WORLD'S NEWS.

Manawatu Times, Volume LXV, Issue 1868, 12 March 1913, Page 3

WORLD'S NEWS.

FROM LATEST FILES. LION IN A BALLROOM. Rome, January 28. A great sensation was caused at yesterday's skating ball at one of the principal hotels here. PriDcess Radzwill, a promiuent society leader, formerly Miss Dorothy Deacon, of Now York, entered the crowded ball room seated in an ancient Roman chariot decorated with flowers, illuminated by electricity, and drawn by a team of prancing horses, which the Princess drove with one hand, while with the other she led a lion and a leopard chained together. Despite the attendance of a lion tamer armed with a whip and a revolver., the wild ! beasts were very restive. The chariot horses were frightened and shied several times, while the amazed and alarmed guests crowded round the doorways ready to seek safety in flight. After a great deal of difficulty"the Pincess managed to drive the chariot into die centre of the ball room. The tamer kept the beasts under control, but the guests were requested not to applaud lest the wild animals should get out of hand through panic. I JOSEPH CHAMBERLAIN. j

London, January 27. Mr Neville Chamberlain, speaking in West Birmingham on Tuesday night, said: — My father has had many trials in the course of what is now a long life. He has had domestic sorrows, lie has had political disappointments; he has had to suffer the frustration of his ambitions and the loss of friends; and now in his closing years he is suffering under a disability which is, perhaps, more painful to him tiian to most men, because all his life he has been a man of the greatest mental activity; bnt his immense courage and his extraordinary patience have enabled him to go through all his trials—not excepting the last one—with an equal mind and in good spirits. The other day I went as far as the other side of the Channel with him on liis way to France, and as I parted fioin him at Calais and thought that next July he would be 77 years of age I could hardly believe it true. He still looks so young. A waiter at the refreshment room at Calais said to me as 1 was coming away from tne train, "Sir, he doesn't cnange, and although he comes back every year a year older, still he seems to be the same man. " My father is happy beyond most men in having earned and received in overflowing measure the affection and gratitude of his fellow citizens in Birmingham. I can assure you that he realises and appreciates to the full all the kind things that you have said about him daring his long illness, and also that liis every one of them, realise. c also and are grateful to you.

THE BOOM YEAR.

London, January 26,

Moving the adoption of the report at the annual meeting yesterday, of the London County and Westminster ißank, the chairman said the past year, although full of anxieties like its predecessor, had teen a good one for bankers. For them it had been a record year. Notwithstanding disturbing factors, the trade of the country had been eminently satisfactory. The best evidence of this was the growth of our exports and imports, in which a record was established.

Further evidence of our prosperity was to be found in the enormous figures shown in the Clearing House returns. These amounted to close on £16,000,000,000 or an increase of £1,347,896,000 over the figures for 1911. These figures, besides showing the prosperity of trade, bore testimony to the soundness of the Stock Exchange and the steadiness of the London market. They had been able to pass through a time of great anxiety and strain with but little disturbance.

Referring to the Chinese loan, the chairman mentioned that they were invited to join the British group of the international syndicate known as the Six-Power Group. They thought it well to accept. The bank's balance sheet showed net profits of £1,055,479, as against £911,286, an inrease of £144,193. A dividend of 21% per cent was declared, and £200,000 had been appropriated to writing down investments. This need not be looked upon as money lost. Evidences pointed to prosperous trade during the present year.

A MISTAKEN FLASH. New York, January 28. A fierce fight took place between the police and three hundred steel workers on strike at Pittsburg, and in the resut one person was killed, whole two others are reported dying. Eleven persons recpivec serious injuries. The fightfflis said to have been started through a photographer's flash being mistaken for a gunshot. Central News. WHITE SLAVE TRAFFICKERS. Antwerp, January 28. A band of white slave international- tracffikers have been discovered here enticing young servants to England, to be transferred thence to the Argentine and America. The police have seized many papers, but no arrests have yet been made. CHILDREN'S CHURCH London, January 29. A new light is cast on the difficult problem of the Child and the Church by the experience of St. Saviour's, Brixton Hill, where a special "children's church" is attended by 150 to 200 children each Sunday. This interesting departure is quite distinct both from the Sunday school and the ordinary young people's services. Being held in the parish room at the ordinary church hours, when the clergy are always engaged iu the church itself, the Children's Church is conducted in the morning by Mr Loveless, the Scripture reader, and in the evening by lay member of the congregation. "Die class of children, " Mr Loveless explained yesterday, 'is not unite the same at the two services, and very few attend both times, though a lartre proportion go to the Sunday school in the afternoon.. The

services never last more than an hour, and include a shortened form of the Prayer Book liturgy, four hymns, and a fiften minute address." No doubt is felt that the Children's Church attracts a large number of boys and girls who would otherwise go nowhere on a Sunday, and it is clear that the habit of church going thus acquired has a permanent value.

SWIMMER'S PLIGHT. New York, January 28. A telegram from Honolulu to the New York Herald says that while Kahanamoku, the native Olympic swimming champion, was practising yesterday for the Australian championships lie was attacked by a monster eel, which held the swimmer under water for two minutes. Finally, Kahanamoku, succeeded in killing the fish, but he lost the first finger of his right hand whilst doing so. He was in an exhausted condition when rescued by other swimmers. His injuries may possibly result in his withdrawing from his Australian engagement.—Reuter. AVIATION FATALITY. Paris, January 31. This afternoon at Etampes, Charles Nieuport, the famous aviator, was killed through his machine falling from a height of !)0() feet. The mechanic was also killed on the spot. The machine was a 100-h.p. monoplane which Nieuport was testing before it was taken over by the military authorities. For no apparent reason it suddenly plunged head foremost to the ground, with fatal results to both occupants. Nieuport was born in 1878, and qualified as a pilot in January, 1912. His brother Edward was killed a few months ago in an aeroplane accident. and Charles took up flying against the wishes of his family.

SURGERY AT fciEA. London, January 31. While the Orient liner Osterley, which has just returned to tiie Thames, was steaming between Colombo and Australia, Richard Bentley, the second steward, was so seriously injured by a blow from a fireman that an immediate operation was necessary. Dr. H. L. Hughes Steele, the ship's surgeon, performed the operation on a saloon table placed amidships on the fifth deck, being assisted by Dr Sprott, a passenger, Mr George Curry, M.P.S., his assistant, Mr R. B. Minnett, the Australian cricketer, who is a medical student, and two lady passengers, who acted as nurses. The operation took an hour and twenty minutes, but was successfully perfoimed. Subsequently the passengers passed a resolution congratulating the doctor, and subscribed £l2O for the injured steward's benefit. When the ship arrived at Sydney Dr Steele was given an enthusiasric reception by the medical men there, and was persuaded to remain. —Daily News.