GENERAL NEWS ITEMS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 2252, 17 March 1921, Page 1

GENERAL NEWS ITEMS.

The British Health Ministry m 1913-14 cost £5,341,163; for 1921 the cost is estimated at £17,569,000. There are 40,000 miles of macadamised roads in the old kingdom of Rumania, and almost as many in Transylvania.

Af a Jewish wedding at Portsmouth recently the brides’ cake weighed li cwt., and was carried round on two poles. Out of every hundred men in the villages of India only eleven can read and write; out of every hundred women, only one.

Out of 150,000 immigrants who entered Canada in 1920, 80,000 came from the United Kingdom, and 50,000 from the United States.

Said the small boy in Sunday school: “Please, Miss, Smith is swearing.” “The wicked boy! What did he say?” “I don’t like to tell you, but say all the swear words you know, and I’ll tell you when you come to it.”

Colonel T. W. Macdonald, who was recently retired from the Defence Force in consequence of the abolition of the Otago military district, will definitely contest the Palea seat. Colonel Macdonald wa.s formerly stationed in Palmerston North, and was afterwards commandant of the Glggo military district. Some years ago he was Mayor of the Ilutt, and a member of the Wellington Education Board.

“1 think we have an exceptionally line treasurer to be able to bring down such a report again. He is to be congratulated,” observed the Chairman of the Raglan County Council at the meeting of that body, in referring to a report presented by the treasurer (Mr H. Marsland) of Elites collected. For the thirteenth year in succession all the European rates had been collected before March 31st. “A splendid record,” said Cr. W. A. McCutchan, “I don’t think we have another instance of it in the Dominion.” “It is an example to other councils,” was the observation of another councillor.

“Under our present tendency to namby-pamby sentimentalism, we are allowing these physical degenerates 1 o multiply instead of segregating them,” said Mr J. YY, Poynton, 53!., at the Magistrate’s Court

at Auckland lust week, when refusing an order for a young woman to be compelled to contribute towards the maintenance of a child in a public instiiution. Mr J. F. Y\ . Dickson, who appeared for the defence, explained that his client was utterly unfit to work to maintain the child, and put in a medical certificate to that effect. The woman, when called, evidently suffered from an impediment, as it was difficult to understand what she said. She stated that she could not work regularly, ar, she had fits. At present she was housekeeping for a man. His YYorskip said he could not quake an order in such n case. It was appalling, he added, that under present conditions persons physically and mentally deticient were permitted to multiply, and the ratepayers had to rarry the burden of maintaining their children.