NEWS OF THE WORLD

Manawatu Times, Volume LV, Issue 7412, 20 December 1930, Page 17

NEWS OF THE WORLD

“G. 8.5.” KNOCKED DOWN FIGHT SCENE AT FILM STUDIO Mr George Bernard Shaw has been knocked down—at his own request. He has been conducting rehearsals of his first talkie, “How He Lied to Her Husband,” at the studio of British International Pictures, the first company to persuade Mr Shaw to allow one of his plays to be screened. While personally coaching the actors he has shown them how to fight convincingly, and has insisted on being sent to the floor, where he has struggled with vigour in the interests of British screen art. OXFORD IS TOO NOISY UNDERGRADUATES LEAVE TOWN A new situation has arisen at Oxford this term over the lodging-house question. A large number of what have hitherto been the most popular “digs” in the High, near the centre of the city, are untenanted or let at reduced rents. Undergraduates are beginning to find it better to live on the outskirts of the town at about half the cost and without any of the noise of traffic. An undergraduate had engaged rooms in the High and took up his residence on the first day of term, but after being there for two days he left, at great expense to himself, saying that he could not work or sleep because of the noise. Sir Charles Oman, M.P. for Oxford University, recently called attention to the fact that the traffic was not only noisy, but also that the vibration which it caused was damaging the buildings. A window in All Souls had to be restored last term from this cause, and the ceilings of most of the houses in High Street need constant repair. it is intended to lay down rubber instead of asphalt in the High, and it is hoped that by this means, and when all lorries are compelled to use pneumatic tyres, both noise and vibration will be greatly reduced. “NEGLIGENCE” IN LAW DECISION OF CENTURY AGO Judge Crawford told the jury at Edmonton County Court, England, an interesting story of the law of negligence. It was based on a decision a century ago, and it remained the law until today. Someone tied the legs of a donkey and left it lying on the road at night. A horse and van came along and ran over the donkey, causing fatal injury. The donkey-owner subsequently recovered damages not from the person who tied up the donkey, but from the driver of the horse and van, for he was held to he guilty of the final act of negligence.

The case before the court was a claim by Air Arthur Bruce, of Baker Street, Enfield, suing the North Metropolitan Electric Power Supply Company for damages to his car in a collision which he said was caused by the company leaving ruts in the road. The jury found that Mr Bruce was guilty of* negligence in not observing ihe ruts, and judgment was given for the company.

BOY BAG-SNATCHER HAD ACCOMPLICE ON BICYCLE A 12-year-old boy played the part of bag-snatcher, with an older boy as accomplice, when Miss B. Mallani, of Chepstowe Place, Westbourne Park, London, was robbed of her handbag. She was walking in Lansdowne Cres'cent, Notting Hill, when the younger boy ran up from behind and knocked the bag from her arm. He jumped on to the bar of a bicycle ridden by the older boy and the two disappeared. The bag contained about 1/2 and a rosary. • • PRINCESS MARY IN SMASH ACCIDENT WHILE MOTORING Princess Mary and her husband,_ the Earl of Harewood. were involved in a motoring accident recently’ at the crossroads near Moortown on the outskirts of Leeds. They were between Leeds and Harewood House when the car in which they were travelling came into collision with a two-seater car driven by a woman. The impact was severe, and both cars were badly damaged, but happily neither car overturned, and no one received any injury. The Princess and her husband got out of the car unassisted and chatted until another car arrived to take them to Harewood House. They were delayed about a quarter-of-an-hour. The front axle of the Earl’s car was badly twisted and the chassis damaged, but the back part, in which were Princess Mary and her husband, was not affected. Neither the Princess nor her husband were any the worse for the mishap. MOTHER OF 18 CENTENARIANS WOMAN DIES AT 150 One hundred and fifty years old and the mother of IS children all of whom are over 100!, This was the astonishing family record of Rosa dc Costa, a Brazilian, who has just died. She was probably the oldest woman in the world. Her centenarian children—l 4 sons and four daughters—are all in excellent health. She herself had possession of all her faculties; Among her descendants are: 124 Srandchildren, 230 great-grandchildren, If great-great-grandchildren. The oldest of her great-great-grand-children is 13. The recent census in Brazil has revealed the existence of hundreds of centenarians—most of them Mulattocs. PHOTOGRAPHS OF WILLS PLANT INSTALLATION PROPOSED "I want a photographic copy of my uncle’s will.” An approach in this fashion is the Procedure which applicants for copies if wills stored at Somerset House may have to adopt in the New Year. It is learned that the authorities have juicier consideration a scheme for the installation of a plant for photographing wills and other documents and the fixation of a library wherein all plates will be indexed and stored, Experiments have already been made with certificates of births and marriages, and it is. Proposed 'that the process should also apply to copies of divorce decrees absolute.

Such a reform, suggesting a departure from the old practice of having typist's, scriveners and examiners copy documents and check them laboriously with 'he originals, would ensure an applicant for a copy obtaining it with the minimum of delay.

The possibility of error, also, would "e eliminated.

