BRITISH AND FOREIGN.

Otago Witness, Issue 3016, 3 January 1912, Page 25

BRITISH AND FOREIGN.

LONDON, December 25. The officials Of the Salvation Army claim that during 1911 they* were the means of saving 1064 persons from committing suicide. * A British cement combine has been formed, and an agreement with the Associated Cement Company has been arranged. The combine will have a capital of £12,000,000, and will control five-eighths of the British output. j The missing boat from the British steamer Chesapeake has landed her crew at Algiers. | A Royal Commission recommended that provision be made by endowment by private benefaction for the dental buildings in connection with the London University •' before any scheme for the reorganisation of the university is submitted to Parliament. Twenty cases of suspected ptomaine poisoning occurred during the progress of j a public dinner at Cardiff through eating pork. One victim has since developed acute typhoid. i Two hundred and ninety vessels, of a gross tonnage of 1,054,019, were launched at the north-east coast shipbuilding yards during 1911, thus establishing a record j output. The Clyde yards also turned out 403 vessels, which is a record for the Scottish yards. j At a fire at Bethnal Green a woman was killed' through jumping from the > burning building with a child under each arm. She jumped from a height of 60ft. , The children were unhurt. ) December 27. ) Queen Alexandra presided at the distribution of the Sandringham bounty. This is the first public function she has performed since King Edward’s death. ■ The explosion of a carbide cylinder i killed the Rev. Mr Stephens Decourcy, ' who was arranging the limelight apparatus for a children’s entertainment at Brinscombe. i As the result of a fire in the tunnel of a colliery at Nuneaton, 1400 employees have been thrown idle. An explosion followed the apparently successful efforts to extinguish the fire after the fire brigade had been withdrawn. Terence Barclay, son of a banker at Norwich, died from wounds inflicted by a pet lion. ) December 28. I A child who was attempting to light a ] cigarette in a room adjoining the Picture ) Palace at Chesterfield set fire to a group of children who were dressed in muslin, with cotton wool trimmings, awaiting a performance. Five children were criti- , cally burned. India and South Africa are now included in the scheme for reduced deferred cable rates. G. H; Brown, an emigration agent, has been arrested at Nelson (Lancashire) on a charge of obtaining money by false pre j fences in connection with forged testi- I menials of a farm labourer emigrating to ' West Australia. The Agents-general are co-operating in the prosecution. j A Scottish syndicate, headed by a member of the recent Scottish Commission to Australia, intends taking up land in South Australia sufficient to have 5000 acres under crop yearly. Sir George Reid has arranged with the Great Northern Railway Company for the j exhibition of Australian products at vari- | ous towns, including York. Newcastle, and Darlington. The exhibits will ref main a month at each station. December 29. ' Some thieves ransacked the- rooms at one of the fashionable hotels at Brighton j (England), and stole several thousand ; pounds’ worth of jewellery from the bedrooms. The Commonwealth authorities have ! engaged a Scottish expert to manage the : clothing factory about to be established in Australia. December 31. The River Shannon is flooded in several counties, with serious results to farm stock. The Attila will sail from Trieste early

iii January to inaugurate a direct Australian service.

