From Many Lands

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 702, 29 June 1929, Page 19

From Many Lands

diverse subjects PARIS STUDENTS' CHOICE University of Paris, declare* be one of th" most versatile in th ' rid. had lectures iu one month thi: ’ear on the theatre and dance in Cam iodia. the history of modern arebi L-ture in the United States, theorie: Sold age. Spanish art and the theor 0 j probabilities. There was a lecture, too. on jeal u9 v. and students might also folio? a course in glass-blowing. NON-STOP 155 ACRES OF WHEAT SOWN What is considered to he an Am: ralian record was recently put up hi John and James Simpson, sons n lames Simpson, of Weerona, Gren , e ll 4 With a tractor and 22 hoe dril -jaey sowed 155 acres of wheat in t hours' non-stop run. The father has won the Crop Clrow j„g Championship, and is this year’: aianer of the fodder conservatioi competition. POMPADOUR S PRESENT BOOK SOLD FOR £3OO A gift from the French King. Loui: XV., to Madame Pompadour, brough the highest price of the sale, ,£BOO when the library of the Liuke o Leuchtenberg, Empress Josephine’: «on, was auctioned at Berlin. Thi gift was an elaborately illustrate* volume on “The Rivers of Europe,” pri vately printed in 171 S by the King Emblazoned on its covers are th< royal fleurs delis of France, and the coat of arms used by Madame Pom padour. > TRADE BOOMING GERMANY AND RUSSIA The value of machinery exports from Germany to Russia has in creased from 69,900,000 marks in 1924 to 231,700,000 marks in 1928, accord ing to official figures. This increase in the value of German machinery ex ports to Eastern Europe is attributed chiefly to long-term credit facilities and the comparatively low' prices ol German products. DREADFUL DISCOVERY WORKMAN RESCUES DAUGHTER A heavy sliding door in front of a building in Vineyard Avenue, Yonkers jumped from its trolley recently and toppled over on the sidewalk, pinning a little girl underneath. Two work aen, who had been trying to open the door, tried vainly to release the child. One of them ran to a fire station for aid. Lieutenant M. F. McQuade, with tour men, hurried to the scene. While the fireman and the two workmen lifted the door McQuade dragged the child from beneath it. Then he discovered it was his own daughter, Eileen. She was taken to her home and treated for concussion of the brain. Her condition is serious. NICKNAMES BANNED MUSSOLINi AND “MR. JACKSON" Mussolini’s nickname—for cautious Romans talking: about him in mblic—is “Alfo." It is not wise to criticise him openly, for Fascist ears ire everywhere. He may be referred ’o as plain Mussolini for II Puce) in a newspaper headline, but in the body the text he is almost invariably described as “His Excellency the Head of the Government." In court documents he is “Chevalier Mussolini," from his rank in the Order of the Annunuziata. “Mr. Jones" and “Mr. Jackson” are terms Anglo-Saxons apply to the Premier when they refer t 0 a*® w ithin the hearing of persons might misconstrue what they say. p POISONED RIVAL JEALOUS OF TRADE SUCCESS Antoinette Peiuot, a mis-shapen otnan barely 4ft 6in iu height, sat on 1 high stool in the dock at Moulins _SBizes recently charged with having Wisoned a woman friend. 'or many years she kept a miloers shop in the little town of Lurcy- ., y* Failing to make it pay, she sold 7?* war widow, Mme. Marie Louise ■union, a bright aud smiling woman . ylth her pretty 14-year-old • tighter, rapidly made the shop a ■'Ueces3. ~y: a° f’ who had opened a book tin door. was jealous of Mme. 8 success - and after her rival’s aen death she confessed that she ~ “ set l rat poison to kill the woman s4e hated. -r"„ Finot was sentenced to penal ser"uhe for m e . “WE ARE NOT AMUSED” ELIZABETH’S SOCIAL LAPSE

•jj-i® Duchess of York was enter- .* a caller recently, and Princess towns’ w **° hafl been brought < tJV .“ y her nurse, was allowed to .l|j ln Jhe room and to amuse her:„t Ll th her to - vs - The princess at : ?rs(.if Can,P bored with being left to v ers ” ac< l not sharing iu the conJis Accordingly, after a time •** r s s* to ' var <l the bell, pressed | “ er finger, aud waited for a to appear. 'haro S °s n as ,lle mau ma< l e his eninf ta • ' 6 Pcincess said calmly: “Ring X 1 lady go,” and pointed to the j ’tiinn interested in the conver- j ig, . her royal hostess. On heardaughter's order, however, Sind.U C *l ess immediately counter- I ttrrc-f and. like most mothers, j ; . , “ her child for a seeming lack | *JJ n r . tesy ,owai t l her visitor, who | : ®»rk Ura " y mu °h amused at the hat th . bell was ruug again,; Wth t ' me * or t * le nurse, who car- ' 'a then disappointed princess back; nursery, there perhaps to medit»nno, tlle fact that Royal princesses toyed a '" a 5' s have their orders doused >. eveu "hen they “are not.

