NEWS BY MAIL.

Hokitika Guardian, 2 September 1920, Page 3

NEWS BY MAIL.

GIBRALTAR APES.

GIBRALTAR, July 3. The question of the extermination o deportation of the Gibraltar inonkejy has caused great interest here. It is no known for certain how the monkey found their way to the “Rock,” but i is supposed that they originally cam' over from opposito African coast, when they exist wild in large numbers. Formerly they were much more 'nu merous than at present, though at om time they were reduced to 12, but now there are 20, mostly females and youn<. males, Qff the latter, the oldest known as Samson, is aged 4. The two oldest died recently—a male, first (known as “Ferguson” and lately as “Hindenburg,” but generally as “the old man,” and a female known as ‘‘Old ( Jenny.”

The present troop are very often seei on the western side of the Rock, t< wjiich they are driven by the stron< r wind from the east. They live mostly on sweet roots and on what they car r steal from gardens and houses. En couraged by fruit and nuts given jbhem 6 by passers-by,, very frequently they , S visit the town, though people are prohibited from feeding them under pen- ’ a!ty. Lately numerous complaints have been made, in the interest of sanitaI tion, concerning the nuisance caused by apes, who befoul roofs and terraces from which rain water is collected for drinking purposes and stored in tanks. So far, nothing has been decided. Though extermination or deportation has been contemplated, public feeling is strongly against either measure, and advocates the better feeding of the apes on the Rock to discourage their visits to the town in quest of food, and their being confined •to certain numerical limits. At present Gibraltar contributes £2l a year for the care and feeding of the apes.

' ' £40,000 GEM BY AIR. PARIS, July 3. The most valuable special cargo ever rushed across the Channel by air was sent to-day in a special Airco machine. It was an historic diamond ring valued at 1,000,000 francs (nominally £40,000)', which had been bought by an .'English buyer from a well-known Parisian jewellery house on condition that the gem was delivered in London this afternoon. The ring was handed to the Airco Company last evening and an aeroplane was specially despatched with the valuable little packet, consigned to the jewellers’ London branch this morning. The luxury export tax payable on the ring amounted to 90,000 francs, (nominally- £3,600).

3 BOYS’ OPERA FROLIC. NEW YORK, July 3. An amazing comedy of boyhood life .was unfolded to-day in the Children’s Court, New York. Occupying the dock were three urchins, aged between 10 and 11 years, who confessed, with many tears, to being the ringleaders of a “pirates’ club,” members 9 f which found their way 10 days ago into the closed halls of the Metropolitan Opera House, New York. Late at night detectives saw three urchins cautiously climbing up a fireescape to the foof, whence they descended by a trap-door info the interior of the Opera House. By emptying bag 3ot sugar on the floors of the Opera. House they bad constructed a good imjtation of a beach on a coral island. The foaming contents of rare bottles of champagpe had produced the effects of surf. Aft e V ppuring about £SOO worth of this precious liquid on the beach lads discovered that the resulting mixture had a most acceptable taste; The spirit of commerce then moved them to remove the champagne, which the caterer values at £2O a bottle, and to sell the prohibited beverage at os a magnum,

SELF-MADE MILLIONAIRE’ S ■ WILL. ‘ new YORK, July 3. Tire will of the late Mr George W. Perkins, the retired partner of J. PMorgan and Company, who began as an office boy in the New York Life Insur- | ance .Company t 10s. a week, disposes of an estate valued at upwards of £2,000,000. Mr Perkins’s widow receives all the real estate and much peisonal property, together with a third of the residue. The balance of the estate, with the exception of certain specific bequests, is divided between the testator’s son and daughter. Miss Mary Kihrn, secretary to Mr Perkins' for '2B years, is left £IO,OOO outtriglit and £l,2Q(j annually, “ip qvitiepcei of my sincere friendship and deep appreciation of her long and faithful services.” A similar gift with the income from £30,000' is provided for Sir Perkins’s gistpr, Milig Ejmily Perkins. Other, bequests amounting to £2O for each year of service are provided for all his other employees, No specific bequests to charitable or educational institutions are made, but Mrs Perkins and the children ar.e requested voluntarily to continue the various gifts, allowances, and donations that Mrs Perkins was accustomed to make during his lifetime to relatives and others.

QUEEN’S FAIRY PHANTASY. PARIS, July 3Tlie Queen" of Rumania’s phantasy “The Lily of Life, 1 -* (produced by Miss Loie Fuller at the Paris Opera. House to-night, and later to be performed in London, is not a play but. a. series of fairy ballets, well staged prettily dress r ed and excellently mounted. The Queen sat in the presidential box with a large party.

