General News Items

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21118, 27 February 1932, Page 5 (Supplement)

General News Items

geography books needed. 'A weakness in the Buy British " campaign is pointed out by a London newspaper. A woman shopping in a large ptore asked for grapefruit in tins—" But jt, must be British," she added, firmly. The assistant beamed, and gave her a tin of Florida grapefruit. The lady also beamed, and walked out happy. Vet on the counter were tins of grapefruit from South Africa. "We need mother slogan: Buy British Geography Books," says thp writer. LINK WITH TRAFALGAR SEVERED. England has just lost perhaps the last human link with Trafalgar, lie was Mr. John Charles Hasweli, whose father was i powder monkey in the never-to-be forgotten battle. The powder monkey grew up in the Navy, like his father before him. Young John Charles entered the Navy as naturally as a duck takes to water, ami his son has followed in his steps. John Charles Hasweli was horn when his father was 62, and has died at the age of 74. He must he the last or nearly last of the band who could say that they heard about Trafalgar from an eye-witness. ITALY'S WAY WITH UNEMPLOYED. Italy has an Unemployment Insurance Act, but it is a very modest one. The benefits .-ire small and given under ror/ditions much less liberal than in Britain. Thus at the end of September the number of Italian unemployed was officially estimated at 748,000, inclusive of 163,C00 agricultural labourers. The number enjoying benefits, however, was only 234.000. Instead of paying unemployment benefit ii nation! cudeavour is being made to give good employment. As many as 2038 great public works were inaugurated in October, including important land reclamation and rural hygiene works. BOON TO TRAVELLERS. The Underground ilailway in London has introduced / a new form of service which will prove a great boon to many a traveller. At the busiest of the stations there are ticket-sellers who walk about the booking-halls' relieving the congestion /caused by long queues, approaching bewildered strangers and putting them on the right road//while selling them their tickets, and in every way helping to lessrai tho delays that occur at busy per' <!s. '\ f-A scheme has proved a great success, and the wonder is that such a simple solution did not occur to anyone before. 'RELICS OP ANCIENT DAYS. Workmen discovered ancient graves in three parts of Britain a few weeks ;igo, mil on one day. One was on a hillside near Brighton. Men digging a trench there found the skeleton of a man of the Bronze Age laid in a shallow grave. Another find was at llpton Colliery in Yorkshire, where a skull and part of the skeleton of a prehistoric man were found fix feet deep, with some shaped pieces of flint near the bones. At Prestatyn in North Wales a 1000-year-old skeleton was found about five feet below the surface, buried in a layer of shingle, experts declaring it to be tho frame of a young warrior of the Viking period. His teeth are perfect. A wellmade javelin lay by him. STORY OF MEMORIAL STONE. The discovery of an old John Buskin Stone used in a new pavement at Carshalton, Surrey., is a reminder that often an inscribed stone or a beautiful piece of carving has been turned face downward and used for paving. Not long ago a Dorset rector, wishing to fix a separator in his dairy, took up one of tho flagstones on the floor. He was amassed to find on tho other side, a tribute to the piety of a lady who died 200 years ago. The memorial is back on the church wall now.

Another parson was doublo-trenching his garden, which lias been glowing roses since Tudor days, when lie came on a stone slab se\-eral feet below the surface. " Now," lie thought, " J may find the long-lost Elizabethan chalice." But, alas! when the stone was painfully heaved aside all he found was a pit full of rusty tins and broken china. FRATERNITY OF FOOTBALL. At Hyderabad a team of British soldiers • had a great surprise the other day. They were astonished at the fine football of a team composed of an out-castc Hindu 1 goal-keeper, an Anglo-Indian, and a highcaste Hindu full-back, a Mahometan centre-forward, and a sprinkling of Indian Christians. ; The team not only played together, but •at down to tea together. Yet a few years ago the high-caste Hindu would have called the goalkeeper unclean, arid felt it a sin to eat with him. This better state of affairs haij been brought about by a guild formed originally for men belong- ■ ing to the Wcsleyan Church at Hyderabad. Christian Indians wanted to bring their friends into the football team or the Badminton club,.j and they were permitted. Now* there are Mahometans and Hindus, out-casts and men of high-caste, all playing together. WORLD'S OLDEST CITY. Perhaps the most remarkable excavations ever made are those conducted upon the site of the ancient city of Kish, in li*ak. There tho spado has dug up history that goes back for many thousands of years. (),ic city was found below another. Beneath the lowest, of all were found the flint implements of prehistoric man, and below tho layer which contained those came virgin soil with no traces of human inhabitants. ___ The first city of Kish was built centuries before the time of King David, and from then until tho time of Timur, Kish was a great city. Five hundred years ago, Timur, with his hordes, laid waste the city, and from then until the present clay At has remained a mass of ruins.

