News Items

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVII, Issue 4409, 11 May 1909, Page 1

News Items

The first brass band was or ganised in 1885. ‘

Ninety per cent, of Japan | populatien can read and write. * * * | jj l There are 15 tons of silver ;i| circulation for each ton of . gold. At a Jewish wedding the woman stands on the right oj groom.

Of the 88 miles of the Sm Canal, 66 were cut and 22. ai

lakes.

. : , Thirty-seven million' tons ,oi traffio is conveyed yearly or British canals. V i

There are in the world about 1000 volcanoes, of which 1 - 32l are classed as active.

Of 30,000,000 emigrant from during the las 1 century, more than one-thiri were British.

The construction of English • railways has cost an average pj £50,000 a mile, German £20,-i 000, American £II,OOO only I'V In England and Wales; G 05,906 women are entitled tovote for county councils, and for; councillors in municipal boroughs.

Petitions and addresses to the-' King, or to members of the’ Houses of Parliament, if noig over 21b in weight, are exempt! from postage.

Probably tho simplest Coutjk l livery in the world is the Korean .' The Emperor’s servants are all i dressed in garments and head:- , gear of red calico.

Out of 775 railway ees killed and injured last year.| in coupling aceidents, only oue'| was killed and one injured- in - cases where automatic couplings ; were in use.

The conservatory at Chats-J worth, one of the country seatsj cf the Duke of Devonshire, is| the largest privately owned con-1 servatory in the world. It is?| 300 ft loug, 145 ft wide, and 65ft | high. • /

Reading his brief by the Braille system, a totally blind? solicitor appeared at Wands worth County Court. In spite of his affliction, augmented by partial deafness, the blind soliei-§; tor won his case.

In recognition of Messrs ville and Wilbur Wright’s ser-

vices to the science of aviation, the Technical High School of Munich has conferral -»n them the honorary degree <>f • Doctor of Technical Science.’’

Tenders have been lodged by leading British shipbuilders for two armoured cruisers and? several first-class and secondclass torpedo boats for the Argentine Republio. There are to be six first-class and 12 secondclass torpedo boats. During a thunderstorm at Gassin (department of the Tar), says a French journal, the lightning, striking the belfry of the church, u set the bells ringing, forced a cupboard open, lighted the tapers of the candelabra, tore up the flooring of the sacristy, and rolled up the carpet with much neatness.”