NEWS BY MAIL.

Hokitika Guardian, 25 January 1926, Page 4

NEWS BY MAIL.

j SWEDEN’S FRENCH KING

A LAWYER’S SON. LONDON, Novemer 12. Sir Plunket Barton in his scholarly and interesting book, “ Bernadette; Prince and King,” gives an admirable account of the French .lawyer’s son and general who became King of Sweden, and whose great-grandson is now on the Swedish throne, while his great-great-grandson married the British Princess Alargaret of Connaught. Such a career as Bernadotte’s could only have been possible in the Napoleonic era. The founder of this new dynasty (which of all the Napoleonic dynasties alone survives) was a Gascon—a Southern Frenchman —with the virtues and foibles of the Gascon people. That is to say he was fond of boasting, effusive in temperament, hut capable- of cool thought and extieme caution in spite of his appearance of impetuosity. What is remarkable about him is his complete success as a sovereign. He governed well and enjoyed great popularity, notwithstanding his foreign origin. Under him Sweden made immense material progress. ALLIANCE WITH ENGLAND. In his book Sir Plunket has made wide use of the important unpublished records in the British Foreign Office. Bernndotto’s first principle was to maintain close friendship with England. When he joined the Allies against his old master Napoleon, he pointed out that “England alone has kept her engagements. Russia lias only sent me •1.000 horse, and the King of Prussia has not sent me a single battalion.” He outlined his intentions thus: His personal interest and feelings, as well as the commercial, geographical and political situation of Sweden, dictated a policy cultivating the strictest alliance, friendship and affection with England. Afucli later he was in the habit of speaking of Sweden as “ the advanced post of England ill the north of Europe.” NEVER WASTED .MONEY. If he was a had Frenchmen, fighting against his own country, he was a good Swede. He was most generous in his early years, hut he never wasted money. lie had one eccentricity which inconvenienced many of his acquaintances. The smell of tobacco sickened him to such a degree that he used to defend himself again, st it with batteries of perfume.

Tie spoke with a strong Gascon accent 'and never mastered Swedish or Norwegian.

At the Diet of 1312 he attempted to read the King’s speech in Swedish lroni a phoneticised manuscript, but the result was so discouraging that ho never repeated the experiment. Ultimately he had to content himself with a few pa r rot-phrases. As those who know Swedish are aware, the accent is the difficult tiling, and is rarely acquired by Frenchmen or Germans. The value of Ibis well-written biography is enhanced by a number of excellent illustrations, mainly portraits and reproductions of cartoons. JAPAN’S RICHEST BACHELOR. LONDON, November 23. Wearing a lawn-coloured kimono, Mr Tukuzhim Fukuda, a handsome, athletic young man. who is said to be the richest bachelor in Japan, looked on London, yesterday, from the windows of the Savoy Hotel. It was too cold to go out. “You see. I’ve been working in kitchens for the last 1.2 months, anti kitchens ale warm places,” declared Air Fukuda to a reporter in a quaint. Jnpanese-Anglo-Americun accent.

Air Fukuda and his family—his father is one of the richest business men in Japan—arc interested in hotels and in order to learn everything about

the American and Kuropoan hotel inilustrv he has been working in every phase of holed life. Ill' has just, spent a year in a New York hotel, working his way from the job of kitchen scullion to an important position oil the staff. I In London .Mr Fukuda has decided to become an hotel guest, contenting himself with a walk round to meet cvery- . body, particularly the chefs. | INCOMPREHEXSIBLE ENGLISH. 1 Having talked for a little while, Mr Fukuda confessed that he was feeling the strain of an Fnglish conversation. “ The fact is,” he said, “ I have, gut to start learning English all over again. People don’t understand my American; I know too much slang. Now I’m reading Dickens,” .Mr Fukudn’s admiration of England and English things centres largely at the moment on the English butler. The English butler, ha says, is one of the world’s institutions, worth every hit of his weight in gold, and there never has been and never will he anything like him.

TOl.fi OF RHEUMATISM. AM SERIOUS AS CANTER AND TUBERCULOSIS. LONDON. November 28. For the purpose of discussing tlie treatment of rheumatism m industry, a joint meeting of the International Society of .Medical Hydrology and the Balneology (treatment of diseases by baths) Section of the Royal Society of Medicine was held at the headquarters of the Royal Society of Medicine, Wim-polo-strect, AW, yesterday. Representatives from Holland, Denmark, Switzerland and other countries were present. Dr Gustave Monod, of France, president of the International Society of Hydrology, presided. Sir George Newman, Chief Medical Officer of the Ministry of Health, said _ that a Government survey of the incidence of rheumatism, among the in- : sured population showed that no less 1 than 1(2.000,000 was being spent on sick-henelit per annum under the group of rheumatic diseases, and that they were losing h.v' this group of diseases the amazing amount of time among the insured population of 3.000.000 weeks annually, which was equal to the pro-

digious loss of time of fiOO.OOO years per amium. Reran.so of these figures tiie Governliicnt was coil',pellet! to recognise that these conditions were quite as serious a burden upon the State as some of the well-known diseases, such as cancer oi tuberculosis. There was need for more active and organised treatment, which I was at present entirely inadequate. Dr L. .T. Llewellyn, president of the Balneology Section, said that rheumatism in childhood was responsible for an enormous amount of heart disease. It was calculated that in Great Britain i there were between 45,000 anct 50.000 ' children of school age with organic \ heart disease.

WOMEN WHO WILL GUARD A MOUSE.

LONDON. November 28. “ Please meet parrot at Paddington at 8.1.) and see it off safely to .”

This message arrived at the Sloanestreet, S.W., office of the Universal Aunts on Wednesday. The parrot was duly welcomed by an aunt, safely taken across London, and placed in a train which took it to its new home in Kent. No organisation in the world receives !

such extraordinary commissions as docs the Universal Aunts, a post-war women’s legion, which undertakes to do anything at any time for anyone.

Recently a woman from abroad left a pet mongoose in the care of the "animal aunt ” while she found a home. The owner gave strict instructions that the animal must be watched every minute for it had a habit of running up chimneys.

On another occasion a woman left a pet cat which had to be exercised in Hyde Park every day. One morning, however, it escaped up a tree, and it required all the diplomacy of a policeman and a crowd of people i»o get it down.

You can leave anything with the Aunts—from a mouse to a horse. Often men rush into the office and ask for someone to act as witness to a wedding at a few minutes’ notice. There are hundreds of Aunts who are ready to go to any part of the world at any time. Recently a party of American women were supplied with moil partners during their stay in London. If a butler falls sick an Aunt will go round and clean the silver, while women servants of all descriptions arc found.

A man wrote to the office recently asking the Aunts to find him another house-keeper as the one they had sent before was now his wife.