1 The number of civil service employees was increased by 18,000 at midnight on Sunday by the Government taking over the National Telephone Company’s business in accordance with a Royal Commission’s report. I Boards of Guardians will be empowered to modify labour tests and adopt many reforms in the administration of relief. During a storm at Helensbmg Frank Holloway, a cyclist, was struck by lightning and killed, j Mr John Redmond has been incapacitated for a fortnight through a carriage accident, i January 1. The quarter’s revenue was £40,888,863. Customs yielded £9,073,000, excise £11,910,000, and stamps £2,377,000. ! Mr John Roderick, a Birmingham auctioneer, has left personalty valued at £260,937. He bequeathed it all to the Birmingham hospitals, except small bequests to his servants, j PARIS, December 25. 1 A scheme for the exchange of students between the universities of Paris and Lon- . don has been sanctioned. M. Lepine, the prefect of the Parisian police, has authorised bank clerks to carry revolvers. A tube containing 40,000 f- worth of radium has been either lost or stolen in Paris. The finders are warned against the j dangers of handling the substance. I December 27. 1 The Chamber of Deputies has renewed the Messageries Maritimes subsidy for 25 years. | December 28. I The present month has established' a record in Paris, being the wettest December experienced for 100 years. The Seine is in flood, but there is no imme- . diate danger. j December 31. I Four arrests, including that of Dettveiller, a well-known Anarchist, and his wife, have been made in connection l with the Montmartre Bank messenger murder. 1 In the Senate a sensation was caused by the production of telegrams showing that M. Jules Cambon had received instructions from M. Cruppi suggesting the ! cession of territory without the knowledge of the Cabinet or the Prime Minister. M. Cruppi has written to M. I Caillaux denying the authorship of the I telegrams. i January 1. The Chamber of Deputies has adopted a proposal to tax the winnings in casinos in aid of public works. The receipts at Eughien last year were £580,000, at Nice , £300,000, and at Vichy £120,000. The i croupiers’ tips at Eughien last year 1 amounted to £26,900. BERNE, December 27. During a storm at Muchlethal St. ( Gallei, a wooden house, took fire, and a woman and four children perished. The : father was severely burned. ! December 29. I Owing to the continuance of the meat famine the Federal Council has reduced j the duties on frozen and salted meat and on bacon from 25 francs per 100 kilos to 10 cents. BERLIN, December 25. The Crown Prince, who is at Danzig, is suffering from an affection of the larynx. December 26. The, German Crown Prince’s throat trouble is due to his excessive use of cigarettes. j The Kaiser has conferred the Order of ! the Red Eagle on Herr Kiderlen-Waech-ter, cx-Minister of Foreign Affaire. | December 27. i During a cinematograph entertainment at the east end of the city the apparatus j connected with the. lantern caught fire, . and the operator’s hands were burnt. His ' criee of pain caused a panic among the audience, who rushed the exits. Two children wore killed and many persons seriously injured. December 29. There have been further isolated cases * of poisoning and colic in Berlin, including another death among the victims of

the poisoning incident in the Shelter Shed for the Homeless. January 1. The Crown Prince’s absence from the Kaiser’s New Year’s reception, despite the birth of a son on December 19, is arousing rumours of a grave illness, but others state that he is sulking in consequence of the incident in the Reichstag. THE HAGUE, December 25. The Hague Conference has agreed to a preliminary draft on the Opium Convention, and has adjourned until January 8. LISBON, December 29. The patriarchs of Lisbon, the Bishop of Guarda, and the Administrator of the Bishopric of Oporto have been ordered to quit for two years their respective districts for persistently opposing the organisation of worship associations. December 31. Under the new Anglo-Portuguese agreement the islands in the Rivers Ruo and Shire are assigned partly to Mozambique and partly to British Central Africa. VIENNA, December 28. Some children found a skull which is believed to /be that of Alexander Karageorgevitch, father of King Peter of Servia. They had been playing football with it. December 31. The Emperor Francis Joseph has recovered. MONTE CARLO, December 28. Thieves gained access to the flat of Madame Lionas, stunned the housemaid, and decamped with jewels valued at £20,000. Two arrests have been made. The police at Monte Carlo have recovered Madame Liona’s jewels. The thieves, who are members of the international gang, confessed that the jewels were buried on the beach. ST. PETERSBURG, December 29. The Russian Government has excluded the Salvation Army from Russia. CYPRUS, December 27.

