NEWS OF THE WORLD.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1663, 1 February 1913, Page 9

NEWS OF THE WORLD.

A HUGE COMBINE. BRITISH CO-OPERATIVE; MOVEMENT. London,; January .21. Aterioue, determined movement is afoot in Britain to form ouo of tho greatest industrial combinations ovbr organised by tho working classos of any nation! It is proposed to combine tJlo co-operatiyo lorces of tho country, representing 2,750.000 people, with tho organised Labour boa- 1 ies, numbering 2,250.000 members. Should tho schomo materialise. tho millions of pounds already invested by trades unions and tho affiliated organisations will bo added to the .£37,000,000 representing tho 6haro capital of tho co-operators, and a loan rcscrTO of will bo backed by tho over-increasing profits of tho turnover. The aims and ideals' of tho two great wings of tho Labour movement will bo co-ordinatod, and united action will bo taken, industrially and socially, in all legislative matters. It is recognised'that years must elapse beforo any practical stops can. bo achieved.

45 NOTES' FOE A PENNY. London, January 21. ■With his faco unshaved, his clothel rather shabby looking, and of unkempt appearance generally, a well-known comcaian stobd outside tlio Grand Hotel, in. tho West End, on Saturday, offering fivepound notes at a Id. each. Notwithstanding that tho eariio trick was done many years ,ago with sovereigns, peoplo thought it. Wail. either an impudent attempt to gather in a few coppers for valueless, bits of paper, or a littlo joko that eomo incorrigible humorist was trying to -work off. Try as ho might, tho disreputablelooking individual could not make the ; passers-by bcliovo that they wero genuino fivers ho was giving away in this fashion. .As they came along they .would give tho supposed falter a knowing look-and pass on, littlo dreaming what a good thing they had missed. Of tho hundreds of pedestrians that passed during tho twenty minutes that tho "salo" was in progress only, two'thought, it good enough to risk a penny. . Later on,-when' these lucky persons made tho discovety that they had eeciircd -genuino notes,- thoy made a wild ■ rii6h back to. tho Grandi; only to : find that :tho "philanthropist had vanished.- Ho had •cono, after, haying 6old' ; two J!5 notes for 2d., but ho had won a substantial wager from, a ifriend. Tho. wholo business was tho outcomo of a bet.; The comedian laid a wager . with his friend that ho would not eell six of tho notes in twenty minutes, and a 9 he himself afterwards remarked, h«i won hi a walk. . :■ ■ STORY- OP A MIRACLE.' '

' ' Paris, January 21.. '{- Great • incitement 'lias .•been' created in by tUo 'rcporf of, i a miraculous euro that is said.to have.been eft'eoted in ■ that part of Franco. -Tho 'story told is that a ;Troman,-while -visiting a'cemetery, took' her lmndkerchicf anil 1 cleaned oft tho moss from' a statuo of tho Virgin. Returning homo; 6he'touched hfir : paralytic daughter with tho handkerchief • and tho girl, it is averred,. is,now completely cured; Within 24 hours tho miracle had becomo known throughout tho Beziers region, and thousands of pilgrims aro now visitirig tho cemetery. ;, , ■ ;• •' London,,■ January 23.!' Riotous scones havo been witnessed iit tho cemetery at Beziers, France, as a result of tho way in which tho place hna been rushed by invalids anxious to tost tho miraculous; properties, attributed, to . astatue of tho Virgin' on ono- of the tombs.; ;As: .they, arrive' lit' tho , cemetery \ the sufferers Approach .the statue, touch! it; and then kneol down rind pray, i Many 1 declaro that they,havo been cured of tho' diseases from which they were suffering,. One,mnn' who was a'cripplo is alleged.to havo recovered so far - that ho can now do. withbut crutches, and another who waj afflioted with • blindness ' is' declaredt«' have had "his eight restored. ■ A GRAMAPHONE IN CHtJRCH.' : ' London, January 21. I The story-of. how an American paSbot > extricated himself from a difficulty,; in which lie was suddenly placed through', his ~choir going on Btriko comes from-' Battlecreek, Michigan. It was at tho local Methodist Church that the choir refused to sing. Occurring ns the Btriko did shortly before Sunday evening's service oomlnenced, thero was, no tiino for tho church authorities to procure substitutes;' The Minister," however, proved J equal to tho occasion. ;Ho secured' a ] gramaphone, and with tho records of hymns and other religious numbers that woro availably ho was thus ablo; to provide the musical portion of the service.' The congregation _wai.quite satisfied, and voted the innovation a distinct suooess.'.

SCEARE HEADLINES. • ■ : London, January 22. , One of the theatrical papers published 1 in Pans lately promoted a unique oom«' , petition. It offered prizos to those of ita readers who oould furnish tho most sensational headlines. Tho contest nttraotod I a large number of competitors, some ,of ', whom wero decidedly amusing in their ;!■ efforts to invent what might bs considered * 'i ,the greatest! scara headings. that a now«- ,i paper oould give to.on item of news:Mt V was no for tho judges to make ' a selection out of the immense variety, of samples sent in, but tho headings to whioh tho prizes wero finally allotted werq l these;—• : v,

"Membors of Parliament vote for tin Abolition, of • thoir own Salaiieo/S '"Theft of tho Eiffel Tower." 'Aeroplane Hits a Star." . TUB JUSTICE OP SOLOMON, ; ; k London, January Tho justice of 6olomoa was taken as aw example by tho bench of magistrates ao Hitchin, a Hertfordshire town, yesterday* A poacher was convicted of trespassing on preserved lands and eontonoea to' wook s imprisonment, and hij twin brothel wrote to the police saying that the man had been punished, and - suggesting; thaff tho writer was the; guilty party. But no action was taken, beoauso cently the brother, who admitted hig guilt] was sent to gaol for a month for fth ofi fence oommitted by tho other.

/' ' DEHAjDNOUOgTS. • London, January 22. At the present time there are no fowef than 18 Dreadnoughts undor oonstruotioa in British shipbuilding yards. These battleships, only some of which, of course, aro for tho British Navy, represont en outlay of J)40,000,000, of 'which' amount 79 per cent,' will go<■ in wages to English workers.-.

■ ,MUSIC FOR THE BLIND. ' v London. January EI, Lord Lamingbon, formerly Governor Of Queensland, ia appealiug for J3100.000 with which to establish an Acadomy ofMuslo for tho Blind. Lord Howard do Waldea started tho fund with a subscription ef .£3OOO. , OIL FUEL ON WARSHIP& s London,' January 21. "Tho Times" pubUsh6£ : an-article nt which it is pointed oufcHhat tho use of oil fuel on warships is increasing, but that, oxoopt for special classes, it does not yet appear to bo either wiso or prudent to design ships that cannot 6tow ooal, in>casa oil;is unobtainable. ' ■ Tho abovo items afa from 'the Sydnej, "Sun's" opecinl oablo, service. ">