General News.

Patea Mail, Volume XXXVII, 28 February 1913, Page 1

General News.

The following cables appeared on Feb- ! s rnary 5, 0 and 7 in Australian papers employing the independent Press cable a service: v THE POLITE BURGLAR. Lady Freako, the Mayoress of Dart- I mouth, related yesterday a remarkable ] experience she bad had with a burglar. . Awakened from her sleep in the early j j hours of tire morning, and finding a man | v in her bedroom, she sternly demanded p from him the reason for his intrusion. i It was a burglar, who had invaded the .privacy of her bedroom, but “such a nice one,” as he was afterwards described by one of tire household. At all events, he was exceedingly polite. When peremptorily called upon to ex- ) : plain his presence, the early morning j t caller begged Duly Freakc’s pardon, said j 1 something about the mistake he had I made, and then proceeded to relieve his t pockets of the family Jewels with which he had filled them. Three times’ did he dip his hands into his pockets and .haul forth the proceeds nf his goodly harvest. Then he made a p polite bow "to Lady Freakc, bade her (i good morning, and vanished. s =. (i FRENCH BIRTH-RATE. t M. Barthou, the French Minister for 1 Justice, has given the Senate some as- v founding birth-rate figures. He says that there arc 170,000 cases of malpractice annually, and in Parts the total actuallv outnumbers the births. 1 He blames the judges for acting too > p leniently in the cases of women charged. t The prefect of police deplores that the 1 police are unable to prosecute or place j restrictions on people who openly advor- t tisc themselves as criminal practitioners, f i WIPING OUT DISEASE. i “I sometimes wish that a holocaust 1 would come and destroy every dwellinghouse in the United States, Then the two greatest diseases that bring death to the house would be banished.” r This startling statement was made at Denver by Dr. Harv'ey Wiley, late Chief Government * Chemist at IVashington, in an address before the Denver Medical Association. The remarks have caused widespread discussion. Dr. Wiley further declared that some day every learned profession, with the exception of teaching and agriculture, would be done away with. Perfect health would banish physicians and bring universal peace, thereby banishing lawyers. PETROL RUNNING OUT. I The Parliamentary Committee api pointed to enquire into the cost of petrol has come to the conclusion that it is impossible to reduce the price to consumers. because the demand is greater than the apparent existing supply. The only hopes arc reduction in use or the discovery of new oilfields.

A PATRIOTIC SPEECH.' Speaking at Konigsborg at the antiXapoleonie centenary celebration, the Kaiser, in a patriotic speech, said: “Once more we write the date 1!!, but the picture has changed since 1813. To-day the German Empire is equipped against every attack. The roots of its strength lie in its fear of God and its sense of duty 1 and devotion to king and country.” ? THE MYSTERIOUS AIRSHIP. The brilliantly-lighted airship which has been seen passing over various parts of the north-west of England and over Wales recently has again been reported from Wales. THE SUFFRAGETTES. Mr. Reginald McKenna, Home Socic- - tary, replying to Sir A. R. Markham in the* House of Commons, said that 240 I suffragettes wore sentenced in 1012, and GO of that number were released, practiy cally on the ground that they refused to ■e take food. Sir A. B. Markham then asked if it were possible that a murderer would lie released if ho refused to cat. i Mr. McKenna replied that no such case & had occurred, i THE MALAYAN DREADNOUGHT. The Admiralty has contracted with Messrs Armstrong, Whitworth and Sons for the construction _of the battleship presented to the Empire by the Federated Malay States. The cost of the vessel - will be £2,250,000, and she will be named H.M.S. Malaya.

AGGRESSIVE POLITICS. The suffragettes held a monster reception at tiro Queen’s Hall. Mr. Bernard Shaw wrote advising the loaders to con- • tfentvate their attack upon the Speaker ll of the House of Commons, as a protest i .against the ruling which lie gave with ' fogitrd to the Franchise Bill, and which ! vaulted in the withdrawal of the mca- ; 1 “You people.” wrote the famous «'• "tmversialist. “hit out at everybody 1,011 vl the Speaker, who will escape you are pummelling Mr. Asquith,, "bile , and the rest of the Mr. Lb \ ° Cabinet.” " “ PARSIFAL.” Parliament has refused to The German Tr jo-i,t of “Parsifal,” the extend the cop;> 'tVic-t Us performance to idea being to res , lt Bayreuth, the musical :fe«tiv. T COLONIES. THE FRENCi . . , , - 'introduced in the A Bill has been . Vpul.ies with the French Chamber of D v Caledonia and object of permitting Ne\ modify the other French colonies tv -roods to suit home tariff on imported > local conditions. A DOUBLE MURDER *. _ . -n Pans. A double murder has occurred . vmerly An octogenarian named Belter. f<. ‘ a a, prominent Government official, . vpyse female servant, were found in a h t . lying suffocated on the floor. T . ' mouths wen- gagged with rags. A. s, equal to £IGO had been stolen, and it f v > believed that the servant planned tin ( crime, and was killed by her accomplice after the master of the house had been disposed of. THE PACIFIC FLEET. The Times, in a leading article, says . that when H.M.S. New Zealand’s visit to 1 the Southern Hemisphere is finished she I ■will return to Home waters, but her sis- i ter ship, H.M.S. Australia, will remain 1 in the Pacific Ocean as flagship of the V

