GENERAL NEWS

Western Star, 5 December 1933, Page 3

GENERAL NEWS

OXFORD "WOMAN MAYOR. Alderman Miss Lily .Tawney has been chosen as the 812th Mayor of Oxford. Miss Tawney, who is an expert on education, was the first woman aiderman in Oxford, aqd she is its first woman mayor. —Berries lor King's Wedding.The death was announced a few weeks ago in London of Mr George Parker, of Twickenham", who grew strawberries for King Edward’s wedding, and tookthem to London for the festivities. Mr Parker,-'.who was 91, had been an Oddfellow for over 70 years, and was believed to be the oldest Oddfellow in the Thames Valley.

—Jockey Stung By a Wasp.—

The champion jockey Gordon Richards was stung on the lip by a wasp while riding Coldstream to the starting-gate before the Melrose Stakes at - York, reports the News Chronicle. Although in considerable pain, Richards won the race by four lengths. After the famous rider had weighed in a notice “Doctor Wanted” was exhibited, and he received medical attention. ~ —Peer’s Coffin On Farm Waggon.— The funeral of Viscount Cowdray took place at Easebourne, near Midhurst, Sussex, on October 7. The body, enclosed in a plain oak coffin, was conveyed from Cowdray House on a farm waggon drawn by a pair of horses. Another waggon carried the . family floral tributes. Behind the family mourners walked 200 estate employees. Ten of the oldest employees were the beargif.; ' , —House To Fit Occupier,— 4 'Bill” Bowes, the Yorkshire and England cricketer, and his wife were recently moving into a new home on the edge of the moors at Menston, Yorkshire. It is a house designed specially for Bowes. Bowes says that credit the house must be given to the builders. They looked at his 6ft- sin and , thyn proceeded to make the ceilings higher and the doorways larger “So far I .lifeve not bumped my head once,” he said.

—Find Of £50,000 In Treasure.—

Navvies engaged .in repairing the highway between Mexico and Pachuca, site of some of the world’s greatest silver mines, unearthed six rusty caskets containing gold and silver coins and plate- estimated to be worth nearly £50,000. The coins are from 100 to 150 years old. . , The Ministry of Finance, temporary custodian of “the board, has decided that the Federal Government shall recei\e half the money, ' while the remainder is to be. divided equally among the twelve navvies, who made the discovery, ana the contractors employing them. Each man will receive some £I,OOO. —Fines For Bad Spelling.—

Fines will be imposed on any one in Portugal who fails to spell the names of streets and districts according to recently introduced • rules. Tliese new rules are embodied in an agreement between the Governments of Portugal and Brazil standardising the spelling of the Portuguese language. —Room No. 13 For Marriages.— Superstition, as indicated by the objection to the number 13, weighs apparently with the General Purposes Committee of the Westminster City Council. The committee lias resolved to change the number of Room 13 at Caxton Hall, one of those recently approved by the Registrar-General for the celebration of marriages. Henceforth it will be known as Room 12. —Serving Under Four Tsars.— The oldest surviving commanding officer of the Russian, imperial army. General de Hackman, died at Nice lately, aged 101. He was made a general at the'age of 35. General do Hackman was born at Viborg, in I'inland,- on August 25, 1832. and served under the four Tsars. Nicholas I, Alexander 11, Alexander 111, and Nicholas 11.

—Fewer Railway.men At Work.—

The wages bill of British railways was nearlv- £6,000,000 less last year than in 1931," when the total paid in salaries and wages amounted to £105,835,000. There was a decrease of nearly 32,000 men employed during the year. In March this year the total staff numbered 566,300, and the number has been declining steadily since 1924, when tho figuro was 700,000. .

—-Cost Of History Digging.— ' Verulamium, the aiieient Homan city at St, Albans, England, will once more be “all quiet” after three years of excavation. Dt' and Mi*s Wheeler, who liave '-'been ■directing the work, announced otrely that they would he unable to iroceed with the excavation owing to lack of funds. ‘ “As the work is extremely costly,' said Mrs Wheeler, “the amount of information obtained would be out of proportion to the expenditure on further excavations.”

—Bishop 'Forced To Bet Palace.

The clergy, as wolf as the lay population of Hungary, are hard hit by the economic crisis. Count Mikes, Bishop of Szombathelv, lias been obliged to let the luxurious palace of the bishopric, which dates back to the time of M Theresa, and also his summer residence, "and now lives in three rooms in toe house of one of his canons. These sacrifices, however, have beer, found insufficient for the bettering of the financial situation of the bishopim and Count Mikes has decided to sell some acres of a beautiful park cont/.-ri-iug rare trees which were planted when the palace was built, lhe value of this land, which lies in the heart of the town,, amounts to £IO,OOO. Parted into 43 lots it wil' constitute two new skeet 3,