GENERAL CABLES

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1798, 22 August 1906, Page 52

GENERAL CABLES

LONDON, August 14. The Berlin correspondent of “ The Times” reports that the newspaper “Deutsche Revue,” in criticising Lord Cromer’s proposals for judicial and other reforms in E'gypt, ultimately requiring Germany’s assent, argues that Egypt, instead of becoming a British protectorate, should be treated as an object of common interest to Britain and Germany, and its future decided between those Powers on a basis of compensating values. The “ Revue ” urges Germany to claim Britain’s assent to a Persian Gulf terminus of the Baghdad railway. Commenting on the latter suggestion, “ The Times ” correspondent remarks that German anxiety regarding the prospects of the railway explains the attempt to raise a menace about Egypt for the purpose of propounding a onesided bargain. Orders have been issued at Devonport for an immediate mobilisation of the fleet and reserve. This is interpreted to indicate a test of preparedness or a fresh series of manoeuvres. Admiral Sir Arthur D, Fanshawe (formerly in charge, of the Australian squadron) lias been appointed to succeed Admiral Sir Robert Harris as President of the Royal Naval College at Greenwich. Two hundred unemployed men at Finchley, who were in a starving condition, were selected to commence work on the construction of a reservoir at Hampstead. They were offered sixpence halfpenny per hour, but demanded sevenpence. This was not conceded, whereupon the men walked off. The steamer Naima, which is being despatched by an influential London syndicate to search for diamonds on an unnamed island off the African coast, has a crew of forty-five, largely consisting of naval reserve men. Gas-engines, mining implements, and washing plant have been shipped ah Cardiff, also a large staff of engineers. The voyage is expected to last six months. An exhibition of products from the South African colonies is to be opened in London next February, and transferred in March to provincial centres. It is intended to Hansform the various South African cohimercial agencies in London into one central agency. The confusion arising out of the Appeal Court’s decision regarding passive resistors in the- West Riding is increasing. The local education authorities are refusing to assign rates for religious instruction. Magistrates at several places have given decisions against resisters, but others have adjourned cases for six months. Lord Hugh Cecil has formulated a scheme of resistance .for Churchmen. LONDON, August 16. It is reported by the “Standard” that owing to the revelations concerning the methods of Chicago meat packers a London firm of Jewish kosher butchers and canners has received from New York urgent orders for tinned goods. LONDON, August 17. The “Shipping Gazette 77 states that plans for steamers for the new Australian mail! service are now under consideration. The Beard more Company •and Viokers, Son and Maxim will conjointly build four or five steamers, Sir W. G. Armstrong, Whitworth and Co. two, and Sir James Laing and Co. two. PARIS, August 15. The text has been published in Paris of the Pope’s Encyclical to the Catholio bishops and clergy of France, in connection with th© law for the separation of Church and State. His Holiness deplores the coming trials and vigorously denounces the law, which he says is not separation, but oppression and civic discord. The Pope rejects Public Worship Associations, which he declares impossible, and advises Canonical Associations instead until the latter are legally and irrevocably made to embody the divine, immutable rights of the Pontiff and bishops as constituting their authority over Church property and edifices. His Holiness urges the bishops and the Catholics of France to employ all the means which the law recognises as within the rights of all citizens to organise and worship, and to struggle vigorously in defence of their religion, without recourse to sedition or violence. The prediction is expressed by the Pope that there will he a reaction, whioh will result in the rescinding of .the separation law. The newspaper “Le Temps” says:— “The Pope’s Encyclical will grieve all friends of religious peace. The Vatican’s intolerance will bear its fruits. This is a country of common-sense, desiring, above all, calm.” “Le Temps” will not admit that the present decision is the result of truly Christian, reasonable inspiration, and says a paradox is that temples offered by the State are refused by the religious, authority. PARIS, August 16. The members of the Moderate party in France anticipate the ultimate establishment of a modus vivendi between Church and State.

