NEWS BY CABLE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3337, 27 February 1918, Page 36

NEWS BY CABLE.

SINN FEIN OUTRAGES. A largo band of Sinn Foiners, armed with gelignite bombs, attacked the Drinioloaguo police barracks, in County Cork. One bomb was thrown into the sergeant's bedroom, and exploded with terrific force. Thirty-five disguised Sinn Fein cyclists raided an aerodrome on Saturday night, and kept the watchman quiet with a revolver, covering him while all the papers and plans were being stolen. There was an extraordinary scene at the Police Court at Bnnis, when .22 youths were charged with "cattle driving" (otherwise stealing). A Sinn Fein leader made a dramatic appearance in court. He blow three blasts on a whistle, and ordered the Sinn Feiners and followers to stand. The prisoners scrambled out of the dock and escaped. Four hundred Sinn Feiners, in the name of the Irish Republic, have taken over 200 acres of grazing land at Gurteen, in Sligo, for cropping purposes. In the House of Commons Mr Duke admitted that a procession comprising several hundred Irish Republicans, headed by bands, had seized eight farms in Sligo ana had handed the farms over to their adherents at a nominal rental. Six hundred men raided farms in East Clare, drove off the cattle, overpowered a small party of police, and assaulted three other constables. The crowd scattered when a conetable fired his rifle. The military were called out, and the cattle were recovered. NATAL FLOODS. At TJmfolosi, in Natal, the .flood swept away the railway station, an hotel,'and 100 Indian and native cottages. In the Union Assembly General Botha (Premier) announced that floods had occurred at Ladysmith, and half the town was submerged. "With reference to the Zululand floods, General Botha stated that the village of Umfolosi was swept away, with the exception of five buildings. Of 65 European residents 23 were saved. WRECK AND LOSS OF LIFE. The steamer Florizel, voy aging from Halifax to New York, was wrecked during a blizzard. The Florizel ran ashore in a snowstorm, and a heavy sea prevented the rescuers from approaching. She quickly pounded to pieces. It is believed that 156 lives have been lost. THE LIBERAL PARTYMr Asquith, addressing -.'the Liberal party's agents upon the necessity for preparing for a general election when the new register, doubling the number of voters, is completed, said: "The Liberal party is not going to be obliterated or to merge_ its identity in the new embryonic political' combination. Its continued independent activity -was never more necessary, as the multiplied and complicated problems of peace construction would soon confront us." DEATH OF LORD BRASSEY. The death of Lord Brassey is announced, at tho age of 82 years. Lord Brassey's father, a farmer's son obtained through George Stephenson, father of railways, a contract for a viaduct, and with .this to begin with .his operations as a railway contractor soon extended to all parts of the world. In constructing the Great Northern railway in England he had between 5000 and 6COO men in his employ. His son Thomas, the first Lord Brassey, who has iust died, was born in 1836. He graduated B.A. at the University College, Oxford. He was elected to Parliament in 1865, and was Civil Lord of the Admiralty from 1880 to 1884. During the following year he was Secretary of the Admiralty. In 1895 he was appointed Governor of Victoria, and during his Governorship ho paid a visit to Dunedin in his yacht, the Sunbeam, in which he had travelled altogether close on half a million knots. He published an account of his voyagings, and was also first editor of the Naval Annual. He was twice married, and had a family of one son and three daughters. The successor to the title is Viscount Hythc, who is 55 years of age. GENERAL ITEMS. Estimates of the supply of wheat and flour east of, the Rocky Mountains are 15,997,000 btishels._ Swatow, in China, at the mouth of the Han River, opposite Formosa, has been destroyed by an earthquake which caused 2000 casualties. The Premier (Wang Shih Chen) hm resigned-, owing to ■ a hostile party capturing the Government. Luan Chi Jui may return to the Premiership. Sir William Mercer has been appointed chairman of the Pacific Cable Board. Summer-time at Home will begin on the morning of March 24, and end on the night of September 29. . 0 At Rugby the New Zealanders (5 points) beat France (3). New Zealand Headquarters (11 points) beat Australian Pleadquarters (3). In the House of Commons Mr Bonar Law said the dominions and India were being consulted before the publication of the report of Lord Balfour of Burleigh's committee. The Prince of Wales took the oath and his seat in tho House of Lords. There was an imposing ceremonial, the-peers- introducing him wearing their robes and collars of their orders. The profit for the vear of Nelson Bros. (Ltd.) was £46,503. A dividend of 9 per cent, for the year has been declared. The amount earried forward is £6507. Mr H. Burton, in introducing tho Railway Budget in the South African Union Assembly, estimated that the year 1918-9 would end in a deficit of £968,000. to meet which the railway rates would be increased. Count Ishii has been appointed Japanese Ambassador at Washington. Count Ishii was last year head of a special Japanese mission which visited the United States. Much gratification is expressed at Washington at Count Ishii's appointment as Ambassador. The press welcomes him as Japan's most prominent figure. Tho Registrar-general's statistics for Great Britain for 1916, which have been issued, show the lowest birth and death rates and almost the lowest marriage rates on record. The marriage rate for widows is the highest for. 30 years. Births exceeded the deaths by 277,303. including war fatalities, which are believed to be. much under these figures. German figures for tho same period were:—Births, 1,103,000; deaths, 1.331,000; practically excluding war fatalities.

