CABLE NEWS IN BRIEF

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24983, 18 September 1946, Page 7

CABLE NEWS IN BRIEF

King’s Health Improves.—lt is officially announced that the King’s slight cold is improving, but he is remaining indoors at Balmoral.—London, September 18. Thefts from British Railways.— Thefts on British railways, which are estimated to have cost the railway companies nearly £1,500,000 during the first six months of 1946, have reached such alarming proportions that the companies and interested businessmen have established a joint committee to devise plans for stamping out the trouble, says the special correspondent of the New Zealand Press Association. It is reported that measures already taken have reduced losses and that a system of pinpointing the trouble centres and diverting goods away from them has proved very effective. —London, September 16. French Boxer Executed.—A firing squad at Nancy executed Francois Rutz, former French heavy-weight boxing champion, for betraying members of the Maquis to the Gestapo.—Paris, September 16. N.S.W. Railway Restrictions Relaxed. —The Railways Department has restored full goods tram services to save stock in the drought areas of New South Wales. From next Monday the department will run long-distance country passenger trains at double the present schedule. The only restrictions remaining Uien will be that suburban electric trains will run at half-hour intervals in off peak hours, night mail and passenger trains to the country will run only three times a week, and there will be no sleepers—Sydney September 17. Death Sentence for Czech General.— Frantisek Bartos, former Czech general, has been sentenced to death by hanging for treason and endangering the Czech lines.—Prague, September If.

“Ghost” Rocket Reports Discountered.—Dr. Carl Siegbahn, Sweden’s leading nuclear physicist, who arrived in New York from Stockholm, dismissed reports of “ghost” rockets over Sweden as hysteria. He said he was most suspicious about the existence of any such missiles. He had personally examined one supposed rocket and found it to be a meteorite.—New York, September 16. International Labour Office’s Director. —The acting-director Mr Edward J. Phelan, has been appointed director of the International Labour Office. Mr Phelan has been acting-director since early in 1941, when Mr John G. Winant resigned as director to become the United States Ambassador to Britain.—Ottawa, September 17. Marriages of Troops in Germany.— British Headquarters at Herford announced the conditions under which the British Government’s removal of the ban on marriages between Germans and British occupation troops will be implemented. The Army requires a six months’ engagement, and the prospective bride must pass a security screen and medical tests. The Army will enforce the six months’ waiting period regardless of whether the prospective bride becomes a mother before the end of that period. —London, September 16. Search for Gestapo Member^—Scotland Yard is combing all likely places in London in a search for an escaped German prisoner, Reinhold Burchardt, a former member of the Gestapo, who is described as dangerous. The police are specially watching underground stations after receiving a report that the man was seen travelling towards Piccadilly. About 50 German prisoners who escaped from different camps recently are still at large.—London, September 10.