ATHENS, August 15. Information has been received here that Bulgarian rioters from Burgas were responsible for the outbreak at Anchielo, where a fight took place between Greeks and Bulgarians, thirty persona being killed, Greeks’ shops pillaged, and the town set ablaze. Official advices from Sofia state that upwards of half Anchielo. including all public buildings and archives, the Bulgarian and Greek schools, and tho mosque, have been burned. Troops prevented a mob at Ruotchuk, an important city in northern Bulgaria, from burning the Greek Consulate. NEW YORK, August 14. Mr C. J. Bonaparte, Secretary for the Navy, in the course of a speech at Cumberland (Maryland), which is interpreted as forecasting legislation on the subject, said that cue death penalty should be inflexibly imposed on every anarchist making an attempt on life, direct or indirect. For lesser anarchist offerees there should be brief, rigorous imprisonment, with severe private flogging. Seditious speech should be made a substantive crime, irrespective of its consequences only. The Supreme, Court of the United States decided that the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company was illegally charging two fares from Brooklyn Bridge to Coney Island, when it was only entitled to a single five cent fare. The decision was ignored, and special f)olice employed by the company forciby ejected from the cars two thousand people who objected to pay the extra fare demanded. Two women and a man who were ejected from the rear of a car when on a trestle bridge were entrapped between two cars and thrown into the creek below, being almost drowned. The authorities have now revoked all permits for the employment of special police, and will assist any persons prosecuting on charges of assault. CALCUTTA, August 14.

A meeting between the Ameer of Afghanistan and Lord Minto (Viceroy of India) has been arranged to take place at Agra. CAPETOWN, August 15.

The recent decision of the English Courts taxing the profits of the De Beers Company formed the subject of a resolution moved by Mr J. X. Merriman, and unanimously adopted. The resolution expressed regret that the Imperial Government had taxed companies which, to all intents and purposes, were South African, and stated that such a proceeding would have consequences prejudicial to the best interests of the Empire. Mr Merriman remarked that the colony must turn to the De Beers Company for means of meeting interest on the colony’s liabilities, but it was now hampered and prevented from imposing a legitimate tax on that undertaking. He predicted that next session an irresistible demand would he made in the Cape Assembly to tax diamonds. Therefore, it was important to prevent the Motherland intervening and taking dues belonging to the colony. The last clause in his resolution implied that the De Beers Company might fix its headquarters in Paris, America, or elsewhere. ® The Cape Assembly passed an amnesty bill removing all disabilities, from rebels who participated in the Boo.* war.

MELBOURNE, August 14. In the House of Representatives tonight Mr Deakin announced that a new constitution for New Guinea would be proclaimed, and would come into force on September Ist. A Governor would not be appointed immediately, but a Royal Commission would be appointed to inquire into the administration of the territory and report before the end of the year. The Premier said the Commission would consist of Colonel Mackay, formerly Vice-President of the New South Wales Executive Council, Mr Parry Oakden, formerly Principal Undersecretary in Queensland, and Mr Herbert, Government Resident in the Northern Territory. MELBOURNE, August 15. A sensation was created in the State Assembly during a debate on the Small Holdings Bill. Mr Bent, the Premier, objected to certain amendments, declaring that the Government intended to pass the measure as it stood. Mr Murray, the Minister of Lands, said he entirely disagreed with the attitude of the Premier. He welcomed criticism. Mr Bent warmly rejoined that Mr Murray had no right to tell the House that, because the Government had made up its mind. If Mr Murray had any difficulties about the bill, let him withdraw from it. Mr Murray replied that he accepted the Premier’s suggestion readily, and resigned the charge of what seemed to be a very imperfect bill. Concluding, he said: “ I resign the position of Minister of Lands, and I ao so altogether without, regret.” He thereupon walked out of the Chamber. Mr Bent announced that he would go on with the bill. After making little progress, the House adjourned. Mr Bent and Mr Murray subsequently conferred. Mr Murray has forwarded to Mr Bent .his resignation of the portfolio of Minister of Lands.

