HOME AND FOREIGN

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1748, 6 September 1905, Page 12

HOME AND FOREIGN

A NEW TORPEDO. Efewick, for which Sir Andrew Noble frgm justi claimed that it supplied all the Sna with. l whicih tiie Japanese did such ecution in the battle of the Sea of Japan, is now credited with the production of a new and improved type of torpedo. The secret of the special nature of the construction is jealously guarded! for the moment, but it is stated that it is designed to maintain the pressure of the air by which the torpedo is propelled for a considerably longer tame than is possible in any < of the existing types of torpedoes, thereby increasing the striking distance and the force of the projectile. If ait that is claimed for the new device is proved to the satisfaction of the representatives of the navies of the world, who will probably be present at the final trials, 'Elswictk Works are likely to be largely employed in the production of torpedoes in the near future. A CONGO INSTITUTE. A great festival was held on the 2nd July at Tervueren, near 'Brussels, for the celebration of the twentieth anniversary of the foundation of .the Congo Free State. No less than 60,000 persons were present at the ceremony. The King of the Belgians himself laid the first stone of the Mondial Institute, which, is being established to provide a course of training for young men preparing to enter the service of the Congo Free State. During the proceedings the King delivered an important speech, in which he dwelt at length upon the usefulness of the Congo Free State’s work with, reference to the future of the Belgian people. The whole ceremony was of a most imposing character; and his Majesty was the recipient of a prolonged ovation. CRESTED STEWPANS. Some of the effects of Lord Curzon of Kedleston. from Walmer Castle were < sold at Deal on the 6th July, and many were the expressions of regret heard from old! inhabitants at the change which had brought these articles under the auctioneer’s hammer. The meet valuable furniture and the articles of historical interest have been purchased by the nation from Lord Curzon, and remain at the castle. The articles offered were of lesser value, although removed from apartments used by William Pitt, Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington, and the late Queen Victoria and Prince Consort. The highest price realised was £9 for a gentleman’s antique mahogany wardiibbe. A small antique copper warming pan stated to have been used in Queen Victoria’s bedroom, only fetched ss, and a small .presentation picture to Lady .Granville, representing the launching of the Walmer lifeboat, was disposed of for 16s. William Pitt’s fish kettle, as it was described by the auctioneer, was sold for 325. and a stewpan having the crest and initials of the Duke of Wellington realised 335. In the culinary department numerous articles were sold bearing the crest and initials of Lord Granville, Lord Palmerston, William Pitt, and the Duke of Wellington. Amongst these was a bowl bearing the Wellington stampings, used for serving baked potatoes in their skins. It was sold for 325. [A! MAJOR’S CONCISE DISPOSITION OF HIS ESTATE. - Probate was granted in London on the 7th July of one of the shortest wills that have passed the Probate Court. The will is that of Major William Squire-Dawson, of The Dodge, Higham, near Colchester, and late of the 91st Argyll e and Sutherland Highlanders, who died on 6th May last, aged 72 years. It consists of only 43 words, and is believed to be surpassed in its conciseness only by that of the late Matthew Arnold, who omitted the words, “This is my last will and testament.” It contains all that is necessary, and only one really redundant word. The will reads as follows: This is my last will and testament. I leave everything I possess to my wife, Mary Squire-Dawson, and appoint her sole executrix. Dated 6th October, 1895. (Signed) William Squire Dawson. Signed by the testator in our presence and by us in bis presence. Here followed the signatures and description of the two attestation witnesses. The only redundant word is the second word “presence” in the attestation clause. The testator by this will disposed of property of a gross value of £16,871, of which the net personalty been sworn at £16,835.

