LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wanganui Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 15976, 19 November 1919, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

At the present time the Hawke’s Bay Education Board has in hand the erection of buildings costing ,£33,000, and also lias under consideration by the Department applications for further new works estimated to cost £IB,OOO. , The honour of being the mother of England’s biggest family, lie Id by Mrs Mary Jones, of Chester, who had 33 children, is eclipsed by Signora Gkmetta. of Nocera, Naples, who in T9 years of married life gave birth to Fifty-nine of the children were boys and three girls. In nine years she had 11 sets of triplets, three times she had lour alt a birth, and on one occasion .die gave birth to five boys and one girl. The ease is quite authentic, and 17 years ago a petition was presented to the Italian Government asking for an annual pension, for the woman who held the world’s record for births.

The forged National Bank XI nolo has turned up again, one having been, passed by a tram passenger to the Riccartou racecourse on Saturday (says an exchange). The note was handed to the conductor of a crowded tramcar, and in the crush and hurry of the occasion he took the note—an ordinary looking one —to be genuine, and gave the passenger a 2s 6d ticket to the course and 17s 6d good silver change. The particular not© bears the same date as the missing bundjes, January 1, 1916,. and the number, written in deep indigo ink, is A 300.337. Close inspection would leave no room for doubt even to the layman that something was wrong, and the notes arc only likely to bo passed successfully where some hurry exists is money changing.

The caredr of a bogus Y.C., who had created an atmosphere of romance round himself, was ended at Nottingham recently, when Private Frederick Mcllor, aged 24, was sentenced to six months’ bard labour for obtaining XIOO by false pretences. Ho had posed as a bachelor of arts and music, an army surgeon, and the son of a Birmingham magnate. He faked a glowing newspaper cutting about himself, was photographed in a cap and gown, and had large posters printed announcing forthcoming recitals in the cathedral. He w;us wearing an Oxford blue rowing badge and was in. possession of a V.C. ribbon when be was arrested. "My father, who was a oTnom, died three years ago,” ho admitted. “Mother lives at Tam worth, and takes in. lodgers. I had a good time out of the money. The whole thing was done for swank.”

The average tobacco-smoker lias resignedly accepted the various increases which have been made in the price of tobacco since the outbreak of war (says Dio Otago Daily Times). He has not inquired very deeply whether or not such increases were justified. Had he read in the balance-sheets of some of the. big British and American tobacco concerns the businesses have now been largely drawn together—of the colossal profits made during the war. he might not no readily have absorbed the reasons 'given why the advances were warranted. Moreover, the fact becomes obtrusive that a very large proportions of the profits of these tobacco concerns were obtained from the soldiers in the lighting line—from soldiers actually fighting to safeguard these tobacco concerns, amongst other businesses. These points seem to introduce the fact that the merchants in the Dominion are beginning to feel some uneasiness at ,a new trend of th* ' tobacco trade. They sense, rather tharr know, that a movement is afoot to out them out of the tobacco trade altogether. To argue that such an excision would ultimately be in the interests of the to-bacco-smoker would be foolish. Merchants are now closely watching the position. Whether they will combine to protect themselves remains to be seem.