In Hip course of the excavations, great palaces liavo been found, as well as tlie bouses in which the ordinary inhabitants of the city lived, ('oins, jewels, weapons, unci implements have been brought to 3i?ht. and the history of the world's oldest city is slowly/being reconstructed. , PRECIOUS RELIC DISCOVERED. Iti his romantic search among ancient documents for new light, on the Scriptures, Dr. A. Mingana, working in liis study it the Ry lands Library in Manchester, has made a notable discovery. A maimfienpt damaged by damp and not well ftnough preserved to justify reproduction, is foynd to/ be a most precious relic of early: Christian literature, of great value to students of early Christian doctrine. Dr. Mingana discovered this Syriae f?xt during an extended journey to the East, -which lie undertook a few years ngo ;n search of such treasures. It bears the tiile " The Book of Faith," and is one of! the writings of Bishop Theodore, winch has been lost to Western readers for upyard of 1500 years. Tbeotlore one of the most famous e\pgeti.til scholars of the early Church, horn alrut 350 A.D. at Anfioch, and an rally companion of St. Chrvsoslom. Dr. Mingani has translated this work for John H •lancjs' library bulletin. It is a conimenary on the Nicene Creed, and is of spcial interest in its emphasis of the hurranity of Jesus. • i I 1 ,

STRANGE CHURCH CLOCK. A curious mechanical contrivance, believed to bo the oldest .church clock in existence, lies forgotten in the belfry of the church nfc Porlock, Somersetshire. For centuries it told the time to the inhabitants of tiie district by striking the hours. Without face and hands, it is probably the only clock of its kind. The works are in a sort of cage made of wood. Boulders from the sca-shoro provide the weights which make them go. The clock was replaced in the church tower about forty years ago, and it has lain neglected in the belfry ever since. CIRCUS OFFERED AS A GIFT. It was announced recently that the great Kludski Circus, which lias long been famous in every town in Central Europe and the Balkans, and which lias now fallen on hard times owing to heavy taxation and overhead expenses, will be given as a free gift to any person or body undertaking to keep it as a going concern and to feed and care for all the animals. M. Kludski is said to have received a handsome offer from the London Zoo for iiis group of 40 lions and tigers, but he cannot bear to think of parting with them for money. FAMILIES AND THEIR HOUSES. A strange thing is happening in the relation ot houses to population in Britain. As the number of children declines the population represents an increasing number of families. There are more families in the country than ever before, but tiio families ato smaller. Iho average number in r Loudon family has dropped from 3.92 in 1921 to 3.65. Thus, on the average, two families would consist of about seven, whereas not long ago a single family would often consist of seven. As the number of families increases more houses or separate dwellings are required to house the people. Therefore the housing problem increases. To put it in another way, between 1921 and 1931 the population of London actually declined by 87,702, but ihe number of families increased by 61,842. BRITAIN'S TRAFFIC DEATH-ROLL. The yearly-death-roll of persons killed on roads in Britain has now reached over 7000 a year, or about 20 a day. The Pedestrians' Association points out that since the war, in 12 years of peace, 1,400,000 have been killed or injured Til load accidents in Britain. This number is equal to more than half the British casualties in the war. Even the footpaths have become a danger, for now 100 persons are killed and 2500 injured in a year by motorvehicles mounting the footpaths. The Battle of Waterloo cost the victors 10,000 casualties; this number of casualties occurs in London alone every three months. A very serious point is the burden on the hospitals, the treatment of motor casualties costing £300,000 and So congesting the wards that there is often no room lor other urgent surgical cases. SMALL COUNTRY TAKES A