CABLEGRAMS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2571, 24 June 1903, Page 20

CABLEGRAMS.

BRITISH AB» FOREIGN. LONDON, June 10. Fifty hours' continuous rain m the southern counties ha-, done serious daiutge. The Thames is in flood, and it i° feared that the soft fruit crops are ruined. The news in regard to the conclusion of an Anglo-Siamese agreement about Kelantan comes from a French .source. The Morning Post (C.) asks for an official British statement on the matter. The Court of Appeal has ordered a new trial in the case of "Wallace v. Lady Cook. At the original trial Wallace* obtained £500 damages for slander. The ground on which the new trial is asked is that Wallace's action was a blackmailing one. June 16. Complaint- ore made that recent arrival-, of Now Zealand meat have been damaged by the use of inferior ink branding on the wrapper. The assessors allowed V_d to .Id per stone on many carcases. A cloud bur-t, flooding a crock, and the torrent swept over the residential part of Hoppnor, o'iron, and Lennington village-. It l- estimated that 430 ocrsons, were drowned. A.n official attached to tho, Home

Squadron -tales that the o;unnory tmi> «.liou that tluTo w civ four mi^c- to one hit. __ , June 17. The boy Knowle= v. 1^ coinmitte'l for trial at Stockton for murder. The dofence --et np wj>- that =ome applo peelings found m the itomach of the deceased child tup^e.-ted that death r.is duo to convulsion-, and that Knowle-> buried the child from fear. The Conference of Allied Colonial Universities will di>cu--> the co-ordination ' of university education throughout the Kmpiro and the development of post graduate courses in applied 5-cipnee. A party of mountain b;mdit> from Zeenst ( "') captured Mr Ham-, The Times' Tangiers correspondent. Mr Arthur Balfour's Winnipc-a; (Canada) property w.h destroyed by fare, i The lo^s i<; estiimited at £'16,000. ! Five and three-quarter inches, of rain fell la-t week in tho Thames Valley. ' This is a record for 45 years*. There are , serious floods in Essex. The Ameiicau squadron will spend a week at Portsmouth after their visit to Kiel. Tho Imperial Food Supplies cold store at Nottingham has been opened. It has a capacity of 60,000 cubic feet. Mr Arnold Forster informed the House of Commons that the Government had no intention of establishing a naval base at Cape Breton.

One hundred and fifty members of Paikament, representing, commercial interests and irrespective of party, have invited the French International Arbitration group of Deputies to vi-it London with a view to the development of the conciliation movement and the strengthening of friendly and commercial tie;. A fresh attempt to .sell the Mokau Estate by auction will be ma-dc in July. Truth publishes a strong article, and i warns intending purchasers on the ground that Flower holds the estate solely as trustee for Jones. Major Sherwell sued Lord Kintore and other directors of the London Kiverside Cold Storage Company, claiming damages for misrepresentation in the prospectus. The case was settled, the defendants taking over plaintiff's shares in order to lessen hi.-> losses. Mr Justice Grautham. regretted that gentlemen had lent their honoured names to people carrying on the almost unwholesome and sometimes •unholy trade, of company promotion. Lord Kintore had from the first endeavoured to remedy plaintiff's wrong, and the other defendants had shown themselves to be not guilty of dishonesty. He believed there was now every prospect of the formation of an honest company. A man named Lyons-, the promoter, was the real villain. The Standard, commenting on the text of Mr Chamberlain's despatch of tho 17th April dealing with the employment

of white labour on mail steamers, says that after the defeat of the railway strike in Victoria the prospect of disorganised mail services should rouse Australian-, to make an effort against clas-s tyranny. It was Britain's duty clearly to prevent injustice to one class of her .subjects at another's dictation. Several newspapers endorse Mr Lnamberlain'.s attitude in regard to the employment of Lascars. June 18. Dr Harmer, Bishop of Adelaide, has separately been offered an important Cambridge mastership or an assistant bishopric in England. A British force 200 strong was checked after a sharp fight on the eastern border of Sokoto. Four men were killed. Reinforcements have been sent. There were many callers at Cardinal Vaughan'i present residence at Millhill, including Dr lugrarn. Anglican Bishop of London. June 19. Mr Balfour (the Premier), aftef receiving further information, has exonerated tho Royal Geographical Society of responsibility for the incidents connected with the original application to the Government for assistance for the Discovery Antarctic expedition. The Vickers-Maxim Company has built two batteries of field guns said to be the most powerful in the -world. They fire 18lb shells at the rate of 28 a minute.

