From Far and Near.

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 11305, 2 September 1922, Page 9

From Far and Near.

News From Other Countries.

SOLDIER MONK OF LEPER ISLE 36 YEARS ON DAMIEN’S MOLOKAI. Brother Dutton, “hermit priest of Molokai,” the leper island of the Hawaiian group, recently celebrated his 79th birthday and his 36th year of labour among the exiled inhabitants of the colony on the rock-bound peninsula of Kalawao, writes Reuter’s correspondent at Honolulu. He has never set foot off the lonely isle since his arrival there 36 years ago to work with FatherDamien. Once a soldier, he retired with the rank of captain after the American Civil "War. ’ He was “debonair, a lover of (the pleasure of life, a Beau Brummel, and he sowed his wild oats until he was 35 years old.” Then he concluded that “his life had been wasted, and he must salvage it through penance.” As a convert to Catholicism he was -baptised at the Trappist monastery at Geithsemane, Kentucky. He determined to bury himself from the world, and to spend the remainder of his days in self-abnegation. POTASH PROFITS STRIKING RECOVERY OF GERMAN INDUSTRY. Germany’s potash industry, which for two years after the armistice was in a bad way, seems to be sharing in the present general (trade prosperity. The annual report of the German potash works, just issued, states, for instance, that Hie net profits for the past year 'amounted to 20 million marks, (two and a half times as much as those; of the previous year. The interesting fact is mentioned that Germany last year was able to export considerably to France, notwithstanding that the lat-, tor obtained, by the Peace Treaty, possession of the great Alsatian potash reserves. Exports overseas are beginning to assume the old scale, particularly to the United States. STRANGE AIR CRASH SEAPLANE IN COLLISION WITH A STEAMER. A telegram from Cherbourg states that a military hydroplane struck the steamer Seine, belonging to the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, breaking the mast and the two powerful funnels of the vessel. The machine was Completely smashed, and now lies on the deck of the Seine, where the debris forms an indescribable mass. The three passengers in the plane were terribly shaken, and the pilot’s assistant was injured in the head. BOY BURNT AT STAKE GAME OF “INDIANS” THAT ENDED IN DEATH. “Playing cowboys,” Billie Durbin, a seven-year-old -boy of Akron, Ohio, was laßsoed by his playmates, who wore making believe to be Indians- The latter roped their prisoner in‘the most-ap-proved style; and then tied; him to a stake. They heaped faggots, about Ms feet, soaked them with petrol, and set them alight. Then they began a war dance around their victim, but the leaping flames and the terrified child’s screams of pain soon frightened them to stillness. Billie died. A passing pedestrian rescued him- from the stake, - but not'‘until he had been hurt beyond 1 * hope of recovery. TRAGIC BERENADE BRIDEGROOM’S SUICIDE AFTER SHOOTING A FRIEND. At Pan, in the Lower Pyrei,eea, Jean Brpussat, aged 43, was married to a young widow of the neighbourhood. Following the custom in some of the French provinces, his bachelor friends gathered under the couples’ window ana serenaded them by every sort erf annoying device. The bridegroom did hir. best to stop them, and finally appealing at the window with a rifle, fired in the direction of- the crowd, presumably intending itb frighten' them. There was a cry, and one of the serenaders felldead. Another was wounded. Brousset then reversed the gun and' shot himself dead. ADOPTED FIVE OBPHANB

WAR-BEREAVED AMERICAN AND HIS PILGRIMAGE. The Paris papers mention the arrival of a Californian who lost his son, aged 19, <m the French front after he had-fought at the battle of the Marne as a volunteer in the French army. He has adopted five French orphans, one in - Paris, one at .Bordeaux, and the others in different parts of France, and he pays for their education. Bending the sums necessary regularly every quarter. This year he decided that he must see his son’s grave and his five adopted children. He borrowed money and travelled third-class and steerage. He speaks no French and his only guides are a photograph .of the dead son’s, grave and letters from the five children. He will return to America next month. HONOURS LIBT HOW THEY ARE MADE UP. QUESTIONS IN BRITISH PARLIA- - MENT. Mr Chamberlain informed Mr G. Locker-Lampson in the House of Commons that some weeks before the date of each Honours List departments were asked to send to the Prime Minister the names of any i(ersone -whom they desired to recommend for an honour. The names eventually approved wero submitted bv the Prime Minister to the King. Mr Locker-Lampson asked if there was any department which had acted as a clearing house to which the recommendations of the different departments were sent before the final list was made oat for the Prime Minister Mr Chamberlain: No, sir. The recommendations of the departments are sent direct to the Prime Minister. The special adviser of the Prime Minister in relation to honours given to departmental servants', is, by virtue of his office, the head of the Treasury. . Mir Devlin: How much is charged for' a baronetcy and what is the price of a knighthood? (Laughter.) Mr Chamberlain did net answer.

