NEWS BY MAIL.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 July 1920, Page 8

NEWS BY MAIL.

GOLD IN HIS BOOT SOLES. London, May 24. Taken ill in the Y.M.C.A. hut, Waterloo road, a Polo named Pietr Talka, travelling from America to Danzig, was removed to Lambeth Infirmary. He was thought to be in dire poverty, ■for apparently he possessed only 2s (id, tut it was discovered that hidden in his clothing he had 22 10-dollar gold pieces and paper money to the value of 990 dollars. The strangest discovery, however, was mad© during an examination of his hoots. They, were thought to be very heavy, and rfpon being photographed by X-rays 12 large coins, presumably 10dollar gold pieces, were found hidden between the leather on the soles of each boot. TOWN RULED BY WOMEN. New York, May 25. Jackson City, in Wyoming, as the result of last week's elections, claims the distinction of being the first municipality in the world to elect an administration composed wholly of women. One of the successful candidates defeated her own husband. Jackson, which has hardly 500 inhabitants, is tho metropolis of the Jackson Bole district, long famous as one of the best big-game hunting centres in the United States, and was formerly the haunt of a goodly number of the "bad men" of the Wild West. , Some of the days of its evil pre-emin-ence have been "featured"by Owen Wister in' "The VirgiDian." Jackson lost its more sombre distinction ' some years since, but the suffragists have put it on the map again. BIG SLUMP IN U.S.A. New York, May 28. The National Association of Manufacturers has passed a resolution endorsing "all sensible efforts to reduce the prices of commodities." In the meantime reports of sweeping reductions in price continue to arrive, these reductions being especially in men's and women's apparel and shoes. The prices of food nave not shown any material depreciation. One largest wholesale millinery establishments in the North-Weat, ated at St. Paul, has announced that it will 'start retail trade in order to dispose of a stock valued at 1,300,000 dollars at prices 50 per cent, below those prevailing. One Arkansas store has reduced 12dollar shoes to 4 dollars 85 cents. The reductions in prices yesterday again averaged from 25 per cent, to 50 per cent.—Reuter. MARSHAL FOCH ON THE FUTURE OF WAR.

4 Paris, May 27. Marshal Foch, speaking* at the Ecole Polyteelinique, said the second part of the Peace programme was taken up by the necessity of making all preparations against a fresh war. Germany's neighbours, he declared, whether they wished it or not, would be forced to keep up armies and maintain strong frontiers, because, quite apart I from the generous intentions of civilised humanity, there were historic realities in racial pride just as there were geographical realities. "How can we hope," Marshal Fach continued, 'to master the nation which, after its conquest by the Great Napoleon,was able to bring about the complete overthrow of the coloisal Napoleonic Empire and by superlative militarism and method succeeded !n greatly extending its authority in ine East, in the Russian marshes, and beyond the Rhine, making war its national industry and might its right."—Ec-ter.

OUR GRAVES IN FRANCE.

Brussels, May 23. Sir Thomas Mackenzie, High Commis-1 sioner for New Zealand, Ims just con-J eluded his tour to the British military cemeteries in France and Belgium. He was touohed says the Independence Beige, by the care with which all the graves are being, tended.. Numerous flowers of many kinds arc being plated on the graves. In every cemetery five or six men are working, under the direction of an experienced gardener, to keep the graves in order. Up to the present 800 cemeteries have been transferred .to the control of the Wa? Graves Commission, and it is hoped that within the next si.v irionths more than 2,000 cemetries will he taken over. 'Soma of these contain nearly 15,000 tombs. The work of removing the bodies from ithe battlefields to the cemetries is proceeding actively, particularly In the Passchendael region. Sir Thomas Mackenzie satisfied himself that the task, which is often hard and always.distressing, is being carried out with all possible reverence.—Eeuter. 20 GUINEAS FOR. A "BEST" SUIT. London, May 24. Twenty guineas for a suit of the best quality was predicted as next winter's price by Sir Robert Home (President of the Board of Trade) in the House of Commons .yesterday. Mr Hurd (M.P., for Frome) asked him if he was aware that the average price for best quality British made worsted suits was approximately as follows, allowing for exchange:—

In New York £6O 0 0 In Paris 52 10 0 In Berlin 4 .. 200 0 0 In Montreal .. 35 0 0 Mr Hurd also inquired how these prices compare with those charged for similar suits to British consumers in this country. Sir Robert Home replied that the price for the best quality worsted suits made by high-class tailors in this country was approximately 18 to IB guineas, though prices varied according to the locality. He understood that the prices of British-made suits were very considerably higher in foreign markets tlian in this country. '' WILL PPJCES COME DOW3T? London, May 25. Mr 1 McCiirdy, the food Controller, visited Liverpool Docks on Saturday,' and was agreeably surprised to And that the delay in connection with the unloading and delivery of imported foodstuffs had vanished. Pert authorities and railways, he thinks, have admirably surmounted all difficulties. Upon the. general food outlook the Pood Controller said that the question whether food prices will come down depends primarily upon America giving credit to Europe. "If the peoples of Central Europe, can obtain credit on a large scale they must beebme competitors in the world's marie>< for the production of food which

at present is certainly not equal %> the world's demands. Tho inevitable effect of that would be to bring down prices. "We must' all rember," he said, "that, we are living in world in which supplies are short. This country has come out of the war, and through all its concomitant difficulties better than every other country -in the world. We do not recognise the difficulties which affect world prices "because we are so much more fortunate than our neighbours in other countries."