LEAD. Although one of the smallest nations of the world, the Baltic Stato of Estonia, which gained its independence after the. war, is also one of the most democratic and progressive. Owing to tho smallnoss of its population, about 1,120,000, very few other people learn its pleasant-sounding but' difficult language, it is, therefore, ossential f<>r ? Estonians to learn foreign languages, and consequently they feel the noed for a common international tongue more than members of wide-spread language groups. ; Resulting from this considerable interest is shown in Esperanto, which has many adherents there, and is already taught in certain elementary schools. In the capital. Tallinn, many policemen and members of liotol staffs have learned the new language, and tho authorities rocentlv granted a subs'dy to Esperanto courses for teachers and tram way men. Esperantospeaking travellers to that hospitable land are therefore assured of ready friends. " WAR ON THE PALACES." " War on tho Palaces!" is (he latest battle-cry of the social democrats in Austria, who, despite the economic slump, want to raise the municipal tax on the larger homes, big villas, banking localities, clubs, and expensive shops. Tho revenue would be used for the construction of new dwelling-flats for workmen. In a number of cases this tax would be doubled under the social democrats' scheme, involving extra payment up io £3OOO a year. Owners and tenants say that if the tax were t<> be imposed nothing would bo left to thorn but to demolish thoir buildings. Municipal taxes in Vienna seern hardly in accordance with the times, the one for domestic servants, for instance, being so high that Baron Louis Rothschild is now saving sonic £IO,OOO a year by cutting down his domestic staff, ft is' also disquieting that tho Government, despite the protest against tho municipality, is going to increase its own special tux on dwelling-flats. GOOD BANKING STORIES. Stories about innocent remarks made by bank customers began with tho dear old lady who protested that her account, could not be overdrawn since she still had three cheques left in her cheque-book says a writer in the Weekly Scotsman One of tho pleasantest war stories was of the sprightly young officer who wanted to overdraw £SO without security. A benevolent bank manager gave lh* young man a paternal lecture on tho danger of such an. advance from tlip bank's point of view. " What, would happen to the bank," he asked, " especially in war time, if it gave overdrafts of £SO, without security, to all its young military clients?" The youth listened patiently, then he patted the elderly manager on the shoulder and said. " I'll tell you what is really tho difficulty, old bean. You're, losing your liervo.'' Another story is that of the bank customer who, on being told by a conversational teller that tho pound had pone down to 13s 6d, drew a cheque for £2 0s 6d, and said, " in that case, I'll take three of them, please."

TOURIST'S COCKTAIL SHAKERS. Venice has Leon laughing over the experience of u Herman tourist who had two Viomioso cocktail shakers in his baggage. which he had brought as a gift for friends in that city. Austrian shakers are shaped like a bomb, and so when thi> Italian customs officers saw these bright, silver-plated objects they grew suspicious. Nor would (hey believe the man's story that they were innocent adjuncts to a pleasant party. The officers locked him up in a room, sent for a high official, and when he arrived gingerly took the " bombs " lo pieces. Only after a long cross-examina-tion did they give the shakers back to l heir discomforted owner, who thought himself lucky to be allowed to proceed on his journey by a later train. All gramophone records are " tested at the customs, for fear they arc really sent in for subversive propaganda. When the censors hear jazz music the records are passed. But. it is rumoured that the speech of a British prince of tho blood royal was so puzzling that, it, was laid aside until an official could be found 'o interpret it. Jt was then forwarded to tho consignee, a lady of unimpeachable character.