Diplomatists in Berlin state that General Kouropatkin, who is at preterit in Tokio, is offering Japan material advantages in the East if she adopts neutrality iv regard to Russian development in Manchuria and Corea and abandons the British alliance. Thirty Benedictine monks and 65 stu> dents who were expelled from D-ouai College, France, are settling at Portsmouth. One hundred Catholic clergy and representative laymen welcomed them at Charing Cross (London), and presented them with an address signed by 19 English Catholic bishops, nine peers, and 24 abbots. The Pope sent his blessing and good wishes. June 20. Two earthquake shocks were felt at Carnarvon, Bangor, and Anglesey, extending to the Isle of Man. The j patients iv the Bangor Infirmary were conveyed into the grounds of the institution. The clergy and congregation in the cathedral rushed into the streets. June 21. Justice Farewell has decided that the famous Celtic gold ornaments found at Lough Vayle, Ireland, in 1896, and purchased by tile British Museum, are treasure trove, and belong to the Crown. President Loubet has telegraphed to King Edward that he is deeply moved by the terrible accident at Woolwich, and expressing keen sympathy with the mourners. King Kciward replied that he was most grateful for the message. Great Britain, Germany, Italy, and Holland have notified that they will terminate the commercial treatries with Greece if the latter sanctions the currant trade monopoly. In connection with the suggested partition of the Congo Free State among Great Britain, France, and Germany, King Leopold has warned the Powers that they must repay him and bis friends the two millions sterling expended in founding the State, besides a>"»uming other liabilities. Mr Au-:ten Chamberlain, the Post-master-general, replying to the Chambers of Commerce memorial advocating all-British cables round the world, indicated that it was unnecessary for the State at present to undertake large cable extensions. Lord Kitchener,, in an order to the Indian army, regrets the number of cases in wihich British soldiers hare assaulted natives, sometimes fatally. He states that he is resolved to prevent such assaults, and commands that his order be read at three successive parades. PARIS, June 15. A profound sensation has been created in France through, the special commission appointed by the Chamber of Deputies by 17 votes to 16 adopung the principle of the separation of Church and State. M. Clemenceau challenges M. Combes (the Premier) to declare his policy. June 18. M. Rouvier (Minister of Finance), when delivering his Budget, estimated the deficit for 1904 at 58,000,000 francs. This would be met by augmenting the yield of certain taxes, thus converting the deficit into a sin-plus of 1,100,000 francs. The Arbitration group in" the Chamber of Deputies have accepted the invitation of the members ofr the House of Commrnii to visit Westminster at the end of July, when President Loubet will visit England. June 21. It is reported in Tangier that Elemenbeh, the Moorish Minister of War, lost GOOO men in a battle at Aiunedinna. Parisian newspapers state that an expedition commanded by Jaques Lebaudy has annexed the ooast hinterland between Cape Bojador and Cape July, supposed to belong to Morocco. BERLL\ T , June 22. The Emperor, iv unveiliug a statue of William the Fh\sfc at Hamburg, said he was confident Germany had a great future if the people were true to their ideals. ROME, June 19. Queen Helena accompanies Kins Victor Emanuel to Paris. ST. PETERSBURG, June 17. The Government is building three fast torpedo boats to strengthen the Black Sea Fleet. j June 19. General Bobrikofr, Governor-general of Finland, asserts that Finnish refugees are intriguing with Russian revolutionists abroad. June 21. The Russian Government grants the Odes.sa Shipping Company a subsidy of 200,000 roubles for 12 years to establish a steam line with the Persian Gulf. June £2 A revolutionary proclamation circulated at Odessa, EHsabetgrad, and Kharkoff \varn« tho ppoplp to kopp tho example of the Balkan .Slavs like ;i frontlet before their eyes if they desire the liberation and salvation of Ru=si:u NEW YORK, June 17. Five hundred persons were drowned at Heppner, Oregon. The damage is estimated at 1,000,000d01. . -*>- — — JXTFKfOLOMAI. MELBOURNE, June 16. A number of unemployed appealed to the governor of the gaol to lock them

