General News Items

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 21036, 21 November 1931, Page 5 (Supplement)

General News Items

I CASHIER HANDLES £100,000,000. During his 24 years' service as cashier '»<, Devonport Dockyard, England, Mr. ' A Rollin, who recently retired, handled fiOO.OOO.OOC of public money. M This figure is believed to b e without parallel in the admiralty's service. Mr. Rollin served,, under ten admirals-superin-tendent. PANGER SIGNALS FOR THE DEAF. The first home for deaf persons in Germany, just opened for use, has an automatic device whereby in case of fire or ether danger the watchman can set the mattresses on all the beds to shaking, so that the sleeper must wake, x Light signals take the place of bells. Jn the general assembly room a radio receiver has been installed with special hearers for the deaf. ROMAN FINDS IN GERMANY. Excavation in the old Roman citadel ©f Ztignientel,_ near Idstein, Germany, carried out with the aid of American donors, has brought to light tinds of great historic value. Some 500 cellars and wells have been laid bare. In one of the wells a completely preserved suit of chain armour was found, and in another some 50 tools. The whole gives an excellent picture, of a thickly settled Roman camp on the border of' the old Roman empire. CANADA'S STREET_ OF VALOUR. The people of Winnipeg have made the discovery that from one short street of their city three men enlisted in the Great War who afterward won the Victoria Cross. A pillar at the end of the street, surmounted by a lamp, has been erected by the Women 5 • Canadian Club of the city and unveiled by the Mayor, with a bronze tablet recording the exploits of these men, two of whom were killed in action. The street, hitherto called Pine Street, is now called Valour Road. BEES GO OUT FOR VENGEANCE. For some unknown reason fury seized a whole colony of bees a few weeks ago at Marbury, in Cheshire, and from three hives and a swarming bo.\ they sallied forth to reap vengeance. First the bees attacked the lady of the house, leaving her in a serious condition; then they visited the poultry run and killed eight hens and a cockerel. Finally they invaded the harvest field and put a stop to operations there. Several of the men were badly stung. Retribution came in the evening, when the whole colony was destroyed to prevent further trouble. TWO HOARDS OF MONEY. A great deal is often board of the advantages and disadvantages of a paper currency. Two stories showing the fate of two hoards illustrate one disadvantage of tho note system. One story tells how behind a stone in the roof of an old Sussex mansion a workman found a bag containing 400 silver coins of the reigns of Elizabeth and the Stuart kings. The other tells how a. farmworker of Donegal hid a packet of banknotes in the rafters of his cottage, and found, when he went to look for them, that rats had eaten all but a few shreds of them. ROAD THAT LIVERPOOL WANTS. After years of discussion a great new j road between Liverpool and Manchester j has been decided on. It is to cost three j million pounds and the Ministry of i Transport will find three-quarters of the j money. Manchester, however, is not contributing to the cost of the road as it fears it will compete with the Ship Canal. But Manchester is too wise to offer the bitter opposition to the scheme which Liverpool set up against the Ship Canal. Liverpool wants ihe new road as part of a general scheme cf improved communications, to be begun by the road tunnel under the Mersey into Cheshire. BLIND''PEOPLE WITH TALENTS. In every country there are blind people who show the great spirit of triumphing over difficulties. Of the nine children of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Townsend. of Gloucester, four have been denied the gift of sight. But all four have triumphed over their affliction and taken a respected place in the musical life of a county which is famous as a birthplace of art. Miss Phyllis Townsend holds three diplomas of the Trinity College of Music, and is being employed at the school at which she was trained. Of her three brothers, Mr. Sidney 'Townsend is organist of Nailsworth Church, Mr. Ivor Townsend is organist at the village of Inchbrook and Mr. Albert H. Townsend is a piano tuner. HARVARD'S G.O.M. DIES AT 02.

