NEWS IN BRIEF.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XL, Issue 1916, 17 December 1918, Page 4

NEWS IN BRIEF.

There arc 7,000,000 farm* in the United Slate*.

Last year the British Navy cost £209,877,217.

The Air Board occupies 595 rooms at the Holed Cecil, London. In Birmingham a beds!cad laclory has been producing loin- shells.

In 1820 4(5 persons were hanged for forging Bank of England notes.

'Nearly one-seventh of the population of the United Stales are for-eign-born. Youthful criminals in Germany in 1914 numbered 51,500; last year, 117,000.

The trade of Canada has increased from £172.000,000 in 1915 to £400,000,000 in 1910.

Onlv six persons in every 1,000 live to be /5 years old, and only one reaches the century.

The .City of London birth rate last year was 7.9 per 1,000 of the population, and I lie death rate 15.6.

The United Slates Red Cross was eallim'' for 10,000 women volunteers to work at repairing soldiers’ garments.

The salary of (he Director-Gen-eral of Recruiting in England was £1,200, and that of the Deputydirector £I,OOO. Hr Daniels, United States Navy Secretary,- has received so far 40,000 suggestions for eliminating submarines. Men of the London Scottish, to the number of 1,609, were granted commissions from the ranks in the Regular Army avid Territorial forces. In ibc first year of the war we lost 80 guns and took 25; in 1016 we took 1(59. and the Germans none: Inst year we look .489 and lost none. Andrew Moor, a prosperous Athhme merchant, who Carted work as a railway employee, has lei I among oilier bequests £IO,OOO to the Pope. An extensive asylum for the orphan* of physicians has just been founded by I lie Government of Spain, to be supported by special taxation.

A tmc horse-power engine means that it will raise I 1 loin |hm' minute ! hrough a heighl of 12m. Has is twelve limes as nmdi as a man can do.

Both in the number or subscribers arnl tlie amount (over £1,000,!)OO,OOOS. the seeond American Liberty Loan is described as the largest in I he history of the world. Wales is the richest part of Ihe kingdom in mineral wealtii. Laylam! produces annually about £2 to each acres Scotland a. little less; but; the product of Wales is over £4 per acre.

Since the beginning of the war nbout 00,000 pensions hbve been crank'd in Great Britain to the mothers of unmarried soldiers killed in action, on whom they were ]) rev musty de pendent.

Tlk.' c rod it- .of o riy.inn 1 11114' adhesive stamps is generally given to dainos Chalmers, of Dundee. He liv.M advocated them in 1887, and I hey wore issued for public use in Mng-iand on .May (ill). 1840.

The Ist Battalion Dorsolsliiro l\egiment is the proud possessor of a remark-uhle silver-headed dnimmajor’s slick, which was presented to il hy the Xawah of Areol for its gallantry at the Hattie of Dlassey.

The lirst army medal was struck by Cromwell, to commemorate the Battle of Dunbar. The second one issued was that for Waterloo, although in order of sendee the Peninsular medal should occupy this place. In the Forth Bridge there is a horizontal put! of .10,000 tons on the chief spans, and a weigh! of 1.00,000 lons on their bases. Half a dozen British ironclads might be hung upon them without causing anv undue strain.