NEWS AND NOTES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 2433, 25 May 1922, Page 4

NEWS AND NOTES.

Seeing signals of distress, the steamer Wearmouth, which arrived at Jersey recently from Scotland via Cherbourg, found a disabled French seaplane with two omcers and a warrant officer. A boat was launched in an attempt to take the airmen off, but it capsized. A second boat, however, picked up the crew ,of the first and took off the airmen. A rope was then attached to the plane, but after two hours’ towing it broke. A French destroy-

er which appeared took charge of the plane, while the Wearmouth returned to Cherbourg and landed the airmen.

A declaration regarding £IOO left for the upkeep of the concrete grave ■of two favourite cats by Miss Julian O’Connor, was applied for by two trustees under the will at Harrogate County Court, Miss O'Connor, who was related to Sir Roderick O’ Connor, some time British Ambassador at Petrograd and Constantinople, left instructions that twelve shillings yearly he paid for the upkeep, hut though the trust was valid, there was no one. to enforce it. Judge McCarthy agreed to the suggestion that the S.P.C.A. should relieve the trustees by taking over the remains.

A dispute over the type of hymns to be sung has led to the Rev. A. H. Fletcher, rector o fMerrow Guildford dismissing the choirmcn. Last November the rector asked the parochial church council to adopt the English Hymnal, but the council refused, and, ip view of their determined attitude, Mr Fletcher dropped his idea. Recently, however, he tried to introduce hymns from the new book into the usual Sunday services, but the chairmen decided to remain firm in the parochial council’s decision and refused to lead the singing. The matter was brought to a head by the rector drawing up a declaration, which he asked the ehoirmen to sign, to the effect that they would obey him or resign. They refused to sign and were told that they could go.

“I think £7O for even the partial loss of the sight of an eye is contemptible. People who offer that sum should have an eye taken out themselves. That is the way to test the price. The £7O ought to he increased to many more times what it is worth before the war.” This was the view of Judge Clucr, of the Shoreditch County Court, when lie refused to sanction an agreement come to between a girl and her employers und'er the Workingmen’s Compensation Act. It was stated that the girl, Rosina Lodge, 17, was employed as a cracker hand by Messrs Henry Wolff and Company, Bnnhillrow, E.C. Her right eye was injured by a preparation used to imitate frost, partial loss of sight resulting, and the agreement the judge refused to sanction was arrived at.

Described as specialists in “this line of work,” robbing church' offertory boxes, James Cummings and Gertrude Kitson, both of Newcastle, were at Gateshead sentenced to three months’ hard labour. The charge was that of attempting to steal from the offertory box of St. Paul’s Church, Gateshead. Sergeant Gates told the magistrate that 'he saw the two accused persons approach the offertory box. The male defendant took a small key from his pocket and inserted it in the box. He asked them what they were doing and Camming replied: “My wife just came in to tie her bootlace.” When charged, he said: “Give us a chance. We have done nothing wrong.” A very large number of keys wore found on the male defendant, and in answer to a question on this point he said: “I have always had a fancy for keeping keys: T don’t know why.” He denied having ever been near the offertory box, and said they only sat down for a few minutes. The chief constable rend out a long list of convictions for similar offences in the neighbourhood, and said the two, who were not: married, had always been charged together. “They are specialists in this lino of work,” he concluded. “If I don’t notify the warden and head keeper of Sing Sing of your character you will have them fleeced in no time,” said Judge Charles C. Not-t in a New York Court a few weeks ago, in sentencing Hyman Fishman, 33, a public accountant, to serve from five to ten years i* prison for grand larceny. David Gertsner paid to Fishman 2,000 dollars in cash and 500 dollars by cheque for furniture in an apartment in Madison Avenue only to learn later that Fishman did not own the furniture. It developed that Fishman took thousands of dollars from scrubwomen in public buildings for stock of little value, made a practice of placing a sign on vacant properties with his name on it and collecting deposits from purchasers. It is said he tried to swindle a law firm by asking for 5,000 dollars “change” from a. 20,000 dollar “certified” cheque he offered for legal service.