News from All Quarters

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 122, 22 May 1920, Page 19

News from All Quarters

There are over 50,000 boot and shoe workers in Great Britain. More than half the daily and weekly newspapers of the world are printed In English. TRADE UNION OF MAYORS. Sir Edward Cooper, Lord Mayor of London, suggests the formation of a trade union of mayors with a view to a reduction In working hours. Speaking at St. Mark's Hospital he mentioned that in his previous day's work from 7 o'clock in the morning to li at night he had filled five engagements in addition to a round of routine. POPULAR MUSIC. in a saloon near the stockyards in Chicago there is a patent player piano that will enjoy its present huge popularity as long as it can escape the vigilance of the sleuths enforcing the eighteenth constitutional amendment, says the "Tribune." Its "music" is obtained by placing a halfdollar in a slot and turning a circular indicator to a point opposite your favourite "song," at the same time placing a glass under a certain spout beneath the keyboard. HOUSING TROUBLE IN AMERICA. Housing difficulties are not unknown, it appears, on the other side of the Atlantic, Judging by the foflowing advertisement which has Just reached mc (says a writer In the "Daily News") from Los Angeles, California :— "Wanted to rent, 4 or 5-roomed bouse; moderate rent. Best of references. Three small children. If children objected to, will drown ours.'' A STRANGE MEMORIAL. A curious war memorial is to be found at Swan-am Prior, a little village In Can*'-. says the "Morning Post." The inhabitants elected to place in the parish cburcfl painted windows representing various war activities, with explanatory texts beneath. Thus, on one side of a window is to be seen a Tank—"But the man that shaH touch them must be fenced with iron"; on the other side is a German submarine en-mes-ed in a deepsea net, with the words: | "Though they be hid from my sight in -tne bottom of the 'sea, thence will I command the serpent and he shall 'bite them"; and a third picture, of a Red Cross nurse tending soldiers In hospital, is interpreted: "Ana the Lord said, it is not good that man should be alone; I will make him an helpmeet for him." BOYS FXBE _-YE SHELL. 0n a recent Sunday afternoon a number of boys were playing in and about a tank In Barshaw Public Park, Paisley, and discovered a couple of live shells. Thty of the guns and fired it. There was a crowd of about 200 in the park at the time, and the occurrence created great alarm. A foreman grocer named John Maitland, who was In the vicinity, was severely injured. Owing to the elevation of the gun, the shell was projected over his head, but a quantity of rubbish which remained in the gun was scattered In all directions. He was struck in the forehead, and was rendered temporarily blind. A second shell was discovered later, and on examination a third live shell was found In the tank. The tank is one which was presented to Paisley In recognition of the war savings efforts of the citizens. FOR GIRL'S GOOD NAME. . Francis G. Laugh, aged 24, engineer, Tooting, London, was fined 40/ at the Guildhall, for assaulting Alfred L. Weenan, cigar manufacturer.

The prosecution said he had recently discharged his young lady typist for'incompetence. Later, the defendant, who was her fiancee, entered his -office accompanied by the young lady. ' He was very excited, and, assuming a threatening attitude, said: "Take that pen and ink and write out an immediate apology?"

He alleged that Weenan had accused his young lady of dishonesty.

Mr. Weenan refused to apologise, and at once rang up the police. Before they arrived the defendant hit him in the eye and was "pummelling him for five minutes."

Defendant gave evidence that the prosecutor struck the first blow and he retaliated.

He went to the ofllce to demand an apology, he said, because he was annoyed that his young lady had been wrongfully accused of dishonesty.

PROHIBITION VICTIM'S BID FOR FREEDOM. Prohibition has cost a New Tork chauffeur his life. He was shot dead by an agent cf the American Government, whose duty it was to enforce the "dry" law. Another agent was present at the time. Having told the man, who was named Carlton, that they were eager to purchase liquor, he took them to a flat where were j stored six cases of wine and ten gallons of | rye whisky. Negotiations between him and j the agents took place there, and finally j Carlton agreed to accept a sum equivalent I to £160 for the liquor. j The agents disclosed their identity, and ' attempted to arrest their victim. Carlton rushed to the window to get away by means of the fire escape. They pulled him back, whereupon he drew a long knife and tried to reach the door. He was summoned to surrender, and a revolver shot was fired at him. He fell dead. The police rushed to tbe flat, and arrested one of' the agents on a technical charge of homicide. FIFTY TEARS IN GAOL. One of the most tragic events in English court history occurred recently when Ellen Adams, alias Annie Greenwood, whose eightieth birthday was not far distant, was tried and sentenced- on a charge of stealing two hats from a store, their total value being £3. After the prosecutor had described how she was caught shoplifting, the magistrate asked: "Anything known about her .past?"

"Oh, yes," the, prosecutor replied, "she is almost eighty years of age. There are twenty-two convictions against her in her lifetime for larceny, and the records show that she has spent fifty-one years and fire months In prison. She is perfectly incorrigible."

"Fifty-one years in prison ont of eighty!" exclaimed the magistrate. "That only leaves a little more than twenty-eight years of her life free."

The prosecutor explained that the first conviction against her was at the age of sixteen, so that she had spent virtually 3ier entire life in prison.

The woman pleaded guilty to the latest of the many charges against her, offering no defence and making no complaint. The magistrate -called it the saddest story he had ever heard, but said the law required that he give her six months, with such bard labour as sho might bo-hi* to do- ,

WATERLOO'S GLORY ..-HAS DEPARTED.

