NEWS FROM ALL QUARTERS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 102, 2 May 1931, Page 3 (Supplement)

NEWS FROM ALL QUARTERS.

DESERTING THE STAGE. During 1930 more than 2000 German actors and other theatre workers left their occupations, bringing the total number of persons in the Republic engaged in theatre M'ork down to 25,550. Hard times are held mainly responsible for the decline. HEAVY CANAL TOLLS. It cost £7281 for H.M\s. Nelson tj call on the United States fleet at Balboa. Sir John Ferguson "elicited this information when he asked in the House of Commons what the Panama Canal charges were for the battleship. He questioned whether this expenditure was desirable in view of the need for national economy. The Financial Secretary of the Admiralty ireplied: "On the whole I ifcbink it was desirable." LIFTING HALF A FACE. To the strains of soft music an audience of women witnessed a demonstration in which half the face of Martha Petelle, the actress, who takes motherly parts on the cinema, was "lifted" by a surgeon. The contrast between the two sides of Mrs. Petelle's countenance, half youthfullooking and half aged, were so startling that-five women in the audience fainted. The surgeon announced that the remainder of the operation would be done privately in a few days' time. CUTE CHICAGO BLONDES! Men should beware of strange blondes who ask for a ride in their cars. Max Berenlwas driving down one of Chicago's main boulevards when a pretty blonde hailed him: "Going south, mister?" "Sure," he replied, and stopped the car. "I'll tell you where I want to get out," she said. Beren said that was O.K. Opposite a chemist's she asked him to stop for a packet of chewing-gum. He did, and left the engine running. When he came out of the shop she was just driving off. This was too bad on more than one count—for Beren had borrowed the car from a friend! MR. FORD'S GUESTS. A 10,000 miles tour, costing £20,000, was the reward enjoyed by 36 "star" salesmen in the Ford Motor Car Service, who arrived at Liverpool on the liner Montrose. These men, who wore from England and eight other European countries, had secured the highest points in motor car sales for their firm in 1930. They were invited to go to America and meet Mr. Henry Ford. They were entertained by the motor magnate, who thanked each salesman personally, and wished them all God-speed on a month's 1 tour of America and Canada. £10,000 FIRE BY ORDER. Thousands of people from Boston and the neighbouring countryside gazed regretfully and thirstily at a great fire which destroyed £10,000 worth of property. The expressions of regret on their faces and the thirsty feeling in their throats were due to the fact that the red tongues of flame were licking up thousands -of gallons of liquor. The fire was'at one of the most elaborate distilling plants in the Eastern States, and its expensive equipment and contents were feeding the flames. This magnificent bonfire was the result of a Court decision ordering the destruction of the distillery. FILM DOG STAR'S VALUE. "Peter the Great," movie dog star may have been valued at £30,000, but Fred Cyriaks should not be called upon to pay his owners, Charles B. Dreyer and Edward Faust that sum because of his death. The Appellate Court at San Francisco so ruled, when it upheld a Los An,geles court which had granted Cyriaks a new trial on the ground that the damage verdict returned by a jury was excessive. Cyriaks shot "Peter the Great" during a quarrel with his owners in Los Angeles. The owners sued Cvriaks for £20,000 actual damages and £5000 punitive damages on the ground that the dog was a favourite with millions of motion picture fans. DIVORCE TO SAVE MONEY. Two" opera singers of international reputation, the world-famous Mme. Olszewska and Dr. Schipper, of the Vienna Opera House, have decided to obtain a divorce on the grounds of economy. Once divorced, they v will save considerably on their income tax assessments. Apart from the dissolution of the legal tie they do not intend, they declare, to "make any change in their relationship." On their joint incomes of £4000 a year, Dr. Schipper and his wife are taxed to the tune of over £1400, the combining of the incomes bringing them within the supertax. Assessed separately, the incomes will fall into a far lower class. Excessive taxation will not be the official ground on which divorce will be sought.

