LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Star, Issue 17544, 27 December 1920, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A most interesting article cti Nauru and Ocean Islands and their phosphate workings is contributed to tne * Journal of Agriculture’ by Mr A. F. Ellis, New Zealand Commissioner. There are 1,200 natives on Nauru. It was in 1900 that the phosphate deposits were discovered under most interesting circumstances, as M’ Ellis shows. Nauru and Ocean Islands are 160 miles apart, and within one degree of the Equator. Nauru is eleven miles in circumference, and in many ways a beautiful island. It has been depressed beneath the sea and raised again, many times. Ocean Island is about six miles in circumference and 265 ft above sea level at its highest point. The natives are quite well off, and contributed among them £I,OOO to the Prince of Wales’s relief fund. Mr Ellis regards New Zealand's interests in these two islands as “ a most valuable asset; and no apprehension need be felt regarding adequate phosphate supplies for many years to come.” A message from Washington states that the United States Shipping Board announces that new ships, valued at £15,000,000, will he ready for the Pacific service within two years. One new line will be from Baltimore to San Francisco, to Honolulu, while eight vessels will lun between San Francisco and Seattle and the Orient. The first two vessels, costing £1.400,000 each, will be ready in January. Mayor William Hale Thomson, of Chicago, has brought a suit on behalf of the city of Chicago against the Chicago ‘Tribune ’ and the Chicago' ‘ Daily News ’ for £2,000,000 each, charging that articles published regarding the city’s alleged “ bankruptcy ” have injured its credit. The writs filed in the circuit court allege that the articles have caused the city “ great damage ; have resulted in injury to the bonds issued by the city; and have affected credit of the city, so that it is compelled to pay much higher prices for supplies and materials than it otherwise would.” A former army aviator named Myron L. Tinney fell 500 ft while performing aerial acrobatics at the State Fair Grounds at Detroit, and was killed. Tinney’s “ stunts ” were similar to those performed by Lieutenant Locklear, who was killed several weeks ago. In an attempt to catch a rope ladder on which he was to climb from one aeroplane to another flying above him, he missed his hold, and plunged from the top of his machine. A crowd estimated at nearly 200,000 witnessed the accident. Mr Charles Hill, a member of the. City of London Rifle Club, recently obtained a world's record rifle score of 105 points out of a highest possible score of 105 at Bisley. This is the highest rifle score in competition ever recorded at Bisley or any other range. Mr Hill was shooting in the usual Saturday Spoon Competition of the City Rifle Club, under old King’s Prize first stage conditions, seven shots at 200. 500, and 600 yards, and made the highest possible of 35 points at each range, with all his sighters inners. Speculating on the majrrfage of the Prince of Wales, the ‘Daily Chronicle’ says: The Prince of Wales is 26. but it must be remembered that men and women even in Royal circles do not marry so early as they once did. King Edward was only 21 when he led Queen Alexandra to the altar. His son King George was 28

when he married. The Duke of Connaught remained a bachelor until he was 29, and Prince Arthur was a year older before he became a bridegroom. Our last Royal bride, Princess “ Pat,” would by an earlier generation have been regarded as a confirmed “ old maid,” for she was 53. Thirty-seven years ago a prisoner at the Mount Cook gaol relieved the tedium of brickmaking by neatly inscribing one brick : “ In memory of J.H.C.. who de,parted this gaol without a tear, 30th June, 1883. Last June, while the big kiln chimney stack was being taken down, brick by brick, another prisoner discovered the “ memorial,” and handed it over to tlie gaol officials. Other bricks from the stack have been placed on the market, but that brick has been placed on the gaol office mantelpiece. J.H.C. apparently departed and did not return, tor the police records contain no referioov k im a fter his discharge in Jane, 1003. An Australian correspondent in London writes that if the Cunardor service about to be instituted to Australia resembles that to New York, there will soon be super-ships calling at Melbourne and Sydney. A suite on some of those fn ea a/i' 161 ? 0r 10 brief journey across the Atlantic costs 500 guineas, so for the long voyage to Australia it should run into thousands. There are, however comparatively few Australians - who would care to waste their substance 'to this extent. ihus the * Lyttelton Times,’ editorially ; —A Jaw passed by the New Zealand Par-liament-passed, like many other laws, without very much deliberation—seems to us to. open the way to a tveakening of the judicwl system. We refer to that section ot the Offenders Probation Act which allows a Court to prohibit the publication of names of persons charged with offences punishable by imprisonment if such persons have not been previously conyicted This new provision was used in the Magistrates Court in Christchurch yesterday for the benefit of two women who were fined for stealing hats from a mi iiv rS SIO P - S° f ar as we can make out, there was no excuse for these thieves Poverty could not, it would appear, be pleaded ; nor could the element of sudden temptation be validly advanced as an excuse, for the thieves stole hats on two occasions separated by the lapse of nearly two months. We do not sav these women should, have been sent to gaol. We have no objection fo merciful treatment of first offenders, •it is possible that the penalty of a fine, plus the mental the offenders are said to have experienced' though, we fear, mainly through beimr detected and taken to Court, will encouvao'c them to be honest in future. But it fs. in our opinion, treating crime with far too much indulgence to protect thieves from the pain of publication, and the Magistrate's leniency in this case ?eems'to°be not consistent with his observation that the offence of stealing from shops is so l common that it represents a considerable increase in the cost of living?” If this crime is common, the Court is doing a di s . service to society by removing one o the greatest of all deterrents—the knowledge that detection means exposure in the newspapers, whatever other results may follow. However, the Magistrate was authorised by Parliament to exercise the discretion that he chose to exercise, and it is really with the law that we find fault.

According to a Vancouver message, Keith Collins, a former aviator with a good war record, has confessed to having participated in the recent robbery cf 5,000,000 dollars from a mail train at Council Bluffs. The robbers, ho claims, burned all the bonds except 500 dollars, fearing the paper had been marked. Detectives believe that Collins destroyed more than 2,000,000 dollars. In proposing a vote of thanks to Mrs Brannvell Booth, wife of the Salvation Army leader, for a Sunday 7 address at Barrow, the Labor Mayor said : “ There are many ways to Heaven.” Mrs Booth interected : “ There is only one way.” But the Lord Mayor replied that his religion was the brotherhood of man. A woman then excitedly arose in the audience and declared that the Mayor “was not saved •’* According to Mr Garlyle Smythe,- the recent tour of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was the most successful he has known in all his experience of thirty years. Mr Carlyle Smythe is returning to the Dominion early next year with Mr Alexander Watson, the famous reciter, who will complete the tour interrupted two years ago by the outbreak of influenza. It will be inaugurated in Dunedin. The will of the late Florence Mau-de Barratt Rivington (professionally known as Florence Young, actress] has been sworn at Sydney’ for probate purposes at £10.689. Miss Young bequeathed £IOO to her friend Minnie Levy, of St. Kilda road. Melbourne, and £SOO to Reginald Roberts, actor. She allotted to her executors all her real and personal estate upon trust to sell and convert into money, and to divide the proceeds equally between her brothers, Frederick Young, George Young, James Young, and her sister, Gladys Clark. The estate consisted of £2,000 realty,_ £2,973 shares in public companies, £620 in furniture, £2,355 in jewellerv, £937 money on current account, and £1,852 in Commonwealt war loans.