BRITISH AND FOREIGN

Greymouth Evening Star, 30 January 1926, Page 5

BRITISH AND FOREIGN

[Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) (by Cabler—Press Assn.—Copyrigb*.)

LABOUR COLLEGE. : ~ ' fLONDON, A .Jdij.uary 28. Countess Warwick lias .presented to the Labour Party her mansion, Easton Lodge, Essex, surrounded by a. thousand acres of land, where it' has been decided to .establislri a Labour College- . ‘.'S-*'

HOMELAND ENGINEERS. ' ■ LONDON, ■ January 28. Negotiations;/which have lasted for for an increase pf £1 per week' to/ 700,000 engineering workers, have' broker!Mown. - TW; ‘ ‘Daily Herald’ ’/•states that the present wage of the skilled...engineers is 50/- to 60/- per week. v. ' ......

“BLACK HAND.”

ROME, January 28. Premier. rMussolinti has -ordered the eradication: of gicily’.s “Black Hand”secret: society of,. thie.ves, named . the Mafia, which the Island; and .enforcing its own laws. The society has been responsible for revolting crimes./ ■' ' * . JAP. HBEMIER’S DEATH. . TOKIO, January 28/ Baron Kato developed pneumonia on

lyodnesday.night. He was untiring in “his devotion to duty despite medical advice, and this resulted in overstrain, leaving him no reserve-strength 1 to cbmbat the illness. Cabinet forinally resigned. Wakatsuki .succeeds Kato in the Presidency of the Kensai Kai or Government Tarty. , •CANADIAN POLITICS. . . /'/ OTTAWA, January, 28. Sir Ernest Lapointe, acting leader of. the Government announced iri the House of Commons on Thursday that, to effect a reorganisation of the Gov--ernmpnt, an’ adjournment of the House of Comhions for six weeks Would be asked for, following on the Address. ■

' TRANS-ATLANTIC FLIGHT. MADRID, January‘2B. ? The Spanish airman Francis’s* sea- ’ plane, the Plus Ultra, flew from the Canary Islands to the Verde Islands in 14| hours. The ’plane leaves Port of Pyrava on Saturday, on the third; stage of the flight to Fernanda—No- ; rohnya, a stretch of 1440 miles, which is the most difficult stage of the journey.

FRENCH TAXATION PARIS, January 29.

The Government’ has prepared a bill increasing the Customs clues by Approximately thirty per cent., expected to yield foun hundred million francs. The Chamber during the past few. days has been busy with matters of procedure, but simultaneously negotiations are going on behind the scenes to secure some agreement on fiscal matters, in preparation for getting to grips with the problem as early as possible.

MRS. PANCKHURST.

LONDON, January 28.

Mrs. Panckhurst, now over seventy years of age, returned- to London ton a visit from C.anada. She says that; she is now a naturalised and more Imperialist than ever. l tioned regarding the result uOo f tes for women, she said:' a miracle , was going to reformers' think that. We thought tne votes were going to bring Utopia, but we left human natureput :tpf the question. Still, women have-the-vote and the rest Is for therp."

PEARS AS WITNESSES. BERNE, January 28.

M. Grossenbachen, the keeper- of a famous bears’, pit at Berne, has brought an action for . defamation against three employees, who accused .!; him of cruelty to the bears. During ; the trial, two bears were brought in.;; They immediately began to growb angrily .evidently expecting a beating-, from the three defendants. Then Grossenbachen enteied and the bears grunted with joy, Kicking both his hands, and even attempting to hug their smil-* ing keeper. . A! r “The bears have judged • the case, \ said the judge. No ’further' evidence was required.

. ’ DRUGS AND DOPE. • A- -/ NEW. YORK, January 28. Senator Kennedy said,that he had a Bill giving the New York city police,! authority to enforce a h Federal Narco-... tic Act in an effort to check the spread; of the drug habit among young school ; boys and school girls,. Senator Kennedy said that he had . made a clqse study of the 'narcotic evil, particularly among.'the young- It;; was amazing to see how ft had grip-' ped the young people. The' ponce re-; cords show that the majority of thehighwaymen in New York- were- mere. . youths. Prohibition .was first blamed < for this, but it later was found” that the greater percentage of the girls ar-; rested for crime of violence were drug addicts.. ;' “They.commit crime,” ne said, “to get money'to buy expensive narcotics.”, - , d. ■

EMPIRE. AIR SERVICE., f. ; , • . ; LONDON, Jan.P ar y 28. In an article in the POutloolt,” Commander Kenworthy, M.P., urges .the extension without delay of the Egypt-. India Air Service to Rangoon and Australia. He contends that, there are no technical difficulties to a weekly , bpthway service to Australia. .. It would cpst less thaif £3OO, early,- on a basis of five shillings per ton per mile. Sydney .could be brought within five days of London by day and night flying, ojpjyitlun ten days by day flying. There would, not be mpch pf A future, for a passenger service, but the British, Indian, and Governments, by a cpmqiercial service, would save much cabling costs,' while a great advantage vyould be the quicker despatch of commercial documents. The service could mot be an. ’ o^e.. as the existing 'European" and Asiatic routes must be used, goings thence/ to the Dutch East Indjes and on to 'Port Darwin. • .•.--•■-■ft-- 1