NEWS FROM ALL QUARTERS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 243, 14 October 1933, Page 4 (Supplement)

NEWS FROM ALL QUARTERS.

CAN'T BE KILLED. When his wife threw a bowl of hot soup over him, a gipsy o£ Veliki Bechkerek, of Belgrade, hanged himself in a loft, but was cut down and brought round; tried to kill himself with a blrmt knife, which only gashed liim, and tried to hang himself again. The rope broke and he fell to the ground only bruised. He has decidcd to remain alive. BLIND TYPIST S SKILL. Men and women are being trained at a London school to write shorthand at the rate of 130 words a minute and type out the matter at a speed of 60 words a minute. To the average aliortliand-typiste there is nothing unusual in such speeds. But these men and women are ail blind. Tliey are students at the Royal Normal College for the Blind, Westow Street, Gipsy Hill, S.F., who are qualifying to earn their own living. The shorthand taught is a system of Braille dots tapped out on to a reel of paper on a machine which has only six keys. The writer transcribes the dots by touch and reproduces the matter dictated on an ordinary typewriting machine. QUEEN HEARS GHOST STORY. The Queen motored from Harevrood House, where she was staying with the Princess Royal, to the historic Tenipfeuewsam Mansion, near Leeds, And heard a ghost story. The mansion, at one time, was the home of. the Knights Templars, and was in the possession of Lord Irwin before it was sold to Leeds Corporation. It was -when she was being shown over "Lord Darnley's room that the Queen was told the story of a recent ghost hunt there conducted by a local councillor. Later she gave an example of her remarkable memory when she recalled that the wallpaper in one room was the same as that on the wall when she stayed jthere last in 1894 with the King. SKIPPER-HERO FINED. That 25 years ago he saved the lives of 15 shipwrecked British seamen at considerable risk was a statement mada at Lowestoft in favour of Jules Lepretre, skipper of the Boulogne motor trawler L'Agneau Dieu, which was captured while fishing within the three miles limit in the Thames estuary. Lepretre was fined £10, the maximum penalty, with seven guineas costs, and the gear was ordered to be confiscated and destroyed. Commander Acheson, of the Fisheries Protection cruiser Godetia, declared that French trawlers were poaching in the Thames estuary on an intensive scale, destroying large quantities of young fish and greatly damaging the breeding grounds.

LAND OF PARADOX. One of the strangest contrasts in the world may be seen in Hanuabada, the largest village in Papua (New Guinea), with .1 population of 2000. In this native township the hut-builders and canoemakers still work with primitive stone axes and chisels, yet their huts are illuminated by clcctric light. The proudest family is the one which possesses two iron bedsteads. And yet the meu hunt for heads and murderers are honoured for their prowess. One custom, which may some day lead to a suffragette movement, is that which decrees that the women ido the heavy work. A woman staggering beneath loads of wood or merchandise which would break the back of a white man is a commonplace sight, but there are 110 signs of rebellion against this code. While the men wear small loincloths, the women wear grass skirts. Such are probably the strangest citizens of the British Empire.

TOWN OF UNWILLING BACHELORS. At least 100 courting couples in West Stanley (Durham, England), are anxious to get married and cannot —because love nests are scarce. The local council must first find houses for the 500 married couples who have applied for them. For more than two years now West Stanley lias been known as the town of unwilling bachelors, and the housing shortage is the reason. Mr. A. Pearson, council house agent, stated that he was well aware of the plight of the town's sweethearts, but can do nothing, as married people come first. County Councillor B. Kelly, chairman of the housing committee, gave the following interesting figures. West Stanley has a population of "24.000. There are 312 families of 865 persons living in one room. There arc 1177 families of 412-1 persops living in two rooms. There are 190S families of 7814 persons living in three rooms. A total of 3487 families of 12,803 persons, more than half the population of the town, arc living to-day in thr«;e rooms or less.

HABITMENT OF BISHOPS. The Bishop of Kensiugton recently referred to his bat as "an absurd anachronism," and vigorously protested against the 'Tiabitment of bishops." Which is an interesting reminder that the clergy are all bound by the Canon law—or law of the Church—which (among other things) lays down, in exact terms, how they are to dress, states an English -paper. There is, for example, Canou 74, which i.■ that regulating "Decency in apparel enjoyned to the Ministers." It ordains that they "shall usually wear gowns with standing collars, and sleeves straight at the hands, or wide sleeves, as is used in the Universities, with Hoods or Tippets, or Silk Sarceuet, and Square Caps." And it goes on to say that "in private houses, and in their studies, the said persons may use any comely and scholarlike apparel, provided that it be not Cut or Pinckt." So the clergyman who plays golf in plus fours, or tennis in flannels, and spends the evening in au old loose cut suit and a comfortable pair of slippers is a law-breaker. Such are some of the provisions for day wear. But the Canons nave regard for suitable nocturnal apparel also. "No ecclesiastical person." they say, "shall wear any coife or wrought night-cap, but only plain nightcaps of black silk, satten or velvet." It is further laid down that the clergy must uot wear "any light-coloured stockings." and duo provision is made with regard to other parts of their raiment. Having specified what "the aforesaid ecclesiastical persons" shall, and shall not. wear, the Canons proceed to other matters relating to personal conduct. They strictly forbid the playing of cards "or any game of chance whatsoever." But perhaps the most amusing of the Canons is that which declares that "no clergyman shall enter any alehouse, except in cases of honest necessity"—a phrase capable of considerable elasticity.

