VARIOUS ITEMS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 8937, 1 July 1905, Page 4

VARIOUS ITEMS.

Torquay (England) has adopted a bylaw which is intended to prevent people from using bad language in their nouses.

For a Aerite of twenty-four letters from Mrs Siddons, the famous tragedienne, io aa intimate friend £100 was given at Sotheby's.

Gigantic locomotives of entirely new design are being introduced experimentally for the summer traffic on both the east and west coast routes from London to Scotland.

Information has reached Glasgow of the death in New York of Francis Kearney, who was regarded as one of the- chief of the Irish "invincibles. "

On on© day in April th© number of paupers relieved in thirty-five selected urban •districts, according to an official return, correspond to a rate of 228 per 10,000 of the population, the highest rate in April for ten years.

Leeds is infested with rats, chiefly in the Kirkgate Market. The street scavengers state that rate may be seen in huge droves at night, notwithstanding that thousands were destroyed at the time of the demolition of the old covered market.

Captain Whelpton, of the Hull trawler Mino, one of the vessels badly damaged in the North Sea incident, died at Hull on May 3. He v wae never able to go to sea after the outrage. His compensation from the Hiissiara Government is said to have boeu £100.

The committee of tlic English Society of Friends of Russian Freedom ha 6 adopted a resolution appealing to "all lovers of liberty and justice" to do their utmost to oppose tho passing into law of the Aliens Bill, in view of tlie practical impossibility of providing special safeguards for political and religious refugees.

Liverpool is to havo a Crystal Palace of its own at Otterspool.

The cost of prosecuting an assistant overseer for embezzling £30 has increased the Hawne poor rate from 3s 2d in tho pound to 3s Bd.

Now serving three years' penal servitude in Lewes Prison for attempting to murder Morgan Crowther, a Cardiff bookmaker, Charles Francis Thomas has received a legacy of £1500.

To celebrate the discovery of a magnificent seam of coal in a Staffordshire coalpit recently a game of cricket was played in one of the vast chambers of the mine, 800 ft helow the surface.

The curious spectacle was witnessed at the Holboro Town Hall on May 12 of organised women telephone operators showing tho way, offering encouragement, and promising support to their unorganised brother employees. [

Five war medals, including one for the Crimean "War and one for the Indian Mutiny, were lost in a flood by an old soldier of Bloomfontein, but at the- request of' Lord Roberts duplicates havo been sent to nim by the War Office.

Throughout the night of May 14 artillery practice with shells at objects illuminated by searchlight and towed off Spithead were carried out atPortsmouth, and the residents wero kept awake by the whistling of the heavy projectiles through tho air.

Sir Came Rasch, the member for Chelmsford, recently offered to bet his Liberal opponent his election expenses that he would win. His offer has elicited the following xepiy from his opponent: "I do not bet. I think it immoral. If he will lay me 2 to 1, however, I will think it over."

In succcfsfiimi'to Mr Gerald Lodcr, tho Duke of Norfolk has been elected Chancellor of 111© Primrose League for tho year. '

MiddiLctou (Lancashire) magistrates havo refused to renew the license of a publichouse rejoicing in tlie nawe "Who'd-a-thowt-it."

For 266 years the post of sexton in tho Derbyshire .mining village of Crich has been held by tho Wetton. family, who still oairy on the tradition.

When Mr Evan Roberts on Tuesday left Capel furig for Angelsey there wero extraordinary demonstrations of enthusiasm at the station en route.

There is dften to bo seen in the streets of Cork a respectable-looking man accompanied by a tame goose, which follows him through tlic busiest streets.

English oak is to be. used in building one of the country palaces of the Mikado of Japan. A contract for the timber has just been placed with a London firm.

One result of the Torroy -Alexander mission in London is that' a "revival" has takrat placo among a number of cterks at tlw> War Offioe, where a class for Bible study has been established.

For the traffic between Glasgow and Belfast a high-speed turbine has been ordered by Messrs Burns, Limited. The Fairfield Company will also build a steamer which, it is expected, will shorten tho passage by an hour.

Compromise has been arrived at, it ie said, on the question of musical copyright, and a bill will shortly be introduced. This will retain the seizure clauses of the previous measure, and will make it a penal offence for any one to hay© pirated music in his possession.

In -connection with tho proposal to hold a Scottish National Exhibition at Edinburgh in 1907, Mr A. Cameron Corbett, M.P., ogeied to guarantee £2000 if alcoholic liquors were excluded, but the promoters have declined the offer.