Australian fleet. “Australia,” proceeds the article, “is making rapid headway in naval organisation, and is already, in embryo, a self-reliant Power. She has set her feet with courage and determination in the arduous path of actual achievements, and is already worthy of warm congratulation.” The Times also advocates a conference this year regarding the Pacific licet.

THE HON. JAS. BRYCE. ( Hr. James Bryce, lately the British J Ambassador' to Washington, and who i visited Australasia shortly before rctir- j ing from that ‘post, has been appointed j i member of the Hague Arbitration Jourt. ( BETTING TIPS. I T 1 ic House of Lords has passed a Bill | prohibiting the publication of any adver- j lisenients relating to betting or to the . business carried on by tipsters. It will i be impossible for the measure to pass j the House of Commons during the pre- ‘ sent session. *

POLICE GRAFT. | The confession of Police-captain Walsh ! I that be had received a draft from certain j j disorderly houses in New York has! shaken the police department to its foun- I j datlons. Walsh was ill, and stricken by I j the pangs of conscience he sent for the District Attorney and owned up to the whole allair.

PANCAKE TUESDAY. ' Tlic ancient Shrove Tuesday custom of tossing the pancake was celebrated at Westminster School. A youngster named Ealand, an Australian, Avon the prize which was given the boy avlio secures the largest piece. The pancake is carried into the school hall by the chef, and then thrown into the air, and as it falls there is a wild scramble by hundreds of boys to grab as much as they can of the cake. A QUESTION OF DIET. The Central Chamber of Agriculture lurs been making enquiries into the values of respective diets to the human system. Investigations were carried out ’among a- number of picked policemen, and it was discovered that the finest \ specimen of humanity avus a constable j who eschews beer and drinks milk in- 1 stead. I

A BURG LI NO POLICEMAN. A Glasgow policeman who for HO years enjoyed in a marked degree the confidence of the community has been convicted of a number of burglaries. A FARMING PRINCE. The Prince of Wales is about to enter into farming pursuits at Whiteford, in

the Duchy of Cornwall. De intends to undertake the breeding of pedigree stock. AVIATION IN WAR. The llritish Army is increasing its licet of biplanes, and is purchasing Deperdussin monoplanes.

LLOYD GEORGE’S THUMB. Mr. Lloyd George. Chancellor of tin: dxchof[iior. met with an accident at his ioiiip. lie slipped and fell, fracturing lis thumb.

A COLLIERY DISASTER. A big colliery disaster was reported at Fukuoka, in Kinshiu. the southernmost of the three principal islands of Japan, in the Pacilic Ocean. An explosion occurred in one of the mines there, as a result of which 150 men rvere entombed, flow many were killed is not yet known, but the deatli roll is believed to have been a heavy one. THE GERMAN NAVY. During the discussion on the Naval Estimates in the, German Parliament the Centr’d party demanded to know why the inaccurate comparisons made by Mr. Winston Churchill regarding the respective strengths of the British and German navies have not been contradicted. SYNDICALISM CONDEMNED. Cardinal Bourne, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, has condemned syndicalism as being contrary to every principle of justice and charity. He said the Church defended private ownership because it harmonised with the law of God. PROPORT I ONA L R EPR ES ENT ATION. In the French Chamber of Deputies the Premier, M. Briand, announced that the Ministry intended to maintain the policy of proportional representation. M. Clemeneean declared that the Senate did not favor any members being elected unless they obtained a majority of Unvotes cast. SMUGGLERS’ FATE. Four Italian smugglers who were crossing the St. Bernard Pass at night with a load of tobacco and watches were overwhelmed by an avalanche, and swept over a precipice.