OVERSEA NEWS

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVIII, Issue 297, 1 December 1928, Page 6

OVERSEA NEWS

CABLES IN BRIEF

Homeless Belgians: Inundations in the province of Antwerp are spreading. Five thousand people are home, less and destitute and are under the care of the Red Cross. Tne damage is estimated at £1,000,000.

Alarming Spread of Influenza: Los Angles physicians report more than 4,000 cases of influenza, which is spreading at an alarming rate, with about the average number of deaths of previous epidemics.

Porto Rico Hurricane: The Government’s official tally shows that Porto Rico’s loss in the September hurricane was £17,000,000. Further aid from America is necessary before the inhabitants can get going again.

Insuranoe Against Labour: An Insurance of £50,000 hns been effected nt Lloyds against Labour at the general election, obtaining a clear majority over all the other parties. The premius is £lO,OOO.

Claim Against Pacino Filers: The Equity Court has granted an application by Kingsford Smith and Ulm to haf r e evidence taken in San Francisco on commission arising out of Keith Anderson’s claim against the Pacific fliers.

Fisherman’s Luck: A Breton fisherman found the German barque Pommern abandoned as she was sinking, drifting between Guernsey and St. Malo. He stayed aboard till he drifted to land at Mont St. Michael Bay. He is now hoping to make a fortune from salvage.

Charge of Wife Murder: After a hearing lasting several days, the Coroner, at Sydney committed Alister Clark, aged 24, for trial in the criminal court on a charge of murdering his wife Ella, aged 21, bv poison, which was alleged tn have been administered in chocolates while she was an inmate of a hospital. Clark remarried a few days after her death.

German Steel Look-out: Owing to the failure of all attempts to settle the Ruhr inronworkers’ dispute, the German Government has decided to intervene and has invited both sides to accept the final decision of a special arbitrator to end the lock-out immediately. If they rbfu.se the Government will take its own measures. There is much criticism of the Government’s regular doles for the relief of workers. A People’s party meeting objected to this violation of Governmental impartiality in industrial cnsputes. In consequence of this attitude the negotiations for a grand coalition have been postponed.

Sentence of Death: The terrible ordeal of a girl of seventeen at Parkes, who was outraged by young men, was told in the criminal court in Sydney. The trial occupied three days and culminated in the conviction upon a canital offence of three of the accused—Arthur Callaghan, Walter Littler and Bert Littler. All were sentenced to death. A fourth, Edward McCarroll, was acquitted and discharged.

U.S. Wheat Production: Jardine's annual report shows that the United States’ wheat production this year will exceed 900.000.000 bushels, the highest since 1919. The indications now are that the world’s wheat supply will be about five per cent, greater than 1927. Wheat prices for the last two months have been about 23 per cent, lower than a year ago, due largely to the increase in world production, but even with this factor the prices decline was greater than the supply and demand conditions justified.

Freighter In Distress: The great freighter, Chief Maquilla, owned by the Dollar Line, is helplessly adrift in the Pacific 2000 miles west of Vancouver Island. Just before darkness on Thursday- night three ships reached the Chief Maquilla and will tow her to Dutch Harbour, Alaska. The Chief Maquilla was en route from British Columbia to Shanghai. Seven rescue ships rushed to her cal. Tlie Chief Maquilla’s crew consists of eight British officers and 33 Chinese senmen. Thirteen feet of water invaded the engine-room and the vessel is listing 15 degrees. A deckload of lumber and some lifeboats were washed away

The New Health Society: On the subject of eating Mr. G. B. Shaw has taken a tilt- at the New Health Society. Invited to last night’s festival dinner at the Mayfair Hotel ho replied by postcard: “No. hang it all, not dinner—fast, if you like! But what is the congruity between the New Health and the same old dinner? Do you expect me to ait

there, the sole sober man. watching you running up doctors’ bills? The society will be laug'.ted but of existence.”

Melbourne Bomb Outrages: As the aftermath of the bomb explosion in Melbourne detectives, fully armed, yesterday raided wharf labourers’ homes They discovered gelignite, pistols, bayonets, iron piping and pencilled drawings of bombs, and arrested five (Terry Dean, George Woolport. Timothy Connell, Joseph Donnelly, and Herbert Irish) on charges of vagrancy and being in possession of goods believed to have been stolen. All were released on bail.

Murder in Melbourne: Mrs D. Ledger was slashed to death in a block cf flats in East Melbourne yesterday morning. Her throat w. cut and there were also deep gashes on the chest. Thomas Bacon is in hospital with a deep gash in the throat and a badly cut wrist. He is the woman’s son. He made a valiant attempt to save his mother. Mrs Ledger was about 38 years of age and good looking. She occupied a flat with her son, a college boy, who heard his mother scream and rushed into the room and saw a man killing his mother. The boy sized the man’s head and pushed it back and thrust a finger down his throat, but was unable to prevent him achieving his purpose. The boy rushed for liis pearifle. but unfortunately was unable to find cartridges. Bacon was discovered in a side Jane. His wounds are not likely to prove fatal. The motive of the crime is a mystery.