General News Items

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20762, 3 January 1931, Page 5 (Supplement)

G ener al News Items

HUNDREDTH BIRTHDAY MISSED. The sensation of dismay must have mine in a very unusual form to Joseph Howell, of Beccles, England, who, beieving himself to bo 91, found out by a nelated examination of tho birth register [hat ho was 101. It is hard, as an English writer says, ;o imagine a moro severe disappointment for n centenarian than to have missed his hundredth birthday. VALUE OF FIRE DRILL. / The value of staff drill and precautions was demonstrated when 800 people left a cinema theatre at Gillingham, Kent, in mi orderly manner in five minutes, following an alarm of fire. The staff of men and women attendants went to their allotted posts and opened nil tho exits, and tho manager walked round tho hall telling tho audienco that there had been a mishap, and asking them to leave, HEAVY BRITISH DEATH DUTIES. Moro than £1,000,000 fell to the British Treasury in death duties from tho estate of the eighth Duko of Northumberland, who left property valued at £2,510,000. The estate came under tho new scalo fixed by the last Budget, which levied duties of 50 per cent, on estates exceeding £2,000,000 in valug. A rapid succession of deaths among the heirs would soon extinguish tho estate. JUBILEE OF WORD " MASCOT." Someone has discovered that last year marked tho jubilee of tho mascot—at least by its familiar name. It was not until the production of Auban's comic opera, " La Mascottee," in London in 1880 that the word was introduced into the English language. Auban is said to have found the word in the patois of his native Marseilles, but it is believed to have had a long currency in Provence with the significance of " luck-bringer." DINNER ON THE OLD VICTORY. Admiral of the Fleet, Sir Roger Keyes, commander-in-chief at Portsmouth, gave a dinner party on Trafalgar Day last year to flag officers in the fore cabin of H.M.S. Victory, in which Nelson dined with his officers on the eve of the battle of Trafalgar. . The cabin was dimly lighted by ancient ships' lanterns, and given, as far as possible, tho samo appearance as when Nelson and his captains sat there. Nelson's own (private cabin was used as an anteroom. j Hitherto these Trafalgar Day dinners have been held ashore. • HOMES OF EARLY VIKINGS. When the early Norse Vikings came home from the sea they turned their ships upside down, raised them on baulks of timber, draped the sides with skins and lived under them all waiter, or changed them into permanent residences, thus giving to the world the type of architecture called Gothic. Gothic windows, doorways, arches and naves are shaped on tho cross-section of a boat turned upside down. The style is favoured by ecclesiastical architects, because it arrests the observer's eye and carries his gaze irresistibly upward to Heaven, a simple method of letting the building express its purpose.

