General News.

Levin Daily Chronicle, 4 May 1918, Page 4

General News.

A serious eusc of pillage was brought under tlit' notice of a New Plymouth "Hi'i'uUl " reporter 011 Monthly morning Several ea.ses from Home iirul just boon delivered to Messrs Morey and Sons, and upon opening one of them which according to invoices should have contained good:; to the value of about £170, ' .it was'"found to contain nothing but two pieces of cotton dress gooiTs ant? a quantity of tape of a total value of about .£ti. Dozens of cardboard boxes li:id had their contents removed aiul aii'-Kuht tins bad also been cut open and the goods packed therein stolen. Tho < use had originally contained crepe do chine blouses, fur coats, kid gloves, pocket handkerchiefs, etc., in addition to the cotton dress goods and the tape. Before being opened by Messrs Moroy and Son there was nothing to create the slightest suspicion that the case had been tampered with. It appeared to be secure, even to tho bands of hoop iron enclosing it. During the year .1916.the oulput of coal in New Zealand was as follows: Bituminous and semi-bituminous 1,422 074 tons, brown (5:38,898 tons, lignite 181,1(53 tons, making a total of 2,208, (i 24 tons, as against 1,093,900 tons in 1900. The quantity of coal imported in .191(5 was 293,950 tons, and that exported 328,183 tons. Altogether there were 124 mines working, who employed 98S miiii above ground and 3000 below ground. The Hastings police made a raid on a big "two-up" school on the Hastings racecourso on Sunday afternoon, and as a consequence some dozen of persons were arrested. It is understood that there were nearly 200 two-upper's present, and when the police arrived on the scene there was a wild scramble to evade capture. The crowd made off in all directions and the tall iron fence surrounding tho course rattled like musketry with the noise made by the enemy retreating over it. One party arrived at the course by motor car. and scenting danger one of them was told off to give the warning to the others or tho course. This man was captured, but the other occupants of the oau seeing a man in blue approaching, made off. Some amusing scenes were witnessed during tho raid. Special safes, to enable the public to store valuable documents (such as wills, insurance policies, mortgage deeds, and so on), are to be installed soon at twenty-five Post Offices, including Wellington, Palmerston North and Masterton. The packages are to be limited to a length of .1.1 inches, a width of 4} inches, and a thickness of 4 inches. The annual fees will be according to thickness and weight. Access to the safes will be permitted during convenient hours. Tho inclusion of coin, bank-notes, jewellery, precious stones and similar valuables in the packages will be prohibited. A peculiar accident befell Maggie Florence of Crookston, .Southland, last week. She placed a 101b tin of honey mi the lire to melt. It melted from the bottom and came to a boil, while the lop si ill remained hard, and thus prevented any escape of steam. AVhile she was close hv it suddenly exploded, and the boiling contents were thrown over her. She "was badly scalded about the face, and so far is quite blind. Her fai eis also badly disfigured. The force of the explosion may be imagined when it is stated that, the boiling honey spread to the ceiling and wtills of the mow. The sufferer is progressing as well as can be expected, and it is hoped her evesight may not be permanently injured. A recent issue of "T.loyd's A\ eek- ]■-" h id the following:—"AVJiile walking along Regency street, Westminster, Vincent/Roberts, a colonial soldier ac,'identlv knocked a bag out of the hand .of Mir's Frances Bennett, a clerk, liviij<p ;xt Brixton. lie apologised, introduced himself, and. after saving that lie had been wounded at Gnllipoli suggested marriage. 'This is sudden, is it not ." observed Miss Bennett, b'lt gave her consent, and the mamiage took place by special license. It afterwards became'known that Roberts had a wife 1 ;,t New Zealand. At the Old Bailey Roberts w:is sent to prison for eighteen months for bigamy." ■ A letter recently received from a Yew Zealand lady, who is in London at present, states that as far as the best ficiety Wi.min (in the "best' si use of the wo I'd) are concerned furs are 'oil'." They dress plainly and warni!v. of course, but expensive coats and furs are simply not worn. The reason given is that so many young women of ■ a different class are wasting their mou- ' ev terribly in expensive furs and other extravagant clothing, so the better educated and wealthy" women try to set the fashion and the example of plain clothes suitable to the work and the times. The writer of the letter had taken home a beautiful tur coat, and after -wearing it once, dechired that never again so long as war lasts would she wear it! She had decided to return it to the shades of a tin box and plentv of moth balls. The origin of the well-known cnoni? "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" w.s explained at the gathering of veterans and returned soldi '.s on Tin:rsii-iy night by Mr G. F. Rooiuson. At the end of the eleventh cenrnr,'. when the Frenc'i »!'■■ engage'': in ill-' ''"'St crusade, ilu v vi re opposed hy Hi • ~~'ivii'us v"o were ii 'i.e T E -'.tging fit nt" i f Ji£ whiuh took f*i ? r.uic\ of the French, and they adopted it. ltering the words. When the Duke of Marlborough went over to Fuiifl-rs on the commencement of the H; u.'t >t Sure ssion War at-the beginning of tin ".t.h cent ui v. -the Frem-Ti v i " •ntempt on his nrmy. as ihe ' .eniia ir' id on the British army in 191-I, and 1i- 11 a iliviiie about it to the on: : 1 :tne. !,niei. v, hen Mir! borough, who was possibly tlie greatest. ■.ni"''der Knghind has produced. Im-l given the French reason to alter their opinion, tlie British soldiers adopted >' s !| , ■• ; ■ •,m'cr-\ .Cm f ' Fl-'l:.-.l ■ ndei-s Hi- Ini: e i-i like A'e an ;; ;.- |'-e best of th.em all. li.e a jo!h' good fellow." and :o on. 'i'ho j •( 'v. 'iiiie.'-e; I'pg 10 re Inel übe r that. I hi' i ov.-i- Soft veni-s i>td. and the i_>oo ,i-;i|-s i.'d, > n ];i .t:in■ t' proving that picture •t i:" '-"a.-e e ■.; ■V e d up to be occur;. ■* . I ■ ' ; I e t Iter d! y. . ! a 111 • 1 ■, | r i i M . ~!!!..»•« ie •• t.-'te •' k !!, ~,-v Mia k>-. the assets to iaikd =;• '.7 Mi ! t'-e li.,biii i ies Xl':!"* Til t:. • -let ii ieii t put ill by I>aii7. rii |.' , i Ii:-1 he entered into partner sV.p with Kalpli Stanley Lewis and I!. C. White. tanner at Biiunyt.liorpe, in I Hie business of moving picture propri" I tois. In 191.'i I.ev. is forined the bu;» | ness into a company taking ihe cash (Clf>7) and the bills for paid-up snares. Lewis left with Hie cash am! the proceeds of the bills ("or Australia, but was brought back and released on giving the undertaking lhat he wo ii 1 r.-i.-der accounts, which have no: mn:e"ieliscd, and his whereabours nil known. Mr L. 0. White is a man o." 70 yearn of age. all his asseis compiled a farm of 211 acres which he inol mortgaged on a second security hikl 'lie whole of the money had been '.o: f. m the picture show. Sergt.-Major L. Stephenson, of the 38th Reinforcements, giving evidence vesterdny before the Defence llxpeudilure Commission. asserted that: waste was going on in training noii coins »t Treat Irani. FTe was mire a number of men went away with the .'Hths medically unfit. There was no medical examination before they left. He thought that diseeipline and ailniinistrat ion in the camps was lax. Inst rue tors hud nothing to work for and appeared to bo getting tired of these jobs.