Advices from Asia Minor show that there are grave apprehensions of a massacre of the Chi’istians at Messina. The Armenians at Adana are panic-stricken, and are proceeding to the coast. The Turkish authorities are apathetic. BUCHAREST, December 28. In a fit of jealousy, Bodnarescoul, a cavalry officer, threw vitriol at Chiarina Giocomo, a prima donna, burning her face and neck. The police pursued Bodnarescoul, who drew a revolver and killed a policeman and two pedestrians- He then committed suicide. CAIRO, December 25. The financial advisers to the Khedive, in their annual report, emphasise the present satisfactory condition of Egyptian finance. COLOMBO, December 30. A lascar murdered Mr M'Orea, the second engineer on the steamer Clan Lament, between Aden and Colombo. He has been sent to Calcutta for trial. NEW YORK, December 25. In order to dispense with the use of German-manufactured potash, an attempt is to be made to develop the industry try on the Pacific coast. It is expected that the new industry will yield one million tone of potash annually. December 27. Mr Roosevelt, who was invited to a peace dinner, President Taft being the principal speaker, declared that the gathering would be traitorous if those accepting the invitations did not fully approve of its purpose. This outburst is due to certain names being included in the official list. There have been heavy falls of snow from Alaska to the Oregon coast, and heavy frost in the far south of California. Family troubles led to a duel between two ranchers at Reno, Nevada, and one, named Kilabrew, killed his opponent, named Walker. Kilabrew afterwards succumbed to his wounds. The Pittsburg police arrested a stranger at Monesin, Pennsylvania. He carried a suit case filled with dynamite. The man refused to disclose his identity.. Another suit case containing dynamite was found at the works of Messrs Barnes, contractors, Rochester, Pennsylvania.

December 28. A scheme has been discovered for swamping Central America with bad money. It is reported, that £2,000,(XX) has actually been put in circulation in Nicaragua. Two Nicaraguan Cabinet Ministers are reported to be implicated. December 29. Mr John Breen, husband of the daughter of “ Boss ” Croker, of Tammany fame, is suing Mr Croker, Richard Croker, jun., and Howard Croker, claiming IOOjOOOdoI, alleging the alienation of his wife’s affections. The pulp paper manufacturers have brought pressure to bear on President Taft with a view to inducing him to refuse a ■ demand by certain European Governments to grant admission to pulp print paper on the same terms as the Canadian product is admitted. December 30. Three labour union officials who aided in a strike on the Harriman lines will be prosecuted under the anti-trust laws for alleged restraint of trade. This will be the first prosecution of the kind in the United States. December 31. A robber held up the Farm el's and Merchants’ Bank at .Centralia, Washington, and shot the president (Mr Barr) dead. The robber was captured in Kansas City. Mr Tvietmoe (secretary and treasurer of the State Building Trade Council), Mr Munsey (leader of the Salt Lake Union of Structural Workers), and Mr Johanneson (<?rganiser) have been arrested at Los Angeles under the Grand Jurors’ order in connection with the National investigation of dynamite outrages. HALIFAX, December 31. A fire destroyed the King Edward Hotel, and several large buildings adjoining. The temperature was below zero. OTTAWA, December 25.

Mr Bourassa, the leader of the Nationalists, attacked Colonel Hughes on the ground of the latter’s advocacy of military training. Mr Bourassa declared that Mr Hughes had invited 25,000 school boys to become debauchers and to play the fool at the State’s expense. Colonel Hughes replied good-humouredly. He said that if Mr Bourassa had received military training in his youth he would have been truly great. It would afford him great pleasure to gazette Mr Bourassa as major in command of a squadron of mounted rifles or hussars. December 27. The Conservatives are certain of victory at the Prince Edward Island elections, which take place in January. Six seats are unopposed. December 29. The Premier of British Columbia (Hon. R. M‘Bride) denies that he intends to seek the annexation of the Yukon territory. He declares that the province has quite enough to admisister at present. December 30. The White Ensign will be flown from the stern of all Canadian warships and the Canadian flag from the jackstaff. The latter consists of the Blue Ensign with the Dominion arms inserted in the flag. VANCOUVER, December 25. Reports from Winnipeg state that a blizzard is raging on the prairies. The telegraph lines are down in many places. QUITO, December 31. After severe fighting the army has appointed General Montero as President of Ecuador, in place of M. Estrado, just deceased. CAPETOWN, December 31. M. Leuchars, speaking at Maritzburg, said the Government would introduce a comprehensive settlement scheme next session to provide assistance for poor .South African s and encourage overseas immigrants with small capital, and grant facilities to men with large capital. The bill would be on the lines of the Natal act. CALCUTTA, December 26. The death of the Maharajah of Nabha, G. 5.1., is announced. He served in the last Afghan war. TOKIO, December 28. The Emperor, in opening the Diet, emphasised the friendliness of Japan tq the Powers. The Cabinet decided not U

place any obstacles in the way of the, Chinese Republic if the conference insists on one being established.