NEWS OF THE WORLD.

Mataura Ensign, 27 January 1911, Page 6

NEWS OF THE WORLD.

BATTLESHIPS FOR PORTUGAL. BX ELECTBIC TELEGRAPH. COPYRIGHT. FEB UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION. LONDON, Jan. 26. The Lisbon correspondent of the 'Daily News' reports that Vickers and Company have secured a contract tor ten battleships (varying from 12 000 to 16,000 tons) and an arsenal, the whole .costing £20,000,000. The expenditure is to be spread over a long period. THE JAPANESE EXECUTIONS. MADRID, Jan. 26. Senor Canalejas (President of the Council) has instructed tie police at Barcelona to tear down placards calling a meeting of protest agai ist the execution of the Tokio Anarchists. PARIS, Jan. 26. ■Gendarmes are protecting the Japanese Embsasy owing to threats c\er the Tokio executions. Similar demonstrations are reported in other capital cities. A RESENTED REPRIEVE. CAPETOWN, Jan. 26 Relative to the reprieve by the Go\-ernor-General of a native who had been sentenced to death for an assault an o white woman,, the 'Johannesburg Star' says: "The native in question had confessed to rape, and the judge had said that he was unable to hold out hope of reprieve. The information available to the public does not disclose any palliating circumstances. The Rhodesian law provides for the death penalty in the case of a native convicted of attempt alone." The paper adds that V : s-ount Gladstone has failed to appreciate the conditions of the country. THE OSBORNE JUDGMENT. LONDON, Jan. 26. Referring to the Osborne judgment . the Labor party report complains of the growing habit of judges to display political bias on the Bench, and states that if the Bench is to be occupied by political partisans who have neither the self-control nor common decency to act as judges, it should end. If the responsible authorities decline to remove judges who abuse their position the law courts will cease to enjoy deference and respect and their judgments will fail to carry the acquiescence of the King. LABOR AND POLITICS. SYDNEY, Jan. 26. Messrs Fisher (Federal Prime Minister), McGowen (Premier of New South . Wal<# and Verran (Premier of South > Australia) were present at the opening of the Political Labor League Conference and delivered congratulatory speeches on the progress of the Labor movement. Mr Verran declared that he and other Labor Premiers would not allow themselves to suffer from "big head," hut must work together calmly for the benefit of the whole of the workers of Australia. After some opposition the conference decided to admit the press. The Congress negatived a resolution , that for the present objective there should be substituted the development of. higher individualtiy and clearer approximation to economic justice by the socialisation of industry and wider dif- ' '•' .... , rrifr*^m

fusion of education; also an amendment favoriag securing to workers the full result of their skill and industry by collective ownership of the means of production, distribution and exchange. A committee was appointed to confer with the Premier (Mr McGowen) and the Attorney-General (Mr Holman) on ihe question of ensuring nominees for the Legislative Council voting to give effect to the Labor platform. A debate on the Federal referendum proposals was fixed for to-morrow.