GENERAL NEWS ITEMS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 2067, 13 December 1919, Page 4

GENERAL NEWS ITEMS.

Mahomet Bayba, a West Indian seaman, was at London recently sentenced to six months’ imprisonment for stealing money from Julius Caesar, litter, of Grays, Essex, When arrested Bayba was wearing the Mens ribbon and other decorations to which he had no right. It is announced by the German Tax OJlice at Schwerin that the property in Germany of the well-known aeroplane-builder, M. Fokker, has been seized owing to his failure ,to provide the 14,250,000* marks demanded by the taxation authorities as security against the exodus of capital from Germany. M. Fokker is at present in Holland.

The seriousness, of the water shortage at Llanelly, Wales, has led an enterprising local linn of tinplate

and steel manufacturers to experiment, on the use of sea water in their industry. They have connected pipes from the beach to the works, a distance of about 200 yards, and by means of centrifugal pumps are able-to obtain a supply of between 50,000 and 611,000 gallons of water daily. The water is only used for steam purposes.

Grouse shot in Perthshire were served at dinner at Prince's Hotel, Piccadilly, London, the same night, having been conveyed from, Scotland to London by aeroplane. An Avro machine, piloted by Captain Fagin, left Perthshire with 60 brace at 11 a.m., and reached Hounslow at 7 o’clock. The price for a bird, which is equivalent to two portions, was 15s 6d. ‘ The funeral took place at Reigate recently of Captain James Wilson, R.N.R., commodore of the British India Steam Navigation Company. Captain Wilson, who had had an interesting and exciting career, had been shipwrecked on several occasions. He was called up shortly after war broke out, and was one of the first British naval officers to sink a German submarine, About two hours before the armistice was signed lie sank the last submarine in mid-Atlantic. <

The danger of the indiscriminate disposal of ammunition which it is desired to get rid of has been brought home to (he British troops in the Rhineland by an explosion, reported from Euskirchen, and within the British occupied territory. The cause was a fire which had been lighted by some British soldiers who were unaware of the fact that a quantity of ammunition had been buried in the ground beneath them. Twenty nien were killed or injured. The burying of ammunition is now prohibited - by the unlit ary authorities.

A story of a boy of 13 who ran what was described as a ‘‘gambling den" in bis mother’s kitchen was told by the Rev. F. G, M. Kelly, vicar of: St. Alphcge’s Church, at a meeting of the Edmonton War Pensions Committee. “One night,” said the vicar, “I visited the house, and found that the lad’s mother, a war widow, was out. In (he kitchen I found 14 lads, all under 15 years, playing cards. As soon as they saw me they disappeared through the windows.”

Strange behaviour on ihe part of two Ila stand youths, Hoary Walniesley and Tom Smith, was described at Chesterfield Borough Police Court, when they were summoned by Charlotte Gregory for assault. Prosecutrix said she. was standing at the street corner talking to a girl friend when defendants throw a rope round her and dragged her down Calow Lane to a field-gate. Here they tied her hands together with a bootlace and hound her to the gate. They then left her. bhe was unable to free herselt, and had to wait until her father and. mother came to her rescue. Smith suggested that what they did was only in fun. A orse tricks than that had been played in the streets and nothing said. A hue of 40s was imposed in each ease.