SPECIAL MAIL TRAINS

SIMLA, OCT 13

The Director-General of Posts and Telegraphs has arranged with the various railway companies concerned to put on special mail and passenger trains in connection with incoming and outgoing mail steamers at Bombay. Four special postal trains in connection with the incoming steamers will leave Ballard Pier for Calcutta, Madras, Lucknow and Lahore (via Bombay, Baroda and the Central India Railway and Ambala). Similar trains will leave Calcutta, Madras and Lahore and run to the Ballard Pier in connection with the outgoing steamers every Saturday. All these trains will have good first class accommodation, and be provided with refreshment cars, which will prove a great boon to travellers who come from Europe.

HIGH RENTS IN RANGOON

At a representative mass meeting held last evening under the presidency of Dr. A.M. Murray to consider the high rent problem in Rangoon, resolutions were passed which are to be forwarded to the Local Government. The first resolution urges upon the Local Government the necessary to undertake without delay legislation to deal with the problem and control rents, which in some instances had gone up 50 per cent. The second urges as an urgent necessity to the wagearning and rent-paying public the appointment of an authority to control rents of buildings and fix a standard of rents based on rents in January, 1917. The third asks, owing to the present prohibitive rents, that the Local Government as the principal landowner should fix the rents of its own lands at such reasonable rates as will enable people of small means to erect dwelling houses for personal occupation.

CONVICTION IN MADRAS CHEATING CASE

MADRAS, OCT 13

The Senior Presidency Magistrate delivered judgment today in the case in which H. Lockley was charged with dishonestly assisting in the disposal of stolen property belonging to the S.S. Ural, and with having cheated Messrs. Oakes and Co. in connection with the same. His Worship acquitted the accused of the offence of assisting in the disposal of stolen property, but convicted him of cheating Messrs. Oakes and Co., and sentenced him to three months’ rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1,000, in default one month’s additional imprisonment. His Worship also directed that if the fine were collected Rs 750 be paid to Messrs. Oakes and Co.