NEWS BY CABLE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3335, 13 February 1918, Page 37

NEWS BY CABLE.

ALL CANADA BECOMES DRY. Quebeo province has adopted Prohibition. The entire dominion of Canada now prohibits traffic- in liquor, and there is not a eingle bar open. Tho Federal Government has undertaken to suppress the manufacture of liquor. . ( IMPERIAL WAR CONFERENCE. V Router's Agency learns 'that, in accordance with a general wish, expressed last year, and aa the convenience of the dominion statesmen and their Parliaments will permit, a-, series of Imperial War Cabinets and Imperial War Conferences will be held in London this vear, in continuation ot those held last year, at which representatives of the dominions attended and conferred with British Ministers on the problems of the war. It is understood that the Imperial Government is trying to arrange dates to as far as possible suit the convenience of all, but nothing definite hasbeen settled yet, either regarding the date or the statesmen who Will attend. • '. THE IRISH- QUESTION, His Majesty the King, in the course of his Speech in proroguing Parliament, said: "Tho settlement by agreement of the difficult question of electoral reform leads me to hope that a solution of the Irish question is possible, despite the complexities which the convention is earnestly considering." STRIKE IN HOLLAND. The Dutch .Revolutionary Socialist strike has strong support in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and iho'iiague among the ioCai trade unions, but the Dutch General Federation or Labour is holding aloof. The authorities have taken precautions, fearing that the contagion may possibly spread. They have oJso removed the Amsterdam garrison and brought, in other troops. - Tne Daily Chronicle's Amsterdam correspondent says that the strike resulted in OUOO men, mostly engaged in building trades, leaving work. The factories are entirely closed. A conflict occurred at a strike meeting. The police charged the assemblage, and were stoned. A regiment of Hussars has been brought to Amsterdam m readiness for an emergency. There is a singularly small proportion of strikers among the working classes at The Hague and Rotterdam, Tne strikers are deciding on Tuesday (February 5) how long they will remain out t . Many women are participating m the strikes." A mass meeting protested against the unsatisfactory distribution- of food. Rotterdam, The Jrlague, and Amsterdam are calm, though occasionally the -police are compelled to clear the streets, and some shots have been »fired in the air. RAILWAY STRIKE IN THE ARGENTINE. A general railway strike, signalised by the wildest disorders, prevails throughout Argentina. Strikers dynamited' the tracks and burned the trains. The suddenness of the attack found the troops unprepared, and the destruction of the tracks delayed the soldiers' arrival. Drastic Government action is expected. ' FRANCHISE REFORM. ' The House of Commons rejected, by 223 votes to 113, the amendment of the House of Lords in .the Franchise Bill in favour of proportional representation. The House of Commons, by 178 votes to 170, restored the alternative vote for singlemember constituencies, which the House of Lords rejected. THE HALIFAX DISASTER. The Canadian Government Commission investigating the Halifax disaster holds Pilot Mackay and Captain Lamodie, master of the steamer Mont Blanc, responsible for the explosion on that vessel, which caused great destruction and loss of life afloat and ashore on December 6. The evidence showed conclusively that the Mont Blanc violated the rule of the road. Captain Lamodie has been arrested. The commission cancelled the licenses of both Captain Lamodie and Pilot Mackay. The commission also censured the harbour authorities for allowing Mackay to continue acting as-a pilot after the disaster. The police have arrested Mackay. _ . It is reported that 30 British bluejackets were killed while attempting to save Halifax during the explosion. A gunboat off the -harbour, realising the peril to 'the city, despatched a 'boat load of sailors to go aboard the Mont Blanc and altempt to extinguish the fire or tow the ship away. The men were climbing up the vessel's side when 'the ship blew up. Commander Frederick Wyatt, chief examining officer at Halifax, has been arrested on a charge of manslaughter in connection with the explosion on the steamer Imo, which collided with the munition . ship Mont Blanc. Wyatt is accused rof neglecting ship movements in harbour. FLOODS IN SOUTH AFRICA. Serious floods are reported at Biera, in Portuguese territory, where the Pungwe River has inundated large tracts. Railway communication with Rhodesia is cut off. Enormous damage has been done to the sugar estates. The floods are increasing. Reports from Lorenzo Marques state that great floods havo_ occurred in the Bambano district. Thirty inches of rain fell in five days. The sugar plantations were flooded in Inutamba Valley, and severe losses were caused. MISSION TO PALESTINE. The British Government has approved of a Zionist mission to Palestine, to investigate the measures necessary to strengthen tho Zionist colonies there. _ The proposals include establishing a Jewish University, and land has already been purchased for that purpose. Steps will be taken to prevent land speculation. „ GENERAL ITEMS. The death is announced from pneumonia of the Marquis of Dufferin and Alva. He was born in 1866, and succeeded his father, the famous diplomat and statesman, in 1902. Ho was in tho Diplomatic service for several years, and was then engaged in the Foreign Office, where he rose to tho position of second secretary of the Diplomatic Service. Tho deceased was the brother of Lady Plunket, wife of the ex Governor of New Zealand. Madame Melba appeared in New York •jn '"Faust" with the Chicago Opera Company in its New York season, marking the silver jubilee of her debut in Amerioa.

