NEWS SUMMARY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16233, 19 May 1916, Page 4

NEWS SUMMARY

'""■ ' <»' • ' : Auckland; > The Government lias arranged the pur* ■rj., chase of a further portion of the township of Taumarunui. Twenty-seven applicatujtas for assistance were considered by the Claims Board of the Patriotic Association yesterday. The sale of the Wellington Park Estate was completed yesterday, the price paid being between £18,000 and £19,000. Thirty-one men enrolled at the central recruiting station yesterday. Of that number 14 were accepted, 11 were deferred, and six were rejected as unfit for ■ active service.

Tho Taupiri Coal Mines, Limited, suffered a financial loss of £6763 on the past year's operations, and no dividend was declared at the annual meeting yesterday. The directors, however, expressed complete confidence in the outlook for the future. i New Zealand: The Dominion scheme of. grading of teachers has been gazetted. The ex-German Consul at Wellington, Mr. Fpcke, was interned at Somes Island yesterday. j No fresh cases of smallpox have been reported among the soldiers who returned by the Willochra. Australian: A petition in favour of compulsory service, containing 70,000 names, has been presented to the Australian Federal Senate. The finding of the commission set up to inquire into the petrol bribery allegations is announced. Mr. Griffith is absolved from blame. British and Foreign: There is a possibility of Mr. Asquith taking over the control of Irish affairs. The Government has announced its intention of making grants to compensate for the damage caused by the rioters in Dublin. The War: A German mine-layer has been sunk south of the Swedish coast. Raids «ave been made by two French squadrons at the rear of the enemy's lines in Franco. Fighting is proceeding in the Trentino district. The Italians have successfully 1 repulsed all attacks; Lieutenant Immelmann, the German aviator, claims to have brought down his fifteenth aeroplane near Douai. Two parties of Seaforth Highlanders raided the enemy's trenches on Tuesday night, and bombed the German dugouts. Constantinople is reported to be threatened with a famine in the near future, owing to the flocking to the city of refugees from Armenia. "International law is powerless unless . supported by international authority," said Mr. Balfour, First Lord of the Admiralty, to an American interviewer. A slight skirmish between the rival British ." and" German destroyer flotillas occurred off the Belgian coast on Tuesday, and resulted in the retreat of the enemy. ' : The United States , Secretary, of State has informed the German Ambassador thai lie will probably refuse to ■ communicate to neutrals the recent warning suggested by Germany in regard to submarine war- , -'fare. -•■-••• - : '' ! • 'Jf ' : " " " ' I -':", .. SB . .. ' i I . ! .-I