NEWS IN BRIEF.

Otago Witness, Issue 2856, 9 December 1908, Page 52

NEWS IN BRIEF.

| Two blacks at Capella, Queensland, fought a duel with knives. One was kiikd. King Edward is recovering from a cold, but is stiil suffering- from a slight attack of rheumatism. Lore. ±iobercs's relief fund has reached £33,000. thus enabling relief, to be given in 806 cases. Detectives arrested the whole of the Social Democratic Committee 'or the Moscow district, Russia. The police raided some Mahom-edan shops in Calcutta, and removed cartloads of arms and ammunition. The proprietors were arrested. The Daily Mail reports that a surprise test of the speed mobilieation of the Territorials wa3 executed at. Essex on Sunday, and proved a complete success. The "Victorian State Parliamient has been dissolved, and -he elections will be held on the 29th, the new House meeting on the 31st. Sir T. Bent found he could manage without Supply. The S>dney Improvement Committee, in recommending an extensive resumption of property, 6tate that at the present rats of increase the population of Sydner will exoesd a million people in less tnan 22 years. The Budget Committee of the Russian Duma has sanctioned a foreign loan of 45 million pounds, whereof 30 millions are to be devotep 1 to £h3 redemption of 5 per cent. Treasury bonds. Judge Moule, of the Victorian Insolvency Court, has received a letter warning him that he will be the first favourite for the bullet stakes, and advising him to run stiff, adding : "You will be very stiff before long, make no mistake." A Turkish regiment mutinied at Kui_prulu and retired to their barracks, which the loyal troops surrounded. During the fight that ensued an officer and six loyalists were killed, whilo a mutinous officer and 10 msn were wounded before the mutineers were induced to surrender. Montefiore Myers, who was recently arrested at Pittsburg on a #raud larceny charge, has caused the arrest of his prosecutor, Piddison, a Wall street broker, alleging against him that he had rented out stock certificates so as to enable borrowers to obtain loans. The totai quantity of wheat and flour afloat for the United Kingdom is 2,040,000 quarters, and for the Continent 1,120,000 quarters. The Atlantic shipments are 308,000 quarters, ?^d the Pacific 40,000 quarters. The total shipments for Europe during the w.eek were 835,000 quarters, Argentina an-d Uruguay contributing 23,000 quarters. The Egyptian Legislative Council has decided uhanimouslv to urge the Khedive's Government to confer upon the nation the right of effective participation in the interior administration of the country. Discussion has arisen in Paris regarding the official report on Tahiti. It states that the British Consul has granted Henderson Island to Flizabeth Ducie and Oens to a concessionaire : but Oens, according" to on'? map. is French, and according to another British. Kinor Edward has approved of Sir G. Le Hunte's appointment as Gov-ernor of Trinidad. He has been Governor of South Australia since 1903. He was Governor of Mauritius in 1897, and in the following year became Lieutenant-governor of British N°w Guinea. Violent thnnder^tovms at Wagra, in the Albury rlisrrict of New South Wales, interrupted communication with the- southern States on Monday. The French Council of State has delimited the champagne district, and decreed that sparkling wines from other places must be cold under different n.amps, or it will bp b-"M to be a deceit under the Fraudulent Marks Act. The Fnelish Southern Counties SwimminrAssociation voted £]00 towards the fund for th-e Amateur Swimming Association sending swimmers to Australia in 1909. A sharp shock of earthauake was felt at Nelson at 11.55 a.m. on Tuesday morning 1 , accompanied by light rain and a hail souall. Tbp quake was also felt at Christ-phurch at the «imc hour. It lasted several seconds. Cheviot renorts two severe shocks at 6A 5 and 11.55. ancomnaniod by loud rumbling gveatlv alarmine rpsid-°nts of the township. Chimneys fell at Hawlcp«wood. and at Mendip articles in tho homestead wore broken. Hanmcr al-o reports two shock.". Thero app n ar s to be a gang of garrnttfrs at work in Wollinarton. As a fireman named George Rokl was nroccdin<r along Thorndow quay on Monday night hp was tackled by a man and giipped by tbp throat Tns'antlv tin pp othpr mon sir»r>^^».i*^rl. and tlio ffanfi- w^llt tHroUQ-h ■Roid'^ pockets. Fnrtj minutes later P. BonnpH. wlnlo waM:injr in Ghuzn"* 1 strppt, was *°izr><i. ari-1 harl his pockets emptied. Sir J. G. W-*rd. Prime Minister, passed through Dunedin on Ti">sdav evening on hi<* wav to Jnv*»i-cnrffill. where be will attend the SoutliHml show Hp will .afterwards he rrit°rtainp<l by h's ronsfitu^nt*. ' A meotincr of clergymen. hold at Auckland, attended by about 100 represrnfaiivn? of tbp different branches of the Protestant Church. pa«pd a resolution that a Chri«rian T T nitv Sociotv be formed, which rhall afford to all who join it opportunities for common prayer, mutual study, aid the discussion arid cultivation of a spirit of Christian brotherhood. It was resolved that si committee be formed to draw un a eonstitu+ion. Mr G. Livingstone, of Windsor, North Otago, has been re-elected to the Ota/fo Land Board as the representative of th-e Crown t^nant-s. The valid votes numbered 1596. an-d the votinsr was as follows: — Georeo Livingstone, Windnor. 751; Robert Logan. Kokonga, 641: Thomas B«m\ Owaka. 142: Alex Fra.=e>% Forsyth, 53; A. E. Wilde. Wait.a.buna, 9. \ <-o^ ?ra . rn ..f...i;.,0<;i in T>ir,efl ; n states that Mr Percy Valpv met -with an accident at G'-^norehy on Monday, and -die-o" on Tuesday nornlng fioni the injuries received. At tibe ■second wool sale of the e-eaeon at Christchurch on Thursday, 19,243 bales will be offered. The •charge against Frank Shirley, licensee of the Provincial Hotel, Port Chalmers, of having permitted drunkeaTie«s on his licensed premises was dismissed by Mr T. Hutchison, S.M. His Worship said thpre wat> no doubt the man found in the bar by the police was drunk, but tho probability was be had entered the bar a fow minutes before the police en-t-Torl. T'"-°re \va= a <loubt whether the licensee had seen the man, and h« therefore dismissed the lnfoimatioru