A FINGER-PRINT MURDER GLUE. M. Hamaid, chief of the Paris detective force, anal M. Bertdllon, the famous finger-print expert, attended. Bow street Police Court a few* weeks ago to give evidence in connection with the charge against Gaston Henri Thiriot and Baptiste Saaizat, and twfc* men ini custody In Paris of robbing and murdering an aged couple named Mme. Laurent and Pierre Planet. M. HCamard told in French, the dramatic story of the discovery of the t ©man’s body' in the shop ini the Rue Houdon in May last. She was lying dead, with a duster over her mouth. The place was all! upside down, and on a table were the remains of a meal—cheese and meat and! bread. There were also three bottles, and on one of these the detective saw 1 finger-prints. A few hours later the bottle was handed to M. Bertalllon, who told how he found two finger-prints upon it. He photographed these, made enlargements, and! compared them with the prints taken of Sauzatis fingers when he Was in oustodiy in Paris some time ago. The resemblance, said M'. Bertillon, was complete. When the fingerprints arrived) from Brixton Prison witness compared them with, the impressions from the bottle. These also “corresponded! particularly.” Mr Mar sham committed Sauzat for extradition on the charge of murder, and Thiriot as an accessory after the fact. POT-HUNTING ATHLETICS. No more “pot-hunting” in the athletics of the Manchester Grammar School boys)! Mr Paton, the high master, explained in a speech! at the close of the annual sports that a system of bronze tokens has been instituted instead, and That cups and trophies are things . of the past, “I think it necessary,” he said, “to tell old boys and friends present why this table is not littered with silver cups and other prizes as in the past. To-day marks a change in the history of the Manchester Grammar School sports, and pot-hunting will henceforward be discouraged’. ‘The competitions are really between the forms, and tokens of merit have taken the place of cups. “I want to see inculcated that spirit which characterises the interest in cricket, football, and lacrosse. In these games the best players do not play for cups.” If a boy or man, he argues, cannot be induced to compete except for a cup, he is not wanted. SAW HIS OWN GRAVE. It is given to few men to visit their own grave and see the tombstone which ha 3 been eriected in their own memory, yet this strange experience has been undergone by a Manchester man named Tripper. Not only that: the man found that his wife had again, married in his absence, thinking he was dead. The story of this Enoch Arden of fact is singular. Nine years ago he vanished, and nothing further was heard of him for some months. Then a body was removed from a canal in the vicinity, and the sorrowrstriken wife identified the remains as those of her husband. An inquest was held, and in due course Tripper’s insurance money was forthcoming. The remains were interred at All Slain ts’ Cemetery, Newton Heath, many of Tripper’s friends and his wife attending the ceremony and mourning him as dead.' After a while a suitable tombstone was erected bearing the inscription, “In memory of Herbert Tripper, died December, 1896, aged 30 years.” Years passed, and Mrs Tripper’s heart was besieged by another man, this ending in another wedding, only to be followed by a dramatic denouement. The man whose body was supposed’ to have been interred nearly nine years ago has turned up, and is in the employ of a firm in Manchester. LEAGUE OF MERCY. Members of the League of Mercy attended a garden-party given by the Prince of Wales in the grounds of Marlborough House on the Ist July. “I am much gratified to learn that the large sum of £14,000 has been handed over to King Edward’s Hospital Eirad,” said the Prince. “This) makes a total of £46,000 during the five years the league has been in existence.” The Prince, accompanied by Prince Edward and Prince Albert, in sailor suits, and Prince and Princess Alexander of Teck, stood on the steps leading to the house and presented the order of the League of Mercy to a number of ladies and gentlemen. In aid of the funds of the League of Mercy a magnificent collection of Wedgwood, acquired by the late Lord. Tweedon cuth and brought from Guisachan, is being exhibited at Mr Charles Davis’s art galleries at 147, New Bondi street. The collection, has been arranged and the catalogue compiled by Mr Rathbone, of South Kensington, and! is well worth

visiting, as, in addition to some fine specimens of there are 33 of the original mosaics, which were supposed to have been destroyed in the process of making the china. The collection is valued. at £20,000, and two of. the chocolate andl white vases would bring 1000 guineas each in an auction room. CAUGHT BY CHANGE. Two men, who were said to have given the police an immense amount of trouble, appeared at Middlesex Sessions on the Ist July. They were Thomas Anderson. 31j clerk, and Arthur Cecil Fenton, 45, accountant, who were indicted for defrauding the public, the former by posing as a collector of rates and taxes, etc., and the latter by obtaining goods from advertisers on approval and disposing of them. In the five cases against Anderson and the two against Fenton those duped were all women. Anderson “worked” London and the suburbs, and the police believe he is the man whose description has been circulated from all parts of London and the suburbs north and south of the Thames. The modus operand! of the man so much, sought after was to pose as the collector of King’s taxes, rates, gas and! electric light accounts, insurance, and “tally men’s” weekly accounts, etc. There were as many as 18 cases in connection with the Gas Light and Coke Company. In every one the swindler appeared! to know the name of the authorised! collector and the approximate amount due. The police were completely baffled. Whatever division a warrant was granted in the mysterious collector vanished, and complaints came in in another) division. He continued his frauds until one day, at Crouch-end, Detective-Sergeant Goodchild saw Anderson, and recognised him from the description, but all efforts to get near him failed 1 . The officer then gave information to the parish constable, Robert Treadaway, who smartly Captured him leaving a house where he had called for the Hornsey Gas Company’s account. Fenton’s system was to apply for articles on approval that were advertised for sale. When arrested he told a de-tective-sergeant that he had had advertisers’ goods on approval from many parts: from London, Middlesex, Essex, Berks, Yorkshire, 'Surrey, Hants, ets. Sentence was postponed in the case of Fenton. Andersion was sent to five years' penal servitude. BRITISH FRUIT. Th ) report of the Departmental Committee on Fruit Culture affords no encouragement to P!rot ecttion i st s the committee's recommendations for the improvement of British fruit trade being confined entirely to practical proposals which have nothing to do with tariffs. Amongst groweis and distributors the report has been well received. It suggests that a department should be attached to the Board of Agriculture to protect the interest of fruitgrowers. The committee recognises the advantages of small holdings, and they favour Government aid 1 for deserving tenants. The weak points in the present system of land tenure as affecting fruit culture are pointed l out. The vexed) question of railway rates and conditions has been fully dealt with. One reasonable hint is that in times of glut the fruit should be conveyed at reduced charge®, in the same way that the companies afford facilities to large excursion parties. For the better distribution of produce the committee make the suggestion that additional markets on the lines of the one at Kewbridge should be established, and increased facilities afforded at the existing provincial markets. THE WAR OFFICE AND .VOLUNTEER FORCE 1 . ‘ As was to be expected the War Office edict with regard to weeding out Volunteers physically unfit to stand the strain of a campaign has caused a great deal of heart-burning. Volunteer officers and men openly declare that the War Office, in pursuance of its policy of extermination, has at last found a means of destroying the Volunteer movement The instructions given to Volilnteer commanding officer® are that the men must be medically examined as for active service, that the unfit are to be thrown aside, and that report® are to be handed in of the numbers of fit and unfit. Several commanding officers have been seen by a London ‘Daily Mail” representative, and they condemn with one accord! the new proposals of the department. “Goodness knows when I shall get all my men through,” said one wellknown Volunteer colonel. “Study it is better to have youths of seventeen, who can be easily set up, than men who have stopped growing. I think of resigning myself; I am so tired of the whole thing. Three years ago I was at the head) of over a thousand men, and now I have only half the number. “As for physique I can back my men acainst the Regulars any day. Not

