THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1930.
An Opportune Confession. FIRE MYSTERY AT RIDDLE OF LOST
Mother.
Little Charlie: “You de jook tired,
Mother:
BATHS.
*I'm so tired, dear, | SALVAGE CORPS AXES THAT I can scarcely
: FITTED HOLES,
raise a hand."
Little Charlie: "Then I want to tell you that I've exten
all tho
strawberry jam.”
Mother probably received the astre confession with mixed fealings. Doubtless she would be smused-possibly proud-at this clever display of opportunism in her offspring. What little Charlio's feelings were in not recorded. Possibly, a little later, when the Kurfeit of jam began to make itself, felt, they would not be quite so pleasant. But Charlie
would'nt worry because there is always remedy at hand in the house. He knows that mother can
are
COURT EXPERIMENT.
CAPTAIN."
HOME OFFICE ASK FOR AN INVESTIGATION,
VANISHED AT SEA.
A demonstration to show that It is understood that the Home the points of Salvage Corp axes fitt-Omee has asked for an investiga ed the holes in cash-boxes that had tion into the mysterious dis-up been broken open was carried out pearance at sea of Captain Leslie when the Westminster Coroner, E. Large, the 32-year-old actlag Mr. Ingleby. Oddie, resumed his master of the United Fruit Com inquiry into the death of Misa pany's steamship, San Gil, and Rachel Barker, aged 62, who was aon of Mr. and Mrs. Large, of burned in a fire at the Tuurkish Caversham-avenue, Palmers Green Baths, Lioceater-square, W., on London. August 10.
Miss Barker was a cashier at When the San Gil, a ship of the baths. Her body was so charr-British registry, reached Boston, ed that it was almost unrecognis-it was reported that Captain Large vanished some time be tween three o'clock and
able.
A Calm Sen.
seven
SCANDAL OF LAX SYSTEM.
USE OF BOGUS BIRTH CERTIFICATES.
WEEK-END TICKETS.
There is an urgent demand that the present system of issuing copies of birth certificates in Eng- land without check or inquiry should at once be revised, ·
In spite of the vigilance of the Special Branch of Scotland Yard and the watchfulness of the aliens department at Bow-street, hun- dreds of aliens enter England each year with a week-end ticket, thus requiring no passport, and remain there
Detectives are now investigat birth certificates with which these aliens are able to masquerade as of British birth.
Communist Agents.
An official in close touch with the immigration laws told a Daily Mau reporter that thousands of foreigners with British birth cer tificates are now drawing the dole, baving.. first obtained a job and then got themselves. discharged.
At the previous hearing James Charles Lifford, of Netherwood- in the morning of August 1, a fewing the scandal of faked British always quickly cure stomach pains road, West Kensington, W., a hours after the vessel had left with Baby's Own Tablets, and they shampooer at the establishment; Havana for Puerto Castilla, Hon-
was questioned by the Coroner. duras. Are so pleasant to take.
Tablets are
Mr. Oddie said that the cash-box Baby's Own specific specially designed to meet had been broken open and the con- tents were gone, and added that a the medicinal requirements of witness had some forward to say Infants and little children. They that he saw Lifford enter the build- quickly correct disordered stomaching by the back way, while another and constipation, check diarhoca, man had stated that he saw him axpel worms, allay feverishness, leave by the front entrance. Lif- colds and croup. During teeth-ford denied these suggestions.
Mr. Oddie, who had summoned a ing Baby's Own Tablete sapecially indispensable, instantly jury to attend, stated that, in addi- asing the pains and thus induction to the woman who was burnt to death, another woman was seri- Ing, sound. natural aleep, a
still in a ously burned and was tremendous boon to both baby and critical condition. parents alike. Guaranteed; under
"I opened the inquest on August public analyst's certificate, to 15," Mr. Oddie said, "and Snding contain no opiates or narcotica, from the evidence that the facts my suspicion as to the and to be safe, pure and effective excited for the ailments they are indicated origin of the fire, I thought it bet to cure, they are truly, children'ster to adjourn and summon a jury so that they might deal with it." very own medicine. Obtainable He added that the jury would no from chemists everywhere..
doubt know that, if premises were set on fire maliciously, feloniously, and deliberately, and if people were in those premises and lost their lives in consequence of such a fire, then the person guilty of arson by setting the place alight was guilty of murder.