lap, in order*t"hat they might have the benefit of wholesome food and shelter. Mr Justice a'Beckett dissolved the Tnarriage of Alfred James Smith with fois deceased wife's niece, declaring it to ibe illegal, as coming within the prohibited degrees of affinity. June 17. The action against the Sultan of Johore was dismissed on the ground that a foreign potentate could not be sued. A petition, signed by 3U,U00 Protes- . tants, was presented to the Federal House of Representatives protesting against Sir E. Barton's visit to the Pope and his acceptance from him of a medal. The petition emphasised the Btatement that Sir E. Barton promised ■the Catholics a greatei measure of liberality and consideration than was enjoyed in any other part of the Empire. -Sir E. Barton made a personal explanation. The facts were, he said, that the Pope expressed gratification at the tolerance shown to all religions in Australia, and hoped this would long continue, to which he (Sir E. Barton) replied that the Pope might rely that such toleration would continue. June 18. A German syndicate has asked the Federal Government if they would apjprove of a scheme to lay a cable from German New Guinea to Queensland. The j Government has asked, for further information. Ihiring a lecture before the Evangelist Church Association, the Rev. Digby Berry criticised the innovations in the Church service introduced by the Bishop of Melbourne. The latter, in the course of a reply, 6aid : " They can protest as •long as they like. I have adopted the eastward position, because I believe it to Bje right and legal to do so, and, what is more, I am not going back on what 1 have said." June 19. Despite the opposition of the Government, who' sought to make the adoption of the decimal system dependent on its adoption by Great Britain, the House of Representatives, by 21 to 18, adopted the Decimal Coinage Committee's Report. Subsequently Sir E. Barton submitted a series of resolutions urging the adoption of the metric system with the least possible delay within the Empire; that the most convenient method of obtaining it was by the Imperial Government enacting its compulsory use within Oreat Britain, and for all other parts of the Empire whose Legislatures approve. The motion was carried. June 20. Sir E. Barton has received a letter from Mr Seddon protesting against any agreement with the Eastern Extension Company which is inimical to the Pacific cable, and urging the Federal Government not to cuter into an agreement. He contends that the contemplated change should not be made .without the consent of the contracting parties to .the Pacific agreement. June 21. The late Sir F. Sargood's estate is valued at £195,000. June 22. A lOOoz nugget has been found at Wagryvana diggings. SYDNEY, June 17. There has been a sudden increa.se in the plague-infected mice and rats during the past few days. Advice has been received of the death j in London of Mr Thomas Hall, one of the original owners of the Mount Mor- ] gan mine. j June 18. j Dr Manning, late Inspector-general of , Insane Asylums, is dead. He saw active ] service in the New Zealand war as surgeon of the warship Esk. During an attack on a pah, when all the officers .were killed, the command devolved upon 0 midshipman, who, with Dr Manning's assistance, kept the men together and got them out of danger/

