NEWS OF THE WEEK.

Oxford Observer, Volume VIII, Issue VIII, 10 April 1897, Page 3

NEWS OF THE WEEK.

In the House of Commons Sir Charles Dilke urged that Great Britain should convene a conference with the object of enforcing befeter .treatment to the natives m Africa. i Lachms, the eminent composer, is dead. ... ! A ministerial cri.sis has oecnrred'in Austria, .and Count Badeni has resigned owing to -his inability to-contro}' the different political .groups, m the Reichestrath. ■ ■; Later details show that Hue"; Eloff incident was ftieAOutcome of a drunken brawl 'at a race meeting I .' - ; There ..arc sensational .reports from San Franciscb with - reference tq at- ; tempted suicide by Butler, Oxford won the University boal race by two lengths. • ■ 'At-, the League 1 of •= WheelmenVtear-'. ' nival," the Fifty-mile Championship cf Victoria, resulted as follows — Meg-,' son l,.Tebutt 2, Ku'hle 3. Won by a, wheel. Time 2hr. 9min. 1 and three--fifths sees. :■■- :■""."' •■ - ■-» -- Besides paying off 10 per cent, ofi deferred deposits on .April 1.2- theBank of Victoria will pay off one-fifth-.of-the whole remainder, m,. July* : - tl ■ Russia is borrowing nine million sterling for the purposes of railway construction. • After his attempted suicide, Butler confessed that he killed Preston m selfdefence. At the Oxford and Cambrige annual in ter-uni varsity sports, Oxford beat Cambridge by five events to four. Respecting the chairmanship of committees the Premier intends proposing Mr Guinhess, and it is almost certain that he will be appointed. The Hon. C, G, Kingston, on behalf of himself and his wife, has cabled an acceptance of Mr Chamberlain's invitation. Emperor Francis Joseph has declined to accept Count Badeni's resignation. The Postmaster-General of New South Wales lias decided to introduce j the international telegraphic code on | July Ist. W. H. Smith, a hawker residing at Clevedon, was drowned m a well at Bamarama. ; : . - Two young men ' were struck by! lightning at Ba*hurst. One was killed, being fearfully mutilated. ■*■•• ; : At the League of Wheelmen's carnival at Melbourne the Autumn.Handicap resulted — M'lnnes 1, Beesoh 2, Coleman 3. Time — 4min 35 and three fifths sees, .; .■"" ■;",•:• :-"..w ' ~ ■; The Postmaster-General has decided to introduce the international • telegraphic code on July Ist. In the. House of Commons Sir John Gorst introduced ~a Bill for ' providing the yearly distribution of £110,600

amongst necessituous Board school?. The Maripofia was two days late m leaving San Francisco, but is expected to make this up before she reaches Auckland. The Executive has commuted Phillips death sentence to twenty years' penal servitude. The death is announced of Mr Travers Adamson, formerly Solicitor-Gen-eral for Victoria. Reports from Zanzibar states that the Sultan has abolished the legal status of slavery. The House of Lords has passed the London Bank of Australia Bill. Professor Forbes, the electrician, reports that the Nile cataracts can be ' utilised for a general electric power supply which will be available the entire year over a distance of several hundred miles.. ..... The employees of the North-Eastern .Railway Company, who recently struck, have agreed to submit the points m dispute to arbitration. In the House of Commons Sir W. V. Harcourt asked the Government to ,fix a day on which to discuss the motion urging non-employment of force against- Greece. ,..- Mr Balfour deciared m the House of (Commons that he w;as confident .Great could, m -case of war, meet any possible combination of Powers, and that m conjunction with America she could meet the world. The Venezuelan Congress has unanimously ratified the treaty between America and England for settling the Venezuelan boundary question , by arbitration.