HOME & FOREIGN CABLES.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVI, Issue 10104, 23 March 1909, Page 3

HOME & FOREIGN CABLES.

[Br Electric Tkleorahi.—Coitbight.j (Per Press Association.) Received March 23, at 8.15 a.m. London, March 22. Lord Methueii, speaking at Johannesburg, advocated the establishment of a South African reserve of rifle clubs composed of veterans. -Mr Smuts eulogised Lord Methuen's work and approved of the proposal. Count Zeppelin's airship, carrying 25 passengers, in a four hours' Sight covered 150 miles. Received March 25, at 8.43 a.m. Berlin, March 25. India's revenue returns show a surplus for the last year of £506,000. A revised estimate for the current year will show a deficit of £575,000 and the estimate for 1910 a deficit of £230,900. The Times, referring to the political situation, says Mr Asquith is defending his or Sir Kdward Grey's jjolicy, but a compromise is forced by recalcitrants. Professor Byles suggests that the • Commanwealth Government appoint two Australian engineers to watch the building of her destroyers and to conduct the voyage to Australia. The knowledge thus gaine<l would prove valuable to Australian shipbuilding yards. The Times, in further reference to the Naval Conference Blue Books, says that if Britain agrees to the establishment of a court it will be on conditions which do not pledge her beforehand to recognise at the bidding of an international tribunal an iniquitous pretension. On the other hand it would have been reasonable to tcive and take on other points. The destruction of neutral prizes is restricted to imperious military necessity which must be proved to the satisfaction of the Court. The Times writes that the greatest success of the conference is the agreement on three lists, the first of which defines absolute contraband of war, the second conditional contraband, and the third goods not contraband. The last-named Fist includes practically all raw materials of iiritish industry such as cotton.