CABLE BREVITIES ROCKET RISES TO HEIGHT OF 104 MILES

Greymouth Evening Star, 1 August 1946, Page 4

CABLE BREVITIES ROCKET RISES TO HEIGHT OF 104 MILES

Army technicians at White Sands, New Mexico, fired a V2 rocket to a height of 104 miles, eclipsing by 23.6 miles the highest pluvious altitude. The rocket fell 69 rtiiles from the launching point. The instruments carried in the nose came down separately and intact and are expected to provide valuable information about cosmic rays, temperatures, and pressures.—New York, July 30.

Death Sentence for Murder of Jews. For the murder of a large number of Jews in the Ghetto at Warsaw by throwing hand grenades into cellars where they were living, Hans Antweil, an S.S. leader, was sentenced to death by a war crimes court in Warsaw, says the Leipzig radio. —London, July 30.

Mountbatten’s Daughter. Patricia, elder daughter of Viscount Mountbatten, has become engaged to Lord Brabourne. She has served in the Wrens since her eighteenth birthday and is now 22. Lord Brabourne, who is 24, is a lieutenant in the Grenadier Guards. He succeeded to the title in 1939.—London, July 31. Queen Wilhelmina.

Queen Wilhelmina/ who is visiting Buckingham Palace, invested the King with the Grand Cross of the Order of Willem. She will present to him 36 black houses for the Household Cavalry, which are the gift of the Netherlands Government. —London, July 30.

UNO Associations’ Congress. The New Zealand delegation to the international congress of United Nations’ Associations at Luxembourg successfully sponsored a resolution that delegations from Austria, Hungary, Italy, and Switzerland, which are not members of UNO, should be given the right to speak and participate in the discussions at the congress, but not to vote.—London, July 31. More Crime in Britain.

The transition year, 1945, produced 18.67 indictable crimes for every 1000 of London’s population of 6,908,000, says the annual report of»the Metropolitan Police Commissioner (Sir Harold- Scott). The number of offences, 128,954, was the highest since the present system of recording was introduced in 1932. The police cleared up 20 per cent, of indictable cases and left nine of the 35 cases of murder unsolved. —London, July 30. British Divorce Law Changes.

A divorce decree nisi will become operative six weeks later instead of six months under an order made by the High Court which comes into operation on August 8 following an interim recommendation from the Committee on Procedure in Matrimonial Causes which the Lord Chancellor (Lord Jowitt) has accepted. The procedure for applying for a decree absolute will also be simplified on August 6. —London, July 30. Italian Prisoners.

Some 172 Italian prisoners of war have sailed from Australia by the Moreton Bay for Naples. Among them are some who offered to fight on the side of the Allies after the defeat of Italy. Many of them said that they were sorry to be leaving Australia, and that they had been well treated here. This Italian repatriation party is the second to leave Australia since last September, when 800 were sent back.—Sydney, July 31.

British Press Inquiry. Cabinet is believed to have postponed until later in the year its decision regarding the setting up of a Royal Commission on the press, says The Times’s Parliamentary correspondent. Ministers probably prefer to hear the House of Commons debate on the motion from the 100 Labour members in regard to it before making up their minds. The House of Commons will adjourn on August 2 for the summer recess. Therefore no debate will be possible until the House reassembles in October.—London, July 31.

Greek Labour Federation Police, accompanied by Greek Ministry of Labour officials raided the offices of the Greek Confederation of Labour and seized a number of documents. Four members of the executive committee of the Confederation who were detained when the headquarters were raided were later sentenced to four months’ imprisonment for refusing to deliver up the organisation’s archives. The Government recently ruled that the Confederation had no legal standing. Five members of the former executive committee have refused to serve on the new committee appointed by the Government. —Athens, July 31. Australia and Poles

“The Government has not yet decided to admit Poles or any other Allied troops to Australia,” said the Minister of Immigration (Mr A. A. Calwell) in reply to a question in the House of Representatives. “Australia’s first concern is the return of all Australian servicemen and stranded civilians, who number about 5000. British servicemen and their dependants will be next, after which will come British civilians and their dependants. The Government will give free passages to the former and assisted passages to the latter.” Mr Calwell would not promise that he would give assisted passages; to Poles or any others. He said they, would have to wait until after the elections.—Canberra, July 31.

Ship’s Passengers Protest. Some passengers on the Orbita, which reached Melbourne from Britain, held protest meetings on the wharf and demanded the return of part of their fares. They claimed that the ships’ officers and crew neglected the ordinary passengers in favour of the 320 brides of Australian servicemen. Several passengers said they would ask their members of Parliament to press for the return of some of the passage money. More than 100 passengers paid £lO7 each for steerage accommodation, according to their reports. The brides had no complaints and said that conditions were better than they had expected. The food was much superior to. that available in Britain, and the voyage was a happy one.—Melbourne,. July 31.