GENERAL CABLES

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1799, 29 August 1906, Page 53

GENERAL CABLES

LONDON, August 21

A court-martial was held at Portsrmoutli into the loss of the first-class battleship Montagu, which went ashore at Shutter Point, Lundy Island, on May 30th, and was abandoned after several attempts to refloat her had proved unsuccessful. Exhaustive evidence was given showing that the officers had placed implicit reliance on dead reckoning, despite the fog prevailing at the time of the mishap and the inefficiency of the signalling appliances at Lundy Island. The officers pleaded in reply irregularities in the tides.

Captain Thomas B. S. Adair and Lieutenant James H. Dathan, the vessel’s navigating officer, were severely reprimanded and dismissed the ship. Lieutenant Dathan, in addition, forfeits two years’ seniority. The newspapers agree that the sentences, though severe, are just. They rejoice that the percentage of such groundings exhibit a marked decrease when taken over a series of years, hence the principles of discipline and safety in navigation are unimpaired. The barque Ferdinand Fisher has not arrived, as reported last week.. Her arrival was reported in the “ Shipping Gazette” by error. LONDON, August 22.

Dr Morrison, Pekin correspondent to “The Times,” supplies some particulars of the attack by Chinese at Amoy last June on Dr Horne and Mr P. Eadie, connected with the Mutual Insurance Company, when the former was stabbed thrice, and Mr Eadie only slightly wounded. Dr Morrison states that Dr Horne, who was unarmed, displayed fine heroism. He returned to Australia injured for life, his skull being fractured. Negotiations for reparation have been transferred to Peking. lleuter’s agency announces thao the Pacific Mail teteamship Company’s Manchuria (13,038 tons) got fifteen milee out of her course, probably owing to a tidal phenomenon, and was stranded on an even • keel near Makapuu Head, at the south-east extremity of the Hawaiian Island of Oahu, and about fifteen miles from Honolulu. The vessel is bumping heavily, and it is feared she will become a total loss. The passengers landed, and are proceeding overland to Honolulu. Some of the Asiatic members of the crew tried to rush the boats, but the officers prevented them. Forty (Jongo missionaries are now In England to appeal to Sir Edward Grey, Minister*, of Foreign Affairs, to consider the advisability of assuming Consular jurisdiction in the Congo Free State in order to protect Britishers. Potato blight is spreading to an alarming extent in the west of Ireland. LONDON, August 23. Mr White, British Agent in Thibet, met with a cordial reception on arrival at Gyantse (one of the centres where, under the Anglo-Thibetan Convention, markets are to be established). Owing to .straining of her keel the battleship Hindustan (16,350 tons, completed last year) was put into dry dock at Gibraltar. It was then found that her steering apparatus is so defective that the crew will be transferred to the battleship Britannia, as the overhauling of the Hindustan will occupy some months. Now that full details of the new Australian mail contract have been received, shipping circles are more than ever astonished at the splendid bargain which the Commonwealth has made. Earthquake shocks have been experienced in Calabria (Italy) and in the northern part of Silesia (Germany). LONDON, August 24. The Board of Trade found that the loss of the steamer Agincourt, which struck a coral, reef in the Pacific, was due to the maytor, Sims, having failed to navigate the vessel with seamanlike care.

The Board is of opinion that the master afterwards erased the name of the reef from hie chart. Sims’s certificate was suspended for twelve months. The “Daily Chronicle” reports that the steamer Rippingham Grange (bound from Middlesbrough to Dunedin, New Zealand, with rails for the Government) jg at St. Vincent, one of the Cape Verde Islands, repairing her machinery, which has broken down. The work is expected to occupy the next five days. In order to test statements that have been made as to the prevalence of consumption, medical men are to examine all school children in certain of the London County Council’s schools, if the parents are willing. PIETERMARITZBURG, August 23. The Natal Government has appointed a Commission to inquire into native affairs. The Commission consists of Mr Justice Campbell, President of the Native High Court; Sir James L. Hulett, M.L.A., ex-Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, and head of the tea-planting firm of J. L. Hulett and Sons', Ltd. p and Mr Evans, M.L.A. The chiefs Messini and Ndhlovakatimuni, who surrendered to the authorities on July 12th, have been sentenced to penal servitude for life. PARIS, August 22.