PROOF AGAINST CRACKSMEN NEWCASTLE’S MIGHTY SAFE ‘ ofL collection °f jewels worth ~ £250 000 is being shown by the Na- - :. l ° nal Jewell ers- Association in the .j Evening World” Pavilion at the * - orth-East Coast Exhibition at New- ' | castle. Elaborate precautions have been . : prepared to guard the treasures. Chief among them is a great safe weighi 105 "early six tons. The only other j safe of this type in the world is used in South Africa as a diamond reposi- ; tory. I The safe is six feet in height and j has a door nine Inches thick. The - operation of a lever shoots 16 massive ; [ s *' bolts into their appropriate | sockets in the frame. They are ! secured by three locks, each with an i | independent key, and there is only one | key of each kind in existence. ; j Special armour-plate construction : j renders the safe impenetrable by j drilling or cutting tools, impervious |to fracture by impact, and proof against high explosives. Protection against blow-pipe experts is afforded by several layers of a special refrac- ! tory alloy JURY’S 7-DAY ABSENCE ■ SENSATIONAL MAFIA TRIAL l The sensational trial of 161 members of the Sicilian criminal association, the Mafia, which began last August at Termini-Imerese, has now' been concluded. One hundred and fifty of the prisoners have been found guilty on the main indictments, which include murders, highway robberies, blackmail and : arson, committed over a period of sev- ; eral years in the provinces of Palermo, i ) Messina and Caltanissetta. The remaining 11 were found guilty of minor offences. The prisoners throughout the trial sat handcuffed in iron cages built expressly for the purpose, and they were closely watched by carabineers armed with muskets, there being one carabineer for every five prisoners. The jurors were shut up for an entire week, and were obliged to consider no fewer than 7,000 questions put by the presiding judge, the questions in their turn being divided into 30,000 sub-questions. The trial is the climax to a merciless campaign begun in 1925 by Signor Musolini to crush out the centuries-old Sicilian outlawry. “A "LAUGHING STOCK” COPY OF RABELAIS SEIZED A seizure of a 1750 edition of Rabelais, imported from London by A. Edward Newton, Philadelphia collector and author, became known when Mr. Newton wrote the Commissioner of Customs in Washington asking that the book be turned over to him. “In order that you may not be made the laughing stock of the world,” Mr. Newton’s letter said, “I beg that the volume be sent to me immediately: but for no other reason, for one can secure a copy at any well-ordered bookshop or library in the United States.” The Rabelais, for which Mr. Newton paid about £6, was seized, he said, on the ground that it was an obscene document. QUEEN OF THE GANG A 16-YEAR-OLD LEADER When Mary Mooney, aged 16, and four youths were charged at Glasgow with disorderly behaviour, it was stated that she was the queen of the “Mudie Boys” gang, who met their rivals, the “Naeburn Street” gang. Between 40 and 50 youths took part in the fight, which was witnessed by 400 people. When the police arrived bottles and belts were being freely used, the “queen” being as active as her companions. The police stated that the more trouble the members of gangs got into the more praise they received from their leaders. A fine of £1 Is was imposed on each of the accused. SHOCKING! ELECTRICITY FOR SHARKS A remarkable demonstration showing the effect of electricity on sharks, was given at the Government fish hatcheries, New South Wales, recently. The idea was to display the efficiency of an "electric barrage” for the protection of beaches. ! The inventor, Mr. Moller, had wob- j | begongs and fiddler fish jumping from | j the water, and then sinking to the j ! bottom in a stunned condition. It was ‘done by the application of only six volts. I lu another experiment, a 9ft Sin j shark, which was caught, the six volts ; proved too much for the monster, I which was iu a weakened state. Ou the beaches the inventor proposes to use from 10 to 15 volts, which would kill the fish instantly. When the current was on, the fish swerved sharply when within a few feet of the barrage, and refused to approach the electrified area. When the current was switched off they passed over the electric cables and performed all sorts of antics as soon as the \ power came on again. They recov- i ered in a few seconds. | A strange feature of the displa3'S was the immunity of small fish to the six volts, which seemed so effective against the larger fish. The voltage is scarcely perceptible to human beings, and even the proposed 10 to 15 volts, it is claimed, would be more healthful than harmfill. It is estimated that the cost of the power necessary for a depth of 20ft over a distance of 100yds, would be about sixpence an hour. Mr. Mailer accidentally stumbled j on the effect electricity had when a j charged wire fell into a tub of fish.