NEWS BY CABLE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3510, 21 June 1921, Page 40

NEWS BY CABLE.

A GREAT PICTURE. It is announced tluu an Australian oiler of £IO,OOO has been made to purchase Sir John Millais’s picture, “Christ in the Carpenter’s bilop, which iias been hanging’ on loan fur 10 years in the Tate Gallery. -1 lie Tate Board has, however, the option to secure the picture on the same terms. The National Art Collection Fund id appealing to the public 10 provide the money Lcfore* July 18. Mr D. Y. Cameron, addressing meeting of the fund, said that the painting was Millais’s masterpiece. Mr Aston Webb said that the Royal Academy 1 \va> anxious to help in securing to the nation that great work. J K \YKLI,ERY TiIKF'J S. A ictoria. Monks, a, variety actrc and Arthur JSirnonds (who was described as lurking no occupation) were commit!-’J for j trial tor the theft of a dress mg ease con- j tabling PliiGO worth of jewellery. The \ evidence showed that the owner hiadvcr- i tentlv loir ttie dressing ease in a taxi, ihe ! prosecution sugge.-ted that Monks ami dimorals engaged the taxi, and that they j appropriated the. jewellery, a portion of j which a London pawnbroker handed over I to the police, Alcmks’s maid gave evidence I regarding the pawning of the identified j jewellery or. behalf of her mistress. A BY-ELECTION. The Hertford -by-election to till the vacancy caused by the resignation of Mr Pemberton Billing resulted as follows: Admiral Sueter 12.329 Sir itildred Garble (Coalitionist) 5.543 This is regarded as another triumph for the Anti-waste Party. [At the genera! election the result was as follows:—3!r Pemberton Billing (Ind.), 9628; Mr E. B. Bernard (N.P.), 7158; IVlr Cyril Harding (Lab.), 1679.] DE ROUGEMOXT’S CAREER. Do Rougernont died under the name of Louis Redmond. He suffered from an internal complaint brought on by a tube accident. For some years be had been living quietly in London. He had a large circle, of friends. He maintained extraordinary mental vigour till the end. During the war he invented a patent food to take the place of meat, and part of his income was derived from the proceeds of this idea. Ho married in 1915 the widow of a French stockbroker. The newspapers lengthily lecall his career, and refer to him as “the world’s greatest liar.” PUTTING DOWN BOLSHEVISM. Before fhe Italian Chamber of Deputies assembled a party of Fascists obstructed a deputy (Signor Misiano, who has been described as a Bolshevist) and told him to clear out, as a man of his character ought not to be a member, Alisiano refused to leave, and the Fascists forcibly ejected him. This resulted in the Fascists and Communists exchanging blows in the precincts of the chamber. MURDER CAPE RECALLED. A famous murder was recalled when TBs Rutherford petitioned for a divorce from Lieutenant-colonel Rutherford, who is an inmate of -Broadmoor Asylum, having been convicted in April, 1919, on a charge of murdering Major Soton. Tire suit was undefended ; but Amy Richardson, _a cousin cf the respondent, with whom misconduct was alleged, intervened and denied the misconduct. Tim judge found tne misconduct proved, tie granted a decree nisi. A stay of execution was granted. JAPAN’S STEEL INDUSTRY. The Japanese Government’s Economic Investigation Commission recon-inmended an alrnalgamatiou of the Government s private steel producing plants in order to lestoie ■ the industry, which is practically bankrupt-. . This course would obviate the necessity for ! she present large imports, would make j japan self-suppurling, and enable her to compete in the wo: Id's steel markets. STATE CONTROL OF SUGAR. ’) lie report of tne Royal Commission otr 1 rile -Cigar supply shows l hat the Exchequer will .have to meet a loss of £24,000.000. Had the .commission's recommendations regarding the selling price of sugar been accepted, the loss might have been reduced to £16,000,000. ' The commission, adds: “Our experience shows that life State control of trade is net desirable. For successful trading constant vigilance, quickness of decision, and secrecy are wanted, and these are difficult to secure