GENERAL NEWS ITEMS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 2350, 3 November 1921, Page 4

GENERAL NEWS ITEMS.

The total circulation of the new Hungarian State notes is estimated lit between 20 and 21 milliard crowns (about £14,000,000). The Ministry of Finance has ordered live milliards (about £3,500,000) of new notes in Switzerland. An elderly sailor who was charged at tho Old Street Police Court with drunkenness stated that he landed in England on the previous day with £BO in his possession, and had only 7s 8d left. “In the circumstances I will take 55,” said the magistrate.

Telegrams in England sent during the six months ended June 30th numbered over 7,000,000 fewer than during the same period last year; yet the revenue from them had increased by nearly £200,000. A serious farm fire was caused at Woolly Manor, near Huntingdon, by the back-firing of a tractor, which \\;as driving a thrashing machine. All the farm buildings and 15 stacks of oats, barley, wheat and straw, and 15 tons of chaff were destroyed. Absence of water in the village prevented the fire brigade rendering aid.

Among the refugees who arrived in Hull recently from Russia was Mrs Rita Hain, a Scottish woman married to a Russian. She had, she said, been through three revolutions, and had escaped from the South in a cattle train. There were 37 of them herded together. People fell down in front of their eyes with cholera. One part of the journey she had made sitting on ,a railway buffer.

Of the Scottish cities, Glasgow’s population is now 1,034,069, a_n in-

It is proposed that Canadian and U.S.A. authorities sholld unite in re-stocking the Fraser River with salmon, so that £6,000,000 worth of fish could be canned, there annually, crease of 25,582 on 1911, while Edinburgh’s stands at 420,207, a decrease of 3,779. The total population of Scotland is now 4,882,157. The Dean of Chester writes that only by making a big effort will Chester . Cathedral be restored. There are big cracks and deteriating stone in the edifice. The hells can no longer be rung, as the tower will not stand the strain. There is much that must be done at once, and it is a case of everyone helping by giving a little, because few can help largely. Captain Fryatt’4 famous ship Brussels is once more in commission. It will be remembered that she was sunk at Zeebrugge, and lay under water for nearly two years. She was raised and presented by Belgium to the British nation. Subsequently she was sold by auction, and is now the property of the Dublin and Lancashire Steamship Company, of Preston, and is to be employed by them as a cattle ship. Despite a walk every week to Tilbury to try to get a ship, an exnaval man, L. J. King, stated to be the sole survivor of the blockship at Zeebrugge, has failed, qfter ten months, to obtain work. Obliged to pawn his medals and sell his furniture, he was among the applicants for relief at a meeting of the Shoreditch Board of Guardians, who decided to allow him 26s in cash and 19s in food per week for one month. King, who is 31 years old, holds the Distinguished Service Medal and the Military Medal, and has a wife and three children.

Summoned for 'refusing to pay part of their rates as a protest against the deductions for the benefit of clergymen under the Ecclesiastical Tithes Rate Relief Act, a number of farmers appeared before the Ongar Bench recently. It was proved, however, that in the defendant’s parishes no deductions had been made. Mr King, the farmer’s counsel, said the principle was being decided by a ease in the King’s Bench next term, and as these farmers had not in fact suffered any harm, he advised them to pay the/rates. The farmers agreed, and the summonses were withdrawn on payment of costs.

A strange case of suffocation was revealed at an inquest at Bristol on Robert William. Tucker, a master tailor. Mrs Tucker said that she went away for a holiday, and when she returned she found her husband dead in bed, his head resting on his arms, and his face in the pollow. Letters sent were found lying unopened behind the front door, and the medical evidence showed that death had taken place about a week previously. The jury returned a verdict that death was due to deceased lying.with his face in a pillow. A warehouse fire at the London Docks resulted in damage unofficially estimated at £IOO,OOO. Hundreds of tons of dried fruits and tinned goods were destroyed. To deal with the fire, the whole brigade was summoned, and at one time t hoi c were 250 firemen at work with 40 appliances, including three livoi floats. The building attacked was 180 ft. long, 90ft. wide, and of six floors. When the flames burst through the roof they illuminated all the shipping in the pool and the docks on both sides of the river. The reflection was seen for miles.

curs worth £6,000 were stolen from the London warehouse of Mr l l ’. Weber recently. The theft took place within a stone’s-throw of - Cloak Lane police station. Evidently the thieves concealed themselves in a vacant office, the doors of which were open during the daytime, and in the early hours of the morning they cut a hole 2ft. squaie through the wall at the top of. the building. This gave them access to Mr Weber’s warehouse. After packing their booty into sacks, they took it away down the stairs, a false key being used to open the door. • lhcii booty consisted of opossum skins, lynx skins, ermine furs, chinchilla, and dressed white fox furs.

A story of a man who thought he had married his wife on six weeks “approbation,” was told at rottenham Police Court. Application was made by a woman on behalf of her daughter, who, she said, was nun l ied six weeks ago, and seemed quite happy with her husband. Ilowevei, the man brought the woman back, and told the mother she could have her again. “She is not satisfactory,” lie-said, “so I am returning her to the person from whom I obtained her.” “But you can’t, do ■.that,” said the mother. “Oh, yes, I can,” answered the husband. Ac were married- at a registry office, and I understood I was taking her on ■'approbation for six weeks.” “Did you believe him?” asked the magistrate. Applicant: “Well, it struck me as being a bit unusual. Further inquiries, the magistrate promised, would lie made. A very human touch was given to a theft case at West London Police Court recently. A young labourer, William Hobbs, - looking pale and ill, was charged with stealing a bottle of milk from a doorway. In answer to the charge, he pleaded that he was out of work and had a wife and three children starving at home. A police witness said this statement was true. The man had been out of work for nine months, although he had done his best to get employment. “On calling at the house,”

said the officer, “I found that all the children had to eat was some

stale bread soaked in water. - ’ W T hen Mr Gilbert, manager of the firm

whose bottle had been taken, was informed of the circumstances, he provided the family with money and

supplied their immediate wants. Hobbs was bound over, and was referred to the Court missionary to see if anything could be done for him.