NEWS OF THE WORLD.

Mataura Ensign, 1 November 1911, Page 6

NEWS OF THE WORLD.

NAVAL MATTERS. BRITISH WAR STAFF CREATED. BY BLECTBIC TELEGRAPH. OOFIBIGHT. PBB UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION. LONDON, Oct. 31. The 'Daily Telegraph' states that Mr Churchill (First Lord of the Admiralty) is creating a war stair at the Admiralty in order to study the Navv's needs in the light of the continually changing international naval situation. One of his arms will be to urge overseas dominions to establish naval war staffs, leading to interchange of officers. RUSSIAN KEELS LAID. ST. PETERSBURG, Oct. 31. The keels of three 22,500-ton battleships have been laid down at Nikolaiff. SCIENCE OF AVIATION. BRITISH GOVERNMENT SCHEME. LONDON, Oct. 31. Colonel Seely (Under-Secretary of State for War) has outlined a scheme for bringing Britain up to a high standard in aviation, especially in regard to speedy monoplanes. A hundred officers will be trained as observers and pilots. THE COST OF LIVINC. LONDON, Oct. 31. Mr Asquith (Prime Minister), replying to Mr Jonathan Samuel (Liberal member for Stockton), stated that the Government would undertake, through the Board of Trade, a full inquiry into the cost of living. FEDERAL PARLIAMENT. MELBOURNE, Oct. 31. As the result of the census Queensland gains and Victoria loses a seat in the Federal House. Redistribution of seats will take place in West Australia, Queensland, and probably New South Wales. AUSTRALIAN ARBITRATION. MELBOURNE, Oct. 31. The House of Representatives is discussing the Arbitration Bill. Mr Cook, referring to the wharf laborers' strike, declared it was a scandal to have two Labor Governments each saying that it could not act. NEW SOUTH WALES DRINK. —— — » SYDNEY, Oct. 31. Archdeacon Boyce's estimate of the drink bill in New South Wales for 1910 is £5,724,984, or £3 10s 6d per head, as against £3 6s 9d in 1909. PICTURES DESTROYED. SYDNEY, Oct. 31. Four pictures valued at £2OO at the Society of Women Painters' Exhibition have been destroyed by scratches and cuts. It is apparently an act of deliberate vandalism. TIDE OF IMMIGRATION. SYDNEY, Oct. 31. The steamer Pakeha has arrived with 1128 immigrants, also 14 of the crew of the wrecked Papanui.

COLONIAL SUGAR COMPANY. COMPANY AND COMMISSION. SYDNEY, Oct. 31. At the half-yearly meeting of the Colonial Sugar Refining Company the report showed that the profits in Australia were £115,829 and in Fiji and New Zealand £95,000, to which was added the balance of £77,613, making £288,443 available for the half-year. A dividend making 10 per cent, for the year is declared, absorbing £150,000; also a bonus of two shillings per share, absorbing £15,000, and leaving £123,443 to carry forward. It was stated that heavy rains and floods in Queensland and Fiji followed by exceedingly dry weather had done much damage to growing crops. The partial failure of the beet crop had caused an advance in prices, but there was no reason to suppose that a permanent advance had been or would be established. The chairman, in moving the adoption of the report, referred to the appointment of the Sugar Commission. The company would in due course state its views on the situation and, in order to silence those who attacked it, would set forth more fully than had yet been done the true position. That it should be compelled to do so was a grave wrong; but Parliament had now lost sight altogether of the liberties of the community. The action of the Commissioners in refusing the company the right to be represented*by counsel could not be defended either by precedent or justice. The Queensland strike had caused a small loss in connection with the mills; but they were able to keep running, the production while the strike lasted being little below normal. In the set' lenient effected the company had no par; but nothing could be gained by discussing details now. Notwithstanding the rise in prices the company in June sold manufacturers supplies for the year at the rate which gave them sugar, duty paid, below what competitors in Britain had to pay in bond.