Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-11-16
ODD ITEMS OF INTEREST.
m,nr the suicides, men predomi-

The first American paper money was
The invention of Noel in 1891.
| Brazil exported over $43,O0o,ooo worth
of coffee during the first SIX mohths vi
| 1909.
bumper cotton crop is in view III
| India. 1t may amount to $o'ooo'ooo
bales. The price of yarn Is adValiciiis'
The German navy, which IN 1900 cost
| ~ 600, 600 marks, in 1890 cost loo,ooo'ooo'
| in 1900. somewhat under 200, 0OO,o0o' IN
1908. $3.50, 900 900; the budget for 1919 sup
ulates All 100000.
Under Japan's 1911 tariff revision the
| lis. of dutiable articles will NUMBER
over eight hundred. Raw materials
will be taxed lightly and luxuries heav-
| ily. The tariff will be neither Tree
trade" nor high protection"
Louise Hlrtsel a leader in artlstlc
circles in Chicago, has conceived the
idea of using the three wise monkeys
of Japan as candlestick match hold
er or incense burner. She believes TINS
will make the monkeys as popular as
| Billiken
Japan's foreign trade for the 1rSt
half of 1900 amounted to $2O0,io0,0oo, d
decrease of S13,000,000 from that of the
first half of 1908 Exports were $780,
600 increase $7oOO,0O0) and imports
$107, $50, 900 decrease $20,000,G0O. The
balance of trade in favor OF Japan
gained $27, 100000.
Paper making in Newfoundland is
new industry, and inaugurates new
era in the history of that British colo
n.y. The industry starts with eleven
factories (steel and cOncrete), with wa
ter power of 10000 horse power. capa-
bic of extension to $4,000. The hydrau-
lie and electric installation is enormous
over eighty electric motors being en-
ployed in working the machinery in the
various buildings.
A few years ago the celebrated
French artist, Benjamin Constant,
painted a historical picture represent
ing Pope Urban V entering Avignon.
The artist, by an ingenious stroke Of
fiattery, gave the features and figure
of the late M. Chauchard. Uhe great
shopkeerer of Paris, to the sovereign
pontif and it is now proposed to place
this painting i'll a place to be provided
for it at AVlgnOn.
The Keun Chi-Chu thc war depart
menn has sent in memorial to the
throne that orders may be given to the
officials and individuals of the whole
empire to adopt the dresses of foreign
style by wearing short jackets. A pri-
waite imperial rescript has been issued
to the board of ceremonies in the same
day instructing them to deliberate up
on this question and memorable to this
eftect-Shanghai Mercury.
&c tn hn of ol-
vertising. A novelty in that line comes
from way out in Crete, Neb, where
the city marshal has recently made a
nit with taxpayers by his ingenuity.
The town had for months far too many
'hobocs" on it's mess roster to suit
the people who foot the bills, so the
marshal decided on advertising as
remedy. In papers in nearby towns he
| inserted this brief card: Wanted
Seventeen hobOcs for stone crushing.
| None but bona fide roboes need apply"
Not "bo" has been seen in Crete
since the ad. appeared
Tossing in the blanket, which has
been forbidden to certain British troops
as the sequel to a fatal accident, is a
very old sport or punishment "Blan-
keting' Ben Jonson called it. and in
Hoinshcd 057O we find a denuncia-
ton of Testing, placing, blanketing
and such other flthie and dishonorable
exercises" The French have a special
verb, "bcrner,' for it, ''berne'' being
the name given TO the sheet or blanket
used The verb "berner'' is also used
for the Moorish punishment, in which
four men hold the victim by his an
kles and wrists and send him as high
as they can-presunably with no blan-
ket to catch him.
The province of Prince Edward Is
land, Canada, has ceased to produce to-
baccO, I'll attempts having proved I'M
profitable. The rest of Canada produc-
eG II, 266, 732 pounds in 1908, nearly all in
the provinces of Quebec and Ontario.
The dominion turned out S15,274923
worth of tobacco (manufactured), eli
CARS. cigarettes and snuff in 1908, be-
sides importing $S3S5,34S worth of
which $3.247 ,429 worth was from the
United States Consumption of tobac-
co increased from 1855 pounds head
in 1869 to 2,257 pounds in 1905
"A cairn and cross have been erected
on Killingtrngan moor. near Ballan-
trae. in memory of Robert Cunningham
postman, who persisted there in the
great SnoWStorm of last winter. At the
urveiling the postmen from the sur
rounding districts attended in uniform.
Into the cairn is built an inscribed
block of granite. and along with a me-
mortal tablet in Ballantrae parish
church. it is the outcome. of a public
subscription. The cross is gift from
the postmer's federation in memory of
a comrade who lost his life on duty
London Globe.
The American acknowledgement at
Calcutta, India, reports that a great
business is springing up in that metro
polls in securing and preparing the
skins of brown rats. which are used for
many purposes, such as binding of
books the making of purses, gloves and
other articles of feminine use and
adornment, ard the traffic in this COM
modify with Great Britain amounts to
$3.50, 900 yearly. 1t is required that the
rats shall be trapped, or, at least, no
vir,,c shall ho 1CnI in lyillipu tho no