The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1904-12-24 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

ITHE PASSING WEEK.  IJMiuton HAIL neer Stamford, the at of Lord lAndesay.lla Istra destroyed by firm The aged limiters of Aylesbury workhouse are to have hot water bottles for their beds.  • • • • An Irish mail express trnin has this week been running trout Bunton to Holyhead without a atop. -• • • • It is estimated ULM amongst th• Miens is London there are 311,000 Russians, 27,000 limmans, 15,000 Poles, 11,000 Frenoh, 11,000 en 4 7,ooo.Austriena.  The Virginia, the turbine steamer for the A Lin Line *as launched at Glasgow on Thursday. The new boat will bays accommodsition for 1,300 imisargoir  Id Stanley of Alderloy is to onside at the If tomal meeting of tile North of Englood roltiostian Conform. to b. held at Liverpool ot Janlatry JP* .and 7th.  Admiral Sir Ersemm Ommaney, the oldest admiral of the British Navy, died on Wednaoday at the (iv al ninety. During the Rullbill) wax of 1854-5 he commanded the Naval force in the White Sea and Gulf of Ries.  S 0 • •  Mr. Hall Caine, who was the guest of the sening at the Christmas dim'sz of the New Vagabond Club on Monday, claimed that fiction wen popular nnivereally becomes it best answered the world's needs, being the best educator, peaceinakee, pnrifler, and oomforter._ a a  o •  • Nu/morons case of the disappearance of oleo club °Aloud' have been recorded daring ths post forinight. In two instances— & voretary in London and a treasurer at Pangbourne, ',bens the deficiency was respectively Med and £7o—the defaulting stewards committed suicide.  ‘Aiii.anie, who committed suicide at Waterloo on Toeeday, served in the South African war, during which time he underwent peat mental strain, and it iA thought that the skeet* of ChM and P antaequent illness led to hie melancholy death • •  • •  The obituary hot this week includes Use maw; of Lord Tollemache, who at one time represented We Oheohire in the House of Commone, . of Sir Lowth,an Bell. the great authority in the iron trade. the latter being in his ninetieth year.  Mr. L. J. rtobeita, kf.M. Isnctor of Schools for North Wales. in ai&ressing tho students of Llangollen County School. advised them to avoid the kieriodioal trash and snippets of twaddle which now flooded the markets He recommended them to reed Scott, Pickens sod Dames.  Representatives of the confectionery id other trades in whicE sugar is largely used not in London on 11•dnesday and urged the repeal of the sugar boa, a deputation being appointed to wait upon the Premier. It was stated that out of 100,000 persons who wore employed by the allied industrier in the Unitri Hingdcro in 1201, there were this year 12,000 out of work, and 50,000 on short time.  The Hos. Arthur Stanley h.P.. speaking at a basaar on Wednesday, said his expert-6JIOII was that the ladies looked to the bachelors to clear their stalls of the ugly thirp they could not sell. They would let them have • Wm article for 22e., when it often happened, from a bachelor's point of view, that the good. were dear at any price.  Tile NA0.... rm.:, ',:laurch Council has issued an importaart communication to the SOO Free Ohuroh Councils of England and Wales deprecating the backward step which would be taken by the euggerted course of adopting the Apostles Creed in public elementary isetiooW. The Free Comrolttee feels it to be most important that the i,cal Free Church Councils throughout the Land should be on the alert as to the imminent ds.nger, and, where occasion arises, take detrnnined action_ in opposition.  The Govertuaent Blue dook of criminal statistics. issued on Wednesday, shows that the ntunber of persons for trial at assizes and quarter sessions during 1908 was 11,882, compared vribh 11,392 for the PmYious year. The wrincipal classes of offences showing an inorease m 1903 are as folow :—Burglary, etc., 2,883 in 1803. ags.iest 2,550 in 1902; larceny etc., 40,127, against 39,435; frauds by agents 54, against 27; false pretences 1,330, against 1,895; receiving stolen goads 1,287, against 1,128; coining, etc., 88, against 58; 'habitual drunkenness 872, against 238; attempting suipde.273,.agairt 241.  At the annual naseting of the Liverpool Cliarity Ormtnisation Society, on Monday, th• question of the unemployed was re(tared to, and Sir Robert Hampton advocated the adoption of an organised yetem of stands with telephonic communication at the docks which wonld enable labourers to find work and employers to find men jnst when and where required. Tim Bishop of Liverpool favoured a trial of some each system as that in vogue at Blborteld, in Germany, urder which the visitation and relief of the indigent is entrusted to a body of voluntary workers. • • • •  Sir 11. Cempbell-Bannerman on Tuesday evening replied to Mr. Chamberlain's speech at Umehonse. As to Mr. Chamberlain's recent °aim to be a missionary of Empire, he said it was net those who were over mouthing the word who were the Empire's best friends. Mr. Chamberlain was Ilso twitted upon his omission to speak on the Sugar Convention, which had thrown thousands out of employment, and with regard to alien immigridon, Sir Henry said that the Liberal party were no more in favour of admitting undesirables than Mr. Chamberlain, and the Bill of bast Session was a farce. Mr. Asquith, M.P., addressing a meeting at Cardiff, said that the only part of the recent eperioh he endorsed was that in which Mr. Chamberlain advised them to go to the root of the matter at the next general election.  •. • The Begiatijar-General reports that the annual rat* of mortality in eeventy-six Marge towns of England and Wales last week averaged 19.2 per 1,000. In Birkenhead the rate was 23.