BREVITIES

Evening Star, Issue 11681, 13 February 1902, Page 1

BREVITIES

Father Thames w frozen over. Influenza} is. rife among the Eton boys. Two new cases of plague and a death are reported from Sydney. The Auckland Education Board employ SO7 teachers, of whom 463 are females. Mrs De Wet is apparently quite satified with her treatment in our concenteataon camps- „ __ , Mr H. L. Grffien, of the 'Daily Tines staff, is the new proprietor of the Taien The Monte Carte gambling casinoinade £900,000 last year, of which £500,000 was clear profit. i__.it * The King's first leree was a bruiian* function. A few kissed hands, but there was no kneeling. ~._._ • A bowling club ha» been established m the north end of Dnnedm, with every prospect of success. Two members of our Sixth Contmgeafc (Troopers Walsh, and Dowson) have fallen victims to enteric The deaths from smallpox in London last week numbered sixty-four. Fifty-eight fresh cases reported this week. Triplets came of age the other day at Shrewsbury, and the church bells were rung in honor of the event. Switzerland enjoys iiie imenvialslft distinction of having a larger percentage of lunatics than any other country. The Victorian section of the Federal Contingent received a great send-off on the departure of the s.s. -St Andrew yesterday. The Postmaster-General was at Ingter wood ve&fcerday, and opened the new post office, leaving in the evening for Auckland. The JSgeria has turned up safely at Vancouver, 8.C., and brings wreckage which tends to remove all doubts as to the fate of the Condor.

The Auckland Education Board are limiting the vacations in their schools to six weeks at Christmas and a fortnight at midwinter. The other holidays are limited to nine in number.

The Federal Government intend assisting the iron and zinc industries of the Commonwealth. A quarter of a million will be devoted to the assistance of the one, and £20,000 to the other.

The Queensland Premier has received a letter from Air Barton announcing that tiie Government are sending several cavalry officers to make inquiries with a view to purchasing horses. Out of the twenty years that the Westport Coal Company have been in existence & dividend was " passed" during seventeen. Yet some people are disposed to regard the shareholders as very lucky individuals. Mr Frank Andrews, vice-president of a savings bank at Detroit (U.S.), helped himself to a quarter of a million sterling of the bank's funds, and so brought about the suspension of the institution. Andrews is now in the hands of the police. It seems that M. Cambon, then French Ambassador at Washington, was responsible for the suggestion of diplomatic action re the Cuban affair, but the proposal' was made to the late President by Lord. Pauncefote, ;is the doyen of the ambassadorial coq>s. The Imperial Government make an official declaration that on no occasion did Great Britain make any proposal adverse to American intervention on behalf of Cuba; on the contrary, they refused *.o entertain such a proposal, which was evidently made. Discussing the new Procedure Rules, " C.-B." and Sir W. V. Harcourt denounced them as drastic, and as being specially aimed against the Irish Nationalists. The demand for an apology in specific circumstances was characterised as "humiliating, immoral, and unnecessary." The "post offices of Buenos Ayres have adopted X rays to discover smuggled articles in registered letters without opening them. Watches, rings, chains, and other valuables have been found in astonishing quantity. More than £5,000 worth of smuggled property was confiscated in one week.

New South Wales, stung by the Press comments on her 3 per cent, charge for commission on disbursements on behalf of the Imperial Government in connection with the war, retorts that the War Office has been in the habib for years of charging the colony 5 per cent, on purchases of war material.

The new Indianapolis Telephone Company arranged to give their long-distance operators lessons in elocution at the expense of the company, in order to improve their enunciation. The company officials say that their long-distance patronage demands this in order to make the service better.

Bonuses of £60,000 are to be given by the Federal Government for the establishment of galvanised wire netting industries and for the making of iron and steel pipes, while £8 apiece will be paid on aU reapers and binders manufactured within the Commonwealth. The bonuses will last from two to five years.

The Anglo-Japanese Treaty is to operate five years, as from January 30 last. Its cardinal features are the preservation of the status quo in China, the preservation of the territorial integrity of China and Corea, and the maintenance of an open-door policy for the commerce of all nations. Russia has been badly beaten in diplomacy. Some idea of the magnitude of the operations of the Westport Coal Company may be gathered from the figures presented by Mr Joachim (general manager). The output for the year amounted to 453,000 tons; the sum paid m wages during the same period was £110,370 ; for freights, £86,611; for royalties, railway haulage, rates, and taxes, £63,216; and for stores, £13,644.

Owing to the British Court not allowing the participation of a Pontifical Mission at the ceremony of the Coronation of King Edward, and to its being unable to give such a mission a place equal to those given to other missions, the Pope has decided n» follow the ceremonial adopted on the fiftieth anniversary of the accession of Queen Victoria. The Pontifical Mission will accordingly play a limited part in the Coronation ceremonies, and its reception by King Edward will take place separately. A peculiarly shocking railway fatality js reported from Olten, in Soleure (Switzerland), where a carriage inspector named 7 rev, while walking along the line, got his foot fast in the points at the moment of their being locked for a train of carriages shunting backwards round a curve. The poor fellow made frantic efforts to make his position known, but without avail, owing to the curve, and several carriages passed over him. cutting off both his Tegs. Death took place next day.

The 'Lancet' takes exception to a quotation that Mr Birrell made at Epsom from St. Luke's GospeL Mr Birrell talked of pooring oil and wine " into " the gaping wounds of war. If he had followed the revised version be would have said "on to," St Luke was a doctor himself, and knew has business. The oil was poured "on to" the bandages to keep them supple, and the wine was supplied to dispel the ansemia. Such were the therapeutics of the time. Lord Laoidowne's Jfote to the British. Minister at Tokio says that the Ang<cJapanese Alliance aims at preventing the bwak-up of China territorially, ' The Times' says that the AHzance will defeat all attempts to secure-« monopoly of China's wealth by means of the sword, hinting at Russian and French designs, while Ministerial papers think the Afliarwe will strengthen counsels at Pekin that should make for general peace.