Br. Charles William Eliot, who was for forty years President- of Harvard University, has died at the wonderful age of 92. Tt was he who by his reforms and steady work brought Harvard into the front rank of the world's greatest universities. Senator "Root, himself one of the finest men iir American politics, called Dr. Eliot the first citizen of the country out of public office. A great German scholar snri lover of America called him the most distinguished and influential personality in the intellectual life of America. An intense grasp of detail, an immense capacity for work, and absolute fearlessness in pursuing what seemed to him right were the qualities which gave Dr. Eliot this unique position. SENSELESS REINDEER SLAUGHTER. Just as men all but exterminated the buffalo, so there is danger that they will destroy even the vast herds of caribou, the North American reindeer. There are still hundreds of thousands of these animals, and they roam the barren northern ■wilds in such vast herds that they sometimes take three or four days to pass a gi ven point The Indians and half-breed hunters who live on Ihe edge of the barren lands kill Die carib/jii by the thousand, sometimes seventy or eighty a day, not for food, but for the love of killing. Thus the animals are driven farther and farther north, and in large stretches of country where they have hitherto been available for food they are rio longer to be found. Trappers from all parts of Northern Canada are pressing for regulations to prevent the wholesale slaughter of caribou. LAW FIVE CENTURIES OLD. Pew ppople know that a law as Jong as 1332 is s'ill on Britain's Statute Book, to curb those who desire to take the law info their own hands. A certain farmer wished to turn a labourer out of one his cottages. As the labourer had a wife and seven children, and could not find another cottage, he refused' to leave. Further, he locked his floor and screwed up his windows to prevent, the farmer getting in. Upon this the farmer broke open the door with a crowbar and removed the labourer's furniture. 'lhe farmer'}; action led to a. prosecution under the, old Act referred to which, as the judge trying the case said, was passed ' to curb an.] restrain unruly barons." It had been kept on the Statute Book, lie added, to prevent breaches of the peace. The jury found the farmer guilty, whereupon he was ordered to pay costs and was bound over to keep the peace.

