HOME NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 693, 18 December 1909, Page 6

HOME NEWS.

INTERESTING ITEMS .BY MAIL , . , , London, \ November 5. .'•'■ Tho following aro'tho moro interesting figures of tho enormous mass of statistics contained in the annual report on tho British Post Offleo for tho year ended March 31 last. During tho twelve months no fower than 2,907,000,000 letters, 86,01)0,000 post-cards, 953,000,000'■ half-, ponny packets, 202,000,000 newspapers, and 113,000,000 parcels wero delivered, but 30,500,000 packots remained undelivered. £15,065 in cash and notes was found :in. : undelivered letters, and -£G0C,325 in bills,, cheques, money orders, and stamps. . The issue of inland money.orders was 10,232,448, representing, a sum of £39,307,058. Iho ■ total standing to the credit of "depositors on Savings Bank acconnt on December 31, 1908, was £160,648,214, an increase-of .£3,138,137 in tho year. During' the year 84,825,000 telegrams passed over tho P.O. wires, as compared with 85,969,000 in 1907-8. Since tho last report 28 licenses hnvo • been .granted for wireless tele-. Graphj- stations in the United Kingdom. ..

Story of the Mutiny; < Another Indian veteran, a man named Bpmk, has boon buried at Eushall. Ho used to tell how, in thc-supprossion of tho mutiny, !iis regiment, the 78th Highlanders, came to an outbuilding when on tho march, and ho .Mas told off to examine it.. Ho looked through a isort of spyhole, and found the placo filled with Scpoyo. He placed his.' right hand, over tho Kolo, and beckoned to Ms comrades, but before they arrived the rebels insido " fired ■ and shot' «w.iy two of his fingers and part of.his hand. In SDitp'.of his injury, Spink went into the building with his comrades, and the Sepoys paid forfeit with their lives. On recovering from his wounds, Spink was invalided home, and.granted a pension of ltd. a day, afterwards increased. • . *'*.'.- '. ' * '■.'••.'

Unionist Workmen Candidates. ' A remarkably successful fund .-has been. organised: by "The Standard" for enabling Unionist working men to be .brought forward as candidates for Parliament. The . sum of £5000 has beon appealed-for, of which somo .£4OOO was forthcoming in a very few. day's. Promises of support: and donations have _ been received from all the leaders of the Unionist party, including Mr. Balfour, Mr.: Austen Chamberlain, Mr. Walter Long, and Lord Curzon, who writes: "Considering that it is oaly by tho votes of the working classes that: a Unionist , majority .can bo .returned to tho: House of Commons, that tho Conservative party lias- iu " the."past .■been , specially; identi. fied with location designed in the ,. interests of thoso. classes, .and ..that, there is no 'con- ; ceivable reason why. Conservative..' working men should not have their direct spokesmen in the Houso-just as. well as.Radicals or Socialists—in fact, ovory reason, to the, —1 earnestly hope that success . may'; attend. ynar endeavours.", ! ■■.:'"',%*

Municipal Elections.. ; ' Tho;'success of'' 1 the' Municipal ' Reformers (Conservatives) at the London Borough Councils' elections in 1906' was more than maintained as tho result of the elections which took place; this, week; : The . slight , gain- 'in. seats on , the .part of the Socialist party has been counterbalanced by the loss on the PrbCTcssivo (Radical) sidol Among the Socialists dofeated. was- Mr. James A.. Allan,: late' of the Allan Shipping Line,. known as tho. "niil-i lionaiic Socialist, who .contested a Glasgow seat.. Women candidates experienced a- complete rout, only five out of 55 candidates se<wring election. -.."•.■ . . ■-' •■"..'.•".,,' -i; ;

Women and the Empire. ■;•■/. '-'.:■'-.; -~.-. The Women Workers' Conference, which has been sitting at Portsmouth, has been discussing several subjects of great interest affecting 'the Empire... PapeTs were road dealing with this conditions of life for women inßritain Beyond, tho Seas. Mrs. Binnio Clark, who ■ demonstrated the need ' for . women in Canada, stated that .there, was.room for.school teachers,' stenographers, landscape gardener's, Tcgetable and fruit gardeners, trained nurses, dressmakers, . milliners, • shop assistants, and Vurors in the Dominion., Miss Prances Taylor, who followed with a paper'on South Africa, .pointed, out that there -was a great demands in'.'small towns'.up, country for governesses, mothers' helps, and'housekeepers. Tho illeTv■, Charles Matthews, late Vice-Principal of the Brotherhood of the Good Shepherd, Dubbo, New South Wales, gave a sketch of women's lifo and prospects .in Australia. A paper on how to interest girls .at home in Oversea States was ..read by. Miss Georgina t'rere, of the Victoria League,.and a'resolution was passed urgiiig:,tH.o;..desirability. of promoting,.a systematic; emigration '; of'/■', women from the overcrowded-labour market of Great Britain to tho wider opportunities of Greater liritain, taking caro that such emigrants aro suitably selected. ' ' ;■ '■