The night was clear, and the sen as calm as a millpond. None of the watch heard any suspicious sound, and the young captain, when last seen, appeared to be in the best of spirits.
Preliminary inquiries made by
British Foreigners bearing such names Mr. Edward F. Gray, Consul at Boston, and by consular as Murphy or Jones are at work officials at Puerto Castilla, where in factories, spreading Communis- Captain Large's disappearance the propaganda. But the authori- | was first reported, have so far not ties are powerless to interfere, thrown any light on the riddle. The alien has only to produce his Captain Large, who had mado "birth certificate," and as a British his home at Boston, was first off-subiect he cannot be deported. cer of the Calamares, the flagship of the company's fleet, and he had taken command of the San Gil during its regular master's holi- day..
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The Keys.
Mr. Walter Nye, of Wellesley- road; Hampstead, N. W., the manager of the baths, said that the front door keys were divided between the proprietor and mem- bers of the staff, but there were only two keys for the back door. On this occasion they were in the possession of Branton and Lifford,
two shampooers.
The witness added that the last. customer left the baths at about 8.45 on the night of the fire, and he himself left with Branton ten minutes later.
When he came out two women- Miss Gough and Miss Barker were on the premises. He did not know whether a third woman, Miss Evans, was there also.
Mr. Nye explained that there were four male and four female shampooers, and normally there would be three people-Miss Evans, Miss Barker, and Miss Gough- sleeping on the top floor. The bed- room was lighted by a paraffin lamp.
staker
Sydney James Branton and shampooer, of St. Ann's-road, Notting Hill, W., said that when he left on the night of the fire, the furnaces were practically out.
He examined the back door and found it locked at 8.50 p.m. Lif- ford had the other back door key. He added that he did not go back to the Baths until 6 p.m. on the Sunday.
Mr. Oddie-The fire did not originate in your stokehole?-No. It could not have done.
Bert William Cooper, of Wild- street, Kingsway, W. C., a sham- pooer, said that he left the pre- mises with Lifford at 8.30 p.m. on the Saturday. He added that there was no unpleasantress be tween the shamponers and management.
the
Miss Elsie Susannah Gough said she had been employed at the Baths about eleven years. She did not sleep at the Baths on the night in question.
She added that the lamps which were used in the bed-room were filled from paraffin kept in a room on the same floor.
Car Attendant's Story. Edward Samuel Evans, who gave an address in Waterloo-road, and described himself as an unofficial car attendant at Leicester-square, said that at about 11 p.m. on the Saturday a man came out of the front door of the baths and left it-open.
First Officer Willis Ivamy stated that Captain Large joined him on the bridge on the night of July 31, when he was finishing his watch. and chatted for some time.
No Trouble.
The ease with which these birth certificates are obtained at Somer-
set House on payment of 29. 7d., plus a search fee of 1s., is causing the Home Office considerablo anxiety:
Cases are on record of foreign Communist agents entering Eng land
with a week-end ticket obtaining a British birth certif cate, and returning to the country of their birth, where the police find them to be "allens" and de- There was no trouble of any port them to England, since their kind on board. The steward rous-certificates show them to have ed him next morning with news been born there! that the captain had vanished and that his bed had not been slept in. Ivamy then took the ship back over her course of the previous few hours.
The last person to see the cap tain alive was Harry Gardner, the officer of the watch, who told him at 3 a.m. that he was about to
turn in.
Banes
Mrs. Large, the daughter of Mr. J. O. Posey, of Cuba, auditor of the company, sailed for (Cuba) from Boston on the day the captain vanished.
of the baths and enter. He seemed to be the worse for drink.
to
The Coroner asked Lifford stand up in court, and Johnson said he thought he was the man.
Later, Johnson added. some time after the fire had started, about 2 a.m., he again saw the MAN. The man asked him if he knew whether the women had been
saved.