A USTRALIAN ITEMS, New' regulations empower the Commonwealth to commandeer .stocks of tallow, the compensation not to exceed £45 per ton. A deputation representing Queensland sugar-growers told Mr Hughes (Commonwealth Prime Minister) that the loss of sugar as a result of the Hoods at Mackay is estimated at £250,000. Mr Hughes promised that the Commonwealth would pay for the quantity destroyed. Mr Hughes states that the Commonwealth is commencing the building of six ships in various States. Others will follow later. The ' Federal Government is establishing a butter pool to meet Australian requirements. A regulation prohibits the making of an agreement among traders to increase the prices of supplies. The coal and shale output in New South Wales for 1917 totalled 8,292,767 tons—an increase of 159,706 tons as compared with the previous year. In tho New South Wales Legislative Assembly Mr Loughlin moved the introduction of preferential voting. The Inter-state Commission's report on the price of meat in New South Wales states that the price of beef has increased 61 per cent, and of mutton 68 per cent, since 1914. Arthur Oldring, a soldier who disappeared from the Seymour Camp, has been sentenced to death at Melbourne for tho murder of Mrs Taylor and her stepdaughter at Trawool »arly in November. Official statistics show that the number of horses in New South Wales on June 30 last was 733,828, showing an increase of 14,-286; cattle, 2,665,767—an increase of 359,997; sheep, 36,179,730—an increase of 3,579,001; pigs, 369,780—an increase of 78,622. The area under crop was 5,166,564 acres —a decrease of 634,182 acres as compared with the previous June. There was a scene in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly. When discussing the usual motion for congratulating the new Governor on his appointment, several members of the Opposition, while offering Sir W. E. Davidson personal congratulations, disobeyed the Speaker's ruling and condemned the retention of State Governors on the ground of the expense attaching thereto. One member was eventually removed. The motion was-carried by 32 votes to 11. Giving evidence in the Bankruptcy Court, Sydney, to-day, Mr Harry Nathan, the wellknown Sydney racehorse-owner and sportsman, attributed his bankruptcy chiefly to contracts made before the war with the German Government to purchase blood stock for stud purposes. Just before the war he expended between £9COO and £IO,OOO in this way, but the war prevented delivery. Failing to get the prices he paid, he thought to make them pay by racing, but failed to do so. His purchases included a New Zealand horse for which he paid £I6OO, and which he sold to the German Government for £4500. A TRIPLE TRAGEDY. Thomas Davies, secretary of the Ironworkers' Union, with his wife and three-year-old daughter, were found shot dead at their home at Box Hill. It is stated that Davies of late has be'en financially worried. SHIPPING MERGER. Despite the statement of the managing director "b£ tho Huddart, Parker Proprietary that he knew nothing. regarding the persistent rumours of the proposed amalgamation of Miis company with Howard Smith's, and possibly ywith the Adelaide Steamship Company, there is a keen demand (including New Zealand orders) both in Sydney and Melbourne for these companies' shares at enhanced rates. Buyers of Huddarts offered 395, and sellers wanted 455. LOSS OF THE ORETL The search by a steamer has discovered that a man named Mackenzie is the sole survivor of the schooner Oreti, wrecked in the cyclone on January 19. When the Oreti capsized her captain and hie son and two seamen, who were in the cabin, were all drowned. Mackenzie and another seaman were washed overboard, and the other man was drowned. Mackenzie drifted to an island, where he spent 19 days with but little food. Making a raft o'ut of kerosene cases, he attempted to reach another island, but he lost his raft and had to swim back. Ho spent 10 more days on the island, but built another raft, and reached a settler's house on Marble Island almost exhausted with starvation. QUEENSLAND POLITICS. The Premier' of Queensland (Mr Ryan), in Ihe course of a nolicy speech at Towneville, said that the Queensland Government' had reserved 3,684,432 acres of land, capable of settling 16.0C0 returned soldiers -\ fruit-canning factory would be established at a cost of £40,000. The Government, also proposed to establish a State line of steamships. Arrangements had been made to test the salt p*ns along the coast with a view to producing salt locally. The Nationalists' policy for the election campaign includes an elective Upper House the discouragement of State industries, and giving an early opportunity to the electors to o-oress their views on 6 o'clock closing.