NEWS BY CABLE AND MAIL

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LI, Issue 16674, 2 March 1925, Page 7

NEWS BY CABLE AND MAIL

AS IN THE DAYS OF OLD. HIGHWAYMAN ASKS FOR A KISS. MELBOURNE, Feb. 16—“ Give me .a kiss,’’ demanded a man who, armed with a revolver, held up a girl at Caulfield and robbed her of her purse. The girl, though terrified, refused the too gallant request, and the man then struck a match and held it up to his face. ‘'Have a good look at me, so you will know me again,” he said, and ran away. The girl hurried to the nearest police station and reported the matter. Detectives are now searching for the bravado. MASKED AA u ARMED. HIGHWAYMAN ON A BICYCLE. MELBOURNE, Feb. 15.—Edward William Simmons, a tramway employee, was walking along a road at Glenhuntly at one o’clock yesterday morning when a masked man” leaped 1 from behind a. hedge and pushed the muzzle of a revolver against his chest. The robber searched his victim s pockets, from which he took £5 10s, and, still covering Simmons, walked backwards to a- bicycle on the other side of llio road. “Don’t move till I get away,” he warned, as he mounted and rode out of sight. BACK TO GOLD CURRENCY. SHIPMENTS TO AUSTRALIA. SOUTH AFRICA’S ATTITUDE. LONDON, Feb. 18.—Bullion experts point out that recent large shipments of gold to Australia, and also the retention of gold by South African banks, indicate the interesting fact that the improved relation of the United Kingdom currency to gold may enable the Dominions to enjoy tho resumption of the gold standard before Britain herself. Australia has already expressed a keen desire for a return to the gold basis. It is learned that the gold which was shipped to Australia is being minted into sovereigns at Sydney. Y.A.L. BAND. PLAYS IN NOTRE DAME. PARIS, Feb. 15.—The Young Australians' Band performed Mozart's “ Gloria" at morning service at the Notre Dame. This is the first occasion upon which a British Band has played in the Cathedral. I The service was stopped, while the boys gathered at the Memorial to the Empire's Dead, in the British Chapel, where the "Last. Post” was sounded. The party afterwards proceeded to tho Chamber of Deputies, where they were received by M. Painlove, who described tho boys' visit as a sign of sympathy that would always be remombered, CARS IN COLLISION. HEAD-ON SMASH. . MELBOURNE, Feb. 15.— I The force with which a heavy motor car collided witli another car at Kew last nightmakes it remarkable that only three out of twelve - passengers, one a baby a few weeks old, had to be sent to hospital. Luggage from the cars was hurled lor yards in all directions, and eyewitnesses say that one car turned three somersaults and landed upon its wheels. All the passengers were Hung to the roadway, and their screams brought residents to the scene of the accident. Alice Looker (25) aud Dorothy Looker (26), whoso addresses aro unknown and Arthur Hopkins (44), of Thornbury, are in hospital with severe head injuries. The cars met head-on at a street intersection, and in its swerve the heavier of the two struck an electric light pole. It carried eight passengers. TOO MUCH GELIGNITE. TYRO SAFE-BLOWERS AT WORK. MELBOURNE, Feb 15.—Residents in Chapel street, Prabran/ rushed into the street in their night attire when they heard a loud explosion in the shop of B. P. Kritz, jeweller, early this morning. The police found that thieves with only a partial knowledge of gelignite had blown the sides of an iron safe out like so much brown paper. Pieces of steel hurtled through the window, were picked lip for yards around. Though the premises were thought to be practically burglar proof, the thieves levered out some bricks from a wall with a crowbar, from an adjoining roof they lowered themselves to the floor below by ropes. The explosion wrecked the room containing the safe and frightened: the burglars, who left their tools behind and decamped empty handed. \ BORG’S NEW RECORD. THOUSAND YARDS SWIM. OTHER NOTABLE PERFORMANCES ST. AUGUSTINE (Florida), Feb. 14. —Europe’s champion swimmer, Arne. Borg, set a new world’s record for the 1000yds. by covering tho distance in 12m 12 3-ss.' His former record was 12m 47 4-ss, at Gothenburg (Sweden), in 1923. , Ethel Lackie, the American Olyinpio champion at ICO'metres and the national champion at 100yds.. broke all records for the 100 metres, swimming free style, in 1m 12s, for the distance of 110yds., which is a fraction more than 100 metres. The Olympic record lor 100, metres is lm 12 l-ss. In tli£ 200 metres breaststroke race Agnes Gernghty retained the title, and established a now record of 2m 27 4-ss. Gertrude Ederle made a new record of 45 4-5 s in tho 75vds. race. These are two of American’s best swimmers. A previous message stated that Borg bad beaten Norman Ross’s worlds record of 5m 58 4-5 s for SCOyds., established at Los Angeles in 1919, by 9 3-ss. The Swede swam the distance' in • 5m 49 l-ss. 1 ' ■ SITUATION IN INDIA. IMPROVEMENT IN BENGAL. DEFEAT OF THE EXTREMISTS. CALCUTTA, Feb. 18.—The decision of (lie Bengal Legislative Council to pa.y the salaries of the Indian Ministers appointed under the Reforms Act, in spite of the strongest opposition from Extremists, was received with relief throughout the country. • > Ever since the Extremists carried a'resolution not to pay the Ministers because they were dissatisfied with the Reforms Act, the position has been critical—slowly drifting either to revolution or to :i return to the days of the fullest bureaucratic control. The Government has been repeatedly defeated. The eleventh-hour decision of tho Moderates to side with the Government,

