COMPULSION.

Evening Star, Issue 15915, 22 September 1915, Page 3

COMPULSION.

THE WORKERS' OPPOSITION London 'Tinieu' and Sydney Sun' Servioet. LONDON, September 20. Fifty-five thousand organised workmen, chiefly Monmouthshire miners, carried a. resolution against conscription. Mr James Winsbone, acting president of the South Wales Miners' Federation, said that it Mr Lloyd George wishes to retain the confidence and support or" the trade unions he must declare against aiding the movement. Millions more men would volunteer if necessary, but it would be fatal to introduce Prussian militarism into England. THE CABINET DIVISION LORD CURZON'S GOOD ADVICE. LONDON. September 21. Writing to the 'Daily Chronicle,' Lord Curzon (Lord of the Privy Seal) protests against the suggestion that he prepared an ultimatum for his colleagues in Cabinet. He had been convinced, and had supported universal service for many years, and a thousand times more so now, when ho believed wo could not win the war without it; but he scrupulously refrained from making a speech, writing letters, or giving interviews, being content, to act in a spirit of loyalty towards the Premier and his colleagues, without which Cabinet Government was impossible. Ho appeals to the newspapers to discourage attempts to manufacture discord where none exists. There were several ways of losing the war, but one of the surest was to poison their own welte. UNEXPECTED SUPPORTERS PARIS, September 20. Mr Hodge (Labor M.P.), in an interview with (,a ' Petit Parisien' representative, said : "If conscription is necessary we will submit to it, also to everything else necessary to secure our ( triumph." LONDON, September 20. Jack Johnson, the pugilist, was fined £1 for furious driving after visiting the ■wounded at Colchester. When trapped, he retorted to the policeman : "You fellows ought to be out at the front instead of interfering with us when helping your people." ° Ixjndon 'Times' and Sydney 'Sun* Serriees. LONDON, September 20. Mrs Pankhurst, speaking in London, advocated compulsory national service for every man and woman.

THE AUSTRALIAN MOVEMENT ' ADELAIDE, September 21. The Premier of South Australia, after attending the inaugural meeting of the Universal Service League, said that Australia should do nothing at this juncture regarding conscription that would embarrass the Imperial Government. They could safely rely upon the British Cabinetdoing what was necessary to bring the war to a successful conclusion. It \va6 not for Australia to say that conscription was necessary, but if it were she should not hesitate to adopt it. MUNITIONS SUPPLY LONDON, September 20. Sir Hay F. Donaldson is retiring from his position at Woolwich Arsenal (that of Inspector-General of Ordnance Factories), and will take up a more important munitions appointment for the duration of the war. HIS LAST ASCENT ■LONDON, September 20. A French official wireless message states that Dr Sticker, one of the most competent of Count Zeppelin's staff, has been killed. TO PERPETUATE THE BREED ' _ COPENHAGEN, September 21. _ With a view to encouraging young marriages the Prussian Government are relaxing the regulations relating to girls under 16, who now do not need to "obtain the permission of the Minister of Justice to marry, but only a magistrate's certificate. Many such marriages are considered of the srreate-st importance to restore the wastage of war. THE KIDMAN CHARGES EXORBITANT PROFITS ON ARMY CONTRACTS. SYDNEY, September 21. In the High Court, sitting in its criminal jurisdiction, the hearing'of the charges against Arthur Kidman, F. W. Page, Major A. G. O'Donnell, and Sergeant E. Leslie of conspiring amongst themselves and with others to defraud the Commonwealth of large sums by procuring payment of excessive prices for good 6 for the armed forces was continued. Counsel for the Crown had not finished his address dealing with the alleged excessive prices charged by Kidman when the Court rose. Counsel for the Crown said that figures would be produced showing that- for certain contracts £6,375 was paid by Kidman for goods for which he received £11,204, the gross profits being £4,829, whereas if the increases on contract prices recommended by Page (on the ground that Kidman was losing money owing to the rise in the prices of commodities) had notbeen granted, the profits would have- been only £3,173. THE WIRELESS CASE CONVICTION RECORDED. SYDNEY, September 21. In the Central Summons Court to-day the case was continued in which the Amalgamated Wireless of Australasia, Ltd. (E. Fisk, C. P. Bartholomew, and H. R. Denison), was charged under the Enemy Trading Acts with haying, on or about December 8, by executing an indenture of license with the Telefunken Companytraded with tho enemy. Mr Denison, chairman of directors of the Amalgamated Wireless Company, gave lengthy_ evidence regarding the negotiations with the Telefunken Company "leading up to the Amalgamated securing certain patents and the execution of the indenture of license. He explained that the patents did not really belong to the enemy, but unfortunately .they were on the register in an enemy name, and the directors had to face the position that they nught lose the use of the patents He received expert advice that the only way to protect the patents and the shareholders was to register a formal license proving ownership before and since the negotiations. The Amalgamated Wireless Company had been the exclusive user of these patents without interruption since July, 1914. His company had no communication whatever with "the Telefunken Company, direct or indirect. The Magistrate decided to convict upon the evidence, but he must consider the question of a penalty. Counsel for the Crown intimated that he did net intend to proceed with the other pending cases. WAR PENSIONS. [Per United Press Association.] WELLINGTON, September 21. .A sitting of the War Pensions Hoard was held to-day, when applications from \i soldiers and 16 dependents were dealt with, and pensions granted representin" a total of £B5l per annum. Four soldiers' applications were adjourned for a medical report, two men were ordered to appear in person at the ooard's next meeting, four applications were declined, one case was held over till the expiry of the applicant's leave, and one soldier was granted the full pension of £9l yearly. In the cases of the dependents, pensions were granted as follow:—One at £lO4 one at £9l, one at £B4, one at £7B, three at £65, three at £52, one at £26, one at £lB, and one at £B. _ Trooper David Wood (reported wounded) foo i? eldost &cn of Mrs Annie of 528 King street, and was born in Dunedin and educated at the Union Street School On leaving school he went to learn greenstone cutting with the late Mr Dickson, of Cumberland street. Subsequently he followed farming pursuits, but latterly was ;n the. employ of Messrs J. Mill and Co., of this City, when he enlisted with the Third Reinforcements of the Otago Mounted Rifles. He was 34 years of ace when he left" for the front. "