CABLEGRAMS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2671, 24 May 1905, Page 29

CABLEGRAMS.

BRITISH AND FORS-»G V *. LONDON, May 15. A tempest, made havoc with the inotoJ boats that were engaged for the Algiers Toulon race. Several sank, and theil occupants were rescued with difficulty. The Pasteur Institute has discovered th< tetse fly microbe. The Daily Chronicle's New York correspondent reports that Mr Rockefeller proposes to create and financially support a church trust to consolidate competitive religions towards united religious work. The proposal will be submitted to the various denominations. It is intended to convene «- conference to discuss it. After .-oi might's fighting near ManiU (general Wood's force killed 500 Morot under Chief Pala. The steamer Campania received an ether: gram darect from Poldhu station (Cornwall) when 2200 miles away. This is a record. Thomas Downing, of Hemel H-empstead, a town in Herts, read -the- details of the Harmsworth motor case, in which Hildebrand, the chaffeur, has been committed for trial on a charge of manslaughter by running down a child, and then assailed his wife, children, and others with a hammer. He nearly killed five persons. May 16. Herr Tattenbach was received with the customary pomp at Fez. The marriage of Princess Margaret, the Duke of Connaught's daughter, will be celebrated at Windsor on June 15. A plebiscite of the citizens of Glasgow on the proposed opening of the • arfc galleries on Sundays resulted as follows :— - For, 53,399; against, 55,181. A prosecution has been ordered of certain Oerman newspapers on a charge of lese majeste in publishing the Kaiser's recent speech wherein he is reported to have referred to the Japanese as "tha scourge of God." A party of midshipmen were "ragging- 7 a comrade on the cruiser Kent, when the victim, fired a revolver, wounding two. The Lords of the Admiralty are acting; promptly to punish the offenders. Keeent orders prohibited private punishment. The Prince of Wales, when opening the cadets' headquarters at Hampstead 1 , euloi gised the Australian example. He said that the colonists were right to encourage the movement, not In order to militarise the population, but to give the youth a training in -physical exercises, discipline, and shooting. These were sufficient* for the defence of the. country. May 17. An international conference on the question of the protection of workmen, which" is being held at Berne, adopted the basis of an international convention to prohibit white phosphorus matches. The occupation of Kaio-chau is officially denied in Berlin. Lord Brassey's Sunbeam, Lord Crawford's Balhalla, the German Syndicate'^ Hamburg, Mr Marshall's Atlantic (Captain Barr, which is the American favourite), and seven other American yachts are starting to-day in the Atlantic race, the course being from Sandy Hook to Lizard Point. The race is for the Kaiser's Cup. The Beardmore Company, Clyde, has begun building the battleship Agamemnon, of the Nelson type, from the design ol Mr P. Watts, Director of Naval Construction. She , will have specially heavj armour and the longest -range guns afloat. Herr Tatten&ach has handed the Sultan of Morocco the Grand Cross of the Order of the Red Eagle. The Daily Telegraph's Kiao-chau correspondent says that the reports concerning the German occupation of Hai-chau are absurd. May 18. China lias sent a warship to Hai-chau to inquire into the reported occupation by Germany. A previous application by Ge*» | many to occupy Hai-chau as a conveniart intermediate harbourage between Taiflf tan and Shanghai was refused. The directors of tne i*. and O. Company have declared an interim dividend at the rate of 7 per cent. Lord Curzon, at Lord Kitchener's instance, denies that there has been any disagreement with the military policy which Lord Kitchener recommended to the Government of India. The Agents-general for New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, and Tasmania interviewed Mr Fellowes, president of the Board of Agriculture, and represented the injustice caused by the sale of " faked " Australian butter. Mr Fellowes was sympathetic, and promised to do his utmost to meet the colonies' wishes. He expects the Buffer Bill will be read a second time almost immediately. Mr W. P. Reeves, who attended the deputation of Agents-general to Mr Fellowes, is sanguine that the Butter Bill will be passed. The Agents-general are taking collective action to correct the statements in the English press reflecting on Australian credit. They meet monthly to discuss matters in the interests of Australasia. May 19. As a sequel to the "ragging" aboard the Kent, the captain has been placed or* half-pay. The Duke Abruzzl is preparing an exploring expedition to Central Africa. The building of the battleship Lord Nelson has been commenced. •r~ iaq |3 7i the London Diocesan Con-