MELBOURNE, August 17. Advices from London tho arrival of the barque Ferdinand Fisher, 190 days out from Geelong. The steamer Ben Vrackie, regarding whose safety anxiety was felt, has arrived from Capetown, with her bunker® exhausted. She proceeds to Newcastle. It is estimated that the number of letters that will be affected by pennypostage is seventy-two million per annum. It is stated that arrangements are practically complete for reciprocal trade with New Zealand. The military authorities propose to hold a Federal encampment of ten thousand troops at Albury at Easter. SYDNEY, August 14. Tho hearing of the charges of conspiracy in connection with land transactions against W. N. Willis, W. P. Crick, and C. Bath is proceeding. The cross-examination of witnesses by Crick to-day was productive of some lively scenes. SYDNEY, August 15. A Chinaman to-night ran amok at Pennant Hills, a small settlement about eighteen miles west of Sydney, and killed two boys and wounded a third. Armed with a tomahawk, he first attacked a boy named Hockley at tho Thornleigh railway station. Hockley managed to escape after receiving a slight wound in the head. Thence, rushing in the direction of Pennant Hills, the Chinaman met and killed a boy named Pettit, eleven yearn of age. Then he made his way to the residence of a family named Hines, who barricaded themselves inside the house. Failing to obtain an entrance, the Chinaman attacked with his tomahawk and set fire to a bedroom adjoining the house. A boy named Aitken, aged fifteen years, w*ho was delivering groceries at the Hines house, was the next victim’. He w*as brutally attacked and killed. The police arrested the murderer after a desperate struggle. He is supposed to be suffering from religious mania. The steamer Port Chalmers, 407® tons, Captain Jinman, which left Newcastle on August 3rd for Manila, is reported to be ashore at Cape York, Torres Straits. No details are to hand. At the inquiry into the grievances of the Sydney tramway employees, Mr Holman, in opening the case for the men, dealt with the system of secret supervision. He said that a number of officer's employed to report on the conduct of men on duty reported many matters trivial in themselves, but in the aggregate sufficient to cause general discontent. The reports resulted in the reduction of annual good conduct holiday and caused postponements of increments. The men were not confronted with their accusers. They wanted a system that would enable them to defend themselves.

SYDNEY, August 16. On behalf of the Shipwreck Relief Society, Captain Watt, of the steamer Kanowna, was presented to-day with a silver tea and coffee service: Mr Holdridge, the second officer, witTx a gold medal, and the five men who formed the crew of Mr Holdridge’s boat with a silver medal and £5 each, in recognition of their bravery in saving the steamer Glaucus, which was disabled off Cape Liptrap at the end of June. Much alarm exists in the northern districts of New South Wales. owing to the discovery of ticks among herds in the vicinity of the Tweed river. Out of a herd of one hundred and seventeen cattle twenty-six were found to be infected. The Government is taking elaborate precautions to prevent the disease spreading, and is stringently quarantining and dipping the animals affoct&d* SYDNEY, August 17. Latest advices regarding the steamer Port Chalmers, which is ashore at Cape York, state that the vessel is perfectly water-tight. It is hoped to get her off on to-night’s tide. There are ’a hundred and three acceptors for the Bathurst-Sydney road race to moi row,'including all the leading cyclists. At the horse sales to-day the stallion Dandy Dick, the property of Mr J. T. Cox, of New Zealand, was sold for seventy-three guineas. * ADELAIDE, August 14. Natella Habibulla was charged today with the murder of his wife and remanded for a week. It now transpires that the upper portion of theN murdered woman’s body was not in the sack found in Torrens Lake, and is still missing. BRISBANE,'August 17. The steamer Marelba brought two British sailors, named Brown and Green, from Tahiti. They were a portion of the crew of the Chilian schooner Sarita, which was wrecked at Easter Island on November sth. The rest of the crew, who were Chilians, were all saved. The men complain • that they were placed at the end of the island, away from the other inhabitants, and almost starved. They had to eke out an existence until the arrival at the end of July of the warship Cambrian, which took them to Tahiti. The rest of the crew, with the exception of the captain and mate, who remain, had left the island previously.