GENERAL CABLES.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XLIV, Issue 14822, 22 October 1920, Page 4

GENERAL CABLES.

>.\ .•II.KC'IKIO TBLEGKAI'H CoPYHIOHf, tP»r Press Association . RAPID RESTORATION OF FRANCE (Times Service.) Received October 22, at 10.45 a.m. PARIS, October 22. In the Chamber of Deputies, t 'i le Minister of Finance presented an opti. mistic financial statement. He saj,} that, thanks to the untiring devotion 0 ( the people, the situation of the devastated regions was singularly g oo j Seventy-seven per cent, of the tlesiruvl ed-factories had resumed work; 1.500'. 000 hectares of land had been rcdnini. ed. and 57 per cent, sown in corn. The harvest in ten of the devastated depart, incuts would be 1.0,000,000 quiutnls Similar progress was being made in habilitating the mines and railways The reclamation is being conducted with the greatest difficulty, as most of the population is living in cellars and shanties. The Budget, showed that the commercial deficit, had been reduced from 16 to 10 milliards. The exports had doubled and the imports had i n . creased three-fifths. A short-term Anie, rican loan had been repaid. The new taxation covered the 1921 Budget. n |. lowing for 10J milliards for l'econstnie. tion and pensions repayable by Getmany. The whole situation indicated that' the anxiety regarding France's future was a thing <pf the past. BRITISH COLUMBIA. (Reuters Telegrams.) Received October 22, at 10.-I5 a.m. OTTAWA, October 20

British Columbia reversed the p ro . hibition vote of four years ago by „ majority of 24.000 in a total poll o 'f 200.000". It is claimed that, the vote shows that the people are sick of t-ho system whereby liquor could he obtained through physicians' prescriptions for nl. leged ailments which often did not exist. British Columbia and Qucliec are now tho only wet provinces in Canada.

WHEAT CRISIS IN CANADA.

(A. and N.Z. Cable Asmi.) Received October 22, at 9.25 a.m. OTTAWA.. October 21. Consternation prevails among t'k Winnipeg grain-growers as the result of the Government decision not. to reestablish the Wheat Control lioard which operated during the war. Grain is not being moved owing to tho clcvators in the'interior being choked, and there are no buyers of grain. Growers i insist that tho Government can take | over the crops and finance them until the buyers want stocks.

NEW YORK FIGHTS LIQUOR LAW,

(Aus. and N.Z. Cable Assn.) , Received October 22, at 0.25 a.m. . LONDON. October 21

The Morning Post's Washington ror. respondent reports that. Maurice Low, in the Philadelphia. Public Ledgot, states that after exhaustive investigations, he concludes that prohibition in large cities, especially New York, ;% a farce.. This is partly admitted by the prohibition authorities. The majority-, of New Yorkers are against prohibition and are resisting a law which .this minority enforced on the majority. They see no. virtuei in compulsory abstention and do not regard evasions of the law as a crime, other factors being the venalty of the. men appointed to enforce the law, and the fact that illicit traffic is most profitable. The regulations permitting chemists to prescribe alcohol are abused, and an extensive traffic exists in forged permits. Mr Low describes . the operations of the New York whisky ring as efficiently organised, bringing buyers and sellers together. Large deals in whisky ranging from 32s to 80s a quart are easily arranged. Ingenious ruses aro adopted, and the authorities claim that they arc powerless to stop illicit liquor dealing.'