BRITISH AND FOREIGN.

Otago Witness, Issue 2988, 21 June 1911, Page 35

BRITISH AND FOREIGN.

LONDON, June 12. The Anthropological Institute has invited the oversea Premiers to co-operate in securing the periodic measurement of the adults and children of all races of the Empire, and all other information, for use in the projected Imperial Bureau of Anthropology in London. The death is announced of Baron Dynevor, aged 75 years. The new Peer is the Honourable W. F. Rice, the second Unionist member for Brighton, where a vacancy has been created. At the general election Mr Rice defeated the highest Liberal candidate by 4034 votes. Two men and four children perished by fire in a shop at Litherland, near Liverpool. The Duke of Westminster broke his collarbone while playing polo. The warship Inflexible, which collided with the Belleropbon off Portland on May 28, has been taken out of dock. W. A. Wcodg<;r, the New Zealand sprint champion, is much better, but he will be unable to compete at the Festival of Empire sports on the 24th inst. The International Opium Conference has been indefinitely postponed. June 13.

The hearing of the petition against the return of Mr C. F. G. Masterraan (Undersecretary to the Home Office) for West Ham has begun. It is alleged that there were illegal expenses. Mr Masterman's majority was 897.

The President of the Institute of Actuaries, referring to Mr Lloyd George's insurance scheme and to the fa'ct that some., of the members of the institute had assisted the Chancellor's actuarial calculations, regretted that the bill was not based, on the results of the new census. As it was, they had to go on 'the figures and experiences of New Zealand for their essential information. \_ James Roberts and Henry Beirntsen, shipbrokeTS, of Glasgow, have been remanded on a charge of defrauding the Union Bank of Scotland of £SOOO. June 14. Fifteen thousand doctors have endorsed the attitude of the British Medical Association towards the' Government's scheme of national insurance. The Evening Standard states that Chili is considering tenders for two 30,000-ton Dreadnoughts, each to cost two and a-half millions sterling and to carry 10 15in guns. The s.s. Olympic has started on her maiden voyage from Liverpool to New York. Mr M'Gowen, in receiving an invitation to address the Old; Ham Road Brotherhood at Manchester, remarked that if in Manchester some 'Sunday he would acquiesce. He must do it for his mother's sake, as Manchester was her birthplace. June 15. A committee. has been formed at Parsley, in Yorkshire, - to collect funds for a Marsden memorial hall in connection with the centenary of the Rev. Samuel Marsden's bringing New Zealand wool to England. At the Imperial Temperance Conference, which includes delegates from Victoria, South Australia, and New Zealand, Mr Kirkpatrick gave some interesting details of the growth of temperance among the Australian Labour members, the majority of whom are teetotallers. The conference also discussed a paper by Dr Chappie on the effect of total abstinence on mental efficiency. The estate of the late Baron Albart Rothschild in Great Britain is valued at £733,027. v Messrs Allsop and Sons have signed a provisional agreement for amalgamation with Ind, Coops, and Co. Negotiations with other concerns are also proceeding. June 16. After the King and Queen had passed the Long Walk at Windsor when returning from Ascot two spare horses- in charge of a Royal groom dashed into thousands of spectators, who became panic-stricken. The groom was thrown, and one horse bolted into Windsor Palace. Eight persons were injured. The Peninsular and Oriental steamship Company last year sent 1,214,200 tons through the Suez Canal, the Ellerman Lines 1,028,400, the African Holt Line 999,300, the Germian-Hansa Lin© 831,000, the Messaferies 565,200, and the Norddeutscbar Lloyd 537,600 tons. Sir E. Steachey (Secretary to the Board of Agriculture), in reply to Mr Bowerman (Labour), said it was impossible to prove a false trade description .as applied to meat, owing to the difficulty of establishing the actual country of origin. The board will be glad to receive particulars of specific cases. Special precautions are being taken at Shad well owing ~t<> the number of rats that have died from plague. The Queensland annual dinner was largely attended. The speeches of Mr Fisher and others dealt with the development of the country. Mr Batchelor and 20 Federal members inspected building sites for the new Commonwealth offices. The Strand site will pirobably be selected. The idea is to house all Australian States in one building. June 17. Sir Eldon Gorst, who has undergone an operation, has had a relapse, and his condition is causing grave anxiety. June 18. The Colonial Institute's conversazione

was attended by the Duke of Madborough, Mr HarcouTt, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, Sir J. G. Ward, Lady Ward, Mr and Mrs" Buxton, and Mr Rufus Isaacs. Marty Indians and Australians attended. At Bow Street Police Court ex-Police Inspector Syme was remanded on a charge of sending Mr Ramsay Macdonald, M.P., a letter wherein he threatened to make an attack in public on the person of Mr Winston Churchill, and also of sending a letter threatening to kill Subdivisional Inspector Reed, against whom he had an old grievance.