The inhabitants of Waterloo, scene of the historic battle, have petitioned the Belgian Senate to relieve their town of all taxes. They cite as reason that tourists have ceased to visit the famous battlefield, depriving them of their biggest ' 'pre-war revenue. Ypres, and other battlefields in Flanders, they add, have "stolen Waterloo's attraction and glory." BURGLARS' LATEST RUSE. Mr. and Mrs. Philip iHunter, of West New Tork. Xew Jersey, went to a theatre recently, and all through the performance wondered who had sent them tickets marked "complimentary." When they returned home they discovered the silverware. Mrs. iHunter"- jewellery, and other, valuables were missing. They also found a note which read: '-Now you know who sent the tickets."' UNION OF INTELLECTUALS. A federation of French intellectual workers similar to the Conseil General dv Travail (General _abons Council) is being organised in Paris. The movement was launched at a meeting which was attended by artists, authors, newspaper men, professors, lawyers, and physicians. It was declared that men who are members of the liberal professions must organise not only to guarantee that the war heroes among them will be properly cared for, but that their interests are protected generally. RUSH OF ITALIANS TO U.S. More Italians will emigrate to the United States this year than in the record year of 1013, Tvhen 373,000 left Italy for America. The thirty ships plying between Italy and the United States are carrying thousands. One of the chief reasons American consuls are overburdened with work is that such careful check is made of each fl-pplicant for a passport. The only illiterates allowed to go are wives ana children of men already in America. A conviction in court, even for a minor offence, 'bars the applicant from going. THE MUTILATED VENUS. Sir 'William Orpen. the famous English painter, is in great distress, says a Canajdian paper. He has discovered that tbe Venus de Miilo, which was removed from the "Louvre to a place of safety when Paris was menaced by shells from '_sig Bertha" and by the bombs of the Gotbas, was cut in two to ensure its protection against! accidents of transmission. It was taken f rom its haven recently, and now has Ibeen found to be disfigured. This monument of feminine grace nowbeans an ugly scar around the waist. It •also appears that careless workmen -ay» even surpassed those who in the Middle Ages lost her arms. Two pieces, one from her side and "the other from her back ihara been removed. "HUHBT/G" VERDICT. When a jury at -the Birmingham Assizes returned a verdict of "Not gl#ty" againsE Matilda Adams, 19, charged with murdering her illegitimate infant, _ir. Justice Bowlatt congratulated them, , saying, "Bow yon managed to find that verdict -I cannot conceive. You know it is humbug. Still, I am very glad."

In hi 9 summing up he -had pointed out that even on the girl's own story _c could see no suggestion that the case was simply manslaughter.

Following a quarrel with her sister, with whom —he lived, she took tbe child from a neighbour who had care of it and wandered about all night with it in her arms.

Standing by the canal side, tired and heart weary, said her counsel, Dr. Sadler, she contemplated- throwing herself Into the water, but something detained her, and in the purely automatic relaxation of lier wearied muscles the child droppifd from her arms and was drowred. "'GIRL'S CRT FOR MF.RCV. Neighbours' stories of how a |tortured girl shrieked for mercy, her apr,?_s of "Don't do it any more, daddy!" being distinctly heard, were told to the Westminster magistrate.

William Sutch, aged 54. who stated that he was the father of thirteen children, eleven of whom had died, was remanded on a charge of attacking his mentally deficient daughter, Kosina, aged thirteen, with a broom, with intent to do bodily harm.

Mrs. Parish, an inspector of the N.S.P.C.C, stated that when she visited .Sutch's home in Pulford Street, Plmlico, she found the child in a terrified condition. She was badly bruised about the arms, left shoulder, and hip. The girl locked herself in a room when the police intervened, and hid herself behind a box under a bed. Sutch pleaded that the child was untruthful and dishonesit. MOST POWEHFTJX MAN IN RUSSIA. Bolshevik newspapers declare that the) most powerful man in Soviet 'Russia to-day ,1s a Chinese or Confucian IBuriat name_ ilpak Ten, who was formerly a brrber's [assistant in Siberia, and was senteijced ta ibe banged as a spy during t_e .'SussojJapanese war. 'For two months Ipak has had working 'quarters in the grand palace of tho Krem- , lin, and also has a private palace -at "Moscow, where he keeps up great strte, and parades on Sunday in gilded -jarriages with his four Christian wives. The orthodox Communists bitterly criticise Ipak and his ways, and accuse bim of having accumulated 3,500,000 roubles (nominally £300,000) in six months. ■Ipat owes his power, it is stated, to bis own industry, insinuating ways, moderation, cunning and ability to keep on good terms with different paTties. (He Is on first-rate relations with Lenin, who call 3 •him "My Celestial." and -who takes no important step without consulting him. J, WOMAN CAN'T CLAIM DIVORCE DAMAGES. Only men cau claim divorce damages: woman has no right to' take action against a rival, is the ruling of the British courts. "It is doubtful if a wife has any right to bring an action against another woman who has enticed away her husband," was the ruling of Justice MeCardie, and which has 1 just been banded down by him. He held ' that a wife, in the eyes of the law, had no such rights to her husband's services as he bad to hers; that the right of action In criminal conversation existed only for the husband. .Further, he held that claims for damages made by a wife on the ground of misconduct did not act as an obligation, on the judge to award even nominal damages. ■He decided that a jury could not punish in actions brought by a husband beyond allowing- compensation for damages sustained. In granting such compensation, he said, two points should be considered—the actual value of the wife to her husband. and the blow which his marital honour received when she -was taken away from him. Beneath the sordid basis of the law, Justice iMJcCardie suggested, lay the moral consideration and desire to maintain the sanctity of married life.