long ago . I marched a half battalion twenty-six miles on a hot day, and not a man fell out. There would be no| trouble about the snooting. I could guarantee to make all my men first* das® shots and three- fourths of them marksmen if the Government would give us ammunition for practice and pay our exepenses to the ranges. Runnymede, the nearest range, is twenty miles away, and. how many rounds are we allowed for practice l , do you think P Ten rounds 1 .We have only ninety rounds' in all to become first-class shots, let alone marksmen., The thing is ridiculous.” A BISHOP INDICTS THE PREVAL- / ENT LAXITY OF MORALS. At the meeting of the Convocation for Canterbury at Westminster on the 4th July, the Bishop of Birmingham urged that the Church should take special measures to combat current abuses of commerce, gambling, and certain other prevalent offences against the moral law. There could be no doubt, said the bishop, that there were many abuses of commerce. It was proved by the report of the London Chamber of Commerce some years ago on the question of secret commissions, that secret com- ■ missions were prevalent in nearly every business. He regarded gambling as an offence morally, and pointed to the decline in the birth-rate as proof of offences against the moral law. Then, again, thei-e were many men who were attracted to the Church but were kept away because they were conscious that to serve their employers they had to say and do things which were not in accordance with the moral law. The Bishop of Southwark said that in the necessity for keeping together religion and morality the Nonconformist had set them a good example. They had heard of the Nonconformist conscience, with which he had not always agreed'; hut it was a good thing to have a conscience. SUPERSTITIOUS YANKEES. Of all the folk in the world one would least expect to find the keen, practical American the slave of superstition. Yet it is in deference to the susceptibilities of Brother J onathan, his wife, and his daughters, that two of our greatest Transatlantic shipping lines are withdrawing the “unlucky” No. 13 from the state cabins of their ocean greyhounds. The Cunard Company in their new liner .Oaronia have no No. 13, nor is there even a “113,” and it is the company’s intention to avoid the use of 13 in boats which may be built in the future. The White Star Line, too, have abolished No. 13 entirely from their boats for the same reason, and have substituted “11a.” The London representatives of other shipping lines declare that they have found little if any difficulty in this matter, which seems to be confined to Americans. * LONDON’S DEATH RATE. The births registered in London during the week ended July 1, numbered 2,490 and the deaths 1,080, the former being 76 and the latter 231 below the average numbers in the corresponding weeks of the previous ten years. The annual death rate per 1,000 from all causes was 12.0 last week, against 13.8, 13.3, and 11.7 in the three immediately preceding weeks. The 1,080 deaths included' 1 from smallpox, 31 from measles, 12 from scarlet fever, 7 from' diphtheria, 26 from whooping-cough, 1 from enteric fever, and 25 from diarrhoea; thus 103 deaths were 1 referred to these diseases in the aggregate, being 72 below the corrected average weekly number. LAWYER’S BIG SACRIFICE. Mr Elihu Root’s acceptance of the post of Secretary of State and head of the Cabinet for the remainder of Mr Roosevelt’s administration is a* striking example of obedience to tbe call of public duty. Mr Elihu Roofs acceptance of the his unchallenged; primacy of the American Bar, where, according to the “New) York Times,” he is making 1,000 dollars per day, or nearly £75,000 per annum for an office worth exactly £1,600 a year. . . After all, as the American editorials point out, with a suspicion of surprise, there are some public men to whom the almighty dollar is not the chief end and aim of existence. It is, however, a perfectly fair comment to observe -that Mr Root has obeyed not only the call of duty but the call of opportunity. “I want every man to have a square deal,” Mr Roosevelt said in the now historic phrase that applies to Presidents and Cabinet Ministers. Mr Root has been induced to return to public life. Mr Taffc will ultimately become Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and Mr Root will enjoy Mr Roosevelt’s active support for the l m esidential nomination of 1908.