FROM HOME PAPERS.

Timaru Herald, Volume LX, Issue 2356, 30 March 1897, Page 4

FROM HOME PAPERS.

■ + A burglar, owing to his love of drink, was caught very easily m a house m London recently. He broko into the house ' on a Halm-day ivial>i, fiJid the owner on getting up on Su.i'i«y morning, descended to the diving-room, and there found the burglar sitting by the table asleep. An empty port wine bottle stood on the table beside him, and the room was strewn with cigars, jewellery and clothes. On the table also lay a large axe— a murderous looking weapon— which tlie burglar had taken fi'om the kitchen, and it Was evident he meant to use it had he been interrupted m his work of burglary. Fortunately the wine had been too great a temptation, and he drank till he fell asleep. He hadpacked up about £75 worth of goods. The police were summoned, and prisoner taken into custody. Trilby mania has broken out m a fresh place m America. There is a little town m Florida, which has hitherto been known as Macon, a name given to it by Mr H. B. Plant, a millionaire. The town has now been renamed Trilby, and its squaresj streets, and avenues have been renamed after the characters m the novel. In the centre of the town is Svengali-square, while the streets are named after the male characters, and the avenues after the female personages of the story. Thus there are "LittleBillee Street, " Taffy street," " Laitdstreet," " Gecko-street," and so onj while the lake on the border of the town has been christened " Lake Dv Maurier." Outrages m railway carriages have become so serious and so common at Home that attention has been called to them m the House of Commons. In reply to a question on February 15th Mr Ritchie said that his communications with the railway companies who had carriages whoae present structure afforded facilities to the perpetration of outrages, had had no practical result. Hon. members would no doubt observe that some of the companies were experimenting with corridor trains, and that others were building saloon carriages m place of those of the old pattern. v• ; . According: po Home papers to hand by the San Francisco mail the by-election for the Chertsey seat was a stubborn and exciting struggle. In 1892 the district was red hot Conservative ; at the present election it was intensely Liberal. Feeling van so high that the papers reported that the " Tories were vicious m their deßpair." One of the .Liberal agents had to seek police protection, and for process against one Unionist for repeated threats of violence. • Up to the present time m the French army cyclists have been employed chiefly to transmit orders and carry messages, but it is now proposed to form cyclist corps of combatants— a kind of mounted infantry, ÜBing bicycles instead of ponies. An experimental company has been formed by Captain Gdrard, who has invented for .their use an ingenious bicycle which can fold m two, by means of a hinge on the cross-bar, so that, when folded, the front wheel and the hind wheel are next each other, and the machines become rapidly ; portable on the men's shoulders- The cyclist company, as at present organised, consists of four sections, twelve men each, commanded by one sergeant; and two corparals, thus making up a total of forty-eigfit rank and file* with four sergeants and eight corporals. The folding bicycle is provided with leather braces to enable the men to carry it on their backs. The uniform is a blue jersey, a blue flannel belt, a loose cloth jacket, cut very like a pilot coat, or an open Norfolk jacket, red trousers, close fitting from the knee, leggings, and ankle boots. The equipment consists of the regulation belt with three pouches, each containing forty rounds of ball cartridge. In the pouch carried at the back there is room provided for the pump and the usual tbols. A canvas bag is also provided to hold a spare jersey. The armament consists of a Lebel rifle and bayonet. Two cycle smiths are attached to the company. They ride a coupled bicycle and carry spare nuts, tyres, air chambers, filea, hammers, and other articles to repair the machines. In the House of Commons, Mr Davitt asked the Under-Secretavy for Foreign Affairs whether the attention of the Foreign Office had been called to the need of some other currency than that of gin m the Delta of the Niger, with the view to the ultimate adoption of one less injurious to the natives ; whether missionaries and others were now compelled by the character of thia intoxicating currency to promote, however unwillingly, the demoralisation of the people which results from this medium of exchange, and whether some 1 steps would be taken to abate the evils resulting from this state of things. Mr Curzon : It is not correct to speak of gin as a currency, still less as the sole currency on the Niger. It is one of several articles that are taken m barter by the natives. So far from there being any" compulsion or any willingness to promote the demoralisation of the people, the tax on gin has been lately doubled, and now

stands at 2s a gallon m the Niger Coast Protectorate, whilst it is heavily taxed ' m the portions of the Delta administered < by the Niger Company, and is altogether prohibited m their inland -territories! : The daflger of prohibitive taxation is i" that the trade is then taken up by rieigh- • bouiing countries, among wJiom France ■ and Germany do not appear to share our view as to the desirability of increased, ; duties, and that smuggling is fostered on '■ a large scale.