NEWS BY CABLE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3331, 16 January 1918, Page 36

NEWS BY CABLE.

DISASTROUS COLLIERY EXPLOSION. A disastrous colliery explosion has occurred at llalmer End, in Staffordshire. Many miners axe entombed. One hundred, including a number of dead, have been brought to the surface, but 140 are missing. T'hero were distressing scenes at the pithead, the parents, wives, and children of the imprisoned men anxiously awaiting news. The rescue parties worked unceasingly, but numerous fall* hampered their operations. They have brought up 11 men suffering slightly from gas poisoning, also the bodies of ewe dead. Hopes of recovering the 130 men still entombed began to drsappcar at midnight, but the rescuers did not slacken their efforts. Thero is no shortage of volunteers. Fruitless rescue work was continued all day and all night. Twenty-five dead bodies were recovered in the roads leading to tho workings where the remainder are entombed, and all blocked up. Experts declare- that it is not likely that any are alive. THE IRISH PROBLEM. Tho Daily Chronicle publishes a long article from Dublin emphasising that there are critical days for the convention, and urging the necessity for a settlement on the basis of autonomy within the Empire. There is now only the matter of safeguards for Ulster, which can bo solved, given goodwill and good faith among the negotiators. Leading Unionists already say : " If you could guarantee us that -the Irish Parliament would be a body like the convention, we would have no hesitation in accepting it." Other newspapers publish similar articles, suggesting that me. negotiations have reached an important stage, and pleading that the utmost effort be put forth to avoid a breakdown. The delegates are not asked to find a perfoot form of government, but a solution that will be acceptable to all Irishmen. GERMAN DYE SECRETS. The Daily Mail reports that after two years' persistent effort a group of British textile workers, headed by John Leyland and Richard Baldry, with the assistance of the Foreign Office, obtained through Switzerland 257 secret reoipes from the Dadisch dye works, comprising the German dye monopoly. The textile workers spent thousands of pounds, and took great rißks during long-drawn negotiations with the iSwiss chemist who was in possession of the recipes. German agents everywhere dogged the negotiations, stealing their luggage, drugging, and assaulting them, making laboratory tests dangerous. When the recipes and samples were obtained the Foreign Office forwarded them to England with" the utmost secrecy, and they were lodged in a bank's strongroom. Their use in manufacturing- at Bradford and Manchester answered all tests, producing the whole range of. dyes N hitherto exclusively German. WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE. The Reform Bill debate in the House of Lords revealed unexpected opposition to the women's suffrage clause. Lord Loreburn regarded men as safer judges of Imperial matters. The women's suffrage proposal was eventually carried by the House by. 134 votes to 65. Mr M'Adoo, Secretary of the United States Treasury, and Mr Daniels, Secretary of the Navy, announced themselves in favour of .women's suffrage. It is expected that Congress will pass tho measure, whereupon it will be referred to the various States. Tho House of Representatives passed the Women's Franohise Bill by 274- votes to 136. President Wilson supports women's suffrage. A SEVERE BLIZZARD. Tho greatest storm for 20 years is sweepins- the Central and Western States. It is the coldest weather in history. Scores of cities are isolated by blizzards. One hundred people have been killed in wreclred buildings. All Chicago schools hare been closed, and nine deaths are reported. A WORLD'IS COURT. At a meeting! of associations of the United States Bar a plan was outlined for the setting up of a world court after the war, based on the contracting parties agreeing to submit their differences to an international court and not to declare war, nor to begin hostilities until the court had considered the dispute, the court to bo in'a position to use economic and military strength to enforce its rulings. Many European statesmen have approved of the eehem'e. GENERAL NEWS. The Egyptian Government Mission to the Red Sea Coast to inspect 'the oiTields has returned, and reports that several new springs are promising a plentiful supply, easy of extraction, considered sufficient for Egypt's needs. A general strike has taken place at Barcelona. Spain, owing to the dearness of living. The enraged crowds stoned theatres ami pillaged arid dcstro}'ed cafes and concert halls. Numerous arrests were made. Many persons were wounded. Similar demonstrations have taken place in other towns.

