CABLE NEWS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1676, 13 April 1904, Page 20

CABLE NEWS.

LONDON. Aigril 6. Major My, Conservative Freetrader, ihaa been re-elected for the Isle of Wight unopposed. The Chamaiberladnites are reserving themselves for the general election!.' f Major John E. B. Seely was elected Conservative member for the Isle of Wight in 1900. At the time of his election he was serving in the South African war. He resigned his seat two or three weeks ago to mark his disapproval of the Governments attitude on the question of Chinese labour in the South African mines.] Bad weather is delaying salvage operations in connection with the submarine boat Ail, which was sunk recently through being struck by the steamer Berwick Castle. The indebtedness of the local authorities of the United Kingdom, exceeds four hundired and seven millions sterling. It has increased by one hundred and fortytwo millions during the last eight years. '‘The Times,” ' commenting on the arduous problems confronting the Commonwealth. expresses anxiety as to Australians future. Some of the demands of the Labour leaders regarding impending legisißwsifon will, it says, undoubtedly command the approval and sympathy of European Socialists. "Referring to Sir George Turner’s sudden conversion of the State Treasurers. “The Times'” fears that the difficulties of applying the principle of his scheme for taking over the State debts will prove grave, keenly taxing the statesmanship of both the Federation and the States. LONDON, April 7. Mr R. B. Haldane, Liberal member for Haddingtonshire, speaking at North Berwick, appealed for -a majority, rendering the Liberals independent of the Unionists or Nationalists. Otherwise,, he said, ?the Liberals would be compelled to swallow a draught -of Irish ideas profoundly repugnant to Englishmen. LONDON, April 8. [Reuter's Agency announces that the vAntarctiifc exploration ship Discoveiry, now at Lyttelton, New Zealand, will not return to England before the autumn'. Aftpr repairs the Discovery will take soundings between New Zealand and Cape Horn. The relief ships Morning and Terra. Nova are to sail direct for Home. Mr Walter Malcolmson, living in Ireland, in a letter to “The Times,” states that West Australia is the one slave State in the Commonwealth. Owing to the natives’ indenture system the aborigines in the north-west, h© says, are worse off than the negroes were in the American slave days. The writer says he has repeatedly seen masters flog natives for trivial offences. Indentured servants on stations were often reduced to eating offal. He asserts that he offered to furnish the Commonwealth Government and Parliament with evidence of numbers of acts of cruelty witnessed by himself, ■ but the evidence was not desired. Three thousand acres In County Cork are being planted 1 with sugar beet, owing to the satisfactory working of thei Sugar Bounties Convention. An Arbitration Convention between France and Holland has been signed. The death is announced of Lady Isabel Lanark®. The Admiralty is arming six of the “County” class of cruisers with four 7£in ,guns. “The Times” states that since'a British flotilla of twenty-nine submarine boats will be completed by the end of 1905, at a cost of a million apd a half, the Admiralty ought to abandon its policy of secrecy, as the adoption of submarines must react with tremendous effect on the other branches of naval construction and tactics. SOFIA, April 7. A mob at Lonipelanka, a Bulgarian town on the Danube, stormed the ghetto (the Jewish quarters), and plundered and maltreated the Jews. Six 'Succumbed to their.injuries. Some Of the victims were crucified. MADRID, April 6. • Many Anarchists and! suspects were arrested on the eve of King Alfonso’s fortnight’s visit to Barcelona. Much anxiety is felt in official circles. MADRID, April 7. A great crowd warmly welcomed King 'Alfonso at Barcelona. Wheh the King was quitting the Labour Exchange a bomb was thrown. Two person| were injured. One arrest has been effected. I BERLIN April 6. f It is officially announced in Berlin that Emperor William is in the beet of health. ’’ r PARIS. April 6. The Eiffel Tower in this city is being used for experiment® with etbergrams between Paris and the French warships cruising in the English Channel. NEW YORK, April 6. Fifty donvicts in the> gaol in Jefferson City, Missouri, conspired to kill the guards, destroy the gaol by an explosion, and liberate three hundred prisoners. fhe plot was discovered, and twenty pounds of dynamite atnd a quantity c f revolvers and cartridges were secured. Mans' American cotton-spinners are adopting short time in order to curtail . production. Nearly all the teacher® in the Methodist College at Tampa, in Florida, were drowned through the capsizing of a boat.