IN HIS FATHER'S FOOTSTEPS.' Mr. Randolph Churchill handsome, charming, and full of political enthusiasm —is following in the footsteps of his father, Mr. Winston Churchill, who made his first £IO,OOO by lecturing tours in Great Britain and the United States. Mr. Randolph Churchill, who bears the name of his distinguished grandfather, Lord Randolph Churchill, at 19 may do even better. Ha is under contract to lecture for three months in New York, Chicago, Washington, and other large cities. ROBOT FOR PLANTING SEEDLINGS. A machine has been invented which ought to do much for agriculture. It can plant 50.000 seedlings in a day. _ It grasps tho little plants by mechanical fingers carried op a band, and so they nro taken to a little furrow made by the machine, and are properly pressed into the soil. It is said that an acre of land can be planted with seedlings in about two hours bv means of the machine. Hero is another hint of what is coming in the world of agriculture. So far industrial progress has been chiefly made in tho manufacture of goods and not in the raising of food. EIGHT COSTLY FUR COATS. At tho fur sales in London in November every class of fur, with the exception of chinchilla, was shown. The Government of Peru announced three years ago a 10 years' " close season," arid, although a few chinchilla skins arc trickling through to the market, there is no demand owing to the exceedingly high prices prevailing. There are not more than eight new chinchilla coats on sale in Europe. 1 here is one in London, two in Paris, one in Berlin, and one in Vienna, and three others in various parts of Europe, llie.se coats are woith anything from £4OOO to £20,000 each. THE KING'S STATE COACH. When the King attended the State Opening of Parliament recently he rode from Buckingham Palace in fi'-il state to Westminster, using the great ceremonial Stale coach, drawn by eight horses, with postillions clad in scarlet and gold. The coai'h. which is used only for coronations and Stale openings of Parliament, weighs four and a-iialf tons. The coach was built in 1761 for the coronation of George 11T., and the work of tho coai-hbuildei's was so thorough that Rome of the original gilt work si ill rcrn?.ins. The interior and (be seats for the Kuig ?md Queen arc upholstered in crinin silk, and on the exterior of the panels are paintings by an Italian master. INDIA'S HOARD OF GOLD. Tor centuries Indians, high and lpu, h r ive conserved their wealth by melting down gold and silver coins and transforming them into bracelets, nose oiname'its and rings. Villagers bury or hide their treasures, while, rajahs have vaults crammed with valuables. A plan to tap these hoards has been put before the Indian Banking Inquiry f'ornmitfee which is sitting at Poona. Ihe sponsors suggest that the Governttiont, should invito lioldcvs of gold 1° doposit all or part with tho Paper Currency Reserve, giving at tho saino tinio tns assurance that they could withdraw their K n 'd at any moment without notice. Li exchange for tho deposit, {rold certificates would be issued; analogous to postal cash certificates, their duration to be five years. Tho sponsors say they oolieve that ruling princes, landed and commercial magnates, temples and similar institutions would respond to the lure Ookl Certificates, and that 50 crores (500.000,000) of rupees (£3i,500,000) could bo realised by this means,

BARBERS' OFFENDED DIGNITY. American barbers aro up in arms because they have been listed in tho recent census under tho heading of " domestic and personal service." Ihcso indignant barbers claim that they aio professional men, because they have to study bacteriology, anatomy of tho upper body, histology of the hair and skin, and scientific manipulation of the muscles of the head and face. SPIRIT OF YOUNG ENGLAND. That tho spirit of young England remains undaunted was abundantly proved by an unprecedented rush of recruits to tho Royal Air Force after the wreck of the 11101. Immediately the funeral procession passed through London dozens of young men, somo still bareheaded, presented themselves for recruitment at the Air Ministry. It is the old story of tho Briton's refusal to admit defeat. ——— 1 BELL THAT TOLLS EVERY DAY. Tho "bell of tho dead," at Rovereto, in Northern Italy, has tolled in honour of men killed in tho war every day since the Armistice. The famous bell is on top of a chateau in tho Adige Valley. It is ono of the largest in the world, and was cast from cannon taken from all the armies engaged in the conflict. The bell's homage is regardless of faith or nationality, and arrangements have been made to broadcast throughout the world the ringing on a date to be fixed. MINERS' NEW SAFETY LAMP. British miners have so far been able to unlock and light safety lamps at specially appointed lamp stations in the mine, but this is to be stopped after the first of January in the interests of the miners' safety. Safety lamps which are lighted by a flame will have to be fitted with an electric lighter which enables them to be lit without unlocking the lamp. Lamps not fitted with this clever device will in future bo sent out of the mino for lighting. MOTORISTS' GOOD SAMARITAN. There is a Gloucestershire woman who has long acted tho Good Samaritan to motorists who have como to grief at the dangerous bend of the road near which she lives, but has had little reward in thanks for her kindness. In all she has rendered first-aid to moro than 300 of these travellers, and only eight have returned to thank her! When a motorist is so unfortunate as to meet with an accident by the way he is generally too filled with his own woes to think of anyone else, and is inclined to take any help offered him for granted. BELL-RINGING RECORD. After eleven and a-half hours' ringing, which commenced at 8.15 one morning, twelve members of the Ancient Society of Painswick Youths, succeeded in their fourth attompt at Painswick, near Stroud, Glouncesterstiire, in regaining their record for tho greatest number of changes on 12 bells. The ringers were locked in the tower of tho church all day without food or drink, and rang 17.587 changes. A previous record of 13,001 changes in eight hours forty-live minutes, was beaten at Ashton-under-Lynn, the previous August, with 15,312 changes. THREE THOUSAND MISSING TROUT. Nottingham has lost 3000 trout; they have disappeared without trace. Five years ago, the handsome Highfields Lake in the new University Park was stocked with those thousands of trout, as well as with roach and perch. When the lake was netted in order to report progress 20,000 fish wure taken out into tho tanks, but there was not one trout! Roach and perch were there m thousands —and pike. < The pike were not expected. Nobody had put them there. It seemed that, like Topsy, they " growed." The double inysery of the disappearance of the trout and tho appearance of tho pike is at present unsolved.