"There is a Man'in There"
Gattie, who appeared on behalf of Johnson, replying to Mr. Vernon Lifford, said, that he was not watching the Baths' back door all the time. It was about 1.30 am. that he discovered the door was not locked. When the police and the fire brigade came he thought to them: "For God's sake go in. the man was still inside, and said There is a man in there.
Johnson said that he was not prepared to swear on cath that the man was Lifford,
Mr. Oddie-Are you perfectly certain that the man who went
into the back door of the Turkish Baths used a key?—Yes..
Herbert Smith, a kitchen porter. he went to the back door about. at a cafe near the baths, said that 12.30 a.m.; he saw a man open the the door to. door with a key, go in, and pull
Henry Male, a.staff officer of Soho Station, said that the body the London Fire Brigade from the
of Miss Barker was found in Miss Evan's bed-room Tying face down- wards near the washstand and wardrobe. He came to the con- clusion that the fire originated on the ground floor.
At this point Mr. Oddie, aaked that one of the axes used by the Salvage Corps should be produced. He also asked for the cash boxes, and these were produced and laid on a desk adjoining the wit- ness-box.
They were badly torn and ripped open and had holes in the sides.
Evans pointed out to the man, who was alone, that he had left the door open and had better shut it. The man did not speak but went The Coroner asked Male to take back and slammed the door. He the axe and see if the point of it then walked across tho road. fitted the holes. The witness ex When halfway across, he seemed to perimented with the axe, and re- half-look back at the building,plied that the point fitted the holes Then he went away.
in the boxES.
The Coroner What did you think about his sobriety?
Evana-He seemed a bit muddled with drink.
The Coroner then told Lifford to stand up, and asked Evans: "Is that the man?" Evans replied, "Yea."
‚
Herbert Johnson, of Walham Green, S. W., said that at 12.35 a.m. he saw a man go to the back door
Mr. Oddie-How many of your one hundred officers and men et men were on the premises7-Over. tended the fire.........
teen.
Way to Stop the Traffic.
which for varying sums of money, In Soho there is an organisation
according to the financial position of the client, can supply a copy of a birth certificate obtained from Somerset House, or from a regis- trar in the north of England, for any dame, age, or sex
Experienced officers are convinc- ed that the only way to prevent persons from obtaining a copy of
a birth certificate to which they are not entitled is for the authori- ties to notify the police in the dis- to reside. trict in which the person is alleged
This is the rule on the Con-
tificate is posted to the applicant. tinent, where the copy of the cer-
only when the authorities are satisfied about his bona fides.
A West End registrar of births said to a reporter:
"As the law at present stands anyone can obtain a birth certi- ficate in any
name. We have many auspicious applications, but we cannot ask why the certificate is wanted,
"Now are we entitled to check name and address given by the person who makes the application, He simply pays his money and ob- 'tains the certificate."
FANLING GOLF.
STARTING TIMES FOR SUNDAY.
3.20 a.m.-E. Des Voeux and A. G.
Coppin.
9.24 a.m.-W. C. Shields and R.
Young
0.28 a.m-A. Leach and D. J..
Gilmore,
0.32 a.m.-D. J. Keog and M. N.
Cochrane.
9.36 a.mJ. D. Thomson and E. M.
Hanlon
4
9.40 a.m.-H. Lowe and J. B. Dykes, 9,44 a.m.-Comdr., Priestley and
Capt. Weir.
9.48 a.m.-F. M. Hartley and D. A.
Baker-Carr
9.52
mA. H. Ferguson and O. E. C. Harton
9.56 a.m-I. H. Geare and A. E.
Lissaman.
10.00 mA.. C. I. Bowker and M
G. Mills.
10.04 a.m.-J. R. Younger and W.
J. Clerk,
10.08 am.-A. F. Judd and D. F.
Cleland,
10.12 am 9. Drummond and
G. A
A Leiper.
10.16 a.m.-C. Mycock and L. Yates. 10.20 a.m.-N. K. Littlejohn and W.
A. Stewart.
10.24 am T. Low and J. G. Camp-|
bell
10.28 am-D. Eager and A. D.