which brought about the defeat of the Extremists, is now taken as evidence that a more sober spirit is prevailing, and that there is a real desire to work reforms. Rocks are still ahead, but it is believed that the defect will be a lesson to the Extremists in other parts of the 'country that obstructionist tactics to bring about the ineffectiveness of the Government, and general defiance of authority, will lie tolerated no longer, and that good government on progressive lines is the real desire of the masses of the people. BRITISH WORKMEN SCARCE. BUT GOOD TYPE OF ALIENS ' . OFFER. BATHURST (N.S.W.). Feb. 17.—That his firm Tiad great trouble in securing suitable British-born workmen, while yome of the foreigners who were ottering w.ere of a good type, was stated by Mr. A. S. Hoskins, director of Hoskins, Ltd., at the annual ironworkers’ picnic yesterday. - . lie added that, the firm was dcler.niined to give preference to Australian workmen,, and afterwards to British subjects- ■ ' ' America was taking definite steps with regard to aliens, and if Australia was not. very careful she would get the undesirable surplus.. The speaker hinted that there was industrial trouble looming at the works. The Hoskins family, be concluded, did not pay themselves dividends, but wanted to see industry develop. ( AERIAL DEFENCE OF SYDNEY. SEAPLANE BASE FOR RUSH- . GUTTERS’ BAY. ] SYDNEY, Feb. 16.—A Defence De- 1 partment seaplane base will be established at Rushcutters’ Bay. Preliminary work is in hand. Sir Neville Howse, V.C., Minister for Defence, yesterday ‘dispelled all doubt on the,subject.. It is expected that the.establishment of an Australian Royal Air Force station at Richmond soon will be set afoot. / Forceful objections have been made by residents of Rushcutters’ Bay to the proposal to establish the station there, but they have failed to defeat the Government’s, intention. Sir Neville Howse, said yesterday that the work had been decided upon by his predecessor in office, Mr Bowden, and that though representations had been made to him to reverse the decision, he had no intention of taking' such action. Exports consider the site of the Richmond aerodrome ideal for an air foreo station. The cost of the improvements contemplated is estimated to be nearly £200,000. Mascot and Liverpool are considered too open to attack by an enemy off the coast. An- allocation of £32,000 from the £1,000,000 special defence fund for the Air Force provides £40,000 for expenditure this year at the Rmshcutters’ Bay station, and £40,000 for the Richmond establishment.'

DAME ELLEN TERRY. RECEIVED AT PALACE. LONDON, Feb. 12.—The King _aud . Queen privately received Mips Ellen j Terry, for the. purpose of her investiture as a Dame of the British Empire. I The Queen virtually took chargo ot Miss Terry, who was provided with a bath chair for the long journey through the corridors of Buckingham 1 alace. The Queen chatted at length with her on her earliest memories of the great actress. Miss Terry later said that it was a most delightful reception ior the sake of women in' the theatre. MAN SHOT DEAD. JEALOUSY SAID TO' BE CAUSE, j ADELAIDE, Feb. 14. A cold-blood-; od murder was committed at the residence of ,W. Burton, at the corner of Port road, Beverley, this afternoon, I when Robert Tronerdon (50) was shot dead. i Three shots were fired at him at close range with a revolver. | lb is stated that the tragedy was 111© outcome of jealousy. A mail called at Burton's, where Tronerdon worked, in tho morning, and asked after Tronerdon. Ho was told that Tronerdon would he homo about 5 o’clock, and said bo would call again. 'Tronerdon bad just brought in his team of five horses, and had partly unyoked them, when Hie fatal shots were fired. LUCKY EOAPE. GELIGNITE EXPLODES. MAN CAUGHT IN SHAFT. MELBOURNE, Eeb. 17.—Frank Howard proved 1 to-day that a man may stand at the bottom of a shaft eight feet deep and six feet square while six plugs of gelignite are fired in it, and escape with his life. Though tlie leather’ bell, worn by Howard was cut through in two places bv flying rock, lie had no serious abdominal injuries. Howard, who is a. contractor, loaded six plugs of gelignite into a- shot hole at the bottom of a sewerage shaft at Thornbury this afternoon. He was about to ascend to the street level when the whole charge exploded prematurely. Two men who rushed to the shaft expected to find « mangled and lifeless body. Instead they found Howard leaning' dazed against (lie wall of the ■ shall. His arms were badly cut, there were cuts on his breast, and lie had nasty wounds on his head, but he was conscious. He was taken to hospital, where he is making a satisfactory recovery.