NEARLY A MILLION TREES. " Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the, fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest?" The prophecy of Isaiah is becoming fulfilled in Palestine, thanks lo the work of the Jewish Colonisation Association and National Fund. Before the war the Fund had planted 123,000 trees, but these suffered heavily, and a new start was made in 1918. The Jewish National Fund has covered over a thousand acres with nearly a million trees. Among the most delightful of these is the young wood of 300,000 trees in the hills below Nazareth bordering the Valley of Jezreel, planted as an everlasting memorial to the late Earl of Balfour. Once again in Israel may the Psalmist sing: " Mountains and all hills, fruitful trees and all cedars, Praise ye tho Lord."' ORIGIN OF WEDDING RINGS. There have been various explanations of the origin of wedding rings. Wheatley says that the ling was anciently a seal by which HI orders were signed, and tilings of value secured. 'I lie delivery of it, therefore, war. a sign that the person to whom it was given was admittor into the highest friendship and trust. Hooker regarded the ring from its shape and portability as a pledge of .sincere affection. Other authorities say that it was originally a pledge of the woman s dowrv, or regarded as mutual bondage to each other, into which marriage brings husband and wife. Wedding rings were worn by tho Jews prior to tho Chiistian era. That they we've in u.->e among the Romans, we know both from L'liny and Tertulhan. I 'liny states that in his lime they were <>f iron, but Tertullian hints that in former ages they were of gold. The ring lias been mucJb used at betrothals as well as at weddings, and in many parts of Europe, the husband as well as wife wears a wedding ring. WOLFE'S VERY GALLANT FRIEND. A footnote to history was written the other day when the Prime Minister ol Canada laid a wreath on the grave in the Jslip Chapel, Westminster Abbey, of Admiral Kir Charles Saunders. Iho admiral shared with General Wolfe, lie task of taking Quebec in 1759, and on his tomb at Westminster his exploit is briefly recorded. - , . , Whereas Wolfe, who died in the hour of victory, lives immortally m tho memory of his countrymen, Saunders has been alt but forgotten. Yet without him Wolfo could not have succeeded. Admiral Saunders wan in command ot the British fleet and transports, which had to be taken up the St. Lawrence River The previous British fleet had met with disaster, and so perilops was the voyage up tho river thought to be that tho admiral was warned by his pilots not to attempt it. But the unnndaunted Saunders was not to be persuaded. Ho would not hear of his ships losing touch with the army. His faith was justified and insßeward waj in Wolfe's victory on vhe Plains of Abraham.

