Telegraphic News

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume LIII, Issue 2824, 24 November 1903, Page 2

Telegraphic News

_—. i FROM 008 SPBOIAL otihiiESPONnBNTS. (By Telegraph], COCKSFOOT. Wellington Nov, 23. The Agent-General cables:--"Cocks-foot market firm, but with little doing. A verage price to-day for bright, clean New Zealand seed, weighing 171bs per bushel on spot, is from 50s to 51s per cwt: Weather is now rather more favourable. Recent demand has been chiefly for lighter qualities of seed." London, Nov. 22. The King and Queen took an affectionate farewell of the Italian sovereigns at Windsor. The Prince of Wales accompanied them to Portsmouth and thence on the Royal yacht Victoria and Albert, escorted by eight torpedo destroyers to Cherbourg. The firm of Harlan d and Woolf, Belfast, have launched, for the White Star line, the steamer Baltic, which is the largest liner afloat. She is 726 feet long and has a gross tonnage of 13,000 tons and a speed of 17 knots.

Arthur Edward Saunders Seabright has been sentenced to eighteen months' imprisonment with hard labour for fraudulently inducing the Marquis of Devonshire to accept two bills of exchange of the value of .£5570 each.

In the course of his speech at Cardiff*, Mr Chamberlain said that when the dumpers had destroyed the steel bar trade, they would dump in tihplates. A hostile tariff scientifically directed kills trade, which under nor* mal conditions Would remain British. A great chahge had come over public opinion in Great Britain, and unrestricted free imports were doomed. The people were tired of lying down to be trampled on and bullied when they got up. Some of his opponents recognised possible difficulties; but they proposed no remedy, except the Charlottenburg Scheme and Lord Rosebery's commercial repose. "Go to sleep, gentlemen," continued Mr Chamberlain, " forget your troubles. If you suffer from nightmare, try Roseberry's famed Soporific pills." Mr Chamberlain concluded : " I think we want commercial activity."

A semi-ofßcial report, issued at Pittsburg, shows that out of 336 American tinplate mills 158 were idle, while 359 were working in Britain, as compared with 404 last year.

Sir J. T. Jenkins, writing to tha " Westminster Gazette," asserts that the Welsh tinplate products last year were the largest in the history of the trade.

Mr Green, Secretary of the Rural Labour League, in a letter to the " Times," states that farmers and agricultural labourers in England and Wales had decreased from 1,670,000 in 1851 to 981,633 in 1901, and the wheat acreage from 3,350,390 in 1866 to 1,531,587 in the present year. He adds : "Mr Chamberlain's proposals cannot mean less rural employment."

Mr Green addressed recently twenty village meetings in Liberal constituencies in Eastern England, and he states that Mr Chamberlain's proposals were endorsed with acclamation at all, excepting in three instances.

The death is announced of Prince Soltykoff, the well-known Russian sportsman. Deceased was a member of the English Jockey Club. Paris, Nov. 22. The Senate by 147 votes to 136, despite M. Waldeck Rosseau's opposition, voted for the Government's amendment to the Education Bill, excluding all religious orders from participation in education. New York, Nov. 22. One hundred and twenty - five Italians, working on the Pennsylvania railway, were sleeping in a shanty at Altoona, when an overheated stove fired the woodwork. A fierce struggle ensued round the shanty's only door, and many of the men died in endeavouring to save their hoarded earnings. Thirty-five were killed and several were found covered with melted gold and silver.