NEWS OF THE WORLD

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 7281, 7 October 1933, Page 5

NEWS OF THE WORLD

MILLIONAIRE’S BIG LOSSES LAW SUIT RUINED HIM II was revealed that Sir Richard (John) Waldie-Griffith, the 83-ycars-old baronet and one-time millionaire, left personal estate of £1495. Sir Richard died in London on July 24, and the “Daily Mail” announced that he left “practically nothing.” He lost a great deal of money over a lawsuit in Czechoslovakia and also in sheepfarming in Australia. He left liis estate to his wife. WOMAN GOVERNOR OF 8.8. C. REAL LISTENING IS DIFFICULT In her first public address since her appointment as a governor of the 8.8. C. Mrs Mary Agnes Hamilton told the members of the National Summer School for Wireless Group Leaders, which opened at Hertford College, Oxford, recently, that there was no problem more interesting or more difficult than that of listening. “I am afraid there are still many of the five and a-half million listeners who do not listen at all; they merely hear,” she said, “and there is a vast difference between the two. Real listening is an exceedingly difficult thing, and modern life does not make it any easier. To those of us concerned in the possibilities of broadcasting, this inattentive listening is our. greatest enemy.” BLAZING HOUSE ESCAPES RESCUES BY SOUTHEND FIRE BRIGADE Ten people escaped from a blazing bouse divided into two flats in Hartington Road, Southend, recently. Mr George Burge, aged 65, and Mrs Burge, aged 64, were lowered from an upstairs window, while two grown-up sons jumped into the front garden and were unhurt. The Southend Fire Brigade prevented the flames from spreading to adjoining houses, which were packed with visitors. GIRL WORKS AS SHEEP EXPERT NEW PROFESSION FOR WOMEN Something new in professions for women has been evolved by Miss Winifred Ferguson, a young woman who finds an outlet for her love of the outdoor life by combining the jobs of shcepfarmer, shepherdess, and office worker on the lonely farm of her father at Corb, a few miles from London, at the foot of the Grampians. You might consult her on a thousand matters affecting sheep, and to each question receive a ready and an authoritative reply. She superintends the work of the shepherds who tend the 420 pedigree sheep that she controls. She has been largely responsible for building up the pedigree stock on her father’s farm. In addition, she is an expert judge, and in her “spare time” has acted in that capacity at four shows this season.

GIANT ORGAN TESTS REBUILDING AT ALBERT HALL The great organ of the Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, which is being rebuilt and enlarged at a cost of about £25,000 —twice as much as it cost when built in 1872 by the late Henry Willis—is now nearing full strength, under the supervision of a famous organ-builder. Mr Arthur Harrison, principal of Harrison and Harrison, of London and Durham was seated at the console when I saw him recently, writes a reporter of the ‘‘Daily Mail.” Mr Harrison’s fingers were moving over the keys, and lie operated all the 176 stops in his tests, but what seemed perfection to me brought from Mr Harrison severe criticism and later examination of mechanism or pipes. By means of terrifyingly steep ladders we reached the floors that house the pipes. On the second tier there was a tiny keyboard used for tuning tests. A touch and pipes about us growled under the pressure of giant bellows. It was a cavern of nightmare which is only habitable when the organ is still. “BELLE OF NEW YORK” STILL BEING PLAYED OLD FAVOURITE RETAINS POPULARITY Like the modern matron as shown in revues, “The Belle of New York” grows livelier with increase of age, writes a critic in the “Daily Mail.” More than a dozen years elapsed between the first and second revivals; now the piece is only absent from the West End for two or three years at a time. Since June, 1914, it has been staged at the Strand, the Lyceum, Daly’s, and the Winter Garden. It is paying its latest visit to town at the Garrick, where-the run began recently. _ Very “popular” prices should add to its appcal. The part of Violet Gray, the Salvation Army lass, is again taken by Miss Kathleen Burgis. Ichabod is played by .Mr George Morgan (who understudied both Mr Grossmith _ and Mr Coyne during the run of “No, No, Nanette”). Miss Bertha Riccardo makes one of the outstanding successes of the present production as Fifi. This role is always attractive, since Fifl’s songs are the best in the score. DEAD BOYS FOUND IN BLAZING CART HAD BEEN PLAYING AT SMOKING A verdict of accidental death was returned at a Westminster inquest recently, on Daniel Dennis Dwyer, aged 6. and Clifford Bernard McMahon, aged 3, whose bodies were found in a baker’s handcart which was on fire near thenhomes in Goldsmith Street, Drury Lane. It was stated that death was due to asphyxia. Station Officer Joseph Tobias, of the London Fire Brigade, advanced the theory that the boys got into the cart during play, and one of them lit a piece of paper, the smoke from which made them drowsy. In all probability the younger boy was asleep before the fire got a hold on the bags and basket which were in the cart, for his body was found curled up in the remains of the basket. A police constable stated that two cigarette packets, one containing half a cigarette and a dead match were found in a pocket of the elder boy s clothing. Mr Frederick Nash, who found the barrow on fire, said when_ the door was opened a woman exclaimed, “Look, there is a doll inside!” “When I looked,” added Mr Nash, “I really thought there were dummies in the cart, and there was a bit of an argument as to whether they were dolls or children. I pressed the face of one of them with a key and found it was a child.”

Mr Ingleby Oddic, the Coroner, said the station officer’s explanation was quite a feasible one. It appeared that the six-years-old boy had been playing at smoking.