June 19. Cardinal Moran's visit to the South I Seas is postponed. The reasons given j are the prevalence of measles m the ; islands and quarantine regulations ; also the recent news that has been received regarding triQ difficulty which has arisen in connection with the Governor of Fiji and Tonga. June 21. The water supply at Broken Hill swill only last 10 days. The Government has asked the South Australian Government to despatch water trains. June 22. New Guinea reports that the drought has fairly broken, and that good rains have fallen. It will, however, be a long time before the effects of the drought i are overcome. A German syndicate is .seeking permission to lay a cable from New Guinea to Queensland. A boy at Annandale is found to be suffering from plague. He was employed by a printing firm in Pitt street. Extensive opal fields have been discovered near Walgett. Amongst the specimens brought to town axe two valued a* £100 and £50 respectively. Experiments at rainmaking were commenced at Broken Hill to-day, with no results so far. There is only two <or three days' supply of water available. The mines will have to close almost immediately. ADELAIDE, June 20. I General Hutton, speaking on defence ' matters, said that it was important, I owing to developments in the Far East, | that Darwin should be properly de- , fended, it being the nearest port between the Persian Gulf and Port Arthur. BRISBANE, June 16. No plague rats have been found for j some time. The plague hospital is closed. June 20. There has been a sensational gold find at Big Hill. Pratten, a miner, discovered some rubbly stone at a depth of 2ft, and obtained 9oz of gold from a bucketful. A rush has set in. June 22. The kanaka Sawtoo was executed today for the murder of a little girl at. i Mackay, subsequent to the murders of a warder and another prisoner. Death was instantaneous. [The kanaka, who was awaiting trial in ( the Mackay lock-up for the murder of a girl, secured possession of an axo in tho exercise yard, and killed a white man named James Martin. 'The lock up keeper (John- j 6on) then entered the yard, and the kanaka rushed at him and killed him. A police sergeant, climbing a tree outside the yard, shot tho kanaka in the thigh. The murderer entered his cell, which the police rusted, and after a struggle managed to overpower him ] PERTH, June 16. The recent gold discovered at RandalLs, 50 miles south-east of Kalgoorlie, is exciting much attention. Very rich specimens are exhibited, and some people are sanguine enough to describe the field as a second Kalgoorlie. LAUNCESTON, June 18. A disabled boat containing two dead bodies was found on the beach atHorell. The men Lave been identified as two young fishermen named Walter Cannon and Charles Hewitt. The latter came j recently from New Zealand. j [Charles Hewitt was a Dunedin boy, about 19 years of age. His parents live jn Athol place, and public sympathy will go out to them in their sudden bereavement. They have no information at all concerning the sad occurrence beyond that conveyed in the above cablegram.]

Mr A. W. Hogg, M.H R., speaking at a Booial in Master-ton, said: "Many of the frequent«T» of our gaols are there during the winter months for the comfortable lodging afforded at a time of the year when work is. scares. They are better off than many of our settlers in the back blocks."

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Xi w- hr lw ii rcr-Ms-cd in "W<!hiig!o-' (-a\ -. tlif Kvtnmg Pc •) tiiat t'lo Xcnv ZraKind tUTvevor-> who wc-ro rn-ajrd b» Imperul (Joxommciit fi i \.,:L o.\ t'"(? O^'d t'oa-t «f Afr'fvi left for l,orc'r>n rt the fiid of last month on f<j'u mepih-' fiilriigh Their pa^-;- n i-i to and from hujrland v ill !)■■ paid by the Hwrf authoiitu-, and cliinn;: tlie tun" they ar<i ah :it Fi-« „i Hi.- (lolii Coast they will l<t> on half p,i\ ( n,,-"v to expectations, the hr i!th of the >rw Z> »i landers has be-cn extcll.iit.

A number of Auptiahans who served in the Boei war, and who are entitled to the Imperial gratuity of £5, have not yet applied for <=zme. The difference between the wholesale and rcfiil pr.ee* "f fruit was strongly com menlod upon at the Tn«?ting of the Frudtarrow^i'i' Association, held at ChrL-tcliurch i'-.i Sivtuiday night f liitaiu'ji were ( ited of ji'inie app'e.- a'ld prar» bringing 2o pir cj.ua .v ,iijct'< n. mlu'c th • iru-umer paid 6d p r 1b (vi ii.i. ii , I l v uul.