CABLEGRAMS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3018, 17 January 1912, Page 25

CABLEGRAMS.

BBJTISH A Nil TOKEIGN. LONDON, January 8. Fire broke out on the battleship Cfesar at Devonport owing to a leaky oil fuel tank. A desperate effort was made to prevent the flames reaching the magazine. The burning oil clung everywhere, and was finally beaten out with great difficulty. A party stood in readiness to flood the magazines. The conflict between the music halls and the theatres is settled, the Lord Chamberlain granting dramatic licenses to the halls, provided that the sketches arc first submitted for his approval. Mr Fowler, while aeroplaniug between Hampshire and Eastbourne, was caught in a storm. He was picked up in the sea off the Isle of Wight. Fire at Hess Bros.’ oilworks at Leeds consumed 300,000 gallons. Three firemen were injured through an explosion of oil casks. January 9. Severe snowstorms have been experienced in Scotland and the North of England. Heavy losses of stock are reported in Derbyshire. A universal week of prayer has Coen organised by the Evangelical Alliance, and will be held in every country in the world. The Globe characterises the Observer’s statement regarding Mr Lloyd George’s intentions in the event of a deadlock over the Insurance Bill as absurd and incomprehensible. D. C. Collins, a son of the Hon. Dr Collins, of Wellington, will stroke the Cambridge Eight in the intervarsity race with Oxford. The sum of £13,459 was received for the first day’s collection on behalf of the Young Men’s Christian Association fund. January 10. The personalty of Charles Soper Whitburn, discount agent, has been sworn at £1,481,000, of which £237,000 goes in deatli duties. In an interview with the Manchester Guardian Mr Cuthbertson explained Victoria’s demand for labour and the factory conditions in that State. Victoria, he said, allowed 400 cubic feet of air to each worker in a factory, compared with 250 ft In England. January 11. The building fund for the Y.M.C.A. has now reached a total of £26,605. January 12. A Jew, who is a native of India, has bequeathed £BO,OOO to endow a Jewish college at Jerusalem. Thomas Stephens, a barrister, 78 years i of age, and an ex-candidate for Parlia- | ment at Plymouth, was charged with I libelling his son. When called on to srir- ! render at the Old Bailey he did not re- j spond. After being called again, a : messenger hurried in and stated that I Stephens had fatally cut his throat. January 13. I The German East African Line has > terminated its agreements with the South African conference. The Cretan insurrectionary movement \ is extending, and an insurrectionary com- 1 mittee now governs the island. Measures | are being taken to ensure the despatch of deputies to the next session of the Greek Parliament. The National Liberal Club memorial to I Sir H. Campbell-Bannerman was unveiled ; in Westminster Abbey. King Alfonso has commuted the death sentence on six of the men who were j sentenced in connection with the Cullera j outrage last September to perpetual hard ! labour. The seventh prisoner will be i executed.

The year's consumption of all wines in the United Kingdom was 11,274,146 gallons, compared with 12,725,127 gallons in the previous year, but the consumption of Australian wine was 811,479 gallons compared with 780,391 gallons in the previous year.

January 14

Miss Amy Castles had an enthusiastic reception at a ballad concert given in the Queen’s Hall last night. A decree compels all passenger vessels trading to Uruguay to be fitted with wireless telegraphy by May 1. In the estate of the late Sir Cuthbert Quitter the net personalty was sworn at £1,035,976. PARIS, January 8. Lebrecht. a German, has been sentenced to two years’ imprisonment for espionage at Clralons (France). January 9. Fight persons were killed through the explosion of a mould containing molten bronze at the Angouleme gun foundry. Three of the bodies have not been recovered.- They were engulfed in liquid metal weighing many thousands of pounds. January 10. Anxiety prevails here owing to the Seine and other rivers being in high flood. An avalanche at Chambery destroyed several houses, killing three people and burying much live stock. January 12. The .Seine is 13ft below the level of the 1910 flood, but is rising rapidly. Navigation has been suspended. January 13. Ruchonnet, aeroplaning at Selis, was killed. January 14. The Ministry of Agriculture is testing various serums as a remedy for foot-and-mouth disease. The year’s loss from this cause is estimated at £8,000,000.

