NEWS IN BRIER

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18885, 6 December 1924, Page 1 (Supplement)

NEWS IN BRIER

Emigrants from England last year numbered 267,000, including 159,000 men. Thames ballast in some of the most valuable building material in the world. California produced almost 6 per cent, of the total hay crop in the United States last year. Stratford-on-Avon has been chosen for the 1925 congress of the British Chess Federation. France's smallest conscript is a wellknown music-Kflll performer, who measures only 3ft. sin. Three thousand porpoises were caught off the coast of North Carolina last ycatto supply oil for watches. Inmates of workhouses and other poorlaw institutions in England and Wales in June last numbered 209,750. Nearly 3000 lives havo been saved by the lifeboats at Bamsgate, Deal, Margate, Southend-on-Sea and Folkstone. The Birmingham Public Libraries lent nearly three million books last year, tho highest number in their history. Westminister-enjoys the lowest rate in London this year, 9s. 9d. in the £; and Poplar the highest, 235. in the £. There are about 500 species of animaleating plants. They imprison their prey with their leaves and absorb tho victims. Preparations are being made to enable listeners in Great Britain to hear the roar of tho Niagara Falls, which is about 3600 miles away. There are about 40,000 forest fires 'in the United States and Canada each year, and they destroy over £3,000,000 worth of property.

It was suggested at the Highgate Police Court lately that a. husband spent £1 a week on eau-de-Cologue to " make himself beautiful.''

Tickets weighing 28cwt. are used every day by the London General Omnibus Company. This amounts to over 500 tons in the year.

A site in the Strand, London, which cost 8s a foot in 1919 is now 14s a foot, so great is. the increase in West End ground rents.

Poisonous berries of the British countryside grow on the laurustinus, yew, laburnum, tho deadly nightshade," and even the popular privet.

A book containing 61,120 newspaper'., cuttings about the Prince of Wales' recent visit to Long Island has been ' collected for presentation to him. Mrs. Emma Whittaker, of Bacup, daughter of tho late Sergeant John Gibson, who fought at Waterloo, has celebrated her 90th birthday.

A farmer at St. Etiennc, France, bought a fowl, and when dressing it for dinner found inside it a diamond which has been proved to be of great value.

"Panel doctors" in Britain may have as many as 2500 or even 3000 insured persons on their lists, in addition to any private practice they have.

It is estimated that medical science should be able to save British industry 140 millions sterling a vear, • including £60,000,000 through time lost.

A new record for motor-paced cycling has been set up in Paris, where a Belgian cyclist, Leon Vanderstuyft, covered 66 miles 1405 yards in one hour.

A purple suit worn by a fashionable Parisian hairdresser is matched by the fur of his white Russian wolfhound, which is sprinkled with mauve powder..

The bad weather in.Britain has at least done one good turn this year. Aa umbrella manufacturer states that he has not known so great a demand for 32 years. There are 1,139,500 people in receipt of poor-law relief in England and Wales at the end of last June, against 1,225,800 in March last, and 1,270,100 in Juna, 1923. Three poachers having killed three stags on the island of Lewis, carried them to a boat. One of the men, in placing his gun on board, was accidentally shot dead.

A crop of T7.2cwt. of hops an acre has been obtained this year in England. It is nearly twice as much as in 1923, and compares with 14.2cwt., the previous record.

Mrs. Alderton, sexton of Epping Congregational Church, and Mr. Alfred Fairchild, sexton of Epping Upland Parish Church, were married recently. Both are over 70.

Two chapels recently uncovered close to the Shep Pyramid, near Cairo, are stated to be the oldest stone buildings in the world. They date back to about 4449 B.C. At Ombersley, Worcestershire, 'the , churchyard is overrun with rabbits, which are destroying the flowers oh the graves. The pests have even nibbled at clusters of artificial flowers. Old-time hooks and scythes were brought out this year for the harvesting in parts of Scotland, where the crops are so battered and flattened that modern, machinery is handicapped. Miss B. Pennick, aged 105, housekeeper to Mr. W. Harrington, aged 94, of Tiptree, Essex, found her employer dead in his chair when she went downstairs to begin her duties one morning .recently.

During the last ten days at the Empire Exhibition a complete set of all the advertising literature issued by the exhibition authorities was shown. The advertisements included 10,000,000 poster stamps, 8,000,000 pamphlets and leaflets, and 500,000 posters. The side wall of three old cottages in - Stockport collapsed recently while the occupants were in bed. An aged woman named Ellen Macdonald awoke to find, half her bed hanging over the street 30ft. below. She and the other people in the cottages escaped unhurt. .

Sixteen years ago Messrs. Clare Bio?., builders, of Brentwood, Essex, got into difficulties and had to make a composition with their creditors. The head of the. firm, Mr. Clare, went abroad, prospered in business, returned to England lately and paid all his old creditors in full.

The death occurred in England in October of Selby's blind grover and preacher, Mr. Wentlock, who died from concussion after falling downstairs just as he had prepared his weekly sermon. Ho ( estimated that he had walked 12,000' miles and had preached over 3000 sermons.

Wanton damage by slashing with a sharp knife across 115 warps in the looms at Albion Mill, Accrington, was discovered one morning in October, and no work could be done by the employees throughout the day. The damage is estimated at many hundreds of pounds.

When shopping in a busy Grimsby thoroughfare, a young woman, Elizabeth Doris Vine, saw a horse attached to a. pair of shafts galloping towards her. Dropping her basket, she ran into the roadway, and seizing the runaway's head as it passed, succeeded in bringing it to a standstill after being dragged 10 yards.

Cleveland ironstone mine owners in England have shown their sympathy with their employees in a practical manner. Under the sliding scale, based on .he selling price of pig-iron, the owners were . entitled to reduce the wages by 5.2 per con In response to an appeal by tjio ; men's representatives, however, they decided to forego their claim, and the wages remain unaltered. "John Dories," one of the ugliest .fish known, grow to a length of 2ft., and.arc so thin that they can almost hide beliuid a blade of seaweed. A curious mark on their sides is, according to legend. U» imprint of St. Peter's thumb, «*»•*• took a piece of money from ' ™,*%i month. The incident is mentioned ] "- tng^g| :..-•!> . i. -V .'"• ■■■■ :.. W.ifeS