NEWS FROM OVERSEAS.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVII, Issue 179, 14 July 1927, Page 5

NEWS FROM OVERSEAS.

CABLES IN BRIEF Three boys, William Wemley (aged eleven), his brother. Ernest Wemlev (ten), and Gus Hollebone (seven) yesterday stayed away from sehool and secured an old raft, on which they sailed on a disused brick pit at Newtown (New South Wales). The raft capsized, and the three bove were drowned.

The latest Palestine reports indicat that the earthquake was the worst for 1200 vearj. The deathroll is 1000, the majority in TransJordania. There was no serious damage in Egypt.

A conference of Australian Railways Unions in Melbourne decided to ask the Trades Hall Council to call a special conference of all unions likelv to be affected bv the introduction of piecework.

An Engineers’ Union official in Sydney states that if the members decide to strike as a protest against the introduction of piece work, which operates to-day. thev have plenty of funds at their disposal, ax the worldwide consolidated funds of the engineers. between £3,000.000 and £4.000,000. could be utilised in a protracted struggle in New South Wales or any other State.

The first act of incendiarism in connection with the South Johnstone (Queensland) cane strike occurred when a cane farm owned bv a Jugoslav was set on fire. The outbreak was extinguished after serious damage. So far there have been over 50 assaults on farmers and loval workers.

The discovery of a mysterious motor boat, cruising outside Fort Izzeden. Cree, where the ex-dictator Pangolas is interned, has led to a public outcry against the Greek Government’s inaction. Parliament has fixed the trial of Pangolas for August.

The French Chamber of Deputies, bv 320 to 234. adopted the Electoral Reform Bill. France thus returns to the single member constituency system after experimenting in two, general elections with a hybrid and complicated system of proportional iepresentatioa. which resulted in a Chamber in which the parties were so neatly adjusted that no Government could last The bill provides for a second ballot if the first vote gives no candidate an absolute majority. The number of Deputies is increased from 584 to 611.

A treaty that has been under negotiaton between Sir Gilbert Clayton, as representing the British Govern ment, and Ibn Saud has been completed and will be published after ratification.

The British War Minister, answering a question in the house or Commons regarding the present number of allied troops on the Rhine, said they comprised 7300 British, 46,500 French and 4300 Belgian.

Members of the Metal Trades’ Employers’ Association in Sydney decided to adopt the daily hiring system aH3 to continue to pay the same overtime rates as paid in the past, Althought this means an Increase of 12s 6d a week in workers’ wages, the engineering unions claim that it represents a loss to members as the award makes no provision for holiday or sick pay. The award becomes operative today. A mass meeting of unionists will bo held to-night.

Th e annual report of the (Sydney Police Commissioner shows that dur- 1 ing the last year 11,691 accidents occurred in the streets of the metropolitan traffic district, involving 182 deaths, and injuries to 4861 persons. Motor vehicles accounted ror 141 deaths and 3468 injuries. The fatal accidents caused by motor care are more than double the previous year’s number.

In a message from Townsville, Dr. Baldwin, of the Commonwealth Institute of Tropical Medicines, announces tNat an examination of cats found dead revealed the presence of plague germs. Dr. Baldwin warns the people to take ail precautions to see that the disease is not passed, on to them.•selves, '