Humphreys,
10.32 a.m-R. F. Clark and C. B.
Maturin
10.86-a.m.-W. Wright and J. R.
Collis.
The South-China A.A. are play- How many salvage men?-Nine-ing two friendly football matches at the North Point Stadium to- Male added that the salvage men morrow. The first XI will meet had been put out. were left in charge after the fire the Somersets at 4.45 p.m., and at
The inquest was then adjourned, Royal Navy.
8.30 p.m. the second XI play the
CHURCH TRAINING FOR MARRIAGE.
MR. SNOWDEN IN THE BOX.
1
SEQUEL TO A DISPUTE OVER LAND.
TWO APPEARANCES.
INSTITUTION SUGGESTED. AT CONFERENCE.
TABOO INFLUENCE.
CINEMAS - VAST AUDIENCES.
TWO HUNDRED · AND · FIFTY MILLION WEEKLY.
REMARKABLE FIGURES
Mr. Snowden, Chancellor of the A suggestion that the Church Talking pictures have substan- Exchequer, gave evidence in two ought to institute definite training tially increased cinema audiences,' cases at Farnham (Surrey). for marriage was made by Dr. H. according to Mr. John "Maxwell, The first case was against Jack D. A. Major, Principal of Ripon who gave some remarkabla statis. Tarratt for maliciously damaging Hall, at the Modern Churchmen's ties in his speech from the chair a fence and gate. Mr. Snowden Conference at Oxford,
at the third ordinary general claimed £4 damages, and Capt."Le "The Church," he declared, meeting of British International F. Rooke (who had summoned "needs to promote definitely the Pictures, Ltd, Tarratt... on similar grounds) right kind of marriage, and to claimed £2. The case is a sequal] prevent, if possible, the wrong to a land dispute.
kind.
at Winchester. House, E.C
Approximately 250,000,000 péo- ple attend the cinema throughout the world each week.
Mr. Snowden said that the "No doubt the Church, has tried fence was erected about five years to do this, but too often in the ago. Mrs. Tarratt had offered to wrong way. It has been showed there were about 65.000 sell him some land at the backfluenced by taboos too much, and of his property, but his solicitors by helence too little. found there was no title whatever to the land." Neither Mrs. Tarratt nor her son had any right to touch the fence.
The Lost Title Deeds.
"
Easter Divorce.
Dr. Major naked what attitude ahould the Church take up if the State proceeded to render divorce
Mr. Maxwell said that statistics
cinema theatres in the world, In- cluding 20,000 in USA. "and" Canada, about 4,000 in Britain, and about 1,800 in Australis and New Zealand.
In England the amount invested probably exceeded £80,000,000, in the United States it exceeded,
In cross-examination, Mr. Snow-more easy.
"I should reply," he said, "that £400,000,000, and over the whole' den said Mrs. Tarratt told him the Church's attitude to the State, world it approached £750,000,000. long story about the formation of ought to be exactly what I have said the speaker, adding:
a building society which was now advocated it should be towards It is estimated that the total
defunct.
In the United States the revenue from film hire per week is calen. lated to be shout £50,000,000. In Britain the film hire paid by the theatres in each year cannot be less than £8,000,000.
Mrs. Tarratt in evidence said the individual citizen-an attitude expenditure on. film production the fence was erected on her land of forbearance, persuasion, ex- throughout the world is probably
£35,000,000 per year. and she remembered her father ample, fellowship.
"The Church authorities should banking the land which she now claimed.. Before his death her not threaten to demand Dis- father was
very worried and establishment because they do not State's marriage and strange in manner and she like the thought it was due to his having divorce reforms." lost the deeds or that they had
Marriage a Sacrament. been stolen.
She produced a receipt for £5 Dr. Douglas Whyte, who for deposit on £55, being the purchase many years has been a member of money of a plot of land from the the Archbishop's Commission on London and Suburban Freehold sex relations, spoke on "Principles Land Society and also receipts for of Sexual Conduct." payments for labour in banking It remained for the future the land and digging a well.
