News from All Quarters

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 27, 31 January 1920, Page 19

News from All Quarters

At a sale of Government stock In England a bid was accepted of sixpence a hundred for khaki helmets. M. Defett, president of the Touring Club of France, says that three million touriscs from America alone are expected to visit France next year. Statisticians have fonnd that whereas the Franco-Prussian War of IS7O cost £4,150.000 per day, the Great War cost £60,000.000 daily. There have been a limited number ot women admitted to the Order of the Garter, though for nearly 400 years no English Sovereign conferred this honour on a Girls in England are said to have grown larger during the war. Waists now while 7J in gloves and sizes 7 and Sin BANNING OBNOXIOUS NOISES. hibited in .New York. Local patriots are declaring exultantly that eating in German will be next to go.—London ".Punch." LOCUSTS AS FOOD. •Locusts are to-day eaten in Arabia, pretty Baptist. Foreigners as well as natives declare that they are Teally an excellent article of diet. NO TITLES WANTED. Truth, commenting on the conferment by the Prince of Wales of titles during his American visit, whereas the Canadian Parliament has vetoed acceptance of such, says :— " Perhaps democracy in Canada is not very robust, but It does seem rather ridiculous that the King's own subjects there should be barred from honors which citizens of the republic over the border can accept." LIKE A FILM EPISODE. William -Dolan, carting contractor, and his son Jolin, and daughter Catherine have all been injured in a stable at 13, Salisbury Street. Glasgow, through a restive horse. John was grooming the animal when it kicked out, knocked him down, nnd trampled on one of his feet. The father kicked him on both legs and then bolted out of the stable, where the daughter, in attempting to secure it, was injured on the hand. LONGEVITY HAS DRAWBACKS. Extreme longevity, such as Dr. VoronofC promises us with the aid of monkeys' Guardian." In 188S Janos Meryessi, who -was &4 years of age, jumped off the suspension 'bridge at Sudapest into the Danube. He was rescued, and explained that he wished to end his life, as he was becoming too decrepit to support statement proved to be true, Meryessi's parents being aged 115 and 110 respectively. A public subscription was organised to set them all three above want. A MAGIC CHAIN. An ingenious French idea for lifting water from wells was shown recently in Norwich. There is a long chain but no bucket. The chain lifts the water itself. The invention consists of an endless chain covered with a spiral of wire suspended In the well, and weighted with a heavy free pulley to keep it taut. a handle, which sets the chain revolving over a deeply grooved pulley at the top. *>f the spiral by capillary attraction, and thus is lifted from the well until, as the cbsin passes over the grooved pulley at the With easy turning of the handle the water comes up copiously, can be lifted 300 feet if necessary, and with motor power will dels saying, "Why didn't I think of it?" BRITAIN'S CRIME WAVE. "Hold-ups" are becoming more frequent throughout Britain. Closely following on the Leeds outrage when a V.nk manager was shot dead, and the bank - Jd in. 'London when shots were fired without serious effect, a third case is reported from .Newcastle, where an armed and masked soldier succeeded in getting away safely with the takings of a branch post office. Newspapers point to the futility of the burglars to shoot first and trust to the Intelligence of a jury to acquit them. The Leeds incident recalls the predictions of chief constables and others that, following the close of the war, there would be an epidemic of crimes in which the assailants would have but slight regard for the sanctity of human life. j •Some newspapers suggest stricter super- j vision over the sale of revolvers and

DOGGED BY NUMBER 13. Superstitious readers. says "London Answers," will be interested in the following extmordinnry story, of which tho hero is F. G. -Cordwell, the well known Fleet Mr. Cordwell has been literally dogged by the number 13. It was on the 13th or the month that he attested, went to France, went into action, got his first leave, and returned to take up his commission. It fas in the 13th tent, in 18 lines, 13th camp that he had his first lodgment in France. The tent contained 13 .men. He had 13 days in the hospital. He was given No. 13 pills. And, returning to civil work January IS, be found that his old room had been renumbered 113. Now count up the above coincidences. You will find 13 of them. ANCIENT ESKIMO VILLAGE FOUND. On his return from Alaska, Professor W. B. Van Valin, of the University of Pennsylvania, announced that he had found, a prehistoric Eskimo village buried beneath tnc Ire and earth near Point Barrow, the furthest north settlement under the American Prof. Van Valin said he had uncovered eighty bodies of these native Arttic people who had lived centuries apo. how long fie cannot tell. The oldest folk-lore of the Eskimos now living in that district makes no mention of This village, above tvhlett in the years that have passed since dee and earth covered, it, another has grown. ■He indicated! that the Eskimos -whose bodies he uncovered had dark hair, which agrees with the contention of anthropologists that the Eskimos are of the same race as the American Indians. •He broucht with, him a number of skulls which will be examined, by experts and portions of the bear-skin dresa in which taie bodies were clotlied. Owing to the 'fcaorcnees of the season only part ol toe t>uried Tillage, could, be- excavated. .

