RESULT OF COMPETITION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16142, 3 August 1914, Page 6

RESULT OF COMPETITION.

The standard of quality has gone up as a result of competition—and the general public now want to know how to discriminate in their purchases. When buying vinegar, think of Murdoch's. Remember, all that can be done in, the brewing—the perfecting of condition—the maturing—is being done to make Murdoch's Pure Malt Vinegar the finest procurable. It is mellow, piquant, and the best for all vin'egar purposes. All stores; 6d per bottle.

MELBOURNE FOODSTUFFS UP. MELBOURNE, August 2. (Received Aug. 3, at 0.5 a.m.) Flour has advanced 10s, and now is £10 a ton. DETAINED AT B.RISBANE. BRISBANE, August 2. Received Aug. 3, at 0.5 a.m.) The agente of the German-Australian Steamship Company have received a cablegram from the owners in Germany instructtho captain of the steamer Oannstatt on no account to leave Brisbane till further notice. BACK TO ENGLAND. EXCURSIONISTS LEAVE GERMANY. LONDON, August 1. (Received Aug! 3, at 0.5 a.m.) The cross-Channel steamers are crowded with holiday-makers flocking back to England. The railway stations at Cologne, Hamburg, Brussels, and Parie were thronged with frenzied crowds seeking to get away. All routes to Southern Germany are closed. The King gave an audience to Ministers at midnight. The Kronprinzeesin Cecilie is now in midAtlantic She has two million sterling specie aboard. [The Kronprinzessin Cecilie is one of the Norddeutscher Lloyd lice of eteameis. She was built in 1905, and is of 19,503 tons gross.] RECEIVING THE NEWS. IN PARIS AND ST. PETERSBURG. PARIS, August 1. (Received Aug. 3, at 0.5 a.m.) The city was very quiet on Saturday night. ST. PETERSBURG, August 1. (Received Aug. 3, at 0.5 a.m.) The announcement of war with Germany provoked great demonstrations everywhere. A huge crowd sang the National Anthem in front of Kazan Cathedral. FEELING IN CANADA. A POPULAR WAR. ENEMY'S SHIPPING, TO BE SEIZED. 01TAWA, August 1. (Received Aug. 3, at 0.5 a.m.) The Cabinet has decided that immediately war is declared Canada will seize all the enemy's shipping within Canadian waters, closing all Canadian seaports. It is expected that the British China Squadron will defend the British Columbian coaste in the event of raids. A naval conference was held to-day, at which the state of the Canadian forces was reported. Sir R. L. Borden, the Prime Minister, immediately cabled to Great Britain offering every assistance that ie possible. The prospect of war creates a curious situation. Amongst the' peace party in Quebec Province it is realised that Great

