ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION.

GRANT OF £20,000. LONDON, August 20. In the House of Commons last night Mr. Asquith announced his intention to recommend a grant of £20,000 towards the cost of Lieutenant Shackleton'e recent Antarctic expedition. " EVERYTHING RIGHT NOW." (Received 0 a.m.) LONDON, August 20. Lieutenant Shackleton, interviewed, said that a further appeal for assistance was unnecessary in view of the Government's grant. Everything was right now, and he greatly appreciated the generosity of the Government, as representing the nation. He believed that the action would be popular. Lieutenant Shackleton is about to embark upon a lecturing tour of the United States and Canada. In the course of an interview, Lieutenant Shlckleton stated that the proceeds of the lectures are already mortgaged, fie explained that a group ot Englishmen who had promised to assist the Nimrod expedition withdrew at the last moment owing to the financial crisis in America. Lieutenant Sbackleton thereupon raised £20,000 on a personal guarantee, and this sum he hoped that the proceeds of the lectures and the sale of his book, together with a personal subscription, would enable him to repay when it becomes due in July of next year. The contributions of £5000 received from Australia and from New Zealand, he stated, were used to secure additional stores and scientific equipment. The leader explained that the total cost was nearly £50,000, and that the expenditure was stt»l going on, nine scientists being engaged in completing the scientific discoveries and observations made. When the facts of the case became known it was immediately suggested that the Government should make a grant towards the cost of the expedition, and this Mr Asquith promptly announced would be considered. UNITED SOUTH AFRICA. A MAGNIFICENT EXPERIMENT. BILL THROUGH THE COMMONS. LONDON, August 20. The South African Union Bill passed through committee yesterday, Mr. Balfour supporting Mr. Asquith in resisting several Labourite amendments concerning the colour bar. The bill was later read a third time, Mr. Arnold Lupton (Liberal member for the Sleaford division of Lincolnshire) being the only dissentient. Mr. Asquith, commending the yielding of Parliament to the considered judgment of South Africa, hoped that the views strongly expressed by the Commons, practicnlly without any dissent, would induce the Union Parliament Sooner or later— sooner rather than later-—to spontaneously relax what the majority of the Commons regarded as unnecesary restrictions upon the electoral rights and eligibility of our native fellow subjects in South Africa. The Commons, he added, wished the present magnificent experiment all possible success. Mr. Walter Long, on behalf of the Opposition, endorsed in the strongest and most cordial way Mr. Asquith's statesmanlike speech, which he believed represented the view of the whole of tha Commons. (Cheers.) JOHNSON AND KAUFMAN. THE MATCH DECLARED OFF. NEW YORK, August 20. The match arranged between Jack Johnson, the world's champion pugilist, and Al Kaufman, which was to have taken place at San Francisco on the 27th inst., has been declared off. Kaufman and Johnson have been talking fight for a long time, but no agreement was arrived at until last month, when it was agreed that they should meet at San Francisco on August 27 for £2000 a-side, 20 rounds. Kaufman is one of those whom Jeffries stipulated the negro should meet before the undefeated champion would meet him in the ring. The Californian is a big, strong fighter, but is slow, and would probably have made a fairly easy victim for the champion, if in form. With this match off, Johnson's first big match will be that against "Assassin" Stanley Ketchell on October 12. Ketcfiell is smaller than the champion, but he is a willing fighter, and has a knock-out in either hand. EIGHT HOURS IN MINES. A TEST CASE. LONDON, August 20. In a test case arising out of the Eight Hours (Mines) Act, where the men had refused to work an extra hour on two specific days, the stipendiary magistrate at Rhondda (Wales) held that there should be nine hours' work a day on 60 days annually, the remaining days to be of eight hours each. Judgment was given for the employers. Aα »ppe*i aru witerei jji «. \> ' - ■ i