BRITISH & FOREIGN NEWS

Hokitika Guardian, 14 December 1925, Page 2

BRITISH & FOREIGN NEWS

[Reuter Telegrams.] A TRAGEDY. LONDON, December 11. The story of a well-to-do man’s despairing love for a married woman, who resented his attentions, lay behind the death of Cyril Reardon, who was found shot in the head outside a West End flat. The woman had intended to sail for Egypt. She spout the night prior to her "departure at a flat, which was the home of a woman friend. Reardon. greatly upset, had entreated her to remain in. England. It is alleged that he went to her hotel on ANednesday, and threatened to kill her if she insisted on going. He went to the flat on Thursday, and demanded admittance, and, on being refused, he shot himself. A considerable sum of money was found in his possession. Reardon, was a. prosperous and a popular business man. It .is understood that he was married, and living apart from his wife. " SCICIDE IN A MASK. PARIS. December 12. Madame Ernout. on returning home, was horrified to see hanging from the bannisters the dead body of a man wearing a weird carnival mask. The removal of the mask revealed the face of her husband. The husband had been threatened with blindness, and he had used the mask to hold a pad soaked in chloroform in order to escape the death a gony. FRENCH FINANCE. FRANC STILL FALLING. LONDON, December 12. lu consequence of (cars of fresh political trouble in France as the result of M Loucheur’s new taxation proposals. the French franc in London fell to KW.oo to Cl. The French franc closed at a new low record of 131.1.1 to the pound -Idling. The fall is mainly attributed to further currency inflation, which i, disclosed in yesterday’s return of ihe llanque do I* ranee.

THE POLIC Y EXPLAINED. PARIS, December 12. lie jure the Finance Committee of ;|, t . Chamber. W Louehcur explained his financial plans. He estimated that the total yield of the contemplated luxes would he eight milliards of francs, lie said that this was the normal functioning of the sinking maximum effort necessary to ensure the balancing ol the budget and the normal functioning of the sinking fund in its early stages. He expressed the opinion that no settlement of the problem of the stabilisation of the franc •,,uld he contemplated so long as tho question of the inter-Allied debts remained in suspense. It was necessary in the first place, to settle the French debt to the United States. EMPIRE SETTLEMENT. LONDON, Dee. 13. The "Daily Telegraph” says: The Enionist members of the House of Commons are establishing a sub-com-mittee mi Imperial affairs to examine the question ol overseas settlement and to explore the causes which are retarding the operation of the Empire Settlement Act. Sir Evelyn Cecil is chairman. REV EMPIRE GOODS. LONDON. December 12. The Queen has sent, a message to the National nmii of Traders representing rrl u tiers lti rnugliout tfie country, commending a British Shopping AAcek Home and Empire goods as a means of reducing unemployment. She trusts that every local authority and housewife will co-operate. COMPULSORY ARBITRATION. ROME, Dec. 12. lu the Italian Chamber, during a debate on a Government Bill dealing with the legal control of trade unions, including the State recognition of workmen’s syndicates. Signor Mussolini proposed a modification of the Bill so as to provide for compulsory arbitration in all industrial disputes. The manufacturers are not in favour of compulsory arbitration.

MUSSOLINI’S PROPHECY. BOME. Dec. 12 “1 consider the Italian nation in a permanent state of war,” said Signor Mussolini, speaking in the Chamber of Deputies. “If international struggles do not break out presently, they will certainly do so in the future. Tt is necessary that Italians should ho ready. There are peoples living lethargically and there are others living strenuously. The former are peoples meekly awaiting their final hour.” CRINOIJNE AGAIN. I’ABIS, Dec. 12. The new fashions are foreshadowed here. The spring fashions will comprise Cossack hoots and swaying skirts. The skirls will he supported by a wire arrangement. It will he a sort of modified crinoline. A tight fitting hat will he worn upon a shaven head. SHAKESPEAREAN RELICS. LONDON, Dec. 12. Mr Hunter Charles Rogers, of .Middle Green. Slough, who claims that I e lias dug up in Warwickshire, Shakespearean relics of incalculable value, if they arc genuine, told the " Daily Chronicle ” that he had received £32,000 for one hundred and forty pages of Shakespearean manuscript, which lie sent to America, and that the money was invested there. He added:—" If there is much more mud tiling at me here 1 shall destroy the rest of my relics.” Mr Rogers claims to possess Shakespeare’s marriage certificate. CHINESE FIGHTING. PEKIN, Dec. 11. General Lidling Lin defeated General Kuominehun’s advance column, near Mat-hang. Fighting has been proceeding all day. The railways around Tienstin are all cut. and the Pekin-Tientsin motor road has been destroyed in several places. PEKIN, Dee. 12. Firing was heard at Tienstin until mid-night. The city residents fell into a state of panic, hut were afterward reassured by the presence of French, Japanese and Italian troops, who came into the city at the special request of the City Police. They are now guarding the electric supply, the waterworks bridges, and other important points. Not many Chinese troops are actually in Tientsin. All have I men sent to Machang or Peitsang, hut it is feared that the defeated forces will stream, towards the city looting.

IMMIGRATION. LONDON, Dec. 11. The liner Arawa sailed to-day for New Zealand with 340 migrants. The Rualiine sails next week and takes 250 more immigrants, thereby completing POOO to New Zealand for this year. There are a further five thousand migrants embarking for New Zealand in in the next three months.