508 strikes In Australia, involving 170,683 men and women, who lost In the aggregate 1,678,930 working days, for which they would have been paid £967,604 la wages. THE DAUGHTERS DO NOT COUNT. Lucy M. J. Garnett, in "Balkan Home Life," writes:—-"The average Osmanll father will answer an ill-mannered question as to the number of his children by saying: T have three children'—or 'two,' as the case' may be—giving the number of his sons, for daughters do not count in such a census even though present at the time. THE RUSSIAN WAY. A new way to get higher wages has been reported from Russia. At the town of Kharkov the employees of the electric light company arrested the directors and managers and shut them up i a the hoard room. They then held a meeting, at which they rejected the proposal to apply summary justice to the directors and managers, hut decided to keep them prisoners until they agreed to granting them higher wageß. THE CHILDREN'S HANDICAPS. In the special report of the chief medical officer to the British Board of Education It was shown that 10 per cent of the 6,000,000 children at school are handicapped toy uncleanllness and another 10 per cent •by malnutrition. Probably half the total —tbat is to say, 3,000,000 —are in need of dental treatment, and at least half a miUlon are urgently so. 'Half a million are impeded In their education by defective eyesight, and a quarter of a million by diseases of the throat, ear, and lymphatic glands. COST OF AMERICAN SOLDIERS. Germany Is putting 14.3 soldiers into the field for the same amount of money watch, the United States Is paying for a single fighting man, according to calculations of government experts. They said the same general proportion was true also of maintaining the armies in the field, or, in other words, America must raise 14.30 dollars where the enemy nation raises only 1 dollar for the purpose of carrying on the war. The difference was said to be due to the higher pay of United States soldiers and the greater cost of supplies, and the contrast was used as a text for admonitions that resources alone would not win the war, but that strict economy was necessary. A LEFT-HAND TALISMAN. Is the Kaiser's talisman still on the middle finger of his left hand during these days when destiny is drawing close to him? This square, dark-coloured stone, 6et In massive gold, has a strange history. It ■was first worn by Saladin, Sultan of Egypt and Syria, more than 700 years ago, but . was taken from the Eastern warrior-ruler by a German knight under the very watts of Jerusalem. In time it come into the hands of Ulrich, Margraf of Nuremberg, the founder of the Hohenzollexn family, and his successors, generation after generation, have worn it ever since. FANCY DRESS IN DOCK. Charged at Woolwich with nnlawrm possession of a pair of field glasses and a wrist watch, Charles Halford, aged sixty, a homeless baker, appeared in the dock In a fantastic costume consist of— A black frock coat, adorned with gilt buttons, and bands of gold braid on the sleeves, giving it at the first glance the appearance of a naval officers frock coat Khaki riding breeches, so long as to fasten round the ankles; Brown socks, worn outside the breeches; Football boots, much in need of polish; A khaki shirt; black tie; and black cloth yachting cap, bearing the badge of the Army Service Corps. Detective-£»- , -«qnt Young stated that wbatf questioned, prisoner described himself, as "Lieutenant of my ship, the Saucy Sally," and stated that the glasses were his "marine glasses." . Several previous convictions, Including two for having matches in his possession In munition factories, were proved and Mr. Hay Halkett sentenced him- to two months' hard labour. " THE DIAMOND OF MISFORTUNE Among the fabulous treasures owned by ex-Czar Nicholas, and now confiscated, one of the most precious jewels is undoubtedly tbe diamond Orloff, which forms the tip of the Russian sceptre. It is cut in rose form, in size considerably larger than the famous Culllnan diamond, weighs 195 carats, and is valued at £360,000. Its origin is doubtful; according account it was stolen by a French grenadier from a Brahman temple In India, where it represented one of the eyes in a statue of Brahma; according to another it originally consisted of two pieces representing the) lion's eyes which adorned the throne ot the Great Mogul of Delhi; while another indicates that It was owned by Nadir, Shah of Persia, and came after his death into the hands of an Armenian merchant. The precious jewel owes its name to Prince Orloff, extensively known and 111 reputed among his contemporaries for his unusual physical force as well as for his brutality. He bad purchased it for the Empress Catherine 11. at a price said to have been £90,000, besides an annuity of £800 and a Russian title. MORE HATE. A plea is being made In several German newspapers for the universal revival of Llssaner's "Hymn of Hate," several stanzas of which are reprinted (says the "Daily Express") for the comfort of those who have forgotten, or grown ashamed ot It. The "Deutsche Zettung" puts the matter in this way:— Now that the Kaiser In his magnificent address to the troops in Flanders has called the chUd by its right name, now that he has> pointed his finger direct at Englano* branding her as our free people's archenemy who is capable of any Imaginable deed of blackguardism, may there once more burst forth that "Hymn of Hate" that was born of the war, and which expresses our national sentiment as none other can. The German Michael is a stupid fellow to allow himself to be turned against this holy outpourimj of righteous wrath by the sophistries of those who whisper that It Is not in good taste, that it Is an unllterary production, Irreconcilable with the German spirit. We look on the hymn a« an expression of the sound consciousness of the Germans, of their immeasurable moral superiority to the islanders. Let, then, the potent words roll on again throughout -the German land, let them reverberate among the German hills and valleys until their spirit has penetrated into every German soul to steel it into holding ont against snch an antagonist, even . though hunger and thirst be our daily, guerdon. (