NEWS BY CABLE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3396, 16 April 1919, Page 40

NEWS BY CABLE.

BRITAIN'S- FINANCIAL POSITION. An American financial expert who has ' l ?j minutely studied the conditions in Europe, in the course of an interview, .said he would predict that England would be' stronger within a year than ever before because of her commercial enterprise and - the courage with which she meets debts by taxation. Britain's situation; with her war 'debt of 40 billion dollars, comrjares favourably with her debt and per capita wealth it •> the conclusion.of the Napoleonic wars.,- '/'-."- THE TEAR'S REVENUE. The year's revenue was." £889,020,825, exceeding the estimate by £46,970.825. Customs contributed £102,780,000, £59,440,000, stamps £12,438,000, income ' and property taxes £291,186,000, and excess profits tax £285,028,000. The expenditure chargeable against revenue was £2,579,301,188, which is £398,234,000 less than was anticipated.. STATE PENSIONS FOR WIDOWS. ; Major Waldorf Astor, Parliamentary Secretary to the Food Controller; in the /.'] House of Commons,. accepted the principle of Mr W. Tyson Wilson's motion in favour of State . pensions for widows with children or mothers -whose bread-winners were incapacitated/- He asked the House not to commit the • Government to* an ill-con- = sidered scheme or phraseology which would » limit its freedom of action. The problem ought to be dealt with at the earliest possible moment. He -invited concrete proposals, which the Government would consider sympathetically. ' LIBEL ACTION. "-','" " In the Le Bas". Daily Mail case the plaintiff said he regarded Mr Lloyd'. George's accession as a national misfortune. Sir D. Haig and Lord Milner, not Mr Lloyd George, Were responsible for Marshal's Foch's appointment as generalissimo. The plaintiff denounced Lord Jellicoe's and -■ General Robertson's dismissals. The payment for the insertion of the articles was not new. Cobden and Bottomley had adopted.this method. '. Defending counsel explained that they had not charged plaintiff with trying to assist the enemy or of unworthy , motives. They had never suggested that he was anything but a loyal-minded gentlemanj but he conducted his political campaign m an • unworthy and deceptive . manner. A special jury returned a verdict for the defendants. The plaintiff said the articles complained of by the Mail were signed by well-known men. He spent £730 .in pub- _ lishing in 50 to 60 newspapers. He acted with honest views in the country's interest. He had never been a supporter of Mr Lloyd George since the Northcliffe press undermined Mr Asquith. He would _ have chosen General. Smuts as Prime Minister. NEW ZEALAND LAMB AND MUTTON. • A carload of Now Zealand frozen lamb and mutton has been placed on sale in New York, and several cars have been consigned towards a New York shipment It is expected that the lot will be sold wholesale at a few cents under the prices for American lamb and mutton. The Times states that the Food Ministry discredits a widely published statement by a Wimfcorno doctor that frozen meat is likely to cause abdominal influenza, and points, out that frozen meat has been used in Britain for 35 years, and it has successfully undergone numerous analyses and test's.

A DISTURBANCE IN PARIS. A disturbing symptom developed at a procession of 30,000 people m Paris on Sunday It was intended as a Jaures demonstration. Finally there "were 100,000 in the procession, singing "The International**-'

