NEWS BY CABLE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3312, 5 September 1917, Page 40

NEWS BY CABLE.

LABOUR PROBLEMS. The British Miners' Federation is applying for an advance of 75 per cent, in tiieir wages, owing to the higher cost of living. j ne Press Bureau reports that the Miners' Executive interviewed the Controller ot Coal Mines, and requested a 25 per cent, increase in wages. The Controller promised to consult the Government. The cx2cutive of the British Locomotive Engineers' Society has broken oif negotiations with tiie Railway Executive. A re.preventative of the railway men states that he does not know what may happen next. A crisis has arisen, and may possibly have far-reaching effects. He is seeking another interview with Sir Albert Stanley. The conference of Scandinavian transport workers resolved against the proposal of the Britieh Seamen'e Union that Germans should be excluded from the intcirnational workers' organisation after the- 'war. COMMERCIAL INFORMATION. Tho War Cabinet has sanctioned a new scheme for the supervision of the collection and diffusion of commercial intelligence throughout the Empire. It is intended to reform: the Consular service, providing changes in commercial attaches and Consular services by the creation of an enlarged commercial intelligence department, represented in Parliament by a parliamentary secretary occupying the dual position of additional Parliamentary Secretary at the Board of Trade and also additional Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs. An Advisory Committee of business men will assist the department. ARCTIC EXPEDITION. A message from Sydney Scotia) states that M'Millan's Arctic expedition has arrived in tho Neptune, after four years' absence. The explorer claims to have proved the non-existence of Cokerland. He says Peary was deceived by a mirage, which also deceived himself for four days. It then lifted. CANADIAN POLITICS. The Liberals in Canada stipulated a condition in regard to the formation of a coalition that Sir Robert Borden should resign the Premiership m favour of Sir George Foster. Sir Robert Borden agreed, but the Conservatives met and refused to accept his resignation on any terms. lhe Canadian Government has decided to enfranchise women, with the exception of Jhe wives of * Germans and A'ustroHungarians, whether they are naturalised or unnaturalised. SEVERE FAMINE. Reports show that there is an appalling famine throughout the Canary Islands. One thousand young men have gone to Cuba in search of employment. GENERAL ITEMS. Returns show that 128 members of tho House of Commons have declined to draw their salaries (£4OO a year). Burglars pillaged the historic museum of tho ex-Grand Duke Michael Michaelovitch, brother of the ex-Czar, and carried oft' works of art valued at 5,003,000 roubles. The Dowager Empress of Russia, mother of tho ex-Czar Nicholas 11, and sister to Queen Alexandra and tho Duchess of Cumberland, who is living in seclusion in tho Crimea, is seriously ill. The Mcfisageries Maritimes liner Natal, of 4012 tons, built in' IGB2, was sunk after collision with a French steamer near Marseilles. A torpedo boat's patrol boat rescued 330' of tho crew and passengers. Tho Argentine Senate has authorised an internal loan of 3,500,000 dollars. This is designed to terminate the foreign domination of the Argentine's finances. Mr W. A. Holman, Premier of New South Wales, 'was expected to arrive at New York last week, en route to Washington. He will confer with Labour leaders there, and then proceed homeward to New South Wales. Mr Connolly, Agent-general for West Australia, was entertained by the Canadian Club at Vancouver. He said a. referendum was not tho best way to decide any bit-terly-contested issue, such as conscription, owing to its liability to misrepresentation. AUSTRALIAN NEWS. Woolgrowers in New South Wales have been notified by the State Wool Committee to hold back all wool until overseas shipments become normal. The shearing dispute in Queensland has been settled, and tho men are returning to work. The New South Wales Board has recommended fixing the price of large coal, f.0.b., Newcastle, at 20s, and small at 15s per ton. The Riverview Observatory, Sydney, records an extremely violent earthquake in tho vicinity of Arua Isand. The Federal House of Representatives debated at length the question of double taxation. Tho Government promised to consider a proposal to adopt the New Zealand plan, whereby the higher of two taxes is levied in regard to the income earned by a British investor and is equally divided between the two countries. Mr Peake. Premier of tho new South Australian National Government, has outlined his policy for the session. Ho proposes, as soon as circumstances permit, to deal with the deficit, and pay off a portisn of it yearly as a charge to the revenue. Bills are being introduced to enable soldiers and their dependent? to obtain homes under liberal conditions; also Bills dealing with enemy property and changing the German names of towns and localities. SHIPPING CASUALTIES. In tho Federal House of Representatives Mr Cook stated that, after an exhaustive search, no trace could bo found of the Matanga, en route to Rabaul with relief for the garrison there. An Island trader, the Burns, Philo, and Co.'s Moi-inda, arrived at Sydney with her copra cargo on fire. After unavailing-efforts to extinguish the fire the vessel was flooded and sunk. Tho fire was first noticed when the vessel was leaving Brisbane, and it was thought it had been extinguished, but when the Morinda was within a few miles of Sydney it broke out again. The damage is estimated at £30,000. UNDESIRABLES. 'Tom Barker (secretary of the I.W.W. in Sydney) and four others were arrested on n, chargo of being membere of an unlawful

association, and sentenced to six months' imprisonment without the option of a fine. hi tho House of Representatives Mr Hughes announced that instructions had been issued to prevent "Jim" I.arkin, who was the leader in the Dublin tramway strike, from landing in Australia. Three more members of the I.W.W. have been sentenced to six months' imprisonment each for being members of an unlawful association. Thirty-two havo been .similarly convicted at Broken Hill.