GmY PARISIAN TAXICABS. Taxicabs in Paris are noted for their smart appearance, and each season brings forth a series of new models that add to the animation of traffic. This year cabs are of all colours, green, red, yellow, blue and silver, and with a great variety of decorations. One type has three electric buttons, red, white and blue. If you want to stop the cab you press the red button, to turn on the lights you press the white one, and if you wish to converse with the driver you touch the blue one. A corresponding light in the dashboard reveals your desires to the driver. Owing to the business crisis, Paris taxicabs are much more easily obtainable than a few months ago, and the competition between chauffeurs has become extremely keen. Outside the railway stations chauffeurs for the first time have been seen to leave their seats and fight to get the baggage of' customers away from the railroad porters. FROZEN FISH BY AIR. Whitefish from Lake Ta Ronge, a great stretch of fresh water in the backwoods of Saskatchewan, is now flown from the lake to railhead at Prince Albei-t, whence it is distributed throughout Canada and the United States. Last season one fishing company alone accounted for 600,0001b of fish. The journey by aeroplane takes little over an hour, whereas formerly the journey took three weeks by caterpillar. The aeroplane engaged in this fish traffic is piloted by Capt. "Bill" Broatch, otherwise known as Eskimo Bill owing to his experience in the Arctic wastes. In 1927, when Nungesser and Coli were lost on their trans-Atlantic flight, he led the search in Labrador, and while on this work two connecting rods broke, flying metal puncturing the petrol tank. There was an explosion and the areoplane burst into flames. The fire was seen by a survey party seven miles away. Capt. Broatch successfully smothered the flames by diving, and made a safe landing on a river. He was picked up some hours later by the survey party.

PRISONERS AS HEROES. Shackled convicts at Atlanta, U.S.A., re cently ■ stirred from the dull routine J prison toil to play heroes' roles in rescuing a sleeping family from a (burning house. Five prisoners and a guard were en route to work on a highway on the outskirts of the city. The convicts saw flames bursting from the building and aroused the occupants. Then they turned to salvaging the household furniture and toiled in the heat and smoke until the fire drove them outside. BIBLE NOT DUTIABLE. As an international courtesy the United States Bureau ordered the free entry or a Bible covered with precious metals and a cross of silver and gold, sent to the Rev. Dr. James E. Freeman, Bishop of Washington, by Emperor Haile Selassie 1., "Select of God, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah, Emperor of Ethiopia." Tilie Bible had been held up in the NewYork Customs House as dutiable. After representations had been made the State Department asked the Treasury as a matter of international courtesy to release the Bible, and this was done. Bishop Freeman offered a prayer on behalf of the Emperor, who was crowned in October last, and the monarch sent the Bible and cross as expressions of gratitude. PUNISHMENT OR REFORMATION? The Mayor of Indianapolis evidently believes in making the punishment fit the crime, judging by the sentence he passed on two young men found guilty of stealing petrol from a car while the owner was attending a service at church, and had parked his car outside. He sentenced each one to a term of detention up to five years in the Indiana Reformatory, but suspended this punishment on condition that the youths attended all church services Sunday for the next five years. H3 indicated that this would deprive them of the temptation of repeating their offence. The youths have to make a monthly report to an officer of the court testifying that they are fulfilling their part of the bargain. THE "WOMAN HATERS'" CLUB. An idea which formed the theme of one of JSangwill's early books has been put into effect by a dozen Johannesburg men, who have formed a "Woman Haters' Club." The members are supplied with badges, which they are required to display prominently, and anyone seen with a woman is liable to a fine of £5. The club is limited in membership to a round dozen, but there is a waiting list. Those desirous of joining this misogynist organisation will apparently have to wait till one of the members dies or marries. No information has been vouchsafed as to the reasons which have led the foundation members to unite in order to demonstrate their antagonism to the other sex, but local predictions do not give the club a very long life. MARRIAGE—THEN PRISON. Soon aftef her marriage a bride saw her husband sentenced to a month's imprisonment at Sunderland recently for failing to pay off the arrears on an order made to another 1 woman. She fainted when the sentence was announced. A remarkable feature of the case was the request of the accused man, Henry Dinsdale, aged 24. In a letter to the clerk he asked that the case should be taken as late as possible, as he was being married at Durham .Register Office that morning. The woman hvcourt giving evidence against Dinsdale ended.her statement with, "He is getting married to-day." The newly-married couple were allowed to see each other before the bridegroom was taken to prison.