Britain is about to fight to prevent France from being overwhelmed. Hence the war is likely to be extremely popular. Many French-Ca,nadians are volunteering for service. BRITISH GRAIN MARKET. HIGH COMMISSIONER'S CABLE. |Fn UxmcD Pbcbs Association.) ' WELLINGTON, August 1. The Department of Agriculture has received the following cablegram from the High Commissioner, dated July 31: —"On account of the declaration of war the grain market is excited, aaid is likely to go higher. Since last cabled advice the wheat market has advanced for cargoes afloat 3s and ex store ss. The oat market has advanced Is, c.i.f., and holders are not anxious to sell. Buyers are cautious, pending a definite decision concerning the European position." Australian flour, 28s for 2801b, ex store. There is no New Zealand wheat on the market. CROATIANS AT AUCKLAND. DEMONSTRATIONS AGAINST GERMANY AND AUSTRIA. (Pni UMITKD PhCSS At>BoCliTloH.][ AUCKLAND, August U. A large an enthusiastic meeting of Croatians was held last night, at which a proposal was made to burn the Austrian and German flags to-day in front of the Austrian Consulate. Tfie idea appeared to meet with general approval. Despite wiser counsels, an arrangement was made to cany out this programme, and, further, to parade, carrying the Servian and British flags. Information of this reached the police, who intimated that no such demonstration would be permitted. It is understood, however, that an attempt will be made this afternoon to carry out the programme in some form. About 2 o'clock this afternoon about 100 Croatians assembled before the Austrian Consul's' office, and produced the Austrian Field-marshal's flag, which they had had specially made, poured kerosene on it, and attempted to set it ablaze. The participants were too excited to carry out any plan effectively before the police were attracted by cries of "Down with Austria!" and quickly appeared. The demonstrators thereupon wrestled for parts of the flag as trophies. They tore it into shreds, and then formed in procession and Walked bareheaded through the main streets,' singing the Servian National Anthem. The police watched the proceedings, but did not consider it necessary to make any arrests. NEW ZEALAND'S POSITION. FURTHER PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES. / THE EXPEDITIONARY FORCE. (Fbom Ocb Own Cobrespondent.) WELLINGTON, August 2. As usual in times of international stress and excitement, rumour is already busy to-day. Various, more or less wild, statements were in circulation about the European situation. The seriousness of the situation, of course, makes it imperative that the Home Government and our Government should be in close touch with each other, and it is known that cable messages are passing between them, but, up to the time of writing, the measures taken are peculiarly ' ar precautionary nature. The first of the precautionary measures was taken the other day, when the Royal New Zealand Artillery took up permanent stations at the forte. Today the Government was engaged in considering the secondary stage of the precautionary measures, which will be enforced in a day or two. This morning, the Prime Minister, the Minister for Defence, and Captain Thompson, the Naval Adviser to the Government,' were in conference, presumably in regard to the second stage of the precautionary measures. The conference, naturally, was of a private nature. Incidentally, it may be mentioned that current events have more than justified the appointment of an naval adviser, and that Captain Thompson's presence here and his advice have been of great assistance to the Government in the present

crisis.

THE EXPEDITIONARY FORCE.

Mr Massey is in receipt of many telefcrams from all parts of the dominion heartily congratulating the Government upon the announcement regarding an expeditionary force,- and already, though it was explicitly stated by the commander of the forces that the time for volunteering had not arrived, there have been many offers from New ZeaJanders desiring , to serve with the expeditionary force. Neither the strength nor the destination of the expeditionary force is unknown. It will, no doubt, be for the War Office to say what its destination shall be. In regard to numbers, nothing is known outside of high official circles, but, if Canada's force is to be 30,000, New Zealand's, in proportion, would be about 4000.

H.M.S. PYSCHE. H.M.S. Pysclie left Wellington yesterday afternoon, but no information was available as to her destination. The matter is not, however, of any special significance. THE BANK RATE. Private advice was received here on Saturday that the Bank of England rate had been raised to 8 pej- cent., and that the suspension of the Bank Act would probably follow. This would probably have been arranged at a special meeting of the governors of the Bank of England, which usually meets in the middle of the week. The reason for the raising of the rate is to stop the overflow of gold. The rate has only been 8 per cent, on five occasions since 1844. It has once been 9 per cent., and, on two occasions. 10 per cent.

NEW ZEALAND FINANCE.

THE EFFECT OF THE WAR.

SPEECH BY THE MINISTER OF

PUBLIC WORKS.

EXPEDITIONARY FORCE NONSENSICAL.

(Fbom Odb Own Corhespotoent.)