PIGEONS BEATING AEROPLANES. Five carrier pigeons beat an aeroplane travelling at 105 miles an hour in a race from Oslo to Jesshim, a distance of 70 miles. A sixth pigeon came in at exactly the same moment as the plane. The pigeons were chosen from the fastest in Norway, and were pitted against ono of the small planes used by the air force. MAMMOTH ORGAN PIPES. Organ pipes of mammoth proportions and unusual design have been installed in the institute of Acoustics which was opened recently in Berlin. These pipes, with their flaring (ops and horizontal sections joined to the vertical, at first glance might easily be mistaken for a system of water mains, because of their enormous size and their curious shape. SQUEEZE WORTH £ls. Miss Anna Mitlow, a beauty of Minneapolis, sued her young man for £ls damages because he hugged her with such enthusiasm that he cracked two of her ribs. It cost her 12s, she told tho judge, to have a doctor to repair the damage. " I'll give you judgment for the 12s doctor's bill," said the judge. " But as regards the balance—well, a squeeze like that is worth £15." WATCHERS ON THE DOWNS. Six hundred watchers are guarding the beauty of the Sussex Downs. From Eastbourne in the east to beyond Elsted in the west and as far as Pulborough, vigilant eyes are watching for the least hint of vandalism that mar scar the face of the DownSi This army of eleven divisions has been enrolled by tho Society of Sussex Downsmen. It has a huge membership of Sussex peoplo who are exasperated *by the increasing invasion of ugliness. They aro up in arms, too, against the motorist who penetrates tho Downs away from the recognised carriage ways. This has caused extreme annoyance and has led farmers to enclose tracts of once open downland. Windmills are becoming so scarce that the society is trying to save every old windmill still existing on tho Downs. This is one of its dearest ambitons, and a Windmill Fund has been started so that a mill may be bought and equipped as permanent headquarters for tho society.

NOVEL GAME OF CHANCE. A novel game of chance is enjoying a great voguo in Berlin, probably because it. baffles the police. The game is played with the pneumatic postal tubo which is always running. The banker lias a "field of half a dozen or so pneumatic letters, addressed to him by a confederate from a distant suburban post-oflice, at intervals of, say, ten minutes. The letters are numbered, and of course bear the official time stamp. The betting is on the order in which tlrese letters will arrive, for it is common knowledge that thero are wide variations in postal tubo deliveries. The banker takes 10 per cent, of the stakes and the rest is divided among the successful backers. DAILY NEWSPAPERS IN EGYPT. A study of the daily newspapers printed in Egypt, one of Iho world's "fever spots," reveals one rather surprising feature. Despite the predominance of British influence in the land of the Pharaohs, only two dailies, out of a total of twentysix are printed in English. Tlieso are the Egyptian Gazette of Alexandria, and llio Cairo Gazette, each averaging 8000 issues daily. Ten of the twenty-six journals are printed in Arabic; nine in French; four in Greek; two in Italian and two ir English. The largest circulations art.' those of the A 1 Balagh of Cairo; with 35,000 copies and the A 1 Siassa of the same city with 30,000 copies. Six to eight pages constitute the average thickness of the Egyptian dailies. DOWRIES FOR POOR GIRLS. In the hope of encouraging marriage, (lie French Government has established a fund from which poor girls will bo furnished with a dowry amounting to £BO. Without a dowry, a French girl, even in these days, has little chance of making a good marriage, and the Government hopes that the fund, created with the help of private donors, will overcome the difficulty. At present (lie scheme is confined to certain parts of Paris, but it is hoped to extend the area soon. To be eligiblo a girl must be poor, between 21 and 30 years of age, work at a regular occupation, and bo able to prove that she could marry if she had a dowry. At present tho capital of IHe fund produces less than £IOOO interest a year, which limits the candidates considerably. In time, however, it is hoped that wealthy philanthropists will aid the scheme by big gifts.

