NEWS AND NOTES

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXX, Issue 4845, 14 May 1936, Page 1

NEWS AND NOTES

Somerset defeated the All-India cricketers, at Taunton, by nine wickets.

Baron Aloisi informed M. Joseph Avenol, Secretary-General of the League of Nations, that the Italian delegation would leave Geneva unr der Signor Mussolini's instructions. It is not known whether this portends resignation from the League or merely a threat to do so in View of the Council's persistence in discussing the Italo-Ethiopian dispute.

Press messages from Geneva report that a communication has been received by the League Secretariat from the Italian Government renewing its allegations regarding the supply to Ethiopia of dumdum bullets.

The Italian authorities have requested the British Red Cross authorities to close their hospital and quit the country. An Italian medical corps will take over the patients.

Speaking in the Australian Federal Committee of Supply an Independent Labour member, Mr. M. Blackburn, urged the Government to ratify the reciprocal old age pension agreement of 1913, which was ratified in that year by the New Zealand Government. The Treasurer, Mr. R. G. Casey, later indicated that there was not a remote hope that the agreement would be ratified owing to the financial burden likely to be involved.

The Sun-Herald news service learns that Sir Robert Clive, British Ambassador to Tokyo, has made representations to the Japanese Government in connection with smuggling along the entire North China coastline from Tientsin to Canton. Smuggling, which is threatening British interests, has assumed enormous proportions and has caused a Customs crisis.

The Sun-Herald news service says that magistrates at Birkenhead, after five hearings of a summons brought by three householders against a neighbour for "creating a noise and a nuisance" by playing the bagpipes, which was "excessive, unreasonable, unnecessary and injurious to public health," limited the player to 20 minutes between 6.30 and 8.30 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesday, Fridays and Saturdays. They also ordered him to pay costs.

The Communists have announced that while refusing to participate in M. Blum's new Socialist Government in France, they will form an "outside Ministry of the Masses." As there were 1,500,000 Communist votes cast at the recent election and the support of the 82 Communist deputies is vital to the existence of the Popular Front Government, this announcement is no idle boast. The movement appears to be a prelude to an attempt to form some kind of Soviet organisation.