The Gaelic Society intend holding theii annual New Year on Januarj 6. It IS iitjßdri '. -■£ ■■ - ait (A 1 tho net proceeds to the fund which « being raised for the ben-efit of the wife and family of a sailor named M 'Donald. who died in the Dune-din Hospital. It is reported that the late Mr Harry Barnato left £5.000,000. He bequeathed £250,000 to charities. Twenty Chinese stowaways were dis< covered an the steamer Eastern on «.r rival at Sydney from Hongkong. While at Washington on their way to Eng-land Lord and Lady Northcote, late Governor-general of the Commonwealth, were the guests of Mr John Bryce, the British Ambassador. The P. and O. Steamship Company shows a profit of £267,225, and has carried forward £58.425. Tin South Australian Assembly passed the Loan Bill for two and a -half millions, to be expended on public works. Owing to inability to raise funds there will be no Commonwealth shooting team sent to Bisley this year. The business of the Kauri Timber Company has been purchased by Hudson and Sons, of Sydney. Dr Clifford is projecting a Taxpayers' League, the object being to refuse to pay income: tax tmtil Mr Isquith deals effectively Avith the House of Lords. The London Metropolitan Hospitals Sunday Fund receives bttween £600,000 and £700,000 under the wiil of the late Mr George Herring. The BucknaJl Steamship Line's shareholders have consented to transfer the whole fleet of 28 steamers to Ellermar's combination, thus making a total of 13steamers, of 430,000 tone. Mr Merriman (the Cape Premier) and General Botha (the Transvaal Premier) resented the overtures made without the knowledge of the Imperial Government by Herr Dernburg, Director of Colonial Affairs, for Germany to secure Walfisch Bay permanently or for a term, in return for a concession to a British company to construct a railway. Had the offer been accepted, Johannesburg would have been half the distance from Walfisch Bay that it now is from Capetown. The women's suffrage movement is assuming large proportions in the United States*. Many of the wealthiest society leaders in New York are now supporting the agitation. Dr Akid asserted at a proeuffra'igist mats meetinjr in New York that if the women were denied votes they would resort to daggers -and dynamite. A bitter opposition is developing against the movement. President Roosevelt declares that personally he is lukewarm, believing the majority of women also to be lukewatam. Mr Taft (the Presidesnft-eleot) and Mr Hughes (Governor of New York) are willing to grant the suffrage when the women demand it. Three of the vessels of the Australian squadron — H.M.S. Powerful, CbaUenger, and Pegasus — will visit Port Chalmers on Friday. The Powerful will anchor outside the Heads, but the other two vessels are expected to berth at Port Chalmers. The war ships will remain until Monday, when they leave for Auckland. On the way there the v-essela will undergo a apeed test.