TO STOP GUN-RUNNING.

Mataura Ensign, 29 November 1912, Page 5

TO STOP GUN-RUNNING.

CRUISERS FOR PERSIAN GULF. PRESSURE ON A SULTAN. tiX ELECTRIC TFLEGRAPH.—COPYRIGHT. PER UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION. Received November 29, 8.20 a.m , LONDON, Nov. 28. The 'Daily Mail' states that Franco has sent a cruiser to Muscat to put pressure on tho Sultan of Oman, who is stopping gun-running at Great Britain's request. Great Britain is also sending a cruiser from. China. A LUCRATIVE TRADE. Received November 29, 9.10 a.m. LONDON, Nov. 28. Under cover of an old treaty several French firms, defying the Sultan's wishes, have developed a lucrative trade iu guns with the Indian north-west frontier via Muscat. The gun-running traffic in India is assuming enormous proportions. Vast quantities of rifles and ammunition have got through to the border tribes on the north-west frontier via Afghanistan, and so profitable, is the trade that numbers of Pathans and others are being attracted from India to the Gulf and Mekran coast with money in hand for speculation. Three parties have been stopped; the last lot coming from Delhi bad reached Karachi, where they v.ere turned back. Tho Afghan tinders sre more numerous than ever, and are daring enough to run caravans within 150 miles of Karachi. No information has been obtained as to where the explosive bullets recently supplied to the tribes have coiii'.' from, beyond the fact that they are of European origin.