In 1016 there were 72,000 divoToes granted in the United States, the record amonz civilised nations being surpassed only fey A thief alarm invented in Europe 1* small enough to be carried in a vest pocket, and explodes a cartridge when- any object under which, it is laid is moved. The Bradford stipendiary magistrate. In fining a first offender 10/ for drunkenness, tho usual penalty for which has 'been T/ in that court, said tnat the cost at everrthing was going up. FIRST " FLYLE SS TOWN." Health authorities of Saranac Lake in ■New York declare that this probably is the first "flyless town" in the -world. It cost about £IXX) to eradicate the fly nuisance. A LUCRATIVE TRADE. A Parisian rag and bone dealer vtlto toemerly gained a livelihood by picking ovwr garbage, has become wealtfty by trading in American army supplies bought by France. lie purchased a large number ot waterproof coats for 2000 francs at c government sale, and made a profit on the re-sale of 160,000 francs. With this sum he bought 'boots, shoes, and blankets. 'Now be has a bank account ot over 1,000,000 francs. HOUSE ON SHIFTING SANDS. Xew York's new State Office building !■ ?oing to rest on a gigantic concrete "boat." This plan had been decided on to prevent the big building from clipping in its foundations on the treacherous quicksand underlying the capitol. The State architect's plans call for a solid concrete floor beneath ;the new- structure. The "boat" will be laid on buge steel pilings eunk te bedrock underneath, the sand. " FOLLOW THIS MAW." Another pre-war calling has been revived in Paris, the "living advertisements," whlen used to amuse the boulevards (says the "Daily Mail.") On a recent afternoon about 100 persons followed down the Boulevard dee Italiens a tnan wearing an impeccable frock coat and silk hat. Aloft In his hand was a patent leather boot. He walked, apparently nnconsciovx of attention, until he reached a well-known bootmaker's. Then be stopped and pointed to the shop with his boot, and in dumb show invited his followers to inspect the window display or enter the shop and purchase similar footwear for themselves. SOLDIERS REMARKABLE LETTER. A remarkable letter from a soldier to his wife was read at Durham when Robert Wilson (40), a E.AJM.C. private, -was committed to the Assizes on a charge of arson. It was alleged that 'Wilson, eet fire to his house, in which -were three children, bnt after a. struggle with his stepson was overpowered. In a letter to his wife, whom he addressed •fes "Madam," he said: "I have three hnndred miles to walk, but I -would go through hell fire to find you. As sure as there ds a above I will kill you and then myself. If you do not write, I shall start my hunt for you." The letter concluded: "Make the best ot your time before I get you both." It was stated that there was no truth in allegations made against Mrs. Wilson. ELECTRICITY niOM THE AIR. Nearly every electrical expert in iSeattle plans to examine a machine invented t>y Alfred Hubbard, 19-year-old boy, which ttte inventor claims, generates electrical power from the air, and can he operated! indefinitely without toe application of other sonrces of energy, says a Canadian paper. Several electriciang have witnessed demonstrations, and although, they cannot explain the principle upon wWch. it -works, they are certain- It Is not a fraud or hoax. Rev. Father "William B. Smith, professor of physics at Seattle College, who examined the machine, declared he thought it a practical working device, destined to take the place of all existing power generators. "I unhesitatingly say that Iliibbard'g invention, within a few years will have advanced the whole theory and practice ot electricity beyond the dreams of presentday scientists," 'Father Smith; declared. "The boy has stumbled oitoa principle of electricity never believed to exist." FALSE BURGLAR AT.ATHU A remarkable story of the escapade of two servant girls was told at Altricham irtien Harriet Elizabeth Koberte and Lucy Groome were sent to prison for a month wits, hard labour for stealing £13 from the Litter's mistress, Mrs. Ash ton. Mrs. Ashton went away for a few days, leaving Groome in charge of the lionse. Roberts, telling her (employer that her father was dead, secured a few days' leave and went to stay with, Groome. One night the Sale -police received a telephone message from the house that rt had I been entered by burglars, but an Inspector ■who visited it failed to find any signs of Intruders. Later another telephone message of burglars was received) toy the police, and toe inspector and a sergeant went to search the bouse and grounds. They found ronoh contents littered about the floor. They also found evidence of other persons having slept in the beds. The girls then admitted that «re burglary story was false, that they had. had men friends in .the house, and that t&ey had stolen the £13 from a cash-box. £4 10/ was found by the police hidden in the house. BRITAIN'S GIANT AIRSHIP. Plans have been completed in England for a dirigible of a capacity of 10,000,000 cubic feet, a length of 1100 feet, a useful ■lift of 200 tons and a cruising radius of four-fifths of the way around the world, according to an announcement made by the Army Air Service. Beside this monster the dirigible ordered by the I'ntted States (Navy Department from 'Kngland. while bigger than anything now in America, seems small. The machine under construction for the navy will have a gas capacity of 2,000.000 cnblc feet. It will be rijrid and similar in i appearance to fiie R-34, which visited the I United States in Juiy. Dirigibles patterned after the approximate plan of the German Zeppelins have been constructed In England to a size o' 2.700.000 cubl.- fwt. The speed of ships of this size is about sevent.v-flv e mlle3 an hour and they are capable of -remainlQe in the air for about 173 hours orllogo Q g enough Jto fly more than half-way round the world. Dirigibles of still larger sire and capacity already fcein* built in Bnjtaad, kee: . c»M<■ !T en ,f f ° r SWPS « 3 -°OO.OOO Irf bo.n h « "*" himSarS lQ thfs size t0 aroommod ate chips of wan* the total lift of th