NEWS OF THE WORLD.

Mataura Ensign, 15 January 1914, Page 6

NEWS OF THE WORLD.

GERMANY'S COLONIAL POLICY. A FAILURE SO FAR. Br KLECTBIC TELEGRAPH COPYBIGHT. PEE UNITED PKKSP ASSOCIATION LONDON, Jan. 14. At the Colonial Institu* Professor Bonn, of Munich, contributed a paper on Germany';) colonial policy. Lord Milnor (Governor of the Transvaal from IDOI to 1905) said that the manufacturing countries in the temperate zone were increasingly dependent on the- tropics-., and the nation which best promoted the welfare of subject peo- ' pies would i:' the end be tho most successful. Professor Bonn said that Germany had! spent only £70,000,000 on her colonies in 12 years, and had; merely scratched the surface of a tall problem. The chartered l companies had failed owiriff to their ludicrously small capital. Tho difficulty had been the necessity of developing Germany at the same time as her colonies. Tho German peasant was 1 not an ideal settler. In which wanted men with capital and a capacity for managing the natives, Germany had made some) extremely silly mistakes. She had protected her Home agriculture even against the competition of her colonies. They wanted to create daughter States in Africa similar to Australia and Can- ' ada. The result was a huge native rising, costing £20.000,000 sterling. Germany had sought to assume the functions of Providence, and had then tried to exterminate the natives whom, owing to lack of wisdom, she had goaded into) rebellion. The causes retarding colonial development were rapidly disappearing. Germany had lent foreign countries £1,000,000,000, evolving an enterprising and adventurous upperclass policy of sending white settlers abroad, and then abandoning them. SAKURASHIMA. DETAILS OF THE DISASTER. TOKIO, Jan. 14. The eruption of Sakurashim.a, commenced' by the appearance of enormous columns of smoke bursting out of several points, and 40 minutes after, an eruption occurred from the summit. The houses on the east side of Sakurashima were the first to catch fire. The surviving inhabitants thronged the beach. The police commandeered' lighters'and took off. refugees. The heat was intense and the sky was darkened. The smoke, seen from the mainland, provided a magnificent spectacle; It lappared to be enveloped in flantes.&nd ita brilliance _ was constantly enhanced by the eruptions- from the crater." Meanwhile, 70,000 people in •Kagoatuim.n. Kalipvatl thn+, t,h«»ir hnnwVft wftrfl

__ about to share the fate of the island. Hundreds of houses were destroyed, and hundreds of the inhabitants killed an 4 injured. Kagoshima was' shaken by an earthquake every three- or five minutes, and 200 were registered on Sunday. Asama is also active, and Kerishima, 30 miles north of Kagoshima, is also causing devastation. There have been seismic disturbances throughout Kyushou province, and Nagasaki, 100 miles away, was covered with a volcanic ash.

FRENCH INCOME TAX. PAKIS, Jan. 14. •M.. Caillaux (Minister for Finance) in a memorandum* proposes a supertax yearly on incomes derived' from invested capital, and yielding over £I2OO. A deduction of £2OO will be allowed for every dependent child. M. Caillaux proposes that incomea of up to £4OOO shall pay 1£ per cent,; of £BOOO, 2.63 per cent.; o!' ££0,01)0, 3.30 per cent.; of £40 ; 000, 4.15 per cent; of £200,000, 5.33 per cent. It is estimated that the tax will yield £7,600,000. Mr Briand's party has adopted a policy of, firstly, national defence; secondly, to uphold the secular lawsj and, thirdly, to improve the parliamentary system of eliminating the bidding of groups. In a manifesto the party appeals to the various groups to unite in regard to defence, the separation of thd church, the State education laws, and to secure electoral and fiscal reforms. One hundred and two deputies including M. Barthon and M. Miller attended the conference. DOMINIONS COMMISSION. LONDON, Jan. 14. Before the Dominions'' (Commission, Mr J. Broadbank, representing the Port of London Authority,, gave evidence that the rates in London were higher than in l other ports, because the .accommodation was better and the value 08 land and the rates of wages were higher. Comparisons of the different rates often ignored the difference in the services and other circumstances. Hiere was no possibility of bringing large colonial vessels to discharge in the heart of London. If desirable, they could remove the fruit markets at Cove.nt, Gardens to the docks. The Port Authority would do its utmost to