and hooting M. Clemenceau and lauding ' Lenin and Trotsky. This was doubtless duo to- an anarchist element. Six policemen were stabbed at the outs'et while endeavouring to confiscate the anarchists black flag. The crowd stoned and otherwise attacked the police in another quarter. Over 30 were injured, some seriously. A socialist writer in tho newspaper Battaile describes the demonstration as merely tho preface. The workers are able to organise for coming social action. JAPANESE IN PARIS. An interesting feature is the number of Japanese assembled in Paris, including' 35 journalists, besides representatives of commercial 'and financial interests. All are actively studying the European conditions resulting" from the war, . with a view to educating Japanese opinion on political, social and economic, problems. An informal . meeting of Japanese, not belonging to their Peace Delegation, passed a resolution advocating, radical changes in the Japanese Constitution, together with complete recon- . struction of the economy) and social systems, so that as a'Great Power she may he able to stand in line with the Western ' nations. . . .. , - '"'"'■'"'Japan's political system is regarded as archaic, being too conservative compared .'.with Western democracies. A general view is expressed favouring remodelling the Oonistitution on British lines, with a limitation of monarchical powers and the effacement of the bureaucratic influence now controlling Government institutions. ■■■ •■■- ' AND JAPAN. "Mr Lansing (Secretary of State) has cabled to the' California State Legislature that the introduction of anti-Japanese legislation would be particularly unfortunate at this juncture. The Calif ornian Legislature has postponed indefinitely the proposed antiJapanese measures, following on Mr Lan sing's cablegram advising that they would be extremely unfortunate at this time. The New York Times Mexico City correspondent states that it is officialy announced that the Japanese interests, a 3 cabled on March 31, have not been given concessions in Lower California. • „ , • The total casualties during the riots at • Cairo were nine killed and 46 wounded. A procession of several. thousands attended the funerals; otherwise the, city is quiet. Conditions are aJso quietening throughout the Nile delta, where several hundreds have been arrested. NATIONALISING ELECTRIC POWER. The Advisory Council of the Ministry of Reconstruction advocates . nationalising electric power on a strictly commercial basis. - It would then Be able to supply'cheaper than row. The cou/icil expresses the opinion that the nation is losing 100 millions sterling yearly through failure to t take full advantage of electrical progress. It estimates the net cost of nationalising the exist-' ing plants will not. exceed 11 millions. PROHIBITION IN CANADA, Quebec Province has voted-in favour of light wines and beer and the suppression of the whisky traffic. The referendum overwhelmingly favours beer and wine. ALLEGED MASSACRE IN KOREA. Korean representatives allege that the Japanese - are torturing Korean Christians beoause they refuse to worship the Mikado. Riots continue. The San Francisco branch of the Korean .Nationalist, Association has received a-cable stating that the Japanese killed 1000 un- - armecT people at Seoul during a demonstra: ■fion on March 28; that churches, schools, and the homes of the leaders were destroyed; and that a massacre is proceeding mercilessly throughout the country. VARIOUS ITEMS. Easterly winds in England culminated in heavy snowfalls, a depth of eight inches "lying in London. The Munition Department. is selling 32,000,000 yards of linen stores for war purposes. The Spanish Government has declared Raisuli a rebel. - Tho British Law Society, "by 50 votes to 33, approved of the admission of women to the legal profession. A seven-storeyed building in Liverpool collapsed, -and it is believed that 16 men " are buried in the ruins. Sir Thomas Lipton (challenger for . the American Cup) has arrived at New York, The Government has guaranteed the prices of "the 1919 crops —wheat at 71s lid per 4£olb, barley at 61s 6d per 4001 b, and oats au 44s Id per 312ib. Lord Glehtonar, formerly Mr Thomas Coats, the cotton spinner, of Paisley, left a sum of £4,600,000. Butter supplies are steadily increasing. It is expected the ration .will be raised to 2oz in May. The estate of Mr Charles Wyndham, the actor, is valued at £197,000. General Seely, Under-secretary of State for Air, fell into the Thames from a seapiano, but "was not hurt. The Ministry of Munitions on April 30 will discontinue the control of pig iron, manufactured steel, and tinplates. Labour secured 130 seats on the various Boards of Guardians out of a total membership of 457, as compared with 21 Labourites on the old boards.'

The accounts of the Ministry of Shipping in 1917-18 show an expenditure of £l94,77l,ooo—nearly £100,000,000 below the estimate.

The Hull by-election resulted: —Lieu-tenant-commander Kenworthy (Asquithite Liberal), 9621; Lord Eustace Percy (Coalitionist), 7699. The London omnibus workers' award has been ratified. It provides for a 48-hour week, six days' annual holidays, overtime on .all public holidays (including Good Friday), and double pay for Christinas Day. The French Chamber of Deputies, discussing- a new electoral system, adopted profortlonal representation by 335 votes to 201. t is doubtful whether the Senate will accept the proposal. Owing to failure to secure the discharge of overdue payments, the Danish Export Committee has forbidden exports to Germany, pending negotiations. The Government are sending two lady delegates to the Dominion to report regarding the prospects for the immigration of women. The Madrid newspapers were not published on Saturday, the pi-oprietors protesting against the double censorship l>y the Government and tho Printers' Union, and particularly the latter. Tho consulting engineer of the General Electric Company, New. York, has an-

nounced that his company Is planning the establishment of a transatlantic wireless telephone "system. . Tho- bursting of a napththa tank aboard the transport Spiridiono when leaving Venice with troops and civilians going to Pola blew up the ship. Thirty persons were killed and 40 injured. M. Clemenceau, as Premier, has recommended M. Poincaire (President) to commute the death sentence of Cottin (who fired at and wounded him) to one of 10 years' imprisonment. Interested parties are petitioning Parha-. ment, urging tbat assistance be given to drain the Black Country, covering 65 square miles, and j containing 100.000,000 tons of unproduced minerals; otherwise the Coalfield will be totally submerged. Bishop Gore has resigned the See of Oxford because of the Church Council's decision that baptism, instead of confirmation, shall constitute the franchise for voting on church subjects. Ho also _ desires more leisure for writing and speaking. The Agricultural Wages Board reports that land has depreciated owing to the lessened use of fertilisers. Farm workers' wages were compulsorily increased during the war to 33s per week, which, the board is below the cost of maintaining a family, ; and is therefore fixing a new rate of 39s 6d. - " ■

A meeting of the Double Income Tax Protest ■• Association resolved to urge the Government to take advantage of the pre: sence of the dominions' Premiers to consult them on the subject, and also to instruct the Income Tax Commission, now sitting, to consider the question of double taxation immediately an6> make an interim' report thereon. A New York Times Peking_ message states that the Japanese authorities have Warned the Chinese Government that if financial losses < are caused to Japan by the premature disclosure of secret documents Japan will hold China responsible. As a result China has decided to postpone the contemplated publication of agreements. The Inter-Allied Red Cross at Cannes adhered to the principle of establishing an International, Bureau of Public Health to effect an exchange of medical knowledge without interfering with the activities of national Red Cross Societies.