Tho Morning Post's Tientsin correspondent aays that, plague hns broken out in Mongolia, and is spreading across Northern Shnn-si. It is now ■within easy distance of Peking, where the foreign Legations aro pressing tor a drastic anti-plague campaign, but, owing to tho delay, it is feared that it may bo 'too late to suppress the epidemic.

The Portuguese Government is taking energetio measures against the_ Democrata, v/ho. it declares, aim at regaining power forcibly. It is also apparent that serious disaffection reigns in the navy. The cruiser vasoo De Gama, anchored off the capitol, bombarded the fortress Cistelles. _ The cruiser then surrendered. Other mutinous crews were also taken prisoner, and military forees occupy the naval barracks and arsenal.

Sir T. Mackenzie, speaking before the Bristol branch of the Royal Colonial Institute, advocated the bringing of the eastern and western ports in'to direct communication with the overseas dominions in order to lessen the cost of handling merchandise. The fiteamer Too-chi collided with the steamer Hainfong outside Woosing, China. Tho Too ohi jtonk, and 100 persona were

drowned, including the captain and chief officer. AUSTRALIAN NEWS. Tho rate of the freight for frozen meat to London has been increased 100 per cent. within the past few duys. For shipments now loading it has been fixed at £7 10s per ton. Tho Sydney Sun will increase its price to 2d from February 9. It will consist of 32 pages, including a 16-page intaglic art pictorial. A steady delugo of rain has been experienced "sinco Thursday, and floods are reported in the country districts. Tho New South Wales Government's offer to suply Victoria with 1,000,000 tons of coal annually for five years at 15s per ton, f.0.b., at Newcastle, ' indicates that the Government contemplates tho nationalisation of all coal mines. The Victorian State Cabinet rejected the proposed agreement. Mr A. W. Styles, South Australian Minister of Education, and former Chief Secretary in tho Vaughan Government, whose conduct in that capacity was strongly condemned by the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the purchase of land for returned soldiers, has resigned. The Government has refused an application by Mr Styles that a Supremo Court judge inauire into the land scandal. The Government also decided to ask Mr Jones, the Government Valuer,, to resign.

THE HUGHES MINISTRY

Tho Federal Cabinet decided _ that Mr Hughes shall tender' the resignation "of the Ministry. The Governor-general accepted the Ministry's resignation and requested Minister's to continue in office pending the appointment of their successors. Mr Tudor (Leader of the Official Labour party), after conferring with the Governor-general, stated that he had not received a commission to form a Ministry, but may again see the Governor-general, who meanwhile is consulting Messrs Joseph Cook and Wise (presumably Mr G. H. Wise, member for Gippsland, Victoria). There were brief sittings of the House of Representatives and the Senate. _Mr Hughes, in the House of Reprsentatives, announced the resignation -of the Minis-, try, and moved the adjournment till next day, in order to allow time for consideration of tho situation.

It is -definitely announced that Mr Hughes has been commissioned to form a Government. The Ministerial party approves of hia acceptance of the task. Mr Hughes, having accepted tho_ task of forming a Cabinet, the old Ministers, without alteration in personnel, have been sworn in.

When the House resumed, Mr Tudor gave notice of a censure motion, protesting against the repudiation of Ministerial pledges, political persecution of publio men, and ether citizens and the press under the War Precautions Regulations during the referendum campaign, the deprivation of statutory electoral rights of Australian citizens by regulation behind the back of Parliament, and the general administration of public affairs. For these reasons tho Government does not possess the confidence of the people of Australia. Mr Hughes forecasted changes in the personnel of the Ministry in the near future. The House heatedly debated Mr Tudor's censure motion and adjourned. The . Senate has passed one month's supply.