She had an enthusiastic reception, and was recalled 12 times. • ~ , _ At Rugby the New Zealand Field Artillery (4 points) defeated Royal Aircraft Factory of Farnborough (3). A football match has been arranged, New Zealand Army against French Army, to be played in, Paris On the I7th inert. The scientific department of the Imperial Institute examined a series of oils prepared during Sir Douglas M aWßon s - Ant * arctic expedition, these including sealeopard, penguin, and Weddel seal oil. These Oils were found to be of good quality, and capable of being utilised for the same purposes as commercial seal and whale oils. There is no doubt that they would readily sell at the prices of whale and seal oils if they could be made available in commercial quantities. AUSTRALIAN NEWS. The Minors' Federation endorsed the proposal for the State to acquiro a coal mine in the Newcastle district. In the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Mr Osborne moved a resolution in favour of the introduction of a State lottery. The Queensland State Government has increased the flood relief grant to £IO,OOO. The Barcoo River, Queensland, is rising rapidly, and Longreach, on the Thompson River, is threatened with serious floods. A conference between representatives of the Victorian State Government and the Shipping and Coal Boards is considering the formation of a coal pool, controlled by a board consisting of' a Federal officer, with representatives of the States, to control the supply and transport of coal. The Federal Cabinet adopted the proposal for the formation of a coal pool to control the supply and transport of coal, the Commonwealth and the States to be represented on the board. CREATED A BARON. The Press Bureau announces that a barony of the United Kingdom has been .conferred upon Sir John Forrest in recognition of his long and distinguished services to the Empire. While tho majority of the newspapers five prominence to the fact that Sir John 'orrest is the first Australian peer, Labour oircles strongly criticise the attempt to establish an hereditary aristocracy, and consider it a direct affront _to democratic interests. They hope it will be the first and the last. A NEW ARBITRATION BILL. In the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Mr Beeby introduced the new Arbitration Bill. The new measure almost completely dispenses with wages boards, throwing the bulk of the work on the Industrial Court, the judges of which will sit with assessors, who will replace laymen. Special courts will also be established throughout the State to deal with particular industries and disputes. The old preference to unionists svstem is abandoned, being replaced by a clause providing for preference to members of a union which, after the passing of the Act, has not participated in a strike. The court at tho end of each •year will declare the living wage for the succeeding year. The strike definition includes "ceasing work by two employees in order to compel compliance with claims." TTie penalty for an illegal strike is fixed at £SOO, and a similar penalty is provided for an" * newspaper instigating or aiding a strike. It is also declared that no 'person or a union may declare anv article "black." or Publish a statement that an article is " black." The Bill was read a first time. COST OF THE LATE STRIKE. An official report by tho Under-Secre-tary of Labour estimates that the late, strike cost the community up to £9.000.000. Altogether 73,500 employees actively participated, forfeiting £1.700.000 in wages, and besides them large numbers were indirectly affected. .The direct cost of the Government expedients in counteracting the effects of the strike was £98.000. and in , addition the State provided £20.000 for the relief of distress caused by the strike. The combined union funds provided another £23,000, and the Lord Mayor's Fund £5931 for relief of distress.