The French newspaper "Le Temps,” in an article dealing with Irish affairs,

expresses the opinion that the recent prophetic speech by Sir Antony Mao donnell, Under-Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, is an indication of a great step forward in the direction of autonomy for Ireland. “Le Temps” anticipates that Mr James Bryce, Cliief Secretary for Ireland, will propose to give Ireland administrative home rule, particularly in the control ©f finances. The newspaper says that whenever, according to this scheme, local government and the management of finances are placed in the hands of Irishmen, the clamorous demand for a national Parliament will have lost much of it® dramatio necessity. “Perhaps,” concludes “Le Temps,” “Mr Redmond’s party will uncompromisingly oppose Mr Bryce’s generous proposal, owing-fb its very generosity and the beneficial effects it would be sure to produce in 1 a country where British administration has been the cause of most evils afflicting it. If so, the Nationalists will deprive themselves of every foundation for their fighting attitude at Westminster, and will deserve the stigma of being only politicians, caring mont for Parliamentary positions than for the interests of their country.” PARIS, August 23. M. Santos Dumont, whose ambition it is to establish that an airship for aerial navigation “is not a mere plaything, but a practical invention, capable of being applied in a thoroughly useful fashion,” has made a satisfactory trial of his new aeroplane, of fifty horse-power. VLADIVOSTOK, August 24. The health officer at Vladivostoojg condemned a large portion of the frozen meat cargo of the Maori Bang, from Sydney. Consignees alleged that th. 6 meat was damaged owing: to a breakdown in the vessel’s refrigerating machinery.

ROME, August 23. An Italian Commission has sailed by the German liner Gera for Australia, to make inquiries into the possibilities of colonisation in the western regions. MADRID, August 22. Thirty thousand miners in the Bilbao district have struck work. They ask that their working hours be reduced from ten hours per day to nine. King Alfonso of Spain and Queen E!na, after a visit to Cowes (Isle of Wight) and Scotland, landed at San Sebastian. They intended to visit Bilbao, but the visit has been cancelled. HAVANA, August 22. Ominous reports are current hero that General Gomez, an ex-candidatie for the Presidency ef Cuba, is heading a rebellion, which has already begun. If the statements are confirmed, it is expected the United States will intervene, and possibly take a direct part in ruling Cuba. PEKIN, August 24. The captain of the British steamer Nanning, suspecting that some of the passengers on the vessel were pirates, ordered them to hold up their nands. Three ringleaders were captured, and landed at Wuchow. VANCOUVER, August 23. A lifeboat belonging to the ship Valencia, which was wrecked last January at Cape Beale, on the west coast of Vancouver Island, has been found with eight skeletons, buried under tons of rubbish in a cave near the scene of the wreck. OTTAWA, August 22. The first-class battleship Dominion, 18,000 tons, struck a reef in Chaleurs Bay, north of New Brunswick, and was docked in a leaking condition. BRISBANE, August 22. A telegram from Shanghai gives some particulars of the duel aboard the cruiser Itsuku Shima, which took place between Captain Ishikawa and the chief engineer, named Kawai, on the voyage home from Australia. Captain Ishikawa (who was decorated by the Mikado for services during the late war) and Kawai 1 are said to have quarrelled when the cruiser was off Saigon over an Australian lady moving in fashionable circles. During the fight Captain Ishikawa re* ceived twenty wounds, and was taken to hospital, where he died. ' _ Kawai refused to commit harikari, alleging that his honour was involved. He is now awaiting court-martial. MELBOURNE, August 21. In the House of Representative® today, Mr L. E. Groom, Minister for Home Affairs, introduced a bill to provide for preferential voting. Mr Reid objected to the measure a® a political manoeuvre to serve the immediate interests of the Government. He said such an important alteration in the electoral law should not have been sprung on the House just on the eve of a general election. He had some sympathy with the principle of preferemtial voting, hut condemned this method of dealing with it. The hill was read a first time. ADELAIDE, August 24.

An important decision has been given in the civil Court. The British ship Deccan was sold while the voyage for which the crew signed articles was uncompleted. The crew, believing the change in the ownership entitled- them to release from the contract, sued to recover wages. The Court held that, notwithstanding the change in ownership, the crew were bound to complete the voyage. The pronouncement sets aside the law on the points argued according to text-books, which have been relied on for nearly half a century.