in a public department. DROUGHT IN INDIA. The advent of the monsoon is awaited most anxiously, owing to the prolonged di ought, especially in Southern India, There are apprehensions of another bad year. The monsoon burst at Bombay on June 10. Good rains are being experienced throughiont the northern and eastern portions of the country, extending north wards. GENERAL ITEMS. Air Addison, Minister of Health, denies the report that he lias resigned liis office. The King and the Grown Prince of Greece left Phalerou Bay aboard a cruiser for Stnvrna. , The Standard Oil Company wan remised the price of ga-.4 1 ;u: by ly cents a gallon to 243, cents a gallon. i.ailv la-igli i showing bv. first improvement after suffering from sleeping sickness | for mv.-ral months. j The French Government is sending a milii(o y mi>si> ii. headed by Marshal JoilYe, to Japan. ding to the Genual News, there is a strong rumour in politic-,il circles that the British Government, will appeal r.> the k> ; 11 ; tv about O' lober. A vale wreeivcd i!e- Zeppelin which Germany Ininoea over to Italy in accordance with the Pence Tr« nty. 'lhe Dutch newspapers ecnli-.lly welcome Prince lliroluto. whose visit they consider will su-engi iien the I radii inns of friendship between Holland and Japan. An announcement has la cn made that I the -(’oinmonv call h Government i-o-niin’is i w il! make eight ceils nmm.iily at riji. Ihe i subsidy is to be £.12,0(10. I Airship i.'3(. carried 40 members of the j llon.se of t'ominous, including -V'; tl numbers of tile Gab net, on a trip over the North Pea, covering 200 miloc.

_ Ihe South African Assembly rejected by TO votes to 31 a motion by Air llertzog to eliminate, from the Defence Estimates a contribution to ihe British Navy of £85,000. Messages from Gallipoli state that General U rangel s army is exasperated at France's withdrawal, of all assistance, and threatens to exterminate the French forces which, • L ai ° reinforced. Official figures lelative to the cost of living- show a further fall of nine points. 1 ’? now H 9 tier cent, a 1 give the pre-war ' °,\ a * iW | of 57 points since November. tne South Andalusia express collided with a tram from Toleda near Villa Verde. L wenty persons were killed, including both drivers, and cO injured. -p newspapers adversely criticise the u j.'d or Inland Revenue’s report recoinm.mdmg that the salaries of members of tne Douse of Commons be tegarded as expenses and therefore exempt from income tax., and also recommending that lire tax Pd \i . lo I t .V' 10 pa?t r,,m * H’Kt’s be refunded. . T'.van Ifunter, speaking at the U oral* Cotton Gongress in London, said l.iat Australia could produce con on of the desned duality. lie anticipated the day B, V '? uld ’be as fully represented at t,lf r ''m Id 3 C ongress a-; America. } 1 _’ 1 " f . Commons, Colonel L. L' , J 5 * Amery (Parliamentary H»*errtai*v O tne Admiralty) stated that the total p.-b-S l , <*V«»!dm,re this year on building <epi.nl ships was £2.COO,CCO , -Marquis of Alilford Haven an- - 1 ., 0 ’~rl!. r 1! 'T tha * the Victory (Nelson's flagship) ft <!a; T° r of sinking at her mootings. urgt s a public subscription to save her lleLliul! >y “ < ‘ e,MC,,t ° ! ' steol easing around c . E'teeuc ippeyr, the last do Cendant of a L" ‘T If''my, has revealed to the Council ot tne Protestant Church at Geneva ilm (•x;..-, spot where Joint Galvin was buried m I lampahus Cemetery. The information was handed down from father to son for generations. . The chinch i- undertaking yxeavatjens in the. hope of recovering lbs J»ihlc and. ins riiio-. Experts detect “the beginning of an upv>ard trend in the wholesale trade price?, largely a-s the outcome of the depletion of stocks and the revival of foreign orders, I'Ut they issue a careful warning that if ihe boom should develop it is likely to he only short-lived. Then trade will" revert to a sounder basis. Ihe Vossische Zoitung's Vienna correspondent states that ex-Emperor Karl is preparing another attempt to regain the Hungarian throne. He intends to return to Hungary on September 20, which is a national fete day. J lie South Australian loan is