WOMAN WALKS 240,000 MILES. mHohdaymakers who visit the Fisher- ™ 5 v?,™ 011 (l,e J ett . v at Bridlingion, 1 orkshire, ere proudly shown a photograph of the late. Mrs. Anna Bart- , the 1< iley and Bridlington carrier, who walked to and from these places for over 64 years on six days a week. Hie total distance covered by Mrs. Bartley, was 240,384 miles. LIFE GIVEN FOR DOG. Dog lovers and others will bo able to pay tribute to the memory of a coastguard at Tenby, South Wales, by making rn 1,il1 , 10 " t ' le f u "d which the Mayor ot lenby has open.od on 'behalf of the widow and children of William King. While attempting to rescue a dog from ! ! dins, "Mr. King lost his life, and left behind a wife and five children, who are without means and ineligible for pension. Mr. King had a noble record for gallantry and saving human life. DOG'S STRANGE RIDE /' A poor collie dog which crawled out of a railway train waggon in Canada recently, must have lain buried in the grain for a week travelling thus a thousand miles. The wagon was laden at Kindersloy, Saskatchewan, and was unloaded a week later for shipment at Port Arthur, in Ontario. Ihe dog must have jumped in as the grain was being poured into the waggon so fast as to overwhelm it. It is a marvel that it should have lived through such an experience. MONEY IN THE DUSTBIN. On his refuse collection round in a London street lately a dustman discovered in a dustbin a bag containing £lO in silver. .It belonged to Mi-. J. Miller, the piopiielor of a dining room, and was returned to him. I always keep about £lO change," Mr. Miller explained, '* and the inonoy wa.. hidden in the wastepaper basket in my oflice. A friend, thinking to help me, tidied up the office, and emptied tho wastepaper basket into the dustbin. I had not missed the money when the dustman handed it back to nip.." FIRE STARTED BY RAIN. Two fire-engines had to be called in at Shepperton, Middlesex, lately, to extinguish a fire caused by rain, in a shed were stored some* sacks'of quicklime, and through the leaky roof the rain dripped 011 to them. The chemical effect of water on quicklime, which will not burn, is to produce slaked lime and a good (leal of heat. The quicklime slakes its thirst and its surroundings grow hotter. In the shed the wooden partition grew so hot that first it smouldered, and finally burst into flame. If the fire-engines had not been prompt 11V action the (lames would have spread to another shed, where oil, creosote, petrol, and tar would have received them with great warmth. BOOM IN ROLLER-SKATING. A boom in roller-skating at Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, recently thronged the sea-front with persons of all ages in search of a thrill a-wheel. The town council set aside a stretch of the promenade. tor the sport, and at night hundreds tf skaters tried to set up new records in speed. Middle-aged men took their wives and sailed sedately along, while young women | flashed past them in 20-mile-an-hour spurts. " Roller-skating seems likely to boom again," said a dealer, " for besides selling many pairs, 1. have been besieged by the visitors to the town, who want to hire skates to brush up tfieir experience of the sport during their stay here." WAR HERO HONOURED. Honour was paid lately to one of the most romantic figures of' the Great War by the selection of Sir Alfred Ewing, h.R.S., as next year's president of the British Association. Sir Alfred, who is an engineer, and retired from the principalship of Edinburgh University in 1929, was the hero of what has been described us the best kept secret of the war. ' Sir Alfred sat in Room 40 at the Admiralty from 1914 to 1917 deciphering intercepted enemy messages. No fewer than 2000 of these messages, he disclosed, were often decoded in 24 hours by his department. Among other feats accomplished bv Pioom 40 was the decoding of the secret telegram to the German Ambassador in Mexico, the publication of which went far to bring the United States into the war. MARSEILLES' SHIFTING SPIRE. Near the Town Hall, by the old harbour of Marseilles, rises a beautiful spire, all that remains to-day of the former church of the Accoules. The architect of Marseilles has often looked up at this graceful building of ancient times, and during the last few years he has noticed that the spire has slightly shifted its position compared with the lighthouses of I'araman and Cap Couronne. The only explanation of the altered position is a slight slipping of the strata on which the spire stands, an alarming discovery, as the most densely-populated part of Marseilles lies round the spot. Investigations are being made. Next to Paris, Marseilles is the largest and mostimportant town in France. It is also one of the most ancient, having been! founded by Greek colonists from Asia Minor 600 years before the birth of Christ. STRANGE FUNERAL RITES. Funeial rites ot the races of the world have a deep significance tor students of human nature. Some of the most curious originate in India, where a dead Hindu priest may be dipped in cold wafer, and then placed in a devout attitude on a square board. On this board, covered with a canopy, he is carried in procession to the cremation ground. There is also a custom observed by so many ancient peoples—that of burying a man's personal belongings with him—which appears in a modern guise. Very different from the funeral-hoard of Tutankhamen are the pathetic memorials ot a workman's daily life which were laid 011 his grave in Kinshasa, Belgian Lower Congo. 11 is belongings were first rendered unserviceable to prevent theft. Near Shanghai coffins are to lie seen in gardens and fields, and a coffin raised 011 poles indicates that the child resting in if died of infections disease. STATELY TREES IN PERIL. There has been a tremendous fire in the Sequoia National Forest of California. Something like a hundred thousand acres have been destroyed, happily mainly bush and small timber. A fighting line 20 miles long, manned by a forest staff and hundreds of volunteers, fought tho fire night and day. yet, the flames jumped a river and actually reached tho edge of the great Muir Grove of redwood trees before they were conquered. Sequoia is the name given both to tho famous big tree and its brother the redwood, both native to California. They are the tallest trees in America, probably in tho world, growing to 300 ft. and even 400 ft., with a diameter of 20ft. to 28ft. at the base. Probably they are also the oldest trees in the world, the age of some of those in California being estimated at four or five thousand years. Britain has one or two yews believed to be a thousand years old, but even the cedars of Lebanon, said to reach two thousand years, cannot compare with the sequoia.

