GENERAL NEWS ITEMS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 2083, 29 January 1920, Page 4

GENERAL NEWS ITEMS.

A very good ‘‘Raines’’ Ihcl.'l has been brought off at the Gridin Hole! at Kingston, England. The barmaid who went on duly on Saturday evening found that 1,7 was missing from the till. The next night, while two detectives were actually in the house, inquiring about the theft in a room downstairs, the bedrooms upstairs were mysteriously ransacked and money and valuable belongings were removed. Doth thefts are supposed to have been committed by a young man dressed in (he uniform of a naval ‘officer who was seen in the hotel on both occasions, and who walked aland the house mixing with the visitors.

Speaking 'on (he high price of bacon, a gentleman who is an an(horily on health (says (lie Waikato Times) says lie would make pork such a price (hat people would not Imy it. “Since the pork famine of (he last six months or so/’ he says, ‘There has been a marked falling off of disease (especially one), and for the benefit of health it would he better to prohibit the eating of pork than the drinking of beer." Concerning the dancing craze, a correspondent writes in a London paper: The real fact is that no foxtrot or jazz has beauty or smartness enough to make up tor the undeniable lack of modesty. A ballroom is now very much like a meeting of lunatics. Little tune, little rythm, much-noise, no uniformity of dancing, no rule whatever, and, what is worse still, not a single graceful pose. Hero is a couple, standing still in mournful attitude; there is one running madly like a pair of Bacchants; a third jumping about inordinately, and a fourth trying some leg-twisting step that occasionally leads to violent collisions. Impossible balances, imitations of animal steps, unnatural positions —that is the expression in dancing of our heroic period.

The Thames has provided London with a mystery which deserves to rank with the stories of missing ships and crews in the pages of romance. The barge Atulanta was proceeding up the river in ballast. Her destination was Poplar. The c-rew consisted'of Harry Obee, the skipper, a woman, the mate, ppssibly a fourth hand, and a dog. When oli Woolwich the vessel sank suddenly after « slight collision.

The dog was the only -survivor. River police'began a search for the bodies of the crew, but their efforts were unsuccessful. The theory was that -the ill-fated people on board would be found in the cabin, which was half-tilled ■with mud. The Ata Uinta 9 was raised, and the mystery deepened. The salvage operations revealed the fact.that 20lt. of the fore part of the vessel had been cut away. “When the vessel, was raised (here was no sign oi any bodie- in the cabin. What became of them’ Is it possible that the crew had lime to escape in a small boat? Were they washed off the vessel and.carried out to sea ? The authorities "are trying to solve the riddle of the river.