NEWS FROM ALL QUARTERS.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 579, 8 October 1932, Page 22 (Supplement)

NEWS FROM ALL QUARTERS.

KISS AND A CAR SWERVE. Kissing a girl in a motor car led to Daniel George Davidson, of Stephen Road, Barnehurst, Kent, being fined £2 and costs at Baxnet, Hertfordshire. He was charged with driving at South Mimms in such a way as not to have complete control over the car. A police officer said that Davidspn put his arm round the girl’s neck and kissed her on the lips, causing the car to swerve. WASP ENDANGERS A LIFE. While travelling at 100 miles an hour over the Ards circuit during the first official practice for the Tourist Trophy race at Belfast a wasp struck Sir Henry Birkin on the forehead and crept down inside his goggles. Sir Henry had no time to inform his mechanic, Alajor Humphry Butler, Prince George’s equerry, of his predicament. Gripping the steering wheel with his left hand, he wrenched his goggles off to free the wasp. Then slowing down he refixed the goggles and carried on. Fortunately the wasp was probably too dazed by the impact to sting Sir Henry. YEW LEAVES CAUSE DEATH. A man’s death from eating yew leaves was described at an inquest at Camberwell on Sydney Percival Bateman, aged 26, of Ashlin Grove, Lincoln, an inmate of the Alaudsley Hospital, Denmark Hill, S.K. The widow said that her husband attempted to take his life in Alay. A male nurse said lie found yew tree leaves in Bateman’s dressing gown. There was a yew tree on the lawn by the verandali where Bateman Dr. Edward Creed, pathologist, said he found a _ considerable quantity of yew tree leaves in the body. Death was due to yew tree poisoning. The jury returned a verdict of death from misadventure, and added that yew trees should not be allowed ‘in the grounds of mental hospitals or similar institutions.

FIRE EXTINGUISHER QUENCHES FURY. Alany neighbours and five policemen were kept at bay for nearly an hour when a powerfully built man of 70, armed with a hatchet and carving knife, created a scene in John Street. Battersea, S.W., by shouting threats and breaking windows. Rugs and mats were flung at the man, but a chemical fire extinguisher had to be discharged in his face before he could be secured. He was then removed to St. John’s Hospital, Battersea, where he was placed under observation. ISLE OF LONELINESS. From Valparaiso a man has sailed with his bride in a lobster boat away to the romantic mid-Paeific Easter Island, the land of huge gods carved by a forgotten race. Herr Hugo Weber, a German, who ten years ago went to live alone on Easter Island in order to lead a really quiet life, returned recently to Valparaiso—tired of living alone. The day after his arrival he married Fraulcin Hani Stade, who had come out from Germany to join him. And now he lias taken her back with him to his island homo. Herr Weber, who was formerly an officer of Dresden, the last German cruiser to be sunk in the Pacific, said they were tired of the rest of the world and wanted to be alone. ‘‘We shall never return,” he added. WORKLESS CAPTAINS. Around the docks of England well over 56,000 men are waiting for jobs. Recently a ship left London with a crew in which every man held a masters certificate. At the British Sailors’ Society, in Limehouse, the Rev. G. F. Dempster told a story of an out-of-work skipper who came to the Sailors’ Palace. For a long time, although he was suffering, his pride would not allow him to ask for help. He had an honest face. The society paid his rent and gave him a little money for food. He had a wife and family. “The other day he got a job, but not on the bridge,” Air. Dempster said. “You should have seen that man’s face when he told me that he had found work.” A year ago. he added, .another sailor, out of work, lodged with friends near the dock. He was tempted. He stole a little money. Just then he got a berth. But his friends, not suspecting him, put the matter in the hands of the police. On the day he was to have joined the ship he was arrested. He came out of prison a changed man. The society got him a job, ami, according to Air. Dempster, lie said, “I shall never disbelieve in miracles again.” RUSSIA RESENTS NEW STYLES. A bitter attack on the new styles in women’s dress has been published in the l'etrograd “Krasnaija Gazette.” It alleges that women tourists from England and other countries visiting Petrograd and Afoscow have created a demand for longer skirts, little jackets, and saucy hats. These are condemned as foolish, recalling the clothes of Directoire times, “when women were oppressed by capitalistic society.” One of the reasons for the “Gazette’s” opposition is that the new styles require more materials. The paper states that the Petrograd Clothing Trust lias had to lengthen the 2,000,000 dresses to be produced this year by six inches. This requires an additional 333,333 yards of cloth, which could be converted into 50,000 additional dresses. tfo the British women tourists and the new styles are blamed for the fact that 50,000 women will not be able to buy a new dress this autumn. Propaganda stories have been published in the Aioscow Press telling how a man divorced his wife because she wore long dresses and how such drosses injure the health. Pictures showed how fat and unshapely legs helped to make longer skirts popular. The “Gazette” urges Russia to devise her own styles, and become independent of foreign fashions.