LEGLESS MARKSMAN KING’S PRIZE COMPETITOR AT EISLEY WHEELED ON TO RANGE. Among the competitors for the King’s Prize, was Lieutenant F. B. Smith (Seafortlis), who lost both legs in the war. He was wheeled on to the range, and succeeded in scoring 32 at 200 yards. An Australian officer experienced a blow-back, and the boit of his rifle struck his jaw, rendering him temporarily unconscious. On recovering consciousness, he coojiy carried on. There were 805 entries, as compared with 637 last year. Owing to a troublesome wind and variable light the shooting was not good. TANGIER HARBOUR BRITISH PROTEST TO FRANCE ON ACTION OF SULTAN. ’ Mr Harmsworth . (Under-Secretary ; for Foreign Affairs), in a written answer to Mr Malone, states that in reply to the protest of the British Government concerning the proposal «rf' France to build harbour facilities at: Tangier, the French Government have maintained the right of the Sultan to 1 grant a concession for the construction! of such works without the consent of’ other Powers. It had never been proposed to construct a submarine bare at Tangier. It was hoped to hold a conference in London shortly between the Prime Ministers of France, Spain, and Great Britain. The British Go- ' - vernment had alwfiye made it a condition that the conference should be ■ tripartite. The Sultan of Morocco, being under French protection, would be . “ properly represented by France. HOTTENTOT REVOLT GENERAL SMUTS DENIES CRUEL* TY IN SUPPRESSION. General Smuts, in an interview with J ?' Renter’s representative, denied the al- ' legation of Mr John H. Harris' in the 4 “Daily News” alleging that the suppression of the recent Hottentot revolt was ch-'fracterisod by cruelty. The general declared that the operations for the suppression of the rising were 000- - ducted with great humanity, and there- - was no ground whatever tor any such - allegations. General Bmnts stated that Mr Hofmeyr, the Administrator of the; . South West Territory, had made a to-' , port on -the question, and that the' vtGovemment had appointed a Commiat - sion to inquire still further into the. - matter, , “CUBHY” JOBB £ GIRL LEARNER TELEPHONISTS > AT 36s PER WEEK. , * 'A The Select Committee on British Estimatea. of which Sir Frederick R° Tl —, bury; MP., is chairman, has iimbS reached the Post Office in its inquiries. ?* One of the points in its report, issued -7 recently, is that girls of 16 receive a .salary of 36s a week while they are learning to-be( - telephone operators, > whereas in ordinary life persons of that age; - learning a trade -or" business, would probably only be paid a nominal salary. An “assistant solicitor unestablished” at £9OO a: year has been done away with, and the same gentleman reappointed as “additional assist- ' ant solicitor” at £IOOO a year. At the-GiP.-O. there are one housekeeper, five assistant housekeepers, and one cook, £ as to whose duties the Committee vm; R unable to ‘ obtain any accurate information Free medical service given toall postal employees whose salary isnotf more than £370, costs £144,316 a year*„LONELY MOTHER’S HOPE JOURNEY FROM NEW ZEALAND;.' TQ SEE HER “DEAD” BOY. * % A touching story reminiscent of tiis- - War was unfolded when the Shaw, Savill and Albion liner lonic recently, arrived at Southampton. Mrs BL, Stewart Grmg, -who is now over 70, years of age. and who returned to this, ■ country in. the ship, lest'her four sonsduring the war. Left alone in her declining years, she bravely undertook, to go to New Zealand to make her home vim a brother {here, but early last - May she received a cable from theoffioer of her youngest son’s regiment;, the London Scottish, informing her that her boy was in a convalescent : home at Hastings. /Beyond this, die" has so far received mo news, but she* declared, that she always looks on thebright side, and her -hope now. is .that; she will find her eon on the road to; recovery. Mrs Greig added that, die had received not one. penny campenea-i turn from the Government for the loss' of her bops. i j.

IF LABOUR RULES SIR ALFRED MONO’S FKEDICV' TTON OF FINANCIAL CHAOS. , Sir Alfred Mood, speaking at Mnm-‘ hies in support of Mr Williams, Cbali- 1 tion Liberal candidate for Gower, said' that if tiie Labour Party come into power to-morrow they would he incap-’ able of dealing with the great financial problems and of inspiring the confid-! enoe of the financiers of the world.’ The result would be the withdrawal' of finance, 'which would involve the" country in ruin and misery. It wool important that people of ability and* experience should deal with financial' and other questions, especially at tine most critical time in our history. People wbo bad made industries were morelikely to help the country’s recovery ‘ than those, who spent most of theo time in trying to wreck industries. ,

ARMSTRONG’S WILL - ESTATE OF £3,628 LEFT TO WIFR,' AND CHILDREN. .» - :t Hie will of Herbert Bowse Arm-, strong, the Hay poisoner, shows thaiC the gross value of the estate is £362& 11s Id, with net personality nil. Dated) June 4th, 1907, in this will Armstrong; appointed his wife and Mr Arthur ward Chevalier, solicitor, of 43, Castle, street, Liverpool, as executors. He. left to his wife £IOO, -his household ana; personal effects and consumable store*,. All his other property he left upon* trust far hie wife during directing that her income from hjc estate was to be made up to £3OO annum from capital if the estate did? not produce that sum in income, with? remainder to his children or ijieir, issue in equal shares.