NEWS IN BRIEF.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 1941, 18 February 1919, Page 4

NEWS IN BRIEF.

A society for the colonising of Greenland has been formed m Copenhagen. Nearly wounded, soldiers have enjoyed free trips on the Thames during the war. Then! are 31 steel, and over .100 wooden vessels under construction in Canadian shipyards. In consequence of demobilisation the price of horses in Sweden has declined about 25 per cent. The area irrigated in India by productive public works in 1910-1 7 slightly exceeded 17 million acres. Importation into France of German banknotes, coin, or any other monetary instrument t is prohibited by decree. In Texas alone nearly 400 fires occurred in cotton gins last year, involving the loss of a million dollars’ worth of cotton.

A body has been organised in the United Stales with a capital of £l,000,000 “to render unselfish economic aid to Russia.”

Steel production in the United States has reached its highest level, last year’s estimated production totalling 33,000,000 tons.

A scheme is under consideration in Orkney for (lie drainage of fresh water lochs and streams to he made available for cultivation. One of these covers nearly 1,00(1 acres.

For the first time in its history the Beilin Kreuz Zeitnng appears without the inscription, “Forward with God for King and Fatherland,” around the Iron Cross at the head-

ing. At Si. Mildred’s, London, the master of the City Guild of Cordwainers recently distributed gifts of £5 each to lit! blind people, under the will of John Crane, who died in 1782. Before the war pencil manufacturers paid 10s per cubic foot for cedar wood in Virginia, and the supply was failing. Yet this valuable timber, according to the Empire Resources Development Committee, is being used in East Africa for firewood. The world's total coal production is 1,100,000,000 tons per annum. Of this the United States produces 477,000,000 tuns, and the United Kingdom 200,000,000 tons. Germany comes next with 172,000,000 tons, and France produces 40,000,000 tons. It is proposed to plant oak trees at some of the cross-roads -and other places in France and Flanders and name them after notable men of the Dominions, such as Sir Robert Borden, Sir Wilfrid Lanrier, General Sir Arthtur Currie, and others. Huge unsightly water tanks at Cincinnati, Ohio, have been transformed into impressive monuments by constructing concrete shells round them. The top of the con-

crete structure has the appearance of the battlements of an old fort, and is very effective.

King Albert has sent lo the King of Spain a telegram thanking him for his protection of Belgians during the war. The Prince Regent of Servia has also telegraphed to King Alfonso, thanking him for the cure of the Servian children who sought refuge in Spain. The work of rescuing fishes from (he pools due to overflows of-the Mississipi River before the drying up of the same was more successful during the past summer than ever before. In July alone the number of fishes salvaged and replanted was ■7,709,700. There was an unusual number of carp and black bass. During the fiscal year ending June 30th, 1918, the number of food fishes rescued by these operations was 25,580,770. The - expense ranged from 9 to 54 cents, per 1,000 fish in the different fields.