NEWS IN BRIEF.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 2179, 21 September 1920, Page 4

NEWS IN BRIEF.

There are -(ill 500,0d0 war prisoners in France. Jin If of the-e are Russians in Germany, and half Germans, Austrians, and Hungarians, and others, in Russia. Dr. Nansen is trying to obtain their release.

Britain’s gross war expenditure was £8,417,178,490. Of this sum, I lie Navy, the Army, and other normal votes took £0,185,342,194, and the balance of £2,231,830,290 came under the vote of Credit.

Platinum, which not many years ago cost only 30s an ounce, recently reached as must as £4O, or nearly seven limes the price of gold. It lias since dropped lo nearly half the highest price, and now stands at £24.

Owing to the inability of the police to stop it, cock-fighting has lately been revived in Ireland, and on one day thirty lights were held, at which over 2,000 people were present and 200 motor ears were drawn up.

In the first six mouths of ibis year (>.415 new companies, with a total capital of £448,738,317, were registered in London. The most numerous were textile companies, which totalled 653, with a capital of £llO,001,078. English tobacconists are becoming perturbed over the rapid decline in the consumption of tobacco in all forms. Men are smoking less. In May the consumption showed a drop of nearly 2,000,0001 b., compared with May, 1919,