BRITISH AND FOREIGN

Greymouth Evening Star, 5 March 1926, Page 5

BRITISH AND FOREIGN

(Australian and N.Z. Came -association.j (By Cable—Press Assn.-—Copyright.) JAPANESE ESTIMATES. TOKIO, Alarch 4. The Government submitted to the Lower House supplementary estimates amounting to thirty million six hundred thousand yen. FRENCH TAXATION PARIS, March 3. The streets are practically deserted and business is at a standstill owing to a strike against taxation. AU the theatres, including tne -English theatres, are also closed. POLISH COAIMUNISTS./ WARSAW, Alarch 4. Political police arrested over forty Communists, whose activity on behalf of a neighbouring Power is ’ stated clearly to have been established. It appears that those arrested incited unemployed to riot, but unsuccessfully. MRS. PANKHURST AS ALP. . LONDON, March 3. Lady Astor, at a dinner in honour oi Airs. Pankhurst, offered to relinquish her seat in Parliament if Mrs. Pankhurst would talfe it. Mrs. Pankhurst replied that if they wanted her in the House of Commons she would go, but she must fight for her-own seat. M.P.’s OUTBURST . | LONDON,- March 4 The Commons’ first questionon the business paper caused an ahgry scene. Mr. Neil Mac Lean complained that the Mniister’s answer relating to pensions was incomplete. He defied the Speaker’s order to resume his seat di* leave the Chamber, and was suspended on the motion of Sir W. Joynson Hicks.

LIQUOR TREATIES. WASHINGTON, M.arch 2. Among .five treaties to be ratified by the Senate on Wednesday are two rum conventions—one with Spain and tne other with Belgium. Similar pacts will be entered into with Great Britain and other nations, for the enforcement , of the . prohibition laws within twelve miles of the United States Coast. CHANNEL ISLANDS. LONDON, March 4. Resisting the decision of-the Committee of the Privy Council recommending that the Channel Islands should pay an annual contribution to the Imperial Exchequer, the Islanders dare the Exchequer to come and take the money, saying “Let England do her worst. ” A leading statesman suggests an appeal to the League of Nations. U.S.A. FARMERS. WASHINGTON, March 3. , President Coolidge told a delegation representing the farmers of. eleven North and Central States on .Wednesday, that he hoped that legislation, would be enacted at this session of Congress to provide effective agricultural relief. Predominating in the suggestions' for such legislation is the demand for assistance in the disposal of surplus crops. PASSPORT SYSTEM'. WASHINGTON, March 3. The State, Department has informed the. Australian Press Association' that' Britain has not yet accepted the United States proposal to waive the visas of non-immigrant passports, although nineteen other* nations have already entered into reciprocal arrangements, whereunder the Visas are waived, or the fees reduced. Two nations are even permitting American travellers to enter without passports. NAVY LEAGUE’S APPEAL. LONDON, Afarch 3. A statement has been issued by the Navy League .commenting oh. the Admiralty’s statistics and declaring: “We are treading the same 'mistakeh path as our ancestors, after earlier wars, in turning aside from the further consideration of our great heritage of sea power. The nation must be awake to the fleet’s precarious coiiditjOh and see that the building is ihcreased in order to avoid relegation in a few years to the unenviable position of a third-rate Power.”

SABBATH OBSERVANCE. LONDON, March 4. The commandment “Six days shaft thou labour,’’ is taken seriously in Glasgow. Because 'Norhian AlcKenzie, an elder of a church, worked on Sundays, in the capacity of deputyharbour master, he was suspended by the kirk session. AlcKenzie appealed to the Free Church Presbytery, who urged the session to recall the suspension. The session replied that if ivlcKenzie’s work was a necessity, they would nave to find something to convince them. . j FRANCE AND HUNGARY. PARIS 1 , March 4. Appealing to the good sense of the Chamber, Al. Briarid secured the withdrawal of the Socialist Al. Blum’s proposal that the French delegates at Geneva should refuse to sit at the same Council as the Hungarians, as an indication of French dissatisfaction at the manner in which the forgery scandal was being cleared up. “We. must not accuse the Hungarian people generally of being in a plot against France,” said Al. Briand, “but we intend to see that the guilty are punished.” LORD KITCHENER’S DEATH. LONDON, March 6. In the House of Commoris, Mr Scrymgeour asserted that there are two hundred people) ready to give evidence regarding the fate of the cruiser Hampshire (on which Lord Kitchener travelled when he lost his-life). Air Scrymgeour asked if the Admiralty would arrange an inquiry into the loss of the warship Hampshire. Rt. Hon. W. P. Bridgeman,, (First Lord of the Admiralty) replied that he was not aware of the existence of any fresh evidence or material facts that would justify an inquiry. The Admiralty were perfectly satisfied, as to the cause of the disaster. He was against any fishing inquiry, from which some-, one, perhaps, would be able to make charges against .others.