TWENTY-NINE WIVES IN 20 YEARS. Mr. Norman Flood's twenty-eighth "wife" has obtained an annulment of her marriage in California. She married him in 1926. Since then, however, Mr. Flood lias married a twenty-ninth wife. Through her he was sent to prison for bigamy. Mr. Flood'admits to twenty-nine marriages in twonly years. FALLING MAN SAVES HIMSELF. To lose footing at the top of a chimneyslack 90ft. high would seem to mean certain death, yet a steeplejack has lived to tell of such an accident at Newport, Monmouthshire. A rope was hanging from top to bottom of Ihe chimney, and as the man fell he managed to seize it about a third of the way down. On it he slid safely to the ground. His bands were burned by the friction, but that was all. WILD PONIES IN GERMANY. Wild ponies still run loose in parts of Germany, and may be found in large numbers on the Duke of Cray's Jingo estate, owned by the same family since the 13th century. At the annual sale of these ponies recently a hundred horsemen rounded them up and drove them to the corral, where it is recorded that 15,000 people gathered to see them. Each of these kicking and plunging young things needed three strong men to catch and hold him. They were sold for t!5 to £ls each, or raffled for sixpence. PRIME MINISTER'S " STROLL." Quite recently a new detective was detailed for the special duty of accompanying the British Prime Minister, Mr. Ramsey Mai-Donald, on his early morning " constitutional." Scotland Yard was somewhat short of men to detail for this type of work, and a young detective, still in his early twenties, was sent to No. 10. The detective anticipated a pleasant stroll in the park, and returned, half an hour later, surprised and disillusioned. The speed of the " stroll " set by his distinguished pacemaker was such that this active young member of the force, gratefully snatched an early opportunity to go off duly and have a change of clothing.

TREE'S UNPLEASANT RECORD. In the Bois de la Gamble, the Hyde Park of Brussels, there stands a sinister tree. It grows on the edge of the grass where the road curves on a gentle bend, and there is a pavement between it and the drive. Notwithstanding this, accident after accident has occurred, mainly at night, through cars taking the bend too sharply and skidding inwards, to crash on this tree. The deaths that have occurred in the last few years number nearly 90, and the tree is a gruesome sight, with its trunk gashed and charred. The authorities refuse to hiivo it cut down, for they say, possibly with justification, that were it removed, reckless drivers intent on cornering at a high speed would hit other trees standing farther back. SANCTUARY OP RICH MEN. Because it is an oasis of safety in a bandit-infested land, the population of Peking lias grown by 80 per cent, since 1928 to the record level of 1,401,924, This rapid increase, it is stated, is due to the influx of thousands of wealthy Chinese fleeing from Communist and bandit hordes in their native provinces. Peking is living up to its reputation of one of the safest cities of the world, and many days pass without a crime of any sort being reported. Armed robberies have not occurred half a do/,en times in the past year, and kidnappers arc almost unknown. Chinese residents contend that Peking is even safer than the treaty ports under foreign control since the development of kidnapping gangs in Shanghai and Tientsin. Peking's municipal police force has been famous for generations as the most able in China, and having the advantage of a walled city, few criminals escape them. THE CHAMPION LIFE-SAVER. A coal porter, Thomas Jackson, who made a, hobby of rescuing people from drowning in the Regent's Canal and other watery graves in London has just retired from both occupations, worn out at 60. Tie has a record of 102 rescues to his credit. He was ten years old when he made his first score, and the. last was during a holiday at Folkestone this year. Now tho doctor declares that in saving another life he would probably lose his own. Jlr. Jackson has three medals with ten bars and 14 Royal Humane Society certificates. The canal-side children of Haggerston, gave him a Bible. An American society sent him a shield with the title of Champion Life-Saver of the World. One of the medals is from Londoners in Queensland, in celebration of his 75th rescue. Every inch of the walls of Mr. Jackson's parlour at Hackney is covered with testimonials. One of his exploits was to rescue the beach patrol charged with the protection of bathers at Hastings, who could not swim himself!