NEW YORK, April 7. Senator Joseph R. Burton, Republican representative of Kansas, has been sentenced to six months? imprisonment and fined 2500 dollars (£500) for accepting bribes. The decision has been appealed against, NEW YORK, April 8. Mr Grover Cleveland ox-Presid'ent rt the United States., warmly supports the candidature of Mr Justice Parker for the Presidency. The United States census of 1903, excluding Alaska and the annexed islands, show® 'the population to be 79,900,000, an increase of 3,906,000 since 1900. New York city has a population of 3,716,000 and Chicago 1,874,000. OTTAWA, April 6. The Dominion Government has purchased the German Antarctic exploring ship Gauss to survey the Labrador coast. She will afterward® attempt to discover the North Pole from Canada. OTTAWA, April 7. The Dominion Government will submit to the Supreme Court the draft of a Bill providing for the compulsory observance of the Sabbath throughout Canada. The measure prohibits all labour and bpsiness except works of mercy and necessity, and applies to pleasure excursions, rifle practice and sports. If the Court decides that the Bill is within the competence of the Federal Government, it will he introduced into Parliament. CABUL, April 7. The Ameer of Afghanistan is limiting himself to four wives, and has compelled his Sirdars to divorce their wives beyond that number. Hundreds of those divorced have married inferior officers in the army. MELBOURNE, April 7. Tliere ha® been no intimation on this side that the federal Treasurer, Sir George Turner, ha® converted' the State Treasurers to his views, as alleged by “The Times.” Sir George Turner says ho is not aware of anything upon which the assertion of “ The Time® ” could be based. ( MELBOURNE, April 8. The federal Premier (Mr A. Deakin) ha® received a cablegram from the Imperial authorities intimating that arrangements have been made by the P. and O. Company to carry on the presentmail services for three years, accelerating the transit by twentv-four hours. SYDNEY, April 7. (Mrs Hardwick, of Reniuera station, Auckland, New Zealand, drew Sweet' Nell in me No. 2 sweep on the 1 Sydney Cup. The value of the prize is £4OO. SYDNEY, April 8. The report of the Royal Commission to inquire into the manufacture of locomotives in the 'State, states that it is practicable for the Government to construct its own locomotives either at the railway workshops or at workshop© under the control of the Railway Commissioners, but the Fitzroy dock is not favoured, while a minority report considers the dock a most unsuitable place for the manufacture of locomotive©, and also that in open competition the price of the imported engines will foe much lower than the sum for which they, could be manufactured. The report in chief, while recognising that preference should be given to local manufacturers, points out that it is impossible to lose sight of the commercial aspect of the question, and that it is for the Government or the Railway Commissioners to define the limit of preference for the local article. A meeting under the auspices of the Sydney Labour Council unanimotusly requested the federal Labour party to accept no Arbitration Bill which excludes seamen and State employees'. ' In the crisis which is likely to occur over the point Mr G. H. Reid, leader of the Opposition, will vote with the Government. Mr Deakin, federal Premier, commenting on this., said he considered that Mr Reid, as leader of the Opposition, should influence his party to support the Government on the question ; but Mr Reid declines, and leave® his followers free to vote according to their consciences. ADELAIDE, April 8. Dr J. A. Dowie, the founder of -Zion. City, and who poses as the “Modern Elijah,” departed by the P. and O. steamer Mongolia. Dr DoAvie’s embarkation was kept secret. He boarded the vessel in a private launch, and could not be interviewed on board, brut the .Rev Mr Hawkins said Dr Dowie would return to Australia, accompanied by a thousand Zion guards in his own ships. Dr Dowie would come in a 6000-ton yaclifc which was now being built. Then the flag of Zion would wave over the whole Commonwealth. BRISBANE, April 8. A case , of plague has occurred in the city. HOBART, April 7. The Occupancy Bill introduced by the Government provides for a tax on property on annual value at rate® varying from, twopence to fourpence in the pound, and also for a tax on lodgers at a penny to threepence in the pound' on the annual value of their hoard! and lodging.