BRITISH AND FOREIGN

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 October 1924, Page 5

BRITISH AND FOREIGN

(Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.)

REDUCED NATIONAL DEBT. LONDON, Oct. 17. ■ A net reduction of £91,773.155 in the national debt during the last financial year is recorded. ■ —- WRANGEL ISLAND. NOME (ALASKA) Oct. 17. A colony intended to establish , the. British title? to Wrangel Island, in the Arctic Ocean, north- of Siberia, has been’ carried off by the Russian artned transport “Red October,” which raised the Russian flag there on August 20. ~ MOTORIST KILLED.- ~ ' . ' SAN FRANCISCO,' October. 16/- t Ernie Ansterberg, the' automobile racer, was killed q at Charlotte North, Carolina. He lost control of a car while trying it out on a new speedway,- and he struck the upper rail and went over it. ’ • ? • ’ CRISIS. AT CANTON- . . ■ : .WASHINGTON, Oct.' 16. The United States gunboats Sacramento and Pampango have . been. ordered to proceed to Canton. -//? 'A message from U.6.A. Consul-Gen-eral Jenkins, in Canton, describes the situation there as critical?-. 5 ’ - ’QUAKE ON RAND. CAPETOWN, October 16. An earth tremor at Johannesburg, probably the-severest ever experienced on the Rand, caused many falls of rock in the gold mines', but no casualties. ' ■ 1 ' • ■ ‘ The Seismograph’s Union’s' Observatory proved too delicate to record the shock, and was putVout of action. FIRE AT MINE. CAPETOWN, October 16. - A disastrous fire destroyed the'head gear and crushing,, house on the Liridpaardvlei Estate "Gold Mine ■ near Krugersdorp. The damage was thirty thousand pounds, and it is feared that the mine will be unworkable for some months, idling 150 whites. and 1500 natives." ’ :

JAP. RETRENCHMENT. . . TOKIO, Oct. 16

The Department of-Finance proposes to dismiss 4600 higher and 44,150 pet. ty Government officials,, in November, in furtherance of its economic plan; and is proposing to ask the Diet in December to grant 11.0 million yen ■as solace, money. This .does not include the Army and Navy reductions, . or those in the service of the prefectures and the colonies., ...... I.

WEMBLEY EXHIBITION * OTTAWApOctober’ 16.

“We are awaiting developments, and also . waiting to see what the other Dominions*.are going to do," said, the Acting Minister of Finance,. Mr; Robb, when asked if Canada would main-, tain her exhibit at Wembley next year. r LONDON, October 17. -• It ,-s practically/ certain that the Wembley Exhibition will re-open in 1925. ‘ •■/•'

SOCIALISTIC BANK. ' SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 16; The Board of Directors of the Bank ° of Italy, a three hundred and fifty million dollar institution, have, approved a plan whereby the 2200' employees of the Bank will take over its control on January 1 next. The plap \ calls for the. obtaining of a controlling block. of stock by the 'active employees, and a change of the officers and directorate at least every five years, to allow of promotions.

PARLIAMENTARIANS’ VISIT. CAPETOWN, Otcober 17. J, At a dinner him on the eve of his departure for England, Lord Burnham said that the visit? of the Parliamentary ( delegates would go down \as the , finest precedent in Parliamentary history/ It was wonderful that tli,d youngest of all the Dominion Parliaments! ishould have done this th'e'* spirit of gracious con-sideration,--which, would be utterly im-nossible-for any other Dominion ever to outdo. ?•; *

GERMAN LOAN. ' LONDON, October 17. “The Times’s” Berlin correspondent says: Berlin is elated over the success of the German loan,' andjthe fact that it was so freely over- subscribed is taken as indicating that Germany might have had, and still obtain, capital in far larger sums and at a far cheaper rate than hitherto has been the case. The experiment has thus furnished the German business world with an important piece of information, and this must not be forgotten.

SPAIN AND MOROCCO. MADRID, Ceti. 16. .< General Primo de Rivera, the Director of Spain, whose policy - of a partial evacuation of Morocco has long displeased the Military Party, is now vested with the full responsibility for all affairs in Morocco, King Alfonso having to-day appointed hint Hrth Commissioner and 'Commander-in-Chief in Morocco. General de Rivera also remains head of the Directory ' m Spain/' ■ ■ ' ' ” ” 1 P ", General Aizpuru, who was appointed to the posit on October 14, has unexpectedly resigned the Commissionership in Morocco for health reasons. MADRID, October 17.

A communique states that a big concentration of rebels is' strongly en* trenched in the Sheshuan sector. Th® enemy attacked a food convoy, but was heavily .repulsed, leaving over a hundred dead. The Spanish losses were small.

LIQUOR ON SHIPS. NEW YORK,-Oct. 17. Federal Judge Hand dismissed the proceedings against the Royal Mail liner Orduna for alleged, violations, of the prohibition and narcotic laws. .Th® Federal Prosecutor, in the complaint, cited forty-five alleged causes for fori) feiflure, of which the Court rebbgßls/ ed only six, with' fixed cause of the failure to manifest’the liquor aboard. The Court held that sipce the Orduna was unquestionably a common carrier, her failure to mq-fil-fest narcotics and liquor constituted* lib ground for forfeiture, unless ‘.the owners’ privity thereby is alleged. te-The Government had contended it .was/ unnecessary to prove the owners' privity or consent. •■..'L’-G 7 *-.... <? v