LATE CABLES.

Gisborne Times, Volume IX, Issue 908, 5 June 1903, Page 2

LATE CABLES.

By Telegraph—Press association—Copyright LONDON, June 3. The WirksworUi (Derbyshire) Bench lias ordered three members of the Middleton Parish Council to pay the poor rate, notwithstanding their objections and passive resistance. The action is intended as a protest against inclusion under the Education Bill rate. 'Pile Daily Mail advises that the Discovery’s relief expedition should) he entrusted to Admiral Fanshawe. The Queen visited the ruins of Dr. Kiuderley’s house at Eton, and sympathised with the boys and masters. Received 11.4 p.m„ June 4. London, June 4. Finding that New Zealand butter is carried at zero lOdeg, Mr Lance, the New South Wales commercial agent, has represented to the mail companies the desirableness of carrying Australian at a similar temperature. Earl Grey, speaking at Bedford, said that Mr Chamberlain’s proposals meant a rise in the cost of living all round, and would undermine the wfiole basis of trade relations. Protection invariably led to lowering wages, because it meant a reduction of trade. If the Empire were independent of foreign trade there would bo

no pensions. Sir Charles Dilke, in a speech at Gloucester, said that Government shrank from advocacy of a duty on cotton, the largest United States export, but proposed a duty ou grain and meat. Interference with the United States trade would weaken one of Britain’s greatest securities in a general war, because the American fleet would protect rights of- neutrality, feeding us while we fought.

Mr Burlin, in his monthly report to the Northumberland miners, says that he cannot conceive a worse way of raising money as likely to bring ruin and disaster, than to tax food supplies and raw materials.

Received 12.80 a.m., June 5. London, June 4,

Mr Chamberlain, in reply to a correspondent, states that in order to secure preferential rates from the Colonies for British manufactures, it would be necessary to give preference to their products here, which was chiefly food. Assuming a small duty were placed on foreign corn, while Canadian and Australian were entered free, the result would be that probably before long the whole trade would be in Colonials' hands, and their trade with manufactures proportionately increased. Sydney, June 4.

A progress report on the Methodist Commission in Fiji linds that perversion at Namosi was in no way the result of religious conviction on the part of the people in favor of Roman Catholicism, but was caused by political agitators in favor of the federation of Fiji with New Zealand. The detection of the natives was chiefly of a political nature ; that Catholic priests took advantage of political disaffection to pervert people; that in carrying this out the priests took an unjustiable course in taking possession of Methodise premises ; that the Bibles were systematically collected and rosaries given in exchange ; that these Bibles were taken fifty or sixty miles, to Naililili, the scene of the burning. The Commissioners have reason to believe that copies of the Scripture collected in Soloira district were torn up by priests on the passage to Eewa, and thrown into the river. The burning of the bibles at Naililili was fully confirmed,

Melbourne June 4. Mr Drake, with the consent of the Pacific Cable Board, ha 3 authorised the appointment of several canvassers in New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland to endeavor to secure from the mercantile community a share of the business for the Pacific cable,