A CONFESSION. One of Levinsky's customers was notorious for liis slowness in meeting his liabilities. He simply would not pay for goods purchased. In desperation Levinsky sent flic following letter:— " Sir, —Who bought a lot of goods from mo and did not pay?— You. But wlib promised (o pay in sixty days?— You. Who did not pay in six months? —You. Who is a scoundrel, a thief, and a liar?— Yours truly, Al. Levinsky." WHAT'S IN A NAME. The magistrate was questioning a woman witness in the box. " What's your husband's vocation?" he asked. " He's a vegetarian," she replied haughtily. t The magistrate looked puzzled. " No, no," he said tersely. " I mean was does he do for a living?" " I told you once," she replied. " He's a vegetarian. He sells vegetables." A GENTLE HINT. Little Bobby was playing at Ronny's house, but when the time came for him to go home it started to rain. Ronny's mother at once gave Bobby her own son's raincoat and goloshes. "Oli, but don't take all this trouble!" said Bobby, politely enough. "No trouble, Bobby," she returned. " I'm sure your own mother would have done the same for Ronny." " Mother'd do more," replied Bobby. " She'd ask Ronny to stay to tea." T&E TACTFUL SALESWOMAN. A very short woman said to a millinery assistant who came forward to serve her. " I've cortic i" to buy a hat, but I don't want you to tell me that any particular shapo adds to my height. I've had to listen to that so many times that it makes me feel as if I were dumpy. And I'm not dumpy, am I ? " " No, indeed," replied the assistant, who promised that, no matter how many hats the customer tried on, sho would say nothing about her size. The woman tried on hat after hat, and then at last she selected a shape, that suited the assistant, who expressed honest admiration. " You couldn't find anything more becoming. It suits the way you wear your hair and the quill adds to your—" She clapped a hand over her mouth. " Well ?"• asked the customer, indignantly. " Your literary appearance,", finished the tactful assistant.

WELL RECOMMENDED. " Bridget," said the mistress of the house to her maid, " I have heard that you are thinking of getting married. Is that true?" " Well, yes, ma'am," returned tho girl, " I was thinking about it." "Is it possible that you are thinking or marrying that young fellow who has been calling lately?" " Yes, ma'am," Bridget replied. " But, Bridget," said tho other, rather shocked, " you have only known him for about a fortnight. Arc you sure you are wise in doing this? is a very important step in your life. " Oh, yes," Bridget answered confidently, " it isn't as if he's a new fellow. You see. I know a girl who was engaged to him for quite a long time. WRONG KIND OF BRIDGE. Sho had attended a bridge party on the previous evening, and when her husband came down 1o breakfast he could tell by his wife's i "inner that tho cards had not been in luv favour. " Have, a bad time last night?" ho asked, after a while. Beastly!" she snapped, as he was toying with a half-cooked sausage. " And it whs all your fault, too!" " Well, I like that," he returned in obvious surprise. " How could it be my fault? I wasn't even there." " No, but you introduced me to that friend of yq.urs, whom you said was a famous bridge expert, and " " That's so," lie interrupted, wondering what was coming next. "Rubbish!" she returned. "He's nothing of the kind—ho's an engineer." MAKING IT SQUARE. " Henry," said old Mutton as he called his son-in-law into tho library and closed £ho door, " yon have lived with me now f.;r more than four years." " Yes, sir " " In all that time I have never asked you a penny towards keeping the home going." " No, sir." " In all your little family disputes I have always taken your part when it seemed to me that you wero in the right." " Always, sir." " I have evon paid some of your bills." " You have been very good to me, sir." " Then you will no doubt- be quite willing to grant the littlo favour I am about to ask." " Certainly, I will, sir." " Thanks, Henry, I want you to tell your mother-in-law that those tickets for tho cabaret supper dance sho'picked up in my room this morning must have accidently fallen out of your pocket; and then we'll call everything square.

AN INGENIOUS IDEA. A new office boy had been sent to the post by his chief with two important letters. " Did you catch the post with those letters?" asked tho chief on his return. "Yes, sir; just managed it," was the reply. But you made a mistake —you put the twopenny-halfpenny stamp on the Birmingham letter, and the three-half-penny stamp on the one to Paris." "How annoying! What did you do?" "Oh, I made it all right, sir! I noticed it just in time, so I slipped into the post office and altered the addresses."

" 00 OUT AND FIGHT." Sir James Barrie was recently installed 'Chancellor, of Edinburgh University, where many years ago he studied and graduated. " I wish I were a little less, unworthy of this gown," said Sir James in his address. " I will do my best. My anxious desire is to follow in the ways of my predecessor, Lord Balfour—a name with a twang so sweet to the Scottish car." Closing his speech, Sir James said: " One word more. The ' great war ' has not ended. Do not think that you have had the luck to miss it. It is t'ne war that goep on within ourselves—for selfmastery. Go out and fight."