BERLIN, January 9. It is semiofficially denied that Lord Lonsdale’s interview had the Kaiser’s authority or approval. After quarrelling over a girl aged 13, two schoolboys, aged 17, fought a duel with pistols in a wood at Detmold. 'Lne of them was wounded in the chest, and is in a critical condition. The victor cal lously left him on the field. January 12. A railway warehouse at Danzig which was filled with sugar, wool, and saltpetre was burned. The damage is estimated at £IOO,OOO. MADRID, January 14. There is an extraordinary agitation to secure the commutation of the sentence of the seventh man who was condemned to death in connection with the Oullera riots. The King and Premier have each received numerous deputations. It is expected that King Alfonso will have to submit, in order to prevent an outburst of popular excitement. LISBON, January 14.

The roof of an infirmary at Saothome collapsed, killing three persons and injuring 10. VIENNA, January 10. The Kaiser will visit Franz Joseph in May. January 12. A band of Bulgarians threw three bombs at a demonstration that was being held in favour of the Turks at Zilkowa. Three persons were killed and 22 wounded. January 14. A Hungarian lieutenant named Bartel was acquitted, on the ground of selfdefence, of killing Lieutenant Lazar, who ! had eloped with his wife. NEW YORK, January 10. At Kalispell (Montana) an avalanche swept a rotary snow-plough off the railS wmy track and down the mountain side. The Great Northern railway superintendent and three men were buried. The superintendent and one man were rescued, and search is being made for the other two bodies. January 11. A torpedo boat destroyer which it was thought had been lost during the recent gales is reported to be safe. January 12. At Portland (Oregon) three armed highwaymen held up two pedestrians. They also compelled the owner of an hotel to hand over the contents of his till. Two policemen were fired at and seriously injured. The robbers escaped. A posse is pursuing them. January 14. The buildings of the leper colony at New Bedford were destroyed by fire. It is believed that some of the inmates must have perished. Two men and three women were drowned while motoring over an icecovered stream at Trenton (New Jersey). The ice broke under the car. A third man of the party escaped, CHICAGO, January 8. A robber attacked Miss O’Rorke, an athletic young woman, and attempted to snatch her handbag. Miss O’Korke, knocked the man down, jumped upon him, and tore his coat off his back. The man fled before the police arrived. DES MOINES, January 11. All persons dancing the “Turkey Trot” or the “Grizzly Bear” in public dance halls will be arrested by order of the police. OTTAWA, January 10. Later reports reduce the death roll as a result of the Terrebonne railway smash. Only five bodies have been discovered. January 14. The Government has finally decided to proceed with the Hudson Bay railroad, and will relet the contract, which -was dissolved subsequent to the Federal elections.

Canada’s mineral production for 1911 totalled £21.000,000 —an increase of 14 per cent. The gold production exceeded £2.000,000 and silver £3,400,000. TORONTO, January 8. Alone and unknown Jacob Strennet, a friend of the famous actor Edwin Booth, and a co-actor with Sir Henry Irving, died in an obscure lodging-house. ll© was 73 years old Approaching blindness forced his retirement from the English stage in 1889. VANCOUVER, January 11. At Dallas (Texas) so great is the fear of meningitis that all public meetings have been abandoned, and church gatherings are not held. There have been many deaths. The Public Health Board is waging a vigorous campaign against the malady. CAPETOWN, January 9. Mr Botha, has decided to retrench the whole of the staff of scab inspectors, substituting field cornets. This is interpreted to mean an inefficient administration of the Stock Diseases Act, as the field cornets are practically all heads of families, and not likely to enforce its drastic provisions. January 14. The Minister of Education (Mi’ Malan) hopes to pass the South Africa University U ill during the present session. If Messrs Wernher, Beit, and Co. approve of the final form of the bill they propose to give £500,000 towards the endowment of the university. JOHANNESBURG, January 9. Ther? have been seven cases of smallpox in the Malay quarter of the city. Two deaths have occurred. SHANGHAI, January 8. The ! amine Relief Committee is appealing for funds to employ the sufferers on flood prevention works. There are

3,750,000 destitute persons in the Northern Kiang-su, An-hui, Southern Shang-tung, and the Hanan-wuhu regions. January 9. Robbers murdered Mr Filgate, formerly belonging to the China Inland Mission. The body has been brought to the British Consulate at Hungchow. INTERCOLONIALMELBOURNE, January 9. The State Parliament has been prorogued till February 6. January 10. The Actors’ Union has decided to affiliate with the Trades Hall. January 11. Since 1907 512 hotels have been closed. The compensation paid totals £243,443. January 15. During a bush fire in the Keilor district 4000 acres of grass, hay stacks, fences, farm buildings, and 200 Shropshire ewes were burnt. The total damage is estimated at over £IO,OOO. Three boys named William Butler, Ernest Butler, and James ConoLe -were drowned off Copecope. The last two were in n fishing boat, which capsized, and William Butler swam to their assistance. A large hall, six shops, and two dwellings at Wonthaggi were destroyed by fire. The origin is unknown.

