CABLE NEWS.

Feilding Star, Volume VI, Issue 1760, 4 April 1912, Page 1

CABLE NEWS.

(By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) j (Per Press Association.) PERILS OF THE SEA. (Received April 3, 10 p.m.) . Perth, April 3. I In addition to those previously cabled the following passengers are supposed to have been aboard the Koombana: Police Corporal Butcher, Mesdames Piggott and Sack, and the Misses Skamp (2). The officers were: Jameson (first), Kilney (second), Peacock (third), Harris (purser), Lyon (wireless operator). Engineers— limes (chief), AVassell (second), Kelly (third), Christie (fourth), Arrow (fifth), Johnson, chief steward, Morgan, second, and Frier, stewardess. She carried a crew of 55. The wreckage consisted of a panel door similar to that on the Koombana. It appearof water. , ed to have been forced by the weight London, April 3. At the inqiiest concerning the death of the victims of the Oceana drowned was returned. The captain gave evidence that lie ordered the boats to stand out and the passengers to be placed therein. Tlie order for lowering was not given, as it would have been dangerous while the vessel was moving. The Chief Offi•cer (admitted that lie ordered the boats to be lowered as he believed the vessel would sink at any moment 1 with the remainder. THE BRITISH BUDGET. In his Budget speech in the House, the Hon. D. Lloyd Utoigo said they must consider the contingent increase mentioned in Mr Winston Churchill's Navy speech. If satisfied that Mr Churchill's demands were necessary to secure the minimum of safety, it was his (the Chancellor's) duty to find the money. He i deplored the enormous waste on ar- i maments, but said much depended ! on the inviolability of our shores. If J they erred they did right to err on ' the safe side. The future depended i •on the readiness of capital to share ! its luck with labour, and labour's ' moderation in pressing its demands. I Otherwise there was nothing to mar ! a beautiful year. j Mr Austin Chamberlain said he could not see justification for reserving as a surplus for Naval contin- I gencies an amount beyond the requirements of this year and diverting such surplus to a sinking fund. It appeared to him deplorable', and he ' iirged reconsideration. | The Hon. G. F. Mastennan assured the House that the surplus would not be used for any other purpose . than the Navy, without the sanction ' of the House of Commons. The Times commends the wisdom of holding a surplus for Naval contingencies. ' I The Telegraph welcomes virtual establishment of a Naval emergency fund. J Radical papers view with misgiv- ' ing the impounding of the surplus, j The Financial Times states that , the method of disposing of the sur- i phis introduces a doubtful principle and deprives the Consol market of hoped for support. THE ATLANTIC CABLE. Replying to Mr Harry Lawsbn (Unionist), the Hon. H. L. Samuel, Postmaster-General, said that, while the Government would welcome any British company laying the Atlantic cable, it was not prepared to subsi- j dice such company. The Government sympathised with "the desire for cheaper cables, but was unable to attempt further reductions at present or to favour State-owned cables. MRS PANKHUR&T. The sentence passed on Mrs Pankliurst. the suffragette, was remittee in order to enable her to prepare her defence on the conspiracy charge. (Special to the Sydney Sun.) CUT-THROATS AT LARGE. Paris, March 20. There were some sensational doings yesterday by iivo masked men on the highway between Villeneuvo and Paris. The gang started off by' bailing up a private motor car, the chauffeur of which was shot dead, with one of the other occupants, their bodies being fairly riddled with bullets. The owner •■ of tho car was wounded, but contrived to get away. » Motoring then to (Jhaiitilly, tho bandits held up one of the banks in that town and demanded tho surrender of all the cash in tho building.

Two clerks who. tried to resist the ruffians were promptly shot dead, after which the robbers possessed themselves of all the money in the establishment, amounting to about £2000, and escaped. Before quitting tho town they threatened to. invade the Prefecture of Police and kill certain detectives against whom they had a grudge, but they left without having made any attempt to carry out this bold plan. THROWN OVERBOARD. London, March 24. Regarding yesterday's dramatic events in the House'of Commons, Mr Lloyd George, who acted as' the direct spokesman of tho Labourites, had been led to believe that while tho Government would be unable to carry its wealthy manufacturing supporters if it yielded so far as to put thp whole wages schedulo into the Minimum Wago Bill, it would nevertheless, under pressure, accept tho proposed rates of 5s and 2s for men and boys respecively. There was not a little consternation, therefore, when Premier Asquith firmly declared that this .proposal was cjiiito impossible, and the amendment providing for these rates was negatived without division. _Mr Asquith had received a memorial from forty Liberals —enough to defeat tho Government—declaring that in no circumstances would they vote for the insertion of any figures in the bill, firstly, because the proposed rates would close many of the poorer grade mines in the West of England, and, secondly, because it would bo a dangerous departure from 1 the fundamental principle that the determination of the wages should bo left to a joint conference. The Premier, therefore, had to throw tho Chancellor overboard as the only means of saving the ship. THE PORTUGUESE THRONE. Lisbon, March 24. The proposed movement to α-cstore ex-King Manuel to the throne, is likely to oe # one of the most formidable of .the kind ever undertaken. According to the leader, Dom Miguel, Duke of Braganza—head of tho line royal that reigned in Portugal until 1834—property and persona! rights are no longer respected by the present Government. The inteirnal conditions in Portugal, i declared Dom Mignel, could not be v'worse than they were at present. J He added that he hoped to receive aid from Spain, and was satisfid that I the powers would not interfere.

[On the first anniversary of the Portuguese Republic, an attempt was made to raise the royal standard on Dom Miguel's behalf. It failed, and since then Dom Miguel.lias united his interests to tliose of Manuel, believing, no doubt, as was recently stated, that it is Letter to be, the Pretender to somebody else's throne than to no throne at all.]