George William Lucid, alias Lake, was committed at Westminster to stand trial for bigamy. Two thousand seven hundred letters were found in his lodgings from 77 women, which show that some of them "had advanced him money. At the instance of the London Trading and Banking Company (Ltd.), a receiving order has been made against Ernest T. Hooley for £3322. There have been terrific thunderstorms in Lancashire, hailstones an inch in diameter falling at Haslingden. One person was killed by lightning at Accrington. PARIS, June 13. In a speech in the Chamber of Deputies M. Caillauk stated that, despite an increase in the revenue of £7,200,000, the Budget would show a deficit of £2,160,000. June 15. The Cabinet has abandoned the latest proposed champagne delimitation area, and is introducing a bill .to prevent fraudulent adulteration and to protect old-established brands. A committee of the Senate has approved the principle of the suppression of absinthe. June 16. i The crew of the submarine Argonaute voluntarily submerged their vessel at Toulon for 18 hours, which is a record. AMSTERDAM, June 15. The International Congress of Textileworkers unanimously favoured an eighthours day in all countries. BRUSSELS, June 15. M. Broqueville has formed a Ministry of a democratic character. June 17. . Princess Louise's action against the Belgian Government has concluded. The defence argued that King Leopold always intended that the wealth of the Congo should benefit Belgium alone. Judgment was deferred. STOCKHOLM, June 13. The first International Woman's Suffrage Congress has opened here. One thousand delegates are attending, including an Australian. CHRISTIANIA, June 18. M. Christoffersen, a Norwegian resident of Buenos Aires, is defraying the cost of provisioning and outfitting the Fram until Amundsen's return. BERLIN, June 13. The Government haa prescribed the death penalty for cannibalism among tho Maka tribe in the Southern Cameroons. June 16. Joseph Reman©, a reservist, was sentenced to 10 years' penal servitude, at Leipzig for selling carbines and military drawings to France and Russia. His sister was sentenced to 18 months for abetting him. The Kaiser is gratified with the success of German horses at Olympia, and has issued a proclamation thanking the Prussian horse-breeders. June 18. The Kaiser has conferred the Order of the Crown, in the second class, on Sir E. Shackleton. BERNE, June 15. Twin children overturned a bee hive, and were attacked by the bees. Both succumbed to their injuries. June 18. Prince Krapotkin is seriously ill at Socarno. MADRID, June 15. A cousin has at last secured the release of a wealthy spinster named Ma tilde Andeyro, who had been immured in different fesylums by relatives for 30 years. A celebrated alienist certifies that she is perfectly sane. June 17. Ex-President Diaz of Mexico has arrived at Viga. He is in good health. He intends to live in Spain. LISBON, June 18. Three waggons, containing quick-firers and revolvers, that were smuggled in from Galicia, were seized at Vigo, but four waggons had already passed undetected. The Government has discovered a Monarchist plot in South Portugal. Among those arrested are Count Armil and Dr Abel Campos. ST. PETERSBURG, June 13. Thirty persons were drowned by the sinking of an overcrowded ferry boat on the River Volga. June 14. Armed robbers entered a bank at Novoroasisk, on the Black Sea, shot the manager, and stole £SOOO. TEHERAN, June 17. Excitement has been caused over the sudden departure of the Prime Minister for Europe, without explanation, after a quarrel in the Mejliss. WASHINGTON, June 16. It is expected that the International Seal Conference will agree to the payment of reasonable compensation by America and Russia to Canada and Japan in return for their relinquishing their right to take seals at sea. It is probable that a proportion of the seal-

killing profits will be devoted to compensation purposes. N£W YORK, June 13. A committee of the House of Representatives is investigating the Sugar Trust, and trust proceedings are pending. June 14. A subway project, the largest ever planned, and to cost £50,000,000, is now in course of foimation. June 15. Tha United States' foreign trade for the month of May increased by £4,000,000 and tho exports by £3,000,000. The imports established a record. June 17. An investigation which was held at the British Consul-general's office at San Francisco found that the third officer (Mr Johnson) was responsible for the wreck of the Asia through not exercising due caution and keeping • a lookout. He was censured forchis poor judgment in setting- so fine 'a course in dangerous waters. June 18. A mail car bound from Portland to San Francisco was help up and looted. The passengers were not molested. The booty was small. ST. LOUIS, June 12. The f-uit brought by C. W. Post against the .American Federation of Labour and the Bucks Stove and Range Company, seeking to prevent the closed shop agreement and asking for £150,000 damages, was dismissed. OTTAWA, June 13. The Presbyterian Assembly decided to inaugurate an active anti-Morman campaign. It was stated that the Mormons' influence in Alberta was growing rapidly, and they would scon hold the balance of political power in the province. J VIM? 14 The Duke of Connaught is expected to arrive on Ootober 12—three weeks earlier than was planned June 17. A train belonging to the International Railroad (Ltd.) was derailed at Toronto. One passenger wias killed and six were seriously injured. June 18. Ihe Superintendent o-f Immigration, on being interviewed regarding the Commonwealth's project for inducing Canadians and Americans to. settle in Australia, said he did not believe there was any chance of success as far as Canada was concerned. America might possibly offer greater scope. The result of the Nova Scotian elections is that 27 Liberals and 11 Conservatives have been returned. The fishing constituencies failed to support reciprocity, as the Liberals expected. Three Ministers were defeated, and the Government altogether lost six seats. The Publi|a Works Department has called for tenders for a dry dock for shiprepairing, yards for the construction cf steamships, berths, and a breakwater at St. John, New Brunswick. The probable cost is £2,000,000. VANCOUVER, June 14. The North-west farmers are looking for a record wheat crop. June 18. At Asheville, North Carolina, the big cotton mills have suspended operations indefinitely. The industry has proved unprofitable during the last two years. RIO DE JANEIRO, June 14. A court-martial acquitted Marquez Darocha, commander of Cobras Island, on a charge of murdering marines. JOHANNESBURG, June 19. In the absence of a miner named Humley on the night shift, his wife, who was in bed, was attacked by a native. She seized a revolver and killed him. TOKIO, June 15. After attending the Coronation, Admiiral Togo will tour the United States and Canada.