GENERAL NEWS ITEMS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 2152, 20 July 1920, Page 1

GENERAL NEWS ITEMS.

A new device has been added to the amenities of HaiTowgate, in the shape of an aeration bath, which produces the sensation of lying in a bottle of lemonade without letting off .the (izz. The patient reclines at full length in mineral water, through which a blizzard of compressed air is forced.

Freneh wedding ceremonies, even among; the poorest, are oeeasions for reckless extimvagam-e. hi Brittany they are said to be more gorgeous than in Paris. At a pre-war wedding in (ho former place, we are told tlml three bullocks, thirty-six calves, and live sheep wore slaughtered, and, in addition to wines and lirpiers, over forty barrels of eider were emptied.

When a Japanese girl is horn, a pair of dolls'are presented to her, and she plays with (hem until,she is (piite grown up. Then, if she marries, she lakes care Unit the dolls are eventually given to her daughters (if any), ’amL she adds to the number of dolls iif accordance with the number of her daughters! Conse((aeully, in some ('uses, a large number of dolls are collected.

Hunger-striking is not the modern development most people think. In the seventeenth century, Evelyn, the diarist, discovered eases and made notes of them. “I had the curiosity to visit some Quakers here in prison,” he wrote of a 'visit luv had made to Ipswiteh in July, 1656, “a new, fa’ntaic set, of dangerous principles, who show mp.respfet of any man, magistrate or other One of these was said to have fasted twenty days; but another, endeavouring to do the like, perished on the the tenth, when he would have oaten, but eoidd not"

It is generally presumed that all Royal residences are free from rates, hut this is by no means the ease. The only three that escape this taxation are Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace, and the greater portion of St, James’ Palace. Queen Alexandra pays the full rates upon Marlborough House, which now amount to over £(5,000 a year, and the King pays rates on Sandringham, York Cottage, and Balmoral. These arc all regarded as being the ]>ri•vate residences of the King and Queen Alexandra,"and not as “Koval palaces” in the strict sense of the word.

Exciting scenes at the ejectment of a fanner, from his premises, were described at the hearing, in London, of the action brought by Mr John Smith, farmer, to recover damages for alleged trespass and assault. The fa rm was sold with possession,vand as the plaintiff refused to go out till he was paid £1,150 compensation for disturbance and loss of crops, he was forcibly ejected. He sustained injuries, it was alleged, for which he was treated in a nursing home, his expenses being £231 Ss 9d. Describing the eject-’

inent, the defendant .said that the furniture removal men, at his request,- broke into the house. Smith

hac| threatened, “the first man that gets in here I’ll kill.” When one of the removal men got hold of Smith’s eamp bed, defendant said, Smith slashed at him with a stick, and before he had time to make a second slash the man got his arms round Smith and gently removed him. Plaintiff was awarded £4OO damages. , /