GENERAL NEWS ITEMS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 2245, 1 March 1921, Page 4

GENERAL NEWS ITEMS.

Trousers-wearing in public is now compulsory,for men of the American colony of the Philippine Islands. The penalty for appearing in the -streets without trousers is live years’ imprisonment. It is stated that the first result of the new law has beeli a demand for 500,000 pairs of ready-made trousers. This represents the number of Filippinos who are obliged to stay indoors owing to the inadequacy of their wardrobe.

A juryman in the London Divorce Court suggested that a woman witness might be allowed to sit down in the witness-box. “It isn’t very tiring,” said Mr Justice Horridge. “I sometimes wish I could stand all day.” Sir Ellis Hume Williams K.C.: Perhaps Your Lordship would care to change with me? (Laughter; ) Mr Justice Horridge: Perhaps you would like to change with me?' (Renewed laughter.) An upside-down/newspaper was presented to the Paris public by the Royalist organ, the Action Franca-’ is." The journal had been condemned by a Court to publish on its front page in large type a four-column-long judgment condemning it for libel.’ It duly printed the judgment on the front page, but sought to detract from its importance by printing all the other news of the page the other way tip.

The Paris police are at present inquiring into the affair of a faked picture, which the owner sold in 1905 for 85 francs, and found again recently with the signature of Whistler imposed on it with the date 1859. On his information, the picture was seized and an inquiry opened. It appears that the picture was bought in 'London in 1911 by a French collector, who sold it for 500 francs. After successive sales it tinally fetched a sum of 150,000 francs. The police are now trying to establish the authorship of the Laud.

Dean Inge, speaking' upon war poetry at the Lyceum Club dinner, said: “1 am convinced that the best poetry is written either by soldiers „r by patriots at a time when their country has passed through or is still passing through a grave crisis. We may lio.pe for the sake of. humanity that the inspiration ma\ lie lost, and yet we shall lose a great deal if it is. Perhaps we may hope that some equivalent for war may at least be discovered which will elicit the same noble sentiments and the same high spirit of devotion which has hitherto been manifested by great national wars and great national dangers.

A Bra uni on man, Police-Con-stable John Mullen, now attached to the Monmouthshire Constabulary, has the proud distinction of being the only lower-deck man in the British Navy to be awitfded lhi Distinguished Service Cross. The medal has been presented by Admiral Duncan. The recipient, who comes from old Devon stock, was auanted the medal for an heroic deed off the Cornish coast in June, 1.9.17, when a fully-laden munition ship of 8.000 tons was torpedoed by a Herman submarine, and as she was rapidly sinking was deserted by the ,rew. Mullen was serving on H.M.S. Craig Island, a mine-sweep-er which was in the vicinity. Ihe munition vessel was still under steam when struck, and as there was no one at the wheel, she was going round in a circle, jhe Craig Island went alongside, and, contrary to orders, Mullen jumped, got to tlie vessel, and ran it ashore, saving both tlm ship and the cargo. The ship was subsequently patched li]) and lowed into Plymouth.