BRITISH CLIMBER KILLED FELL AT FOOT OF GLACIER Tlic body of a man found recently in the French Alps near Briancon has been identified as Unit of Mr Richard Verschoyic, aged 26, who was on holiday. Mr Verschoyle apparently fell at the foot of a glacier and was killed. DON’T BE AFRAID OF RELIGION ADVICE GIVEN TO BOYS There was a sort of feeling that people would be more comfortable if they worked six hours a day, said Lord Hanworth, Master of the Rolls, recently, at King Edward the Sixth School, Stratford-on-Avon. It had fallen to his lot to work hard and long hours, he said, and he had thoroughly enjoyed it. He. urged the boys not to be afraid of religion. Someone had happily said that religion was not cake for special occasions, but bread for daily and constant use. SPECIALLY PREPARED AIR NEW RAILWAY IMPROVEMENT The L.N.E.R. claims to he the first British railway company to introduce conditioned air to train ventilators. ■Pressure, ventilation systems, and forced, air conditioning units have now been installed by the company on 10 sleeping cars and six corridor carriages on the East Coast expresses to and from Scotland and the North of England. By these new installations all heat, humidity, noise and dirt are excluded from the sleeping cabins and day compartments. Air is drawn through filters into metal ducts and led to swivellouvre inlets which may be adjusted to supply a stream of clean air in any direction, and also give four positions controlled by passengers—“ Hot,” “Medium,” “Cold,” and “Shut.” The company intends to develop the installations as new carriages and trains are constructed. ENCOURAGING A NUISANCE PEOPLE WHO FEED PIGEONS “Kindhearted but misguided persons,” who make a practice of feeding pigeons, are criticised by Dr G. Sowden, medical officer of health for St. Pancras, in his annual report. Dr Sowden states that complaints were received about the nuisance caused by the existence of so many pigeons, which damaged property. Local authorities in London have power to seize and destroy or sell pigeons, but, states the report, in practice the section is very difficult to operate. “The prevalence of the birds is encouraged by the practice of feeding them adopted by so many kindhearted but misguided persons, and for the same reason the use of traps has proved a failure. The birds, being so well fed, will not enter the. traps to obtain the food. In a number of cases the traps have either been removed or interfered with by these misguided persons, who, doubtless owing to ignorance, object to the destruction of these birds.” HARMONISING RADIO SETS MODERN INTERIOR FURNISHINGS Trust a woman to consider the appearance of a wireless set before its tone! So it was only to be expected that I should walk round the Radio Exhibition at Olympia, Kensington, W., with my eyes more widely opened than my ears, writes a woman correspondent of the “Daily Mail.” 1 did notice the dulcet tones that greeted me everywhere, but what did they matter in comparison with choosing a wireless set that would harmonise with the decor of my drawing room? No matter what style or period of decoration a woman had chosen for her room, she could find a wireless set to fit into it.

If her. taste runs to Oriental colour schemes, her set may be in scarlet lacquer, patterned in gold—on the whole, distinctly Chinese in feeling. If she likes antiques, a restrained Queen Anne cabinet may please her. If ultra-mod-ern, she will doubtless choose a severe model in black, with fittings, of course, of chromium plating—a model which can be bought mounted on legs of tubular metal. IMPROVING LONDON DOCKS BIG OUTLAY RECOMMENDED For improvement of London Dock approaches the Improvements Committee of the London County Council is recommending expenditure of £188,960 on reconstruction of 10 bridges situated at the Hermitage and Wapping entrances, New Gravel Lane and Glamis Road, Stepney; the Surrey and Lavender locks and the Lady Dock, Bermondsey; and the City Arms Bridge, Poplar. Toward the cost the Port of London Authority has agreed to contribute £34,897 and gave the necessary land, and the Minister of Transport has agreed to make road fund grants of from 50 to 75 per cent, of net cost after deduction of the P.L.A. contribution. The total net cost to the L.C.C. is estimated at £63,221. The Port of London Authority has also agreed to contribute £BOOO in respect of maintenance charges, capitalised at 5 per cent., of which it will be relieved if all the 10 bridges are reconstructed. FATAL ACCIDENT WHILE CRUISING STUDENT IS SHOT DEAD “The gun went off. It was not the skipper’s fault.” How these words were repeated by a dying man was described at an inquest at Chelmsford, Essex, recently, on Mr Richard W. K. Hart, 22, a graduate of St. John’s College, Cambridge, who was fatally shot when approaching Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex, in the cutter Dawn after a cruise. A verdict of accidental death was returned. Mr Hart was the son of the Rev. John Henry Arthur Hart, of Holmc-on-Spalding Moor Vicarage, York. It was stated that he had taken his degree at Cambridge, but was staying at the university for another year. With others he had been on a cruise to Spain with the owner of the cutter, Mr Richard Meredith Jackson, assistant lecturer at St. John’s College, Cambridge. Mr Jackson said; “I brought my rille on deck to shoot a few rounds before cleaning it, as we were preparing to lay the boat up. I fired into the water, and then asked Hart if he would like a shot. ' I loaded the rifle, handed it to him, the barrel pointing away. Tlie deck was wet in patches, and I slipped. The gun went off. Hart called out, and I saw he was shot.” Mr James Robert George, a Cambridge undergraduate, who was mate of the Dawn, said the relations of all. on the trip were excellent. The Coroner, Mr C. E. Lewis, said no one was to blame, and they all sympathised with Mr Jackson,