£012,5000 VATBRLAND BID. ' NEW YORK, July 3. i Only one. bid—3,ooo,ooo dollars (nomU pally £612,500)— T>y the U.S. Mail Steamship Company, New York, had been received by the U.S. Shipping I Board for the former Hambnrg-Aineri- 1 can. liner Vaterland when the time limit for bids expired yesterday. 1 , LONDON TO ADOPT RHEIMS! PARIS, July 3. Following the example of Manchester, which has adopted the French town of Me-zieres for the purpose of helping in its reconstruction t the Petit Parisieii understands that London will adopt ’ Bheims.

OVERCHARGED KING. BRUSSELS, June 28. The King of the Belgians who has gone away for several days’ rest, has paid sovral visits to 3 Oatend incognito bathed out of aji ordinary machine, and taken meals at restaurants where he was not recognised. , The result of these "surprise” visits ) was a stiff reprimand for all concerned ! for overcharging. The King pointed , out that strangers would not come again to Belgium if they felt they had not obtained full yalue for their money. The King is much interested in the garden city movement and expressed a wish to see beautiful houses built for large and necessitous families.

WOMEN GAMBLERS

3 : LONDON, June 30. B Ample justification but no signs of l contrition were yesterday found by a reporter who probed a. correspondent’s 1 lament that women have become “bet- ' ting mad.” > Girls in offices, oh the stage, married women, and even schoolgirls with sums varying from 6d to £l, have invaded ■ another domain once masculine. "Why shouldn’s we back horses and things?” demanded a pretty, self-con-fessed gambler. "Now the war is over we must have some harmless excitement, musn’t we P Some of us know quite a lot about form. We don’t prick winners with-a. pin nowadays. "Some of us bet on tennis and golf, engagements to marry, and what word people will open conversation with.” A girl employed in a big City office said that sweepstakes are got up on most of the important races. "Women have not begun betting in really/ big sums. I should say that ‘los each way’ is a lot for the average girl to put on a horse.” A business man said that not only do his girl clerks “chatter more about their bets tkai) their work” hut that his cook also seeyis more concern,ed about odds than ovens. "She has j even incited my wife to have an occasional bet.”

MARRIAGE BY WIRELESS

NEW YORK, July 3. With the bride at the church and the bridegroom in a battleship, what is believed to he the first marriage by wireless is reported by the New York World, The bridegroom, Mr John R. Wakeman, is a sailor on board the U.S.S. Birmingham, now in mid-Paci-fic, and the bride is Miss Mabel Ebert, of Detroit.

About 1,000 miles off the Californian coast, the ship’s chaplain read the ritual received by the ship’s wireless while Miss Ebert and her friends were assembled in the First Presbyterian Church, Detroit. Here the Rev. C. E. Moir telephoned the bribe’s answers to a telegraph office, to be transmitted to' the Great Lakes Naval Training Station and thence flashed on to the Birmingham by wireless.

AIR TRAVEL RUSH

PARIS, July 1. They were .refusing passengers at 6ome of the air express offices in Paris to-day, people who came from England for the Grand Pi-ix are now anxious to return by the quickest route, At the office of one company ft was stated fliat they could filj twice as many aircraft as they possessed. How rapidly air transport lias found a public can be realised by passing a few minutes in the air express offices, where parcels from diessmkers, milliners, and busiqe.ss houses are pouring in m°re rapidly thnp they ogp be handled- 4

CHARLIE CHAPLIN’S WALK. LONDON, July L Lord Desborough, at a diqney of the Anglo-Saxon Club in London last night, fold q Charfie Chaplin story, which, he said, had been related to Lady Desborough by Miss Mary Piekford, Charlie Chaplin, said Miss Piekford, was at a fair in the United States, where the principal attraction was a competition for the best imitation of the Charlie Chaplin walk, Charlie thought there will be a chance for him, so he entered, minus his celebrated moustache and boots. He was a frightful failure and came in twentieth.

BOY FORGERS. BERLIN, July 1. “I am a child of my time, and on me the prevailing decadence has had its effect.” With this phrase Kurt Messerschmidt, 1919, defended hjmsjplf in a Berlin court yesterday against charges of forgery, amounting to £12,500. Messerschmidt, who comes of good family, with three schoolfellows of the same age elaborated a system of forging cheques. Thp youths spent the proceeds oq holidays at Germany’s fashionable resorts and on clothes.

“My salary,” said this youth, in his eloquent defence, “is insufficient for a gentleman to live decently pn, J am entitled tfl obtain money by other means. 5

TOURIST TROPHY RACE. DOUGLAS (1.0. M.) July 1

Tlie race for the motor-cycling Senior Tourist Trophy for machines of 500 cubic capacity will be held here tomorrow. The race will he run over the same course as the junior contest yesterday, but instead of five laps, the riders will have to go round the circuit six times, a total distance of 2261. When last held in 1914, Cyril Pullen, on a Rudge won tlie race in 4hrs. 32mins. 48sees., at an average speed of 49.49 miles an hour Twenty nine machines have entered, hut some of these will not be started.