Golden Shower, ■ ■ '. ', .. , ' A. remarkable scsno was ' witnessed at the' doparture of the White Star liner Oceanic for New York from Liverpool. , While some of the landing-stage porters, were up their earnings on the stage they were suddenly, astonished-by.- a;', shower of gold and silver coins, hurtling amongst them. A wild scramble took'place, tho porters tumbling over, one another in their eagerness to secured the. Battering coins. As the ship steamed Sway the shower ceased, but not'ueforo' the men had'secured somb £16 in gold .nnd:'n : 'largo amount' of ■ silver' and .coppe'fs.; : At first thoro was some-doubt as'to the genuineness of ! tho covcrcinns, but they were tested and ; found ffxuL It is-said that the donor waa tho .'sou /(■■»■ DiiitoU:State*•Millionaire.'.'■■.':•;■■.'.■■■. .'

Werkhouse Aeroplane. ':■■■ W ';■ V ■ .-■ . V:. For several months' ail'- age'd inmate of' the Islington Workhouse, named Paris, has been lit .work on the niod«l of a*'flying' machine, .and ho claims that his invention is- far superior to <ither the biplane or monoplane; ■Hβ has bMfn\studyinK the pictures-of flyine- machines in the illustrated -papers, but claims that. his. machinO' is: an,-entirely' plan-of ftisown device.' It is made out of old'margarine boxes, and.is about five feet-in length. Xho mod«l has been inspected by ■ the Euardians, and they were so impressed with it that they.subscribed enough to enable 'Paris to .patentit.' This workhouse., aviator has travelled all over the. world , . While on a trip from' Melbourne to Sydriev- eighteen years ago the vessel was wrecked, lus wife and six cimdren being drowned.. . ' :'. •

Aviation.Extraordinary.; : ' ; - i Of tho three most interesting, flights which.' havo boen made at'the English aviation meetings, two took place at Doncaster and lone at Blackpool. The. meetinK at the former place ended brilliantly,; in a : succession of long flights and tho establishing of the world's record for. speed by Delagrange, who covered one mi10a543 yards in linin. it 'Ssec. (a.rate of 53 miks 1543 yards an hour), and so secured the :Tradesmen's Cup. The other event at Doncaster was a daring aviation feat by Leißlon on a;Bleriot monoplane. While in the air the machine tilted and fell' rapidly down upon the crowd. It looked as if nothing could save tho people on the rails, when Le Blon, at the risk of his. life, put the planes at their extreme angle. The machine soared into the air, and then-crashed-down some war off'on the ground, smashed to pieces. ,Le Blon' was unhurt, and/appreciating his sublime courage," ,the crowd closed round him and hoisted him 'shoulder high. -At Blackpool Latham made an exceedingly daring flight in a gale' of. wind, at ono time .travelling befpTO tlic susts at tho rato of. 90 miles an hour. ■>■ .. -.

The, Loafing Habit. ■ V ; : ';■'.:''. s>/ .' appeal'to rich "young men not to allow their wealth., to tempt them, into 'haliits of loafing and idleness has been made, by the latfl Lieutenant-Colonel Edward. Tufncll in' his will disposing of estate vnlued'at £343,62* gross, : and not personalty ,£103,19!).. The will.has, tho" following remarkable clause;.: "I desire to briug homo to the minds of, my sons, and of. each and every young man who may, hereafter take benefit in mv property under this my will,'how strongly, I hold to the view that every man should, during; some substantial portion-of'his life, and certainly during his early manhood, have some definite occupation, and lead a useful life,' and , should not sugoi wealth or any accession of wealth or other temptation 'to tempt him into idleness and a mere loafing and. useless existence, I might havo so framed this my will as to havo made idleness operate to forfeit the interests hereby conferred on my sons or other young meniiii my property." ■

Private Prosecution. ■.'..'■ ■ : :.'..'■••■."• ■■.■ For tho first time for about 300 Tears a privato prosecution has taken place in Scotland, tho Lord Advocate having refused' to; concur in the proceedings.- The case, which came before tho High, Court of • Justiciary in Edinburgh, was a prosecution nnder criminal'.letters-at-tho instance of-Messrs. J. and P. Coats, the wellknoiyn cotton manufacturers, of. Paisley, of David Brown, a coal exporter,: of Glasgow.on charges of falsehood, fraud,- and-wilful imposition. The allegation,against the accused was that, having contracted to supply ft cargo of best Bent splint "coal to tho prosecutors, The had only supplied-. about '30 tons of that coal oiit of a total of 480 .tons. -.The .jury- returned'an unanimous .verdict of guilty, but commended ■the..-defendant, to tho'utmost leniency of tho Court; Tho accused was dismissed with an adjaunition,—"Standard of Empire." , -.; : ..