NEWS BY CABLE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3415, 29 August 1919, Page 28

NEWS BY CABLE.

MR ASQUITH. A leading Scottish Radical newspaper learns on the best authority that Mr Asquith will seek to re-enter the House of Commons at the earliest possible moment. The reappearance of the ex-Prime Minister, followed possibly by other sx-Minis-ters, will start the evolution of what is now strongly desired—namely, a determinasive Government. A LIVELY CONTEST. Mr Henderson, who is opposing Mr Fisher (the ex-New Zealand Minister) at tho Widnes by-election, declares that in connection with a visit to Russia in 1917 the Cabinet authorised him to replace the Ambassador at Petrograd at a salary of £BOOO, hut he ascertained that the Cabinet's dissatisfaction with the Ambassador was due to a misapprehension, and therefore he refused the post. Subsequently he resigned a Cabinet ministership carrying a salary of £SOOO rather than sacrifice his principles. Referring to Mr Fisher'6 suggestion that Mr Henderson went behind the Government's back and attempted to negotiate with people whose sole aim was to effect the country's destruction, Mr Henderson challenges Mr Fisher to formulate a definite .charge to be settled in the courts. Mr Fisher -challenges the accuracy, and demands documentary proofs, of Mr Henderson's statements regarding the, ambassadorship to Russia, which is provoking increasing , attention by the newspapers, coupled with a demand for a Government explanation. FATAL RAILWAY SMASH. An express train ..bound for Paris was derailed near Pau, after colliding with a goods train. The passengers included 33 officers and 24 men of the Royal Irish, returning to Cologne after a pilgrimage to Lourdes. The Bitish contingent was uninjured, and did fine rescue work. Ten passengers were killed and 20 injured, enduring terrible sufferings under tho wreckage. OPIUM AND MORPHIA. Britain, America, and Japan are expected to co-operate in stopping the infamous smuggling of morphia into China. Since the- suppression of the opium trade has been in force Britain in 1917 exported 600,0000 z of morphia to Japan for China. Britain _ in 1918 prohibited the traffic. Dealers" then turned to America, and m the first five months of 1919 they have obtained' 113,0000 z of opium from the States. SOUTH AFRICAN CONGRESS. The South Africa Party Congress in the Free State Province was held" at Bloemfontein. General Botha, addressing the conference, said that all war pensions would be paid from South Africa's portion of the reparation obtained from the Central Powers. Tho Congress passed a resolution that the matter of resumption be left in the hands of the leaders on condition that it is based on a vindication of the European races, also strongly condemning the Republican propaganda as tending to civil war and a violation of the word of honour given at the Vereoniging Conference. The Congress decided to combat the propaganda and to stand by' the Act of Union. RAID ON I.W.W. The police raided the premises of the Industrial Workers of the World in Whitebhapel and discovered a great quantity of Literature advocating sabotage.- Armed soldiers and police raided the Liberty Hall, Dublin, and seized locked boxes purporting to contain trade union papers. They also seized a few firearms. A NEW JERUSALEM. Tho Zionist leader, Dr Weilmann. addressing the council of the English Zionist Federation, said the Jewish situation in Europe was so bad that the Jews must preparo for the emigration of millions into Palestine: but that country would accommodate only a fraction of those wishing to enter during the next five years. Profesor Patrick Gedevi is co-operating n"ith Dr Weilmann in planning a new Jerusalem, including a university. THE INDIAN FRONTIER. Tins Afghan troops have withdrawn on tho Dakkn front, to .Telalabad, and the enemy bands in the Khost region (further couth) are dispersing. Fighting continues with the irroooncilnbc tribesmen, and small punitive expeditions are being organised. DISASTROUS EXPLOSION. A terrific explosion of munitions occurred at a depot at Pellcjfrino.' It rooted up trees a mil* distant. Rescue parties have been ordered not to remove bodies of groups of soldiers mid civilians, lest the bombs underneath cans* Bddition.il casualties. Over 100 havo been killed and injured. WOMEN FARMERS. Owing to their war experiences many women are permanently engaging in lighter forms of" farming and arc investing in small farms. There is a widespread sale and subdivision of largo estates, wlrch assists enterprise. A large number of ancient estates are changing handi owing tc the war stringency. _ The new yeomanry is heing drawn from all classes, and many single girls are pooling savings for cooperative farming. ENGINEER IN 0 RECORD. The celebrations to mark the centenary of the death of James Watt, the Scottish