+
The bulk of that £8,000,000 now went abroad. It was desirable that Britain should endon- vour increasingly to participate in this enormous revenue,
“British Advance.
American pictures were still generation, he said, to determine predominant in England said Mrs. Tartatt added that she had whether their young men should Mr. Maxwell, but the British pic- sold, stone from the land to the rise to the standard which had ture had advanced enormously in local Rural District Council from been expected of women, or its public appeal." 1870 to June of this year, and no whether womea should accom-
"Certainly the most striking of one had challenged the family modate themselves to the standard the phenomena of the last 12
title to the land.
The magistrates decided that which they had expected of men. months has been the desire of the One or the other was inevitable. | theatre owners of England to they had no jurisdiction, and the
"Love between men and women," hire British pictures, and one can summonses were dismissed.
he said, "is properly regarded as take this as being based on their
a
Absconding Employees.
a beautiful thing-the most beauti-knowledge of the wishes of the Mr. Snowden made his secondful of life.
public."
The United States, which had appearance in the witness box in "If it be so, then sex is capable.
case in which Arthur George of absorption into the spiritual formerly supplied a great part of relieved of the the need of France and Germany Pierce and Mary Pierce were realm; we are charged with obtaining a suit of ultimate dualism between flesh with silent pictures, was now un- clothes by false pretences from aj and spirit.
able to maintain the supply of a Farnham tailor.
talking pictures in the appropriate language.
"I have not been able to grasp The couple were in the employ in what other sense marriage may of Mr. Snowden at the time, and be called a sacrament, but as the when the suit was delivered they true sacrament of love marriage stated they could not pay for it stands unique. until they got their wages.
Mr. Snowden said he had paid
+
"Rose Tinted Glasses."
the wages some days before the "On the other hand, apart from delivery of the suit. When he and Mrs.. Snowden returned to ence has no sacramental value.
the spiritual element, sex experi- Eden Lodge they found the couple
"Mixed marriage between per had absconded without giving sons of different races or nations notice.
It was impossible to transfer companies of artists to Hollywood as quickly and cheaply as from London to Berlin or Paris, and they had thus carved out a very profitable niche for themelves in meeting the needs of French and German-customers for pictures in their own language played by their own artists.
Mr. Maxwell - added `that the.. United States had bolted and bar red the doors of their theatres to British films. That, he suggested, was not a wise policy and must sooner or later be abandoned.
"The result is in many cases un- happy, and in many more cases intolerable marriages.
Supt. Stovell said Arthur Pierce involve considerable risk of in- was fined in 1928 for stealing a compatibility.: bicycle..
"Even within the same nation, He appeared to travel from place to place with his wife, great differences of early environ- obtaining situations in which they ment and education do not promise did not stop long.
well. The testimonial of character | "On the other hand, neither men handed to Mr. Snowden was writ nor women should seek for simi- com- ten by the woman's father, who larity. What is wanted is had since died. After leaving Mr. Flementariness, so that defects are
"There is also another element Snowden's they obtained a situa-compensated.
"Whatever advice we offer, it is of uncertainty. Long after a man tion at Seaford by a character which purported to have been all but impossible for young men has reached physical maturity, his signed by Mr.
Snowden's and women to form anything like mind develops, his opinions alter, secretary. There were many com a dispassionate judgment on, ahis tastes change, plaints of the couple owing money matter where passion both is and
"Changes in women are far to tradesmen.
ought to
Mrs. Pierce was bound over for factor. two years, and her husband was "Lovers
be the predominant greater. Hence, divorce is neces
sary, and it is not forbidden by "wear rose-tinted Christ. Unpromising marriages
fined £5.2s., and ordered to remain glasses, and the tint is apt to fade may turn out almost ideal, promia- in custody until the sum was paid, in the weather stress of life.
ing ones the reverse."
Jannings
IN
THE LAST COMMAND
TO-DAY Daily 2.30, 5.30, 7.20 £9.20 CHIC JANNING
The incomparable. Surpassing all previons performances as the mighty General in The Last Command,
With a distinguishing cast honded by William Powell and Evolys Brent.
MAJESTIC
Nathas Road, Płowioon..
>
2.