GENERAL NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 57, 15 March 1907, Page 4

GENERAL NEWS.

"That's my case," said Mr Wilford wlien he had put before the Magistrate at Wellington on Thursday ill the evidence in a case he deemed necessary. "It isn't," snapped the defendant, an excitable lady who was conducting her own defence. "It's mine," and she walked into the wi:-nes-box. "I've succeeded before, and 1 shall succeed to-day. I shall succeed." And when she had delivered herse f thus she folded her arms and talked (to the Magistrate with such deafen'ng volubility that Dr. McArthur finally shouted, "Hold your tongue!" "It's my she shouted triumphantly. "Judgment for the plaintiff," said his Worship, writing. "Then X dispute it." "Follow Mr Wilford outside, and dispute it with him," was his Worship's advice. And she did.

A thrilling story of the privations of a wrecked sh:p'g crew is contained in a mail story from Singapore, which has !>cen received iu London. According to 'the story, a vessel with a crew of eight Chinamen .failed from Singipore about live weeks ago. The vessel was badly damaged in a terr lie giie. and f<»r three days the sailor* clung to the rigging to save themselves from being washed overboard. On the third day the vessel wenx to pieces on a barren, uninhabited where jtherc was no food but shellfish. The crew spent three weeks there, enduring great privations and suffering from hunger and thirst. When death seemed certain if they remained, three x>t them constructed a raft of bamboo, and put 'to sea to chance being picked up by a passing steamer and bring help to their companions. They drifted five days w.thout seeing a sail, and on the sixth they were picked up more dead than alive by the Xan Sang, of Hongkong. They could not Jieit give any coherent instructions wYch would lead to tho discovery of the on which their companions wore cast aw ay. It is feared that ail hope of saving these wiil have to be abandoned.

It U estimated that the South African team of Rugby footballers received nearly £IO,OOO as their share of tlh 1 gate money during their recent tour, whidh included jtwenty nine nmU'hei iu Great Britain and Fiance. From this amount the expenses of the tour will have to be deducted; and it is interesting to note that the New Zea lander* cleared a profit of nearly £9,000 after cftrything had been paid.

It was estimated that the "AH Mlacks" visit cost thorn under ,€O,OOO. The Africans will probably have doiw it for iess, as the fare—an important item—-from South Africa to England is only about half of the amount from New Zealand. The New Zealunders ployed four more matches than the South Africans, btu, on fbe other hand the "All Biacks"' did not do quite so much 'travelling to and from distaafc pa*s? of the country.

One never knows exactly whore Mr | 'Johii Tiurns will turn up next (says the Tribune). A few Jays ago he was engaged in rescuing some children from a watery grave. The other night he was at a lire in the Clapham roail. "Last night," writes a Tr.bune representative, "i saw the right Hon. gentleman in the House of Commons at half-past ten, and again at one o' cloek this morning I came across liira on the Embankment adjacent to Char ing Cross bridge. The Cabinet Minister was scarcely recognisable, though he had hut turned up his coat collar, lie ha l been making a round of visits to Salvation and Church shelters, and lie was at this moment about to mingle in the wretched crowd that nightly gathers .at the Salvation Army rendezvous under Charing Cross bridge. Mr Burns believes in what he sees with his own eyes, and he fully nealises thai: i»e must see much in the way if lie has to deal effectively with the derelicts of our social system. Wlrte ho Wis there a tram drew up, and as the car moved oif one of the passcngeio caught sight of >lr Burns, and remarked to the company. "Why, there's John Burns. He's out looking after things. That's the sort of "inn to have aoouT, —and the observation evidently voiced the general sent-iuen:.' ZLL.