HOW IT HAPPENED. "How did it happen?" a detectivo , Duke Boss, one of the players in » poker game at Hammond, which had ended in a man beino And this is Duke Boss' '•how it happened":—"Yassuh, when fif acqs show up m a man's hand , anothah mau holds two moah acea' w time for a six-gun to show ud in. 1 other player's hand." So when yS? 4 Collier dealt Ross two aces and threat-:® Boss bet the limit, only to Collier was holding four aces and el*;,!- 9 ' the "bitty." It was then that the sffi ing happened. FAMOUS IRISH ABBEY. Founded nearly SOO years ago and b™. pressed at the time of the Reformat!/ Mellifont Abbey, County Lough, thefS of the Cistercian monasteries in JjjT? is to be rebuilt and again used as an by Cistercians of the Order of the Sw! Observance. Cardinal Macßory has if' understood, given permission for the founding of the abbey in his Armagh. All that remains of the abta to-day are the stones marking the outla of the abbey and its chapter house." t? work of rebuilding will probably he com! menced in the near future. \Vhea T monks returned to Ireland 100 years they founded a monastery at Mount Mi' leray, County Waterford. Recently the? celebrated the centenary of their return A CONVICT WITH IDEAS. This is the story of Willie Hirsch, irt s believes in making prison a better'pU for other fellows to live in. Whilq sen, ing a sentence of 17 yeirs for fotgar Hirsch looked after the prison recordsani the books. He looked after them so uel! that he was let out for a month on license —and took more than a few lihertie. Soon after Willie took his leave, tbepris 0! officials received 100 fat turkeys, consigned to "The Boys." Willie had paid for them with a prison cheque—and fc ; collected several dollars in change,from the turkey salesmen. Then Willie thongli the bare prison yard would be improved by a , lawn. So, again with a prison cheque, he ordered a load of grass eeei He was later arrested on a cheque charp, and he got away after helping himself to vouchers from the gaol: The next thijij was the arrival of a lorry load of canilj (striped, like convicts' uniforms); -jj. dressed. "To the Boys, 'from Willie." Thet Willie did a good turn to himself. H ( altered the record of.his sentence in'the Arkansas State Prison books for "17 jean for forgery" to "one year for violation oi the Prohibition law." _ Governor Stednaj, of Arkansas State Prison, now has Willie back. He has not decided what work to give him, but it will not be looking ate the books.

THISTLE SPELT DOOM. A fanner's wife at Chemmon.; near Chalons-Sur-Marne, France, was killed k; a thistle. She was working in the fields when she pricked her hand. She paid so attention to such an insignificant wound, but it soon bccame inflamed. Tetanus d* vcloped, and the woman has died. RED BLAZERS AT FUNERAL Twenty schoolgirl friends in gymuasiuin frocks and red blazers attended the funenl service at Manor Park, London, of Jess Chesterton, the 17-year-old llford girl irk' was killed by a bullet from an aeroplane machine gun at Sheppey. Mr. and Mrs. Chesterton and the dead girl's sister, Joan, entered the church before the service, W other relatives had difficulty in reactoi the church, being pushed back by .tie crowd. At the entrance there was siei a dense crowd that attendants had to clear a way for the hearse. Immediately the coffin had been carried into the church the crowd rushed towards the door, and tie attendants had to intervene before sore! of the mourners could gain admission. Fir ing Officer Woods, pilot ot" the machine concerned in the tragedy, and Air-Comw dorc E. D. M. Robertson, Director of Pa; sonal Services, Air Ministry, represent™ the Marquis of Londonderry, Secretaryfot Air. They stood at the salute by the grave. Aircraftman Boahemia, who W charge of the machine gun in the 'plane, sent a wreath with a card. ' "With nJ deepest sympathy." The Rev. J. F. Brort who conducted the service, said: "I a® authorised by the parents to say that thet bear no strong resentment towards anyone to whom their sad and sudden bereavement might be attributed. With a splendoia of chivalry that has impressed mc considef ably they have asked that the man who j also afflicted by this tragedy may with head erect, knowing that those tfl* have been so deeplv bereaved are witborf bitterness and able to recognise the in» ccucc of his activities."