DANNEVIRKE, August 2. Speaking at a banquet at Takapau on Saturday, after the opening of the bridges built by the Waipawa County Council, the Hon. W. Fraser said that an unfortunate state of affairs was prevailing in Europe. Matters were exceedingly serious. Those of them, who read the papers must realise that the trouble on the various stock exchanges would react upon countries such as New Zealand and Australia, which were necessarily borrowing countries to a certain extent, and would have to go on borrowong for a good many years. They were therefore dependent upon the atate of the money market. It was rather a severe task for him, as Minister of Public Works, to start to frame his Estimates in a couple of weeks' time, with the knowledge of this trouble at Home. He intended, with a perfectly calm and equitable mind, to prepare the Estimates, hoping that the trouble would not be of long duration. It might be much worse than they anticipated, but he would make provision for it, and hope for the best. Whoever was in charge of the Public Works Department would have to depend upon borrowed money, and it might be that, fox a time, it would be impossible to get a shilling of borrowed money in London. If they went to the London market now, ho did not believe, if they offered 7, 8, or even 10 per cent., they would get a loan. Nobody would dream of floating it. People were not investing in scrip, but were trying to sell, and there was a lack of buyers. In Berlin alpne, recently, nearly £100.000,000 had been lost through securities, regarded as gilt-edged investments, having sunk so low as to represent that difference in their value to-day and their value a few weeks ago. He was not saying this to discourage them. As long as trouble lasted the Government intended to take every opportunity, if it saw, a chance of getting money, of doing so. But if they could not get it, then the people of the dominion must be patient. They should rest assured that the Government would take every step it could to get money, but it was not going to get it at inordinate rates. He was not one of those who was going to borrow at any price. They could afford to wait. As far as the products of the dominion were concerned, he did not think there would be much trouble concerning them. Even if Britain were involved, he believed her fleet in the North Sea was strong enough to'prevent any nation at wai - with her interrupting the passage of our produce Home. They all endorsed the sentiment expressed in Parliament on Friday night, and were prepared to make every sacrifice for the sake of the Empire. They had done so in the past, and would do so in the future.—(Applause.) They could not send men to the front from here. That was nonsense. The great thing was to show the Old Land that we were heartily with her, and intended to back her up on every occasion to the fullest extent of our power.—(Applause..)

WAR RISKS ON CARGOES.

A FURTHER INCREASE.

AUSTRIAN STEAMERS EXCLUDED.

The following are the latest war risks issued by the Sew Zealand Marine Underwriters' Association •on steamer cargoes — Excluding Austrian steamers, inward and outward, via Capo and Suez, —French and Russian, 5 per cent.; German and Italian, 10 per cent.; British (United Kingdom], 3 per cent; Continent, 5 per cent.; others, 4 per cent. Calcutta—Australia: —French and Russian, 2 per oent. ; German and Italian, 4 per cent.; others, 1 per cent. ''Sailers same as steamers. Cannot quote others; market closed until Tuesday."

A KNOTTY QUESTION.

POSITION OF CONSIGNEES.

A question which has suggested itself to local merchants is whether, in the event of war breaking out and a British ship capturing a German, Austrian, or Italian ship which was carrying goods to a Brifcjsh consignee in Dunedin, the captured cargo would bo confiscated to the British Crown; or whether the foreign cargo consigned to a British subject would be put on one side for ultimate delivery, and only tho foreign cargo consigned to a foreign subject despoiled? At the present time there are many commodities grown in the Mediterranean coming on to New Zealand and Australian merchants in Austrian and German ships, but a number of gentlemen who were questioned on the matter by a Daily Times reporter on Saturday morning could not give a definite reply to tho point at issue.

In connection with the insurances on cargoes, ordinary policies do not cover war risks, and! should, therefore, a ship be cat>turetl the loss of her cargo falls on the consignee—that is, of course, if he has not taken out a further war policy safeguarding him in this direction. LOCAL PRECAUTIONS. Precautionary measures arc being taken, by the local defence officials to prevent visitors of an unfriendly character from entering the harbour. On Saturday night a sentry, guard was put on the docks at Port Chalmers to ensure that they should not be tampered with in any way, and tho forts at tho Heads have been occupied. Tho tug Plucky has been placed at tho disposal of the Defence Department, and' it was out at the Heads yesterday with a small detachment of men of the permanent defence force. It will stop any vessel entering the harbour, and make inquiries with a view to ascertaining whether or not its admission is desirable. It is understood that so far no members of the Territorial force have had their services utilised, but in the event of a necessity arising for more men in connection with the precautionary measures that are beii.g adopted than can be procured from the ranks of the permanent staff, the Territorials will probably 'be offered an opportunity of volunteering for tho work.

ACTION BY THE CHURCHES,

SPECIAL PRAYERiS OFFERED.

Prompt action has been taken by the Council of Churches in regard to tho present international crisis in Europe, and an appeal was made on Saturday morning for special prayers to bo offered on behalf of & peaceful and speedy eottlemont The various city and suburban churches made a ready response to the appeal, and united prayers -wero offered up that Divine intervention might avert the threatened disaster. At all Saints' Church in the evening, Dean Fitchett delivered a special address on the subject, entitled " The Distress of Nations with Perplexity."