brighter dress for men. A proposal to combat world depression by introducing brighter clothes for men was made in Paris recently by a wellknown dress expert, M. J'aul Lidwall. Among the suggestions are:—Bluo bowler luits, mauve and pink felt hats, capes to replace the everlasting " cylindrical " overcoat. " Alan," said M. Lidwall in a lecture, " is a subject worthy of adornment, and serious research should be organised for the designing of his clothes." ACCOMPLISHED DEAF MUTE. Born a deaf mute, but now able to speak, IWlle. Suzanne Lavaud, aged 28, of Paris, was a candidate for the degree of doctor of literature at the Strbomie recently. Mile. Lavaud, who taught herself to speak by watching and imitating the lip movements of normal people, had to •answer questions on her thesis put to her verbally by the examining professor. Her thesis dealt with Marie Leneru, a French dramatist, who was herself a deaf mule. BIG BROADCASTING FEE. Miss Grace Fields, the actress, who came to the rescue of the British Broadcasting Corporation on Christmas night, when the Empire broadcast broke down, demanded and received a fee of £los ten guineas a minute—for her performance. She had wanted to spend Christmas night by her own fireside. The rather astonished British Broadcasting Corporation was informed subsequently that Miss Fields was devoting the £lO5 to a home for orphan girls which she is establishing at Peacehavcn in Sussex. WHITE STICKS FOR THE BLIND. The Budapest polico have taken the blind under their protection, and it is hoped that the number of accidents to blind persons will be greatly dimished. At the police headquarters white walking sticks are issued to any blind person or sufferer from severe short-sightedness who makes an application for one. An appeal has been made to the public to help the bearers of white walkingsticks over the crossings and round any obstructions On the pavement or roadway, and in future drivers of vehicles which causo accidents' to blind persons will receive au extra severe punishment on conviction.

WORLD'S FASTEST TRAIN. In tlie fust three months of its recordbreaking run tlift world's fastest train, the " Cheltenham Flyer," in England, covered 6008 miles in 5233'J, minutes. This is only minutes more than I lie total booked schedule allowed for the 73 daily runs from Swinton to London. The train has been photographed from the track, the air, and the train itself, and it has been shown in every part of the globe. Jig-saw pu/./.les and Christmas cards have been made of it, and shortly every passenger travelling on the train will have allixed to his baggage a label bearing a reproduction of the train.

KING'S EATMAKEE BANKRUPT

Among the many cases of bankruptcy in Budapest since the. crisis in the summer is that of Porii and Son, hat makers to the Royal Family and tho aristocratic society of Hungary. The firm of Porfi was founded in 1813 by a member of one o! the oldest patrician families of Budapest. In 1867, when the Emperor Francis Joseph was crowned King of Hungary, Mr. Porfi was called to the palace, as tho crown was found to he too large for the, Emperor's head, and a lining of gold brocade was inserted to make it fit. The crown of St. Stephen is extremely heavy, and on the night before, the coronation of King Charles, Mr. Ifnuser, the then head of tho firm and son-in-law of Mr. Poili, was asked by Queen Zita to provide a storm-band of gold brocade to prevent the crown from slipping during tho ceremony.

IRELAND'S PATKON SAINT. Downpatrick, llio old-world (own in County Down, where Ireland's patron saint was bunnd. will he more than ever the Mecca of pilgrims from all parts of the enith when a plan for a memorial, which should appeal to the imagination of all lovers of Ireland, has been brought to fruition. On the. spot on which St. Patrick's first church stood 1500 years ago an imposing memorial to the wonderful work of St. Patrick in Ireland is to be erected. The present parish church of Said is to be razed, and on the site a beautiful church in <lio ancient Irish stylo will bo erected. 'I he .Apostle of Ireland first, set foot on Irish soil in <132 A.D., as a Christian missionary at Saul, on the shores of Strangford Lough, and his body rests inside the precincts of Down Cathedral. The original church which lie. founded at Saul was destroyed by Danes. On two later occasions it was again destroyed. The building now to be removed was erected 150 years ago. There has been a sacred building on (li s silo sinco the days of (lie pairon saint, and the new memorial building, (o which Irishmen in nil parts of the world will bo asked to subscribe, will perpeluato this tradition.

