SAN FRANCISCO MAIL NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2515, 28 May 1902, Page 12

SAN FRANCISCO MAIL NEWS.

(Per Sonona at Auckland.) RUSSIA AND JAPAN. The editor of the North China Daily News, in an interview at Victoria, cays that war between Russia and Japan is considered inevitable, not only by Japanese, but also by Russians and all residents on the Siberian coast. Enormous preparations are being made. At Port Arthur and elsewhere in Siberia troops are being massed and fortifications made ready. Japan is also prepared. He declares that Japan is ready to do battle at a moment's notice. RUSSIA AND MANCHURIA. A wire from Washington, dated. April 20, =ays that the Far Eastern problem has been . solved, and the menace to England's peace removed by the terms of Russia's new treaty with China. Russia agrees to restore the | civil administration of Manchuria without rej serve to the Chinese Empire, and agrees to | evacuate Manchuria completely as far as \ military or civil control is concerned within i one year from date of the treaty. Russia al-.o agrees to remove her army, with the re=ervat''on of a small force for guarding Russian railways, within one year, withdrawing part of the troops in four months, another part in eight months, and the remainder of the quota in 12 months. Russia abandons all her claims to exclusive mining and railway privileges in Manchuria, and pledges herself and China to an " open door " policy in that province. All this has no other meaning, it is asserted at Washington, than turning back the whole province of Manchuria to China. The view i» also expressed by the Russian Ambassadors at various capitals that the honour of the Rui-sian Government is pledged to this evacuation. A TERRIBLE EARTHQUAKE. \ Quezaltenango, in Guatamala. was completely destroyed by an earthquake on April 18. It is believed that 500 people were killed. Large districts were devastated. Amatitaton, formerly a toivn of 10,000 inhabitants, exists no more as a town. The destruction extended 100 miles along the western part of the Republic. There have been serious seismitic disturbances along the Cordillera, affecting the towns and villages between Quezaltenango, the second city of Guatemala, and Amatitaton. There were also slight disturbances in Guatemala City, but no disasters. It is estimatfd that 1,000,000d0i damage to property was done in Tapachucha, a Mexican town near the Guatemala frontier. Quezaltenango was a handsomely-built, wellpaved city, with a richly-decorated cathedral and a magnificent City Hall. A SHOCKING DISASTER. A message dated April 20 gives details of one of the worst disasters in the history of navigation. It occurred near Cairo (Illinois), on the Mississippi River. The steamer City of Pittsburg took fire, and in a few moments was burned to the water's edge. About 150 persons were on board, more than 60 of whom were killed. A great number of others were burned and otherwise injured. . A panic followed, and the officers and crew were unable to appease the terror-stricken passengers, who interfered with the lowering of the boat and other measures taken for their rescue. Boats from the shore took off many passengers. The burning steamer quickly headed for the bank. The current was very swift, and a number who jumped overboard were drowned. Those who finally reached the shore were for the most part clad in their nightclothes. The unfortunate men, women, and children were drenched and bitterly cold. They huddled about tho fires, where some were burned, and more were cut or bruised by coming into contact with the wreckage. It was late in the afternoon before assistance to remove the sufferers to shelter arrived. Many passengers had clung by the finger tips to the side of the burning vessel until the flames or weakness compelled them to let go even this slight hold no life. One mother saw three of her child- | ren drown without being able to help th^m, while other children slipped from their parents' arms and were drowned. NEW ZEALAND MEAT IX THE STATES. A despatch from New York dated April 26 says that 20 New Zealand spring car- < a=c> arrived in New York a few flays ago. Tiie animals had been slaua-htPH d in New