There was a more serious outbreak at Willaura, where there is no fire-fighting j apparatus. Twelve shops, constituting half the business portion of the town, were destroyed. The amount of damage is not known. SYDNEY, January- 9. Donaldson, the blue streak, ran 100yds, dead-heating with the Victorian champion cyclist. Donaldson was on the grass and the cyclist on a track. Time, 9 2-ssec. The remainder of the crew of the ship Askoy, which was wrecked recently, have arrived from Noumea. In reply to expressions of general regret over the Government’s action in withdrawing the vice-regal residence from Federal use, Mr Holman (State Attorneygeneral) says that the business of maintaining the dignity of the Governorgeneral and providing for possible hospitality to august visitors is the duty of the Commonwealth. It is not th© duty of the State to supplement the omissions of Federal management. January 10. The Advisory Committee of the City Council has recommended the adoption of a by-law compelling women to wear guards on their hatpins. January 11. Returning visitors from the East say that the spread of Western ideas in China should lead to a great increase in trad© with Australia. Already there is an enormous demand for European clothing. January 12. The coroner at Murrumburrah, in returning a verdict of incendiarism at an inquest on a fire which occurred on January 2, said that he could not make a committal. He could only say that the place was wilfully set on fire. There had been many such cases in the past year, which were the result of over-insurance. Another reason making it difficult to cope with the evil was the sympathy shown to criminals by juries. New South Wales’s imports last year were valued at £27,330,340 —an increase of £4,172,921 over the figures for the previous year. The exports were valued at £32,140,092 —an increase of £106,654. January 13. Mr Flowers states that the recently inaugurated weekly day off for the police is working entirely satisfactorily. January 14. Archbishop Kelly, addressing a hospital meeting, said the Church was against cremation, which was opposed to national sentiment and allied to materialism, and | therefore irreligious. The Church had no misgivings on the subject. It is not only not essential, but wrong and uncalled for.

January 15. The temperature was 102.9 degrees today. This is a record for the last two years. The Dean of Newcastle, referring to the extraordinary church scene recently cabled, says that the Rev. Mr Colley is not an archdeacon, but one of the men who were appointed clergymen by the late Bishop Colenso, of Natal, after the schism in the Church there. A suggestion has been made that the letter-writers in the Commonwealth should subscribe Id each towards a fund to recognise Mr Henniker Heaton’s efforts in the direction of securing penny postage. Storms are raging in the country districts, where telegraphic communication has been badly, interrupted. ADELAIDE, January 12. The results of the wheat harvests in many districts are better than was anticipated. The revised returns show that the total will probably exceed 21,000,000 bushels. BRISBANE, January 9. The surgeon on the steamer Taiyuan was lost overboard between Port Darwin and Thursday Island. There has been a disastrous fire at Pittsworth. Five bnildings in the principal business block have already been destroyed, and the fire is still burning. January 10. The fire at Pittsworth has been extinguished. The damage, which is estimated at £5700, is covered by insurance. The Amateur Swimming Association

haa agreed to support the admission of New Zealand to the championship agreement if permission is sought. January 12. A conference on the subject of the eradication of the prickly pear will be held on ing alarming proportions in the northern portion of the State. PERTH, January 12. An immense bush fire, with a front of 20 miles, is sweeping the Burracoppin district, where there is practically no settlement. January 15. The Government has raised a 4 per cent, loan of £500,000 at £97 Is 5d for the purchase of gasworks. HOBART, January 9. A denial is given to the Sydney report that the Encounter was in wireless communication with Dr Mawson’s party at the Macquarie Islands while off the New Zealand coast. It is also stated that she did not speak to the Sydney station. January 13. A deputation asked Mr Fisher to appoint a Royal Commission to inquire into the exportation, transportation, and marketing of fruit. They declared that all shipping space was in the hands of two firms. Mr Fisher promised to recommend a commission.