NEWS BY CABLE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3332, 23 January 1918, Page 40

NEWS BY CABLE.

A RAILWAY DISASTER. The Midland Railway Company's Scottish express from London ran into a landslide at Lazonby (near Carlisle). The engine overturned, carriages were telescoped, and six people were killed and about 20 injured. The train was travelling at full speed in the dusk, when the driver noticed a huge bank dropping on to' the line. The engine became embedded in the earth, and was derailed. The heavy train behind forced the foremost coach at right angles across the rails, and it was smashed to atoms. Heroic rescue and first-aid work was performed by military officers and nurses aboard the train. TROUBLE IN IRELAND. An armed gang rushed a train at Burton Port, County Donegal, and overpowered a military escort in charge of two deserters. The escapees made off in a motor car, and the rescuers dispersed over the countryside. Another gang attempted to break into the police office near Ennis, County Clare, but the police fired on and dispersed the gang. OBITUARY. The death is announced at the age of 84 of the Rev. Henry Montague Butler, the famous Master of Trinity College, Cambridge. Born in 1833, and educated at Harrow and Cambridge, he became a Fellow of Trinity College in 1855. Four years later he became head master of Harrow, holding the position for a quarter of a century. After a brief interval as Dean of Gloucester he became master of Trinity College in 1886, and thus covering in that office a term of over 31 years. He was a prolific writer, chiefly on dialectics. He made a name for himself as a mountaineer. He was twice married, and leaves five sons and two daughters. General Sir Beauchamp Duff was found dead in his bed. Born in 1855, Sir Beauchamp Duff had a military career of some distinction, for the most part in India. He was blamed in some quarters for the muddle in the first campaign in Mesopotamia. ELECTORAL REFORM. The House of Lords has rejected by 90 votes to 63 the proposal for a referendum on women's suffrage. _ The House of Lords carried an amendment to the People's Bill, giving the franchise to conscientious objectors who have been unconditionally exempted by the tribunals and subsequently took up work of national importanoe. BRITISH TRADE RETURNS. The imports into Great Britain for December showed an increase in value by £9,415,206, while exports decreased bv £2,787,946, and re-exports by £2,839,046, as compared with the previous December. Wool imports la3t year totalled 625,627,984 pounds weight, compared with 618,946,6831 b the previous year. The value of the wool imports in 1917 was £49,725.257, compared with £37,560,014 in 1916. GENERAL ITEMS. As the result of the Halmer End colliery disaster, Staffordshire, 75 women have been widowed and there are 200 orphans. An avalanche occurred in the province of Niigato, Japan, by which 173 persons were buried. A vessel arriving at an Atlantic port reports having picked up a wireless message from, the steamer Texan as follows: "We are struck amidships We have 63 men aboard, and are "lowering the lifeboats. Good-bye. No more." The Texan had been in collision with another steamer. An official message received later states that the Texan is safe. Stefansson, the Arctic explorer, discovered several large Arctic islands north-west of Banks Land (north-east of Alaska), and took possession of them in the name of Canada. Stefansson intends to remain an additional year in the Arctic to explore new lands from his base at Wrangell Island. At Rugby the New Zealand and Postal Service scored-22 points, the Canadians 3, the Welsh Guards 3, and the New Zoalanders' Hornchurch team nil. A memorandum has been issued with respect to the, reorganisation of the Board of Trade into two main departments: the first for commerce and industry, and the second for public services and administration. The former will be concerned mainly with the development of trade, thinking out and assisting the national commercial and industrial policy. One of its sections will be that of overseas trade development and intelligence. AUSTRALIAN NEWS. A pearl worth £40,000 is on view in Melbourne. It was found off Broome, West Australia. Its weight is 100 grains. Mr Holman, the Premier of New South Wales, denies receiving a cable from Mr Wade stating that Mr Hughes, the Federal Prime Minister, is going to England, as was alleged by Mr Catts during the vote of censure debate in the Federal House of Representatives. The Queensland Government announces its intention of opening a State arsenic mine io produce arsenic at pre-war prices. The mine will be opened in the Stanthorpe district. The wheat crop of South Australia is officiallv estimated at 26,658,999 bushels. An attempt was made to blow up the Broken Hill Barrier Miner newspaper office. Considerable damage was done. No arrests have been made. The management has desired to resume working the Lymington colliery in the Newcastle district which it threatened to close down because of interminable strikes. Mysterious postal robberies, similar to those cabled on March 8, 1917, continue in New South Wales. The latest reported i 9 that of a registered mail bag, containing notes of the value of £I6OO, the property of the Bank of New South Wales, which disappeared between Sydney and Brewarrina, despite the exercise of special vigilance. The authorities are completely baffled

Mrs M'Bride, wife of the chief- officer of the missing steamer Matunga, has arrived in Sydney from New Zealand to endeavour to obtain Government relief. Mr Hughes (Primo Minister), commenting on the statement that the Commonwealth had failed to provide for the wives and children of the missing crew, promised that if the facts were as alleged he would see that they were dealt with satisfactorily. FEDERAL POLITICS. The feature of the censure debate in tho Federal House of Representatives was the unwillingness of the Labour party to cooperate with the Government in any declared war policy, this being because of the influence of outside Labour organisations against any such union. The general character of the opposition speeches may bo indicated thus: That the Government which violates a pledge to the people cannot again be trusted. But the Labour party neither provides an alternative to the Ministerial war policy nor makes it clear whether it will support the Government in any branch of war effort. The fact that New Zealand soldiers aro on furlough at Home, while the Australians are denied a similar privilege, caused heated argument. One member said that he considered that, having defeated conscription at tho referendum, the Opposition were under an obligation to find means to enable such leave to be permitted. The vote at the referendum, he argued, would affect Australia's position when peace terms came to bo discussed. The query, "What about the German colonies?" brought ejaculations from Labour members: " They are no good to us." " No annexations and so indemnities," "No cheap Imperialism." A meeting of the Labour party decided not to amalgamate with the existing National party. The motion of censure was rejected by 43 votes to 19. Several Ministerialists conferred during the debate for the purpose of framing an amendment, to Mr Tudor's motion with tho object of forcing the formation of a National Government: but the amendment was eventually abandoned.