MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS

Hokitika Guardian, 3 October 1927, Page 1

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS

.MILITARY HATS

USE OF EMU FEATHERS. SYDNEY, Sept. 15. The question whether any Government should countenance the use of a native bird’s feathers in the decoration of military headgear when their use is prohibited as articles of fashion has cropped up in tho Defence Department’s reply to the representations ol the Ornithologists’ Union.

Australian Light Horse men stick emu feathers in their hats. These feathers are a traditional part of their uniform, but not a few bird lovers think the practice is as bad as that of women pluming their hats with feathers and mounted birds, when that style of headgear was popular.

The attitude of the bird lovers is that the Defence people are evading the ethical question at issue. Merely to state that emu feathers have been worn by Queensland Light Horse men since 1891, and that in 1915 the distinction was extended to all Australian Light Horse men, is regarded as being beside the point. Ornithologists, however, are not 'likely to bring about any change. A howl of protest among the Light Horse men would arise from one end of Australia to another if they were to lose the jaunty-looldng and spectacular feathers in their hats.

(RESCUER’S DILEMMA. LONDON, Aug. 9. ITow a swimmer who went to the rescue of two hoys had to decide which of them lie should abandon was related at an inquest at Breage, near Helston, Cornwall, yesterday. The inquest was on a 17-years-old Boy Scout patrol leader, of Holders Green, NAY., named George Judson. While Judson was playing on Pran sands he was washed into the sea. and a companion named Down, aged 13, also of Holders Green, went to his rescue. A Pen/.since man. Mr William Harpur Miiholl. also dived in and brought op ,1 lolsoii, who was either unconscious or already dead. He then heard Down calling for help. and swam over to hint.

Finding that he could make no headway, supporting both hoys. Air 'Michel! had to make up his mind which to let go. Knowing that Down was alive and thinking that Judson was probably dead, lie let Judson go. nml just managed to make the shore with the other hoy. The coroner complimented both Air Aliehell and Down on their plucky efforts.

UNBORN CHILD SAVED. LONDON, Aug. 2. After an expectant mother had been knocked down and fatally injured by i motor-lorry in Stoke Newington road, X.. yesterday evening she was carried to a doctor’s surgery a few yards away, where her baby, a girl, was removed from her. Artificial respiration was at once applied to the infant, which seemed lifeless. The baby girl revived and was removed by ambulance to 1 fackney Infirmary.

The dead woman was Mrs Nellie Easton, aged 19, of Wellington road. Stoke Newington. She was crossing the main road near Farleigh road when she was knocked down, receiving terrible head injuries. An attendant at a cinema a few yards away rushed over to her. picked her up, and carried her into the surgery of Dr David Mintzman. Dr Mintzman, realising that she was an expectant mother, decided to make an attempt to save her infant’s life, and,, assisted by his nurse, Mrs Elizabeth Dimmock, lie operated. After two minutes the chii'd began to cry. and it was laid in front of a lire in the consulting-room. Dr Mintzman told a reporter last night: “As soon as 1 examined the woman I saw her ease was hopeless, but 1 realised tliat there was a hope of saving her child. “ The operation was performed in one minute, where in normal circumstances it would have taken about 2d minutes.” The dead woman’s husband, Mr William Easton, who is only 21, is unemployed and lives in one room. Ills wife was formerly Miss Nellie Duttle. ot Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire.

BEATEN WITH BAMBOOS. PATHS, Aug. 2. How Chinese secret societies have been enrolled by the Bolsheviks to light Western civilisation is revealed to-day by M. Jacques Doriot. the French Communist deputy, who is awaiting trial for inciting the natives of French TndoChina to revolt.

M.Doriot says that the “Reil Pikes.” who played the decisive role in aiding the Cantonese Rolsheviks in their march on Hankow, have now gone over body and soul to the Moscow Reds. Every, member of this secret society has to undergo what is known as “ forty days’ sacred exercise.” during which he is heaten with bamboo canes to test his physical resistance. These tests, it is added, are supposed to show that the candidate for (till Bolshevist honours is a worthy soldier of the international Rod Army.

STEEL HELM'S ARM. BERLIN; Aug. 2. The report of a private ronlcrenee between a representative of the German Army and leading representatives of the Steel Helms on the steps to he taken to organise a war of revenge is published in " Mensohheit.” the organ of Professor l’orster. and is of so sensational a character that passages from it are printed by the more courageous Berlin newspapers. The .chief spokesmen of the Steel Helms. Baron von Freiberg and Major Von Stefani, made it clear at the conference that an end must be made of the illegal dodges which have been dopted to increase the military strength of Germany, such as the creation of the Black Army and the surreptitious training of young men for a few weeks in the Regular Army. They declared that they did not desire a national army which would, include Republican and Socialist elements, but. considered it more advantageous to. conserve the present small army of 100,00() men. What they want is to reduce the time of service front twelve years, as laid down in the. Treaty of Versailles, to three years. On their discharge the soldiers would ho placed on the reserve and would be required from time to time to do a couple of months’ training. i CREATING A STAFF. They are confident that this would provide Germany with half a million well-trained soldiers. At the same time front 10,000 to 15,000 men should be allowed to enter the army for one year. Plans for the creation of a staff of officers of reserve, and the organisation of war industries were formulated.

The first act of the now army, it was explained, would he to make war on Boland, and if the Polish corridor were conquered, the jieople, with the exception of German residents, must he transported and Germans substituted. At the end of the war it would he the task of the new army and the Steel Helms to set up a new regime in Germany. Meanwhile, the Nationalists must make every concessions to the Allies that may be necessary to gain time for carrying out the military plans. The “Welt am Montag,” which points out that tho report has every appearance of being genuine, declares that those who know the army know that the point of view of its officers and leaders of the Steel Helms are identical.

MOTOR-CYCLING PERIL. LONDON, Aug. 2. Tile danger which motor-cyclists run on the crowded roads has been emphasised during the holiday, lor no fewer than 11 of the drviers of these popular machines or their pillon riders have been killed in accidents during the week-end. No fewer than seven fatal eases were reported yesterday. A motor-cycle driven by Mr Paul Ilolford, aged 22, of Grove-road, Manstead, with Miss Lavinia Hawks, aged 1(5, of Leytonstone collided head on at Lowestoft late on Sunday night with another machine on which, Mr Olliver George Curtis and Miss Fanny Drown, of Bermondsey, were riding. All four were seriously injured, and Miss Hawks died in a Lowestoft Hospital a few hours later. Miss Brown and Curtis were able to leave the hospital yesterday.

Chief Petty Officer James Daniel Lower, aged 32, of ILM.S. Vanor, while motor-cycling to his home at Botlev. Hampshire, from Portsmouth, during the week-end was killed at ■Wickham, near Fareham, through his machine skidding and throwing him under the wheels of a lorry. He leaves a widow and four children. Mr Patrick Haigh Hellyer, aged 29. of Broom-road. Teddington. died in Kingston-on-Thames Hospital yesterday from a fractured skull sustained through his motor-cycle skidding at. Norbiton.

While riding a motor-cycle last evening near Belfast. Jan lTovte Venice, a Dutchman, collided with a lorry anil was killed instantly. His pillon rider received a fractured skull. Another motor-cyclist, named Mr George Harris, was also killed on the same road through his machine skidding and throwing him. Mr George Little, aged 33. of Ballymena. Co. Antrim, and Mr Joseph Alexander Walsh, of Carnlougli, vonkilled in a collision at Ballymena hue on Sunday night. Little, who was on a motor-cycle, colided with a motorcycle combination in which Walsh was riding in the side-car.