quoted at Z .discount and the Tasmanian loan at |. r umneial circles are not surprised at the small public subscription, as the gilt-edged market has been stagnant owing to the absence cf ilre settlement of the coal strike, the London underwriters will receive 74 per cent, cf the South Australian loan and 75 per cent, of the Tasmanian loan. AUSTRALIAN HEWS. ’the price of milk in Sydney lias be n further increased to 9d per quart. A boy who was climbing a fence to see a football match at Brisbane touched a live wire and was electrocuted. Mr Justice Higgins has resigned the presidency of the Federal Arbitration fburt, but is retaining his position in the High Court. J fie Commonwealth Statistician reports a general increase of three per cent, in the cost of groceries in May, compared with April. A double murder is reported from BeaoonsJicld, 30 miles from Melbourne*. Frederick Siieard anil his wife, who were septuagenarians, were killed in their bed. The motive for the crime is unknown. The Diocesan Synod of ihe Anglican Church, which is siding in Brisbane, fixed the minimum stipends as follow : Diaconate, £175; priesthood (first y at . £2OO, ranging to £590 on the sixth year, with an additional £ld for each child under 14. In the Federal Douse of Representatives the tariff debate is dragging along. A combination of Government and Labour forces crushed out a series ef amendments embodying com i "ieuis s- ught by tire Country i’arty. The Melbourne Gniver.sity Council roeuinmended ihe J’lofes-o* rd Board to make provision for a diploma of journalism course, which will lie drafted by two of the teaching staff in conjunction with two members ox tile Institute of Journalists, to extend over two years. The libel action. Mr T. J. Ryan (Lead- r of Labour Pat-tv in the Federal Government) v. the Hobart Mercury, was decided in favour of defendant, with costs, on a majority verdict of nine votes to three. Mr D. S. Oman, Minister of fgrieulture in tin* Victorian Parliament, replying, to a deputation representing the wheat interests, said that he favoured control of wheat reverting to ihe commercial community at the earliest opn.irtnnity. He added that there could be’ho pool without (R.vemment control. ~ . The Women’s Australian Labour tarty has resolved that the leader of the Labour Party be asked to introduce next fOSMoit in the State Parliament a Bill providing p, r the adtnis-ion of women to Parliament. The New South Wales Cabinet- has deck! 4 to refuse the request of the farmeis to establish a private wheat pool for the next crop. If the pool system is continued it- will be under Government control. DR COPE’S EXPEDITION. The Svdney Morning Herald states that advices have been received in Sydney to the effect that Dr Cope’s expedition has reached Graham’s 1 and. in Antarctica. A considerable party if not the wlio’e force, landed at Andrord Bav on January 12. They get- a hut ashore. '1 lie landing place is at a Ire penguin rookery, which is ~ as an indication that the expedit on intends, to a enn-’-dc-extent, to rely on penguin and s'd l neat for toxb pH rURNING IMMIGRANTS. \ qi|. stion was raise-1 in the House of R. pi’i’'ciitatixes in regard to immigrants '•■lurnhig Home bv the Ormonde in coni, ~pence of vnenipio- uient. Sir Joseph (•. .' () t- \eiing Prime Mimster) stated that j. had prom to contribute £SOOO . to x; ( ~v South Wales to i lime di«tre»ed itnti if the New South Wales Govorn,fi,l likewise. The latter refused, on ifi.-. grounds that it was confronted with its own unemployment, problem. The incident is regarded as likely to damage the immigration campaign in England. i n tli,i House of Hopi-' sontnfives Mr Charlton moved the adjournment to discuss the nnsilxsfactorv arrangements made l.y the Commonwealth Government regarding

immigration. Sir Joseph Cook, replying, said that the onlv State in which trouble was experienced in placing immigrants was Xew South Wales, and was due to the Stale Government’s refusal to co-operate with the Federal authorities. The Orient Company states that most of tlie Ormonde’s steerage passengers were small tradesmen, and were not unemployed.