HE WAS TOO LATE. The young suitor had called on his loved one for her reply. " No, Oswald," she said, " I'm afraid that I fcannot many you." Oswald shrugged his shoulders. •' Oil, very well, then," lie returned savagely, " there are others just as good." " Better," she retorted. " 1 accepted one of them yesterday." HINT FOR SALESMAN. The old commercial traveller was relating his experiences to a young man in the same business. " And don't forget," he said, " never try to sell an encyclopedia to a bride." "Why ever not?" asked the young man. The older man smiled cynically. " She always thinks her husband knows everything." VERY TRYING OCCUPATION. The Jion-lamcr's charges had been restive, but ultimately the snarling beasts were driven to their corners and the hero stepped out of the cage, a tall, well-set-up figure in his resplendent uniform. A dear old lady approached liim. " What an awful job yours must be. You must find it trying ? " " Yes," replied the trainer, starting to cough. " What with these draughty cages and my bronchitis, I've often felt like chucking it." MIXING THE WORDS. A destroyer had arrived at its depot after a tour of duly, and the commander, unable to leavo for some hours, sent the quartermaster ashore with a telegram to despatched to his family. Tho wire read: " With you to-night. Lots of love. Ginger," However, the quartermaster met a few friends and visited a number of hotels before remembering his mission. Being unable to find the draft of tho telegram, lie decided to write it from memory and despatched it as follows: " With you tonight. Lots of gin. Lovely!" A CONVENIENT EYE. While on leave a soldier named Pat lost his left eye, but not wishing to leave the service lie got a glass one in its place before returning to his regiment. Being somewhat absent-minded, however, he appeared on parade one day without it. "Pat," said the sergeant-major, "you are improperly dressed. Yon have come on parade with only one eye!" Pat was in no way nonplussed, however. With characteristic Irish readiness, be answered, "I left it in my quarters, sorr, to keep an eye on my kit."

HER SIMPLE PLAN. The fire policy on a lady's house —a big one—was brought to her by the company's agent. "There it is, madam," he said. "The premium is £20." "Oh, how unfortunate!" said the property owner. "My bank balance is rather low just now. Tell the company to let it stand, and deduct it from what they will owe mc when the house is burned . down!" A RISING SCALE. The deaf man stepped down from the dentist's chair after the operation. "How much do 1 owe you for that?" lie asked. The dentist looked thoughtful. " Three guineas," he replied. "Five guineas?" asked the deaf man uncertainly. "No," put in the dentist quickly; " nine guineas."

IN A QUANDARY. Tlic twentieth hat tlio customer had tried on seemed to meet the ease. " Yes, modoin," purred tlie milliner's assistant, " I'd take ihat one; it certainly makes you look ton years younger." The customer was not to bo pressed. " I don't want it then, of course," slio replied. " Gracious me, modom," went on the assistant, " what is your reason for refusal when it fits you so well ?" " Because," came from the customer, " when I took it off I'd look ten years older."

ONE FOR THE MAN. "Well," remarked a man to his wife, with whom he was holding an argument on women's rights, "at least there is one highly valued human possession a man may have which it is impossible for a woman to acquire." " Nonsense," cried the wife, contemptuously. "What do you mean?" "A wife!" was the husband's explanation. THE CORRECT AMOUNT. An actor entertaining a party of friends to lunch was annoyed by the slowness of tho service. The waiter seemed casual in the extreme and refused to hurry. When tho bill was presented the actor doled out tho exact s'uni, adding one solitary halfpenny. The waiter coughed. " Made a littlo mistake, haven't you, sir ? This here is a ha'penny." "No mistake, no mistake," said the actor, with a bitter smile. " I never give less." SURE SIGNS. The' curtain went up. The plav commenced. Eventually the principal scene was staged, and was greeted by hisses and catcalls from tho audience. The playwright in the wings shrugged his shoulders helplessly as tho sounds reached his ears. " It's hard to tell just what the public wants," he complained to tlio stago manager. , , ~ " It's easy enough to tell what the public want's in this case," replied the stage manager bitingly. "It wants its money back." HOW HE WAS SOLD. A certain millionaire is notorious for his ancient green-hued overcoat. _ Ihe other day his daughter got him to promise that lie would at least look at some new overcoats she had had sent to the house . . Knowing her father's thnftmess, she arranged with tho tailor's salesman to tell the millionaire that one of the tenguinea coats was an odd size and old stock and that he could have it for two guineas; she would then send her cheque for the balance. The ruso worked. But on tho first visit to his fellow-directors in the new coat the millionaire was met with bantering comments, one man remarking that it must have cost him a good bit. "What's your guess? What's it worth?" the millionaire countered. When the guess was ten guineas, he said quickly: "What'll you give me for it?" "Five!" "Eight!" said the millionaire, and sold it on the spot.