meet the requirements of trade. Tin I general character of most Australian cargoes prevented part of the. cargoes of fruit from being discharged into special depots. FATE OF THE COBEQUID. HALIFAX, Jan. 14. Search for the liner Cohequid disclosed nothing definite. There" was a crew of 102 aboard. 15 s.eeond-class l and live first-class passengers. Their fate is unknown. Tho hurricane that is racing makes it extremely - improbable? that they have escaped. The Cape Sable station heard a wireless call, announcing that a vessel had struck a ledge off Briar Island, and that the engine-room, was flooded. Thereafter there was silence. Several vessels were warned of the Cobequid'c plight. REMARKABLE SURCERY. j .LONDON, Jan. 14. I Tho 'Daily Mail' states that surgeons 1 describe the operation at St. Bartholo- ! mew's on Anderson, an. Australian! miner, as one of the most astounding on record. At the result of an explosion j a stone an inch in diameter entered the orbit of an eye, lacerated the brain, and became embedded in the skull. An operation performed under difficulties was successful. Anderson is practically blind in one eyo, but otherwise he is well, arid is returning to Australia on Friday. I THE FRANKFORT SENSATION. i _____ ! BEfRILIN, Jan. IJ. Several witnesses were heard in camera in connection with the charges against Karl Kopf of w ; fe murder. The l -' testified to Kopf's addict'on to onH ties. Numerous strange implements were found in his rooms and office. The police when arresting him found a bottle of virulent poison on Kopf's person. The prisoner declared that if he had not been arrested suddenly he would have suicided. WATER FAMINE LIKELY. ADELAIDE, Jan. 14. Owing to the dry year a water famine is threatened The reservoirs are becoming depleted, and the price of wate* has increased. Drastic action has been necessary to prevent waste. PUTTIES TO BE ABOLISHED. MELBOURNE, Jan. 14. Putties, as a part of the uniform of the military forces, will probably be abolished. Favorable reports from New Zealand concerning the use of hosetops have induced the Minister for Defence to order a limited number to be issued to each military district in order to give them a fair trial. A MURDERER'S FATE. ! FREMANTLE, Jan. 14. Odgers, who murdered the girl Edith Molyneaux, has been hanged. THE PEARLING INDUSTRY. I BRISBANE, Jan. 14. A letter has been received by the State Treasurer from the Commonwealth Government stating that a Pearling Commission to investigate the affairs of Thursday Island intends visiting Broome and other north-western ports as soon as practicable. The Prime Minister has asked the Queensland Government if it contemplated bringing down any measure affecting the industry. The Treasurer is writing to the Commonwealth Government asking if it is convenient for Queensland to apply for a half-million loan before the date of maturity.

BOGUS SWEEPSTAKE. SYDNEY. Jan. 14. Detective Rocho, head of the Detective Office, hits issued a warning to the public against subscribing to a sweep for the English Derby, conducted from Weggis, Switzerland, which he says is on a par with the notorious Spanish swindle. IN THE FIELD OF SCIENCE. BT ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH COPTRIGHT. TIMES-SIDNEY SUN SPECIAL CABLE. LONDON, Jan. 13. At the Conference of the Public Schools Science Masters, Professor Armstrong stated that the alleged superiority of the Germans in research work in science was all moonshine. It took 10 Germans to do the work of two Englishmen. In the laboratory the Germans gave their commands to boys who I did the work.

ANGLICAN CONFERENCE. LONDON, Jan. 13. Twelve hundred of the Anglioari clergy are attending a conference at Mildmay Park. Sympathetic references were made to the action of the Bishop of Uganda and Mombassa in regard to the Kikuyu incident, which caused hearty cheering.

1 CONFIDENCE MEN. ' . LONDON, Jan, 13. 'The Times,.' in a special article describing confidence men, say 6 that they > belong to an international fraternity of a very exclusive kind. There wevv about 30 or 40 of them in London and the most of these were Australians. They were dissolute and thriftless but were faithful to one another, and their calling was a profitable one. !