CABLE NEWS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1679, 4 May 1904, Page 61

CABLE NEWS.

•'c : LONDON, April 27. In the House' of Commons, a Bill to ; empower a Board of Edo cation to over- j rule a local authority refusing to act : under the Education Act was read a first time. The Bill provides that authorities of Education Boards and fnanagers of voluntary schools are to appoint teachers and take other, steps' to fulfil the Act. Boards are to deduct expenses from the Parliamentary grants payable to local authorities.' The Welsh members have resolved to strenuously oppose the Bill, and also to oppose all other Government Bills dining the session. An Army Order, which has just been Issued, forbids attempts by officers to obtain the favourable consideration of the War Office for promotions, transfers and other personal matters, either directly or by outside- influence.. - The Chinese cruiser Hai-Tien f which struck a rock on the Eliiott Islands (Korea) is a complete wreck. The mema hers of the crew were saved. Heavy fighting has occurred in Somaliland between the Mullah’s forces and the Mi jor tain natives, who are friendly to the British. The town of Illig, u Italian Somaliland, was bombarded. The Sultan, who is an .ally of the Mullah, was captured. LONDON, April 28., Details have been received regarding the capture of Illig. on the coast of ' Italian Somaliland. The town was unassailable from the front, so at dawn on the _2lst inst.,-in-blie presence of the Italian gunboat Voltumo, RearAdmiral G. L. Atkinson-Wi lies, of the cruiser Hyacinth," with 700 bluejackets and marines from the cruisers Hyacinth. Fox and Mohawk, and 125 men of the Firist Battalion. of' the Hampshire Regiment, landed in the Cullale river, through the surf, aryl attacked the zareba and towers of Illig in the flank, and rear, storming gallantly. After a sharp actio'll at close quarters, the defence "being obstinate, the Dervishes were expelled, losing heavily. The Italian and British flags were hoisted in the town, which, with the assent of the Sultan, Osman Mahmud transferred to the loyal Mijertains. Three British were killed.and four severely and two slightly wounded. The officers came off scathleas. ’’ A discussion took place in the House of Commons on tne subject of cottongrowing within the Empire, which several members urged the Government to encourage. ' ' 'Mr A. Lyttelton, Secretary of State for the Colonies, announced that the Association will contrib- , uto £30,000 per annum for three years • towards the development of the cot tern industry in Lagos, Southern Nigeria, and Sierra Leone while those colonies contribute £6500 per annum. The House of Commons, by a majority of 41 votes, has confirmed the tea duty of twopence proposed in his Budget epeech hv the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr Austen Chamberlain. The Berlin Corporation is establishing compulsory continuation schools, at which all boys will attend until .they are seventeen years of age. The Russian agent at Lhassa has advised the Dalai Lama- to take refuge m Russian territory. Colonel Younghusband cables that the Thibetans are meet friendly, freely ordering goods -from India. The Arnban who was sent to meet Colonel- Younghusband states, that the Dalai Lama ‘recognised Britain’s great power, and was' anxious for the Amhan to effect a settlement. He also states that the Dalai Lama has imprisoned liis former Councillors. The Hon J. W. Taverner, the Victorian Agent-General, will represent to the War Office the desirableness of accepting colonial Government inspection of Imperial contract supplies instead of the light of rejection at the port of arrival.

Another employee in Slater’s Detcc-

tiro Agency, named Smith, lias been -charged with conspiracy, arising out of the divorce case Pollard v, Pollard. The -Delimitation Commission'" in Uganda reports' that Dates Albert Nvanza and Edward Nyanza belong to the Congo State, thus involving the' surrender of valti able salt deposits. The Shaw-Savill Company has declared a dividend of 5 per cent., and carried forward the sum of £2114. > The death is announced of Mias Nellie Farren, actress 1 . pVIisQ Farren was for years a notable figure of the London Gaiety stage, and a great favourite of the public. She appealed first on the stage in the province®, in the “fifties.” Miss. Nellie Farren gained many triumphs as a comedy and burlesque actress,. playing* a wide range of characters. She visited Australia some years ago-, and included in the same coanpany was another old -Gaiety favourite long since dead. Mr Fred Leslie. Miss Nellie Farren was jgiven a great, benefit in London a few years ago. Broken in health, she revisited the scenes of her former triumphs, and, amidst the greatest enthusiasm, was brought on to the stage to Gay a few words.] LONDON, April 29.

At a: meeting of the Orient Pacific Coanpany, Mr Kenneth Anderson, chair-

man of directors. said that if the l company did not chtan. fresh mail contracts, the loss would not be without compensations, because the company. . , would Iraye less responsibility, and greater liberty..of action, and be free from most onerous speed conditions and from the obligation to despatch a mail steamer fortnightly to • Australia during seasons when there was no possibility of avoiding heavy loss. The company would also bo dree to trade to ports from which it was n€w debarred, and drop others where now its steam ere only called because they wore compelled to do so. He added that in a short- while there might be strong reasons for desiring the continuance of the contract, provided the payment was at all commensuiate with the service; still the contract _ might obviously be bought too dearly if it committed the comoany to a certain loss. ‘ BERLIN, April 29.

The Ivaiser arrived in restored health at Karlsruhe,' on his return from his cruise. Replying to the welcome tendered by the Burgomaster and his remarks concerning events in tne Far East and in German South-west Africa, the; Emperor agreed yCvith the Burgomaster that Germany’s task vas a difficult one. He spoke hopefully of the unifying influences of the memory of Much great times as those iii which the battles of Woerth, Weissenburg and Sedan were fought for the establishment of the Empire. The events now moving ill the world should cause the people to forget internal discord. He hoped that pea’ce would not be disturbed, and that the events, being enacted before their eyes would clear their vision, steel their courage and find them united if it became necessary tointervene in the world s\policy. ST PETERSBURG, April 28. * While the Deputy Chief Detective and the Deputy Police Commissary and two policemen were entering a house at Warsaw an armed gang killed both oflicerss. OTTAWA, April 29. Senator Wa-rk, a centenarian, -received in the Canadian Senate a portrait and address of congratulation. He delivered an interesting speech. SYDNEY, April 28. A gale has been blowing all day, and still continues, accompanied by blinding rainstorms ancl heavy sea. Heavy rain has fallen in the coastal districts. A boat capsized off the Heads, two fishermen—King and Carey—being drowned. SYDNEY. April 29. A sensational robbery took place at Ultimo.' Forster, a bedstead manufacturer, • alighted from a cab, carrying a bag containing a hundred and seventy pounds in gold and silver, to pay wages. A man rushed up and grabbed the bag. Ho then joined another man who was waiting with a sulky, and the pairgalloped off and escaped. ADELAIDE, April 28. Tire official statistics .of the wheatyield estimate 13.209,009 bushels—an increase of 6,854,000 compared with last year. * y BRISBANE, April 28. - The following is the rearrangement of Cabinet pclrtfolios:—The Hon. J. W. Blair, Attorney-General and Minister of Mines • the Hon. D. F. Denham, Minister of Agriculture and Works; and the Hon. Airey, Home Secretary. The other portfolios are unchanged, Speaking at the Chamber cf Commerce dinner, the Premier declared that Queensland had pa-ssecl her darkest hours, and the future of her industries premised to stand out in marked contrast to the results of the past five years. There was also a probability of a record in the sugar crop.