. Zealand, placed in cold storage on board a ■ ship at Auckland, and shipped to England, then re&hipped to New York. The consignee found a ready sale for the meat, and all pronounced it first-class and of excellent flavour. The carcases, though they had come 19,000 miles and baen reshipped three times, were in prime condition. It might be supposed they would bring a much | higher price in New York than American \ lamb, especially as there is a duty to pay, ! but such was not the case, however. The I meat sold afe the same price here as Ameri- ! i can lamb. The dealers say that on account \ jof the iccess of this experiment they will j 1 import much larger quantities from New Zealand next season. i THE PHILIPPINE ATROCITIES. ' Politicians at Washington have been i desperately busy of late with charges and j counter-charges regarding the conduct of the ■ campaign in the Philippines. Several courts- ' martial have resulted, but it begins to appear that matters were not so bad after all. \ - Major Waller, accused of undue severity in the island of Samar, testified that he only ' i carried out tho orders of a superior officer, ! I General Jacob Smith, when he ordered that ' j Samar be made a howling wilderness and j , ordered the soldiers to " kill everything over < 10." * - I From cablegrams it has received from ' , Manila, the War Department is disposed to , I justify General Smith's order " to kill and burn and make Samar a howling wilder- . ness." An official said to-day that " General i Smith was perfectly justified in issuing } that order, and his justification comes under | Rule No. 100, issued in 1863, and approved , by President Lincoln. Those politicians ' who are trying to make capital out of this order do not seem to remember that Rule , 100 was approved last year by The Hague ; Convention, as the most perfect expression of cases where quarter may be suspended in war. Quarter may be suspended where the other side refuses quarter. The natives of Samar did that. From the little evidences we have, it is perfectly plain that General . Smith acted within the rules of war, and if he did he will be upheld by this department, without regard to politics." ; Washington, April 29.— The Senate Com- • mittee on the Philippines to-day resumed its '■ examination of witnesses ia connection with : the investigation of affairs in the Philippine Islands. General Arthur Macarthur continued his testimony. He explained the : statement in his annual report of June 30, c 1900, " that the United States had acquired - sovereignty by treaty, and in that way ' owned the Philippine Islands, but did not : own the Philippine people." These conclusions were reached after conversation with an infinite number of people and observa- f tion, and they represented the bulk of the view of the Nationalist party. He then, in J response to questions by Senator Patterson, described the different towns embraced : [ within the American lines on the night of ] February 5, 1899, when the outbreak oc- j curred, and identified what purported to r be a copy of the order of General Luna { for the massacre of all the foreign residents . of Manila. Senator Patterson sought to show that it was not difficult to deceive Aguinaldo by forgery, and referred to his capture by General Funshou through a forged letter signed "La Cuna." General Macarthur, with considerable- emphasis, declared that General Funshou was not responsible in any way for any of the methods which obtained in 'the capture of Aguinaldo. "I am responsible in that matter in every way a«d particular," said General Macarthur. "It was one of the deceptions frequently practised in war, and whatever blame attaches thereto I take." CHINESE~EXCLUSION. The U.S. Congress has passed the Chinese Exclusion Bill. There were only five days more in which the measure at present in j effect would continue to be so. The new j bill is a compromise, but is stronger in i effect than that asked for by the Pacific I Coast Bill. Broadly speaking, its provisions j aro as follows : —All existing Chinese exclu- | eion laws are continued in effect " until I otherwise provided by law." Sections 5 to j 14 of the act of September 13, 1888, except j section 12. are specifically re-enacted. The e»cclusiori lows are extended to insular territory of the Unit&d States. All Chinese in island lerikory, except Hawaii, must be registered in one year, registration in the ' Philippines, being vijacacl in the hands of j the Philippine Commission. This will end j a long and bitter controversy, and the i Pacific Cca-t will Iwpnmc more strongly i Republican because of having been per- j nntted a voice in the adjustment of the , \e.\ed question of Chnn-se immigration. At the pyme time the fruit-growers and others o f ihe West will be mueli disappointed, as Pinnace kaift bosn nio&t .faithful labourers

in the orchards and vineyards, and it is not yet apparent where cheap labour can t ured witlx whicji to take the places of Chinese, who, after becoming accustomed to the ways of their adopted country, usually are able to find some employment more profitable to themselves than the work of the fruit ranches, which leaves them to an «xtent idle during part of the year at least. Ranches are , compelled to employ more labour during the harvesting season, than at any other time, and now that they can no longer rely upon the- Chinese it is doubtful whether their industry can be made to pay. The railways of late show a disposition to give growers' more liberal rates than were allowed formerly, and in this lies the only hope of the producers that this great industry can be maintained in tho West.