NEWS BY MAIL.

Hokitika Guardian, 28 June 1927, Page 3

NEWS BY MAIL.

Till-: RIGHT TO BEAT A WIFE PARIS, Miiv 17

A husband is entitled to beat bis wife if her conduct is such as to irritate him beyond control, and the wife cannot in such ci mi instances plead cruelty as ground for divorce. This principle in jurisprudence was laid down yesterday by the Paris Divorce Court, in a suit in which the wife alleged that her husband bad struck her. The husband's counsel retorted that if tin- man bad struck the woman the latter bad well deserved it by her Highly conduct, and the court incorporated into modern law the ancient code that the husband lias the right to punish bis wife in case of dereliction of duty. The case has excited keen interest among women, who are up in amis against the divorce judge's finding.

Mine. Frenud. one of the first women to be admitted to the Paris Bar. said: “ The riding is absurd, and is not justified in law. The three causes for divorce admitted by French law are adultery, grievou- insult, and assault and batterv.

“ French courts generally take into consideration the social status of tinparties in deciding grounds for divorce. Words that would lie regarded as “ grievous insult ” among refined people would not lie regarded as insulting in circles where they arc commonly employed and where not much attention is [laid to them. “ But no article of law grants the husband the light to beat Ids wile nor lias the wife the right to beat her husband, though I remember one amazing case in which a delicate little woman exercised a virtable reign of terror over a man who was so big that it was some time hcloro I could bring myself to believe that this could possibly be true."

POLICE CAPTURE. LONDON, AI ay 17. A dramatic scene and chase, ending in an arrest, took place in the City yesterday afternoon. Mr A. L. Jurd, wliii'e in Newgate Street Post Office, thought he recognised a man standing by bis side at the counter as Air Edward Henrv

Coopman, a solicitor, late ol Giltspur Street, E.C., and Redington Road. Hampstead. N.W.. who bad lailed to appear at the London Bankruptcy Court, and for whose arrest a warrant had been issued. Following the man from the post office, Mr Junl, who is a creditor of Coopman, informed a constable and explained matters to him. At ductile constable followed tbe man and touched him on the shoulder. The man, turning round and seeing toeofficer, ran along the street towards Tost Office tube station, followed l>y several people. AMONG THE TRAFFIC.

Near the tube station, the pursued man darted across the road when the traffic was field up. He attempted then to thread his way through the traffic into the tube station, where Tie was caught fiv the constable, and taken to Salisbury Square police station, where the inlormation ol Milord was taken.

A tipstaff who liei'd the warrant for the arrest of Coopman was telephoned for and arrived within a few minutes, and the man was taken in a taxicab to Brixton Gaol, where lie is now detained pending bis appearance at Bow Street Police Court.

CONFUSION IN THE STREET. At the time of bis capture traffic in Newgate Street was thrown into confusion and stopped on account ot an accident to an elderly woman who had been knocked down by a taxicab outside the Post Office tube station. But for this diversion the police consider that it is probable the man might have given them a sterner chase At the time the warrant was issued Coopman was stated to he on the high seas and had let his residence furnished at £525 for one year. At the public examination the Official Receiver said that proofs of debt amounting to £45.499 had been lodged and that Coopman had not surrendered to the bankruptcy proceedings.

5 VOLUMES OF “WHITEWASH.” BERLIN. May IT. The five volumes which contain the result- of the long deliberation of a committee of the Reichstag on charges brought against Germany o.f infringing international law during the war were bamhd to the Reichstag this afternoon. Judging by few extracts which have appeared in some evening newspapers, the object of the Reichstag committee was to supply German oontroversalists with an ample supply of whitewash. The majority of the committee came to the conclusion that the deportation of Belgian workmen to Germany was justified hut they were unable to decide whether it was because they were required to manufacture arms or because the Army was unable to be responsible for their good behaviour. Submarine warfare, including the sinking of neutral ships, was mt, say

the committee, against international law, because it was employed as retaliation against England’s blockade, which was itself against international la"'. The destruction of Belgian and French coal mines was justifiable on military grounds. The German gas warfare, it is true, was contrary to international law—but then, so was the French, and neither side could declaim against the gas war of the other.

The sinking of hospital ships was set off against the charge of misusing hospital ships by the other side.

The committee did not examine the most important question of ali— the invasion of Belgium. But General von Cranion. in dealing with the 5 volumes in the Lokal-Anzeiger, points out that after all the infringement of international law by the invasion of Belgium could be washed out by a similar infringement on the other side with regal'd to Greece.

QUICKSILVER " BOOM.” LONDON, May 17. Hie rise in flu- price of quicksilver, the trade and popular name for mercury, Irani £8 15s per flask in 1928 to £22 15s to-dny. is enhancing the cost ol commodities used in a large number of industries. A flask id quicksilver is a heavy Iron bottle containing about 7-7i'b of the metal, and itself weighing from 10 to 151 b. Besides being an important element in the extraction of gold from crushed ore, mercury has many industrial uses. It is used as an ingredient in autifoiiliug paint on battle-ships, in the production o| detonators, in the manufacture ol physical science instruments such as thermometers and barometers, and lor the backing of minors. Quicksilver is also indisponsabiV- to the medical profession, to the fur trade, and to Indian growers of grain tor preserving purposes. Another use is in the preparntion ol vermilion for lacquer work in ( hina and Japan. Finally, great merit is claimed for a new turbine using mercury vapour instead of steam. causes of the risk. The reason For the rise in the price ol quicksilver is twofold. Produced in large quantities only in Spain and Italy, and in small quantities in the United States, Asia, and Mexico, supplies are in some danger of being overtaken by demand, while the control of marketing in this country is no longer in the hands of financial interests intent on bolding the Spanish mines as security against loans rather than oil realising profits on sales of the coinmodit v.

World production of quicksilver in 192.7 was 98.198 Masks and in 1926 just, over 11 1.00(1 flasks, which at present prices would be worth more than £2..700.(1(10.