POSTMAN AND AUTHOR ROUND AT STRATFORD-ON AVON Stratford-on-Avon’s remarkable postman, Mr Frederick George Savage, died there recently at the age of 60. He left an elementary school early, but his daily rural round gave him an intimate insight into nature’s secrets, and he gradually acquired an extraordinary knowledge of plants, birds, insects, and folklore, which he wove into column articles for provincial journals. He also furnished Stratford Public Library with fresh daily nosegays of wild flowers in their “April prime,” with notes on their uses and habitat.

After 18 years gathering materials he issued a memorable hook, “Shakespeare’s Flora and Folklore,” at once exhaustive, charming, and brimful of valuable information. This brought him warm friends all over the world and became the leading work on the subject.

COSMETICS FOR PET DOGS WOMEN’S FREAKISH ADORATION Fluffy little dogs sat or crouched in rows of tiny. boxes padded and hung with coloured curtains, at the Toy Dog Society’s Show at the Crystal Palace, London. The ledges in front of them were a medley of bottles, powder boxes, tins, ribbons, hair brushes, combs and the owner’s lunch. The owners—all women—sat in little groups comparing pedigrees while they stretched the animals oil their laps and rubbed perfume into them. Not the slightest sign of life was shown by the toys while they were being mauled. The women showed not the slightest interest in the toys as living things. They treated them merely as valuable bundles of flesh and fur. A pale anaemic clergyman with side whiskers was gazing at a brown hit of fluff with its hair in blue curl-rags while a fuzzyhaired carmine-tipped girl babbled of the beauties of the dog with a cigarette hanging out of the corner of her mouth. LEWIS CARROLL’S SISTER m DEATH AT GUILDFORD Miss L. F. Dodgson, aged 90, the last surviving sister of Lewis Carroll, the author of “Alice in Wonderland,” died at Guildford, England, recently. She was a clever linguist, and her chief occupation of late year was writing Braille, especially in Swahili, for missionary purposes. Lewis Carroll was buried at Guildford. , STEEPLE “JILL” OF SEVEN CLIMBED 170 FT CHIMNEY Batlcy (England) has its steeple “Jill,” who, when she was only seven years old, climbed a 170 ft chimney to deliver a letter to her father. Now she is the wife of Mr H. Singlewood and sister of Mr P. Sands, both mill-chimney and church-spire repairers. Her height is just sft. “I should not advise any girl—or man, for that matter—to try climbing up steeplejacks’ ladders,” she said, “unless they have strong nerves, and can look down without feeling their flesh creep or their hands go damp. SCHOOL CHILDREN MARRIED

483 IN A YEAR The discovery that 483 New York school children were married during the past "year has caused considerable surprise. Attendance at school is compulsory to the age of 17, but pupils marrying are automatically dropped from the register. The annual report of the Superintendent of Schools shows that most of these juvenile unions were contracted by girls. One girl of 12 and another of 13 were among those married last year, 20 boys and girls became husbands or wives at 14, while no fewer than 342 were wedded at the age oi 16. The majority of these were backward pupils, and came from poor localities. FORTUNE FOR A UNIVERSITY . A Polish cook named Gedymin, has left £40,000 to the University of Cracow. In his will the cook says: “Though 30 years ago I failed thrice to pass the entrance exams to the university in order to study medicine, and had to emigrate to America and serve as a cook, I leave all my money for others to enable them to study.” ATTACKED BY A MAD DOG VICTIMS ON THE RIVIERA Seven persons living at Cap d’Antibes, on the Riviera, have been bitten by a dog suffering from hydrophobia and have been rushed to the Pasteur Institute at Marseilles for treatment. They are a Mr William Baker, of London, who has a villa at Cap de’Antibes, his wife, three children, aged seven, six, and four, and niece, and M. Chaffal, a veterinary surgeon. M. Chaffal had kept the dog under observation for some days after its attack on Mr Baker. When he found it was suffering from hydrophobia he at once informed MiBaker, who left immediately with his family for Marseilles. Later in the day the surgeon was himself bitten by the dog. AN UNMERCENARY BRIDE WAIVES RIGHT TO FORTUNE Brides should avoid the reproach that they are marrying for money by renouncing all legal claims to their husbands’ fortunes. This is the opinion of Mary Louise Baker, a school teacher of Norfolk, Virginia, who, in marrying Carl Moore Jordan, a millionaire, insisted on a contract by which she waived any right to his estate either during his lifetime or after his death, and any claim for alimony should they be divorced. Mrs Jordan hopes that this contract will form a precedent for other brides, as she feels marriage would stand a fairer chance of success if the money taint were removed from it. WITH A GRAIN OF SALT QUAINT TENNIS STIMULANT A cry for “salt” surprised spectators of a tennis match of Queen’s Club, England. It came from N. G. Deed, who was playing T. B. Barker, in the Covered Courts lawn tennis, championships. Deed, owing to an infirmity in the left arm, is compelled to throw up the ball with his racket hand in serving. During his game he called out to a friend in the “gallery”: “Please get me some salt; I have got cramp coming ou.” The salt was procured. Deed swallowed a generous portion—and then proceeded to win his match. ■