ITEMS IN BRIEF

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 264, 3 August 1929, Page 12

ITEMS IN BRIEF

FROM FAR AND NEAR Flight from Wellington to Ashburton. —Captains Bolt and Lett in two Avro 'planes arrived at Ashburton from Wellington yesterday afternoon.—Press Assa. Mails Arrive tn London.—The postal authorities have received cabled advice that mails which left Auckland on July 2 per R.M.S. Makura. via Vancouver, arrived in London on July 31. British Unemployment Schemes.— A. British official wireless message states that unemployment schemes during the coming winter were under review, when Mr. J. H. Thomas, Minister in Charge of the Unemployment Problem, received a deputation from the Association of Municipal Corporations. Lord Rosebery’s Estate. —An Autsralian Press Association message from London states that the late Lord Rosebery* left £1,371,000, mostly to his son. with numerous legacies to other relatives, friends, and servants. Cost of Electrification of Sydney Railways.—The most of the electrification of the suburban railway system, which is nearing completion, is estimated at £14,000.000, not including the construction of the <‘tv underground electric railway. —Press Assn.

Adelaide Woman Robbed.—Mrs. Softer, employed by a produce merchant, when returning from a bank with £lOO to pay growers, was knocked down by a man, who stole the money and escaped on the footboard of a moving motor-car, states a Pr r s Association message from Adelaide. Cheap Taxi Fares.—When the last mail left San Francisco there was a taxi fare war on, as the result of which the public were enjoying very cheap rides. One line of taxis was charging 10 cents (5d.) for a journey of one-fifth of a mile, and another 10 cents for each additional half-mile.

Bank Teller Admits Theft. —A Strata ford Press Association message states that Everard Vauncey Hughes, until recently a teller at the Stratford branch of the Bank of New South Wales, pleaded guilty in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday morning to four charges of theft from the bank, the amounts totalling £240 3s. lOd. He was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence.

Aeroplane at TaumarunuL—Captain McGregor and a passenger made 8 trip from Hamilton to Taumarunui yesterday afternoon in a Moth aeroplane, the journey taking one hour and 25 minutes. They made a perfect landing on the racecourse. They circled over the town for ten minutes. This was the first 'plane to land in Taumarunui.—Press Assn.

Sly Grog-selling.—Three men were charged at Auckland yesterday with sly grog-selling. Conrad Beasley and William Henry Buckley were each fined £5O, in default two months’ imprisonment, and John Francis Davis, whom the police said had commenced again immediately after a previous conviction, was given three months’ hard labour.—Press Assn.

Theft From Railway Department.—A clerk in the Railway Department, whose name was ordered to be suppressed by Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M., was charged at the Auckland Magistrate's Court with stealing £l6B, the property of the Railway Department, states a Press Association telegram. The police stated that restitution has been made, and probably the accused would plead guilty. Counsel said that it was not likely that the accused would admit the offence. A remand was granted, bail being allowed at one surety of £2OO.

Capture of Indian Robber Band.—After defying the police for fifteen years, Devi Das, the notorious leader of an armed band of robbers, was killed at Ferozepore, Punjab, states an Australian Press Association message from Delhi. Devi Das offered a stout resistance, killing two constables and seriously wounding two others. The police trapped members of the gang in a house, and after a five hours’ battle bored a hole in the wall and set fire to it, smoking the robbers out. When they entered they found the leader dead of his wounds. The others were arrested.

Sugar Consumption.—A surprising fact, related i; an interview in Brisbane with Dr. A. J. Gibson, sugar technologist, who has just returned from Java, is that Australians, of whom there are only 6,000,000 or 7,000,000, consume more sugar than the 35.000,000 inhabitants of Java! This, said Dr. Gibson, seemed to indicate that Australians generally possessed a very sweet tooth. Both peoples lived in sugar-produeting countries, but Java’s production was about six times Australia’s. However, the Javanese had a native sugar, produced from certain trees, of which some of them were very fond. That might have some bearing on the astonishing statistics.