DISTURBING THE CONGREGATION. Try its lie would, Wilson could no) cure himself of (lie habit of snoring. Finally lie decided to consult I:is doctor. 'I lie doctor looked liim lip and down. " Does you snoring disturb your wife?" lie asked. Wilson looked surprised. " Disturb (Its wife?" be. echoed. " Why, it disturbs the whole congregation " A NEAR T^ING. Dismal James and his friend were walking in the park. Suddenly James stopped and nodded to a grey-haired man on a near-by seat. "There's the fellow who swindled me out of five thousand pounds," he told his friend. The friend looked surprised. "Really?" he exclaimed. " Yos," said <1 ''irncs, " lie wouldn't let his daughter marry me." THE DIFFERENCE. The choir-boy was applying for a posi lion in the oliicc of the local estate agent. " Have you any references?" asked the agent. * " Yes. sir." said the boy. " lleres (\yo -0110 from I lie clergyman and one from the choirmaster." I lie estate agent read them through. " I'm afraid these are no Rood," he said: " you see. 1 don't want you on Sundays. You'll have to get, references from somebody who knows you on weekdays." RETURNING THE COMPLIMENT. The long-haired poet deposited his work of art on the editor's table. " There sir." he said, " is a masterpiece." The editor picked it up. The poet continued. "And, sir." he said, " it may surprise you to know that I do not want any remuneration for this poem. I. merely submit it as a compliment." "Then," said the editor, with his usual courtesy, " allow inc. to return the compliment." NOT USUAL. Humming to himself, the guest at a certain hotel collected his luggage from the hall porter and clambered into a wailing taxi. Shortly afterwards the manager said to (lie waiter: " You save that man in Room 241 his bill, didn't you, Alphonso?" " Yos. sir," was the reply. " I didn't forget to charge for anything. did I?" was the next question. " Not that I know of," answered th. waiter. Strange," murmured Iho manager, " very strange. I can still hear him whistling."

STRIKING FACTS. Jones: "Mv wife was walking along llio street tlio other day when somebody's umbrella struck her in the eve, awl il co.st me a guinea for a doctor's hill Smith: " Oh, that's nothing to grumble at. My wife was going clown the, street only yesterday, and a milliner's shop window struck her in tlio eye, and it cost mo two guineas." BADLY PUT. Brown secretly worshipped tlio pretty typist who worked in the same oflice with him. Tlio young clerk, however, possessed little manly beauty, and was very shy and retiring. Whon Christmas camo along he. decided to give hor a present. Taking his courage i" both hands, he went up to the typist's desk. " Mary—l mean, e-c-or, Miss White," ho stammered awkwardly, " how would you like a little puppy Mr. Brown," she said, with a reproachful stare, " I do hopo you're not proposing to mo."

VERY STKANGE. A motorist approached a ford on a strange road, and before venturing; lie asked a passing youth if it wore safe to drive through it. Being assured ho drove on, but was soon stuck in the middle. With a withering glance he turned to the youth, who had stopped to watch proceedings. " That's funny," said the lad. "It only comes up. to ihe middle of our ducks."

THE WIFE WAS ANNOYED. " Wliv is your wife in such a bad temper to-day?" " She was annoyed with the maid and I hen she became annoyod with me be cause I was not annoyed with the maid, and then she was annoyed with herself for being annoyed with me berauso 1 was not annoyed with the maid." THE CURE THAT WORKED. Mi's. Mullins had called to enquire of the ailing husband. " No," said Mrs. Flattery, " Bob isn't getting on so well. I spoke to the doctor about him, and the doclor gave me a powder to cure him of drinking." "How did you administer it?" asked Mrs. Mullins. " Just put it in his cocoa," came the reply. "It worked all right, I suppose?" asked tho other. Mrs. Flattery nodded miserably. " Oh. yes," slio replied. "It cured him of drinking cocoa." STEWARD'S ORDERS. Mrs. Suburbs paced anxiously up and down the room. Presently fchc looked at tho clock on the mantelshelf. It was midnight, ller husband had not yet arrived home. " lie's at that club," sho murmured to herself. After a while sho picked up the telephone receiver and rang up tho club. " Hallo," she asked, "is my husband there ?" She heard a deep sigh come over tho wire. " No, ma'am," said the voice of tho steward, " he's not hero." "But I haven't told you who I am!" sho snapped back. Again the deep sigh. " 1 know, ma'am," said the steward, " but nobody's husband ain't ever here." HIS FIRST DUTY. A lawyer made his way to some scaffolding where a gang was working, and called for Michael O'Neill. "Who's wanting me?" enquired a voice from above. " Mr. O'Neill." the lawyer shouted. " did you conio from Drogheda ?" " 1 did." " And was your mother named Kathleen and your father Michael ?" " They wor." " It is my duty, then, to inform you that your Aunt Mary, who married tho millionaire, Richly, has died in New York leaving you a fortune." Tliero was a' short silence and then a commotion up above. " Are you coming Mr. O'Neill?" the lawyer called. "In wan minute" was the answer. " I'm just stopping to wallop the foreman."