May 17. German Evangelicals consider the Kaiser's meeting with the ecclesiastics at Metz may possibly lead to further concessions to the Centre party. Count yon Bulow and the Ministers of War, the Interior, and Railways attended. The National Zeitung says the ceremony is intended as a recognition, on the part of the Vatican, of Germany's policy and the protecting of German Catholics in the East. May 19. The prosecutions of newspapers on charges of lese majeste in connection with the Kaiser's " scourge of God " speech relative to the Japanese have been i dropped. j ■ May 20. ■ The German Navy League's press propaganda was severely criticised in the Reichstag and by independent organs as calculated to excite mistrust in Britain and embarrass the German Government. The Kaiser, replying to a telegram of ■, homage from the League Congress, ex- > pressed dissatisfaction at the league's , policy. ,The president and vice-president have now resigned; May 22. i It is believed at Berlin that the Navy i League's resignations will result in a compromise by the Government with the Clericals in connection with the introduction of the Navy Bill in December. j .An article published in the Vossiche Zeitung urging the great desirability of quiet for the Kaiser is causing uneasiness in diplomatic circles. ; The German Empress fell downstairs, j injuring v her forehead, but not danger- ) j ously. MADRID, May 17. A serious drought prevails in Andalusia. Many districts are almost without crops, and the farmers are selling their cattle, being unable to feed them. ATHENS, May 13. . The insurrection is spreading throughout Crete. The insurgents have deposed the authorities at Sitia. NEW YORK, May 16. j Robinson, the house-cleaner at Sandipo, •California, maddened by liquor, shot his landlady, stabbed and killed her son, and also killed a neighbour. H© cycled to the residence of the revenue collector, a 6tranger t6 him, and killed the collector's son and) wounded the collector's wife. He finally shot off the top of his own head. May 17. Mr W. L. Taft, as Acting-secretary of State in the absence of Mr Hay, has approved of the decision of the Panama Canal Commission to buy in the cheapest market the machinery, material, and ships for building the canal. The Pro- J tectionists are protesting. May 18. ' At the start of the race across the Atlantic for the Kaiser's Cup, the Valhalla went to windward of the committee boat, and was recalled. She crossed the line an hour after the Atlantic, the leading boat. A light easterly wind was blowing. It is now known that Moros, the chief of the Pala, was killed in the recent fighting in the Philippines. May 20. In the race across the Atlantic for the Kaiser's Cup the Valhalla off Nantucket led the whole fleet of yachts, though the Hamburg led previously. Th© weather favours the Valhalla and Sunbeam. Johann Moqk has been sentenced to death for the murder of a sumber of his wives in Chicago and elsewhere. Some dozen or more women are believed to have been murdered by him to enable him to make away with their property. OTTAWA, May 16. The Dominion Government is spending three million dollars on fortifications at Beaumont and other positions on the south shore in order to render Quebec impregnable. May 18. Canada is appealing against the confiscation of the sealer Agnes Donahore, off ' Uruguay. Sir W. Laurier declares that the seizure was made on the high seas, . and is therefore illegal. The captain was sentenced to three years' penal servitude, ' the mates to one year, and the crew to six months. TOKIO, May 16. Reports have been received) in this city that German troops have occupied Haichuri, north of the old channel of the Yellow River. Shanghai advises that the German landing is somewhat doubtful. Possibly the rumour is due to gunboats making a survey. , — .«.