NEWS IN BRIEF.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 2311, 4 August 1921, Page 1

NEWS IN BRIEF.

Two-thirds of the world’s trade in tea comes from India and Ceylon.

America has 13,500,000. telephones, whereas Britain has only 088,000. Sweden is experiencing a prolonged period of drought, the longest since 1808. An Italian sword of the year 1470 recently brought the sum of £3,098 in a London auction room.

Germany has delivered 100,000 carp and 50,000 tench to Belgium to re-stock her rivers and canals. There is a Bill before the Italian Parliament to make Sunday a compulsory rest-day for newspaper workers.

Electric mangles have just been installed in a Minneapolis (U.S.A.) laundry. Work that formerly occupied a whole day can now be done in an hour.

Starfish are being caught in large numbers in the United States of America. They are used for poultry and pig food. In Japan there are 3,224 landowner.' owning- more than 120 acre.' each, while only 22 own more than 2.401) acres each.

One in every 14 of the population of the United Stales possesses a motor ear. In Great Britain the proportion is one in 180.

Preliminary results of the census in Czecho-Slovakin show that the Republic contains 1,933,770 houses, with 13,595,730 inhabitants.

The rarest British stamp, the lOd red-brown issued in 1805, has been sold by auction for £240. Only four copies are in existence. United States cattle breeders are sending to France 1,000 thoroughbred Holstein cattle for distribution among the devastated regions. More than 1,000 persons have sent in applications for the two municipal houses at Willcsdcn, which will shortly be ready for occupation.

Four hundred delegates from 30 different countries, and embracing till degrees of colour, have arrived in London for the Salvation Army conferences.

During the past twelve month', tin 1 glaciers of the Alps have been moving down the mountains much more slowly than in the previous venr.

Little by little the silver pieces which had been pul carefully away on account of the high value of silver are making their reappearance in Paris.

A speciahceii'Us is to be taken <>f' the beggars of Bombay. This census is expected to throw light on the part played by the beggars in spreading disease.

Esperanto has now been recognised by Italy as a “clear” language for telegraphic purposes, and is no longer considered as a cypher or “conventional” language. Lepers in India and China,are being successfully treated with an essence made from ehnumugra oil, but it is not yet known whether the treatment is’ a certain cure.

A polar bear cub lias been born and successfully reared in the Milwaukee Zoo. United Stales of America. This i' fhe lirst instance of a polar bear cub being reared in captivity.

A collection of over 1,000,000 birds’ eggs was recently destroyed by tire at Hampton Wick. It bad taken a life-time to collect, and was the largest trade collection in existence.

The largest and fastest dirigible ever designed is being built at Phitadclpliii. Tt will be 800 feet long, and 85 feel wide, and without guns will have a cruising radius of (>,OOO miles.

Il i> estimated that the available world supplies of when I end rye will lie sullieieul lo meet requirements until the next harvest, and to leave a ha lance on August Ist oi' at least 0,500,000.

The South African Government is experimenting with wireless telephony, and Johannesburg is already in wireless telephonic; communication with other important South African cities.

Italian school teachers threatened a new kind of strike to draw attention to their claims to belter pay they will continue to teach, but will refuse to carry out examinations of any kind.