engineer, resulted in the establishment of a school of engineering research at Birmingham University. The scheme will cost £200,000, and will aim at restoring Britain to the premier position in discovering labour-saving machinery. CHESS CHAMPION. Capablanca won the chess tournament at Hastings, with 105 points. Kostick, a Serbian, was second with 9i points. Capablanca won throughout except for one draw with Kostick. Capablanca won 27 out of 35 simultaneous games, drew seven, and lost one. VARIOUS ITEMS. M. Isvolsky, ex-Russian Minister to France, has died. Sir Edward Montague Nelson's estate is valued at £90,652, The United States has invited foreign Governments to send representatives to an International Farm Congress at Kansas City on the 25th September. A despatch from Tokio states that cholera has broken out at Formosa. A message from Trinidad, Colorado, reports that there are 20 dead as the result of an explosion at the Oakdale Coal Company's mines. Only one wa3 rescued. According to a wireless message the Japanese steamers Yomei Maru and. the Shinbu Maru grounded on the rocks near the Strait of Juan De Fuca in a fog. The latter foundered, and 110 of those on board are missing. . „ ,• . ~. It is reported that Lord Inverforth will resign from the Government in order to resume his private business. The United States Congress has- passed the repeal of the Daylight Saving Act on the Presidential veto. A West African message states that the liner Ashanti caught fire on arrival at Dakar. The liner was beached. The passengers and crew were saved. Tho Japanese Minister of Communications has announced that tho Japanese merchant fleet increased 40 per cent, during the war. New construction is confined to standardised cargo boats. ~.,-, Tho Shah of Persia has arrived at Constantinople, and has conferred with his father at Prinkipo. The French police have arrested a man named Angelvin, a clerk for colonial importers, on a charge of attempting to blackmail M. Galmot, a rival importer, for £12.000. The Roman Catholio Cathedral at Queenstown, which has been 50 years in building, was consecrated with great ceremony, Mrs Mary Burns left an estate valued at £637,000. She bequeathed £50,000 to her son-in-law (Lord Harcourt). The United States Government is opening retail stores throughout the country to sell surplus war stock. The Daily Chronicle's correspondent at Lima (Peru) states that according to the newspapers diplomatic circles are warned that the Peruvian Government contemplates war with Chile. A crowd at Lousbeurg (North Carolina) lynched a negro named Elliott, who was alleged to have assaulted, a farmer's wife. The mob first shot and then tied the body 'to a tree in the local churchyard, defying the sheriffs. Captain Donaldson, who was in command of the battle-cruiser New Zealand when the armistice was signed, has taken over the command of the Temeraire (a battleship of 18.600 tons, 22f knot speed, mounting 10 12in guns, and built in 1909). Congressman Johnson, of California, has introduced a Bill prohibiting immigration to the United States for two years,_ with the exception of incomers, who will be permitted to stay only six months. General Allenby has issued a warning proclamation, owinjpto the wholesale formation of so-called Labour syndicates, which are really political organisations menacing public order. The proclamation had already had a good effect. The Crown Prince of Rumania has written to his father formally renouncing his rights to the throne owing to the circumstances cabled on September 28, 1918 (at the time when Bulgaria collapsed and the Germans were preparing to evacuate Rumania). The Peninsular and Oriental Company intends resuming l the weekly special trains to and from Marseilles to connect with the Australian and Indian liners, commencing September 16. The British Admiralty ordered 10 1000ton ferro-concrete ships to be built at Quecnsborough (Isle of Sheppcy, Kent), but after the first vessel was launched the Admiralty cancelled the contracts for the remainder. ■ The United States Shipping Board has announced that it has sold up to date 122 st&el vessels of 465,745 deadweight tons for 99,642,C00d01, and 63 wooden vessels of 246.982 deadweight tons for 27,545,680d01. The British Ministry of Health has received 180 new housing schemes during •tho last week, totalling 5000. The department is - now preparing* plans for 430,000 houses. The Ministry has chosen 700 unoccupied London mansions for conversion into flats. The New York Times Washington .correspondent states that Mr George Bruce, American representative of the Scottish National Committee, has asked Senator Lodge that he be allowed to present Scotland's case for self-determination before the Senate Relations Committee. According to official advices from Poking Britain and China have reached an •agreement regarding Tibet, whereby China will grant autonomy to Tibet, while retaining sovereignty. Therefore China will bo relieved of the burdensome task of maintaining order in Tibet, and Britain's desire for the maintenance of Tibet as an autonomous buffer State will be realised.