THE LINDBERGH BABY. Colonel Lindbergh’s request that hij wife and new-born son should be left updisturbed by the attentions of the curious met with the public’s full sympathy. United States newspapers chronicled the event with the minimum of space. The boy was said to weigh 61b lloz at birth, but other details so dear to every mother’* heart were withheld. Friends of the family say that the boy will be named Dwight Morrow, after his famous grandfather. “FATAL” BEAUTY MISSING. Since a young French officer committed suicide “for love” in a Riviera yacht. Mile. Alice Cocea, the beautiful actress, has disappeared. It is known that she has been, much distressed by attacks made on her in French newspapers. One journal, “Voila,” calls Allle. Cocea a woman with, a fatal gif t of beauty and alleges that while she was in Rumania a young man committed suicide after falling in love with her, and that a Rumanian officer died as a suicide, because of his love for her. RAISINS FOR TEXTILES. A quarter of a million pounds is stated to be due to Huddersfield textile firms owing to the restrictions placed on the movement of currency by Central European. Governments. Alany foreign firms have suggested a system of barter and a Halifax firm has accepted a cargo of raisins in. exchange for textile goods. Air. L. V. Driffield, secretary of the Huddersfield Chamber of Commerce, states that the chamber is aware of the practice of representatives being sent personally to collect foreign debts, but the practice is illegal and the chamber cannot support it. j PUBLIC AS CENSORS. Tens of thousands of records of « comedy fox-trot made by a famous company and played by Billy Cotton and bis band have been withdrawn from sale owing to the protests of gramophone users against what was described aa the suggestive lyric, states a London paper. The company at once wrote to hundreds of music dealers requesting them to return their stocks. Two women entered * Regent Street shop and asked foe 500 records. They told the assistant they wanted to re-sell them at a profit, but their order was declined. J RICH WOMAN’S OBSESSION. The affairs of a woman whd has abooft £BO,OOO in various Liverpool banks sad allows herself 30/ weekly, were mentioned by Air. James Allcorn, Official Receiver, at the Liverpool Bankruptcy Cdhrt. It was stated that the woman, Mks Oxley* of Hutchinson Street, West Derby, Liverpool, would not pay her income tax and surtax, and a receiving order was made against her. “Aliss Oxley,” said Air. Allcorn, “seems to he obsessed with the idea that she is poor. She lives in humble circumstances and purchases just the hare necessities of life.” Mr. Allsbrn said that he proposed to pay the debts as quickly as possible and then apply for; annulment. An adjournment was ordered. WOMAp ARCTIC EXPLORER. Irina Rusmova, who, at the age of 30, is a “veteran” of the Arctic, is the onlywoman among 65 men who are taking part in a dangerous Polar expedition in search of a northern route from. Archangel to Vladivostok. Aille. Rusinova is the first woman to have been married by wireless. When she was only 21 she was the only woman among nine me® at the station on Nova Zembla. In the middle of the Arctic winter she became engaged to one of the scientists, Alexander Zakharevsky. They were then hundreds of miles away from any official authorised to marry them. So they got into touch, with the wireless station at Archangel and were married by radio. GREYHOUND’S HYSTERIA. Officials and veterinary surgeons who investigated the mysterious outbreak of illness resulting in tne death of two greyhounds at Blackpool Race Track are of opinion that the illness of the dogs was caused by some form of hysteria due to indigestion and the heat. The race meeting was abandoned after one dog had died, in its kennel and another on the track. Sixteen other dogs were taken ill, but they were considerably better in a day or two. Mr. Tom Walker, the veterinary; surgeon who made a post-mortem examination of one of the dogs and treated tbs 16 who were ill, believes not only that th® Blackpool outbreak of illness was primarily caused by a form of indigestion, but than the widespread affliction of dogs all over the country by a mysterious periodical hysteria is in nearly all cases due to soro® fault in feeding- He said he did not suspect foul play in the case of tbs Blackpool dogs.