NEWS BY CABLE,

Otago Witness, Issue 3512, 5 July 1921, Page 36

NEWS BY CABLE,

GERMANY DISARMING. The date which was allotted to Germany to complete disarmament under the London Agreement expired on June 30. It is officially reported that Germany Iras progressed substantially towards compliance with the conditions laid down. WAR CRIMINALS. The trial of Lieutenant-general Stonger, whom the French charged with issuing an order to slaughter wounded and iniwounded prisoners, and of Major Oureins, who is charged with shooting prisoners, has begun at Leipzig. Stengcr denies killing- prisoners. He admitted that he told the troops to deal with Frenchmen who pretended death and then fired on the Germans from trees and on the ground in the rear, but he never embodied the words in a formal order. ASSISTED EM IGR ATI ON. The Emigration Committee favours the Government's £2,000,000 scheme subject to the consideration of details. Colonel L. V. M. S. Amery is conferring with the Prime Ministers individually lor the purpose of ascertaining the receptive emigration capacity of each Dominion. Canada is temporarily unreceptive. South Africa does not want emigrants with less than £2OOO capital. OLD PARTY SYSTEM PASSING. Mr Lloyd George, addressing the executive of the Welsh National Liberal Council. said that the ok! party system was certain to pass away. There were to bo two parties, of which the Coalition would represent oi.e. Labour, with perhaps the Socialist element, would represent the ether. 1 here were many Liberals who did not see eye to eye with l.im, but he recognised that they were actuated by the best of motives. Was it in the best interests that they should remain outside the machine of Government or have tlieir hands on the control of the levers? He felt that fertile Liberals to stand aside, coldly critical and divorced from the great constructive work which had been done, was to march

Liberalism into a hopeless defile in the mountains. BANKERS AND WOOL REALISATION. Australasian bankers, interviewed with reference to Air Higgins’s criticism of their attitude toward the British and Australian Wool Realisation Association, deny that they have shown hostility thereto. Their view, winch was adopted in fullest agreement with the merchants, was that greater advantage would aceiruo front the disposal of the now clip in order to provide tlie sinews of war with which to ease the exchange position, as compared with "BawraV’ plan. They emphasise that the bankers acted as owners and trustees, and also point out that only half the proceeds from the “Bawra” sales belongs to growers, tlie remainder going to the British Government,, and therefore not helping tlie Australian exchange. A STOLEN PICTURE. An altar piece by Botticelli was stolen from the Church of Saint Felice, Florence, Italy. It was recovered in a sensational manner. A detective, posing as a wealthy .trench picture buyer, got in touch with the thiet, and arranged to buy the picture if it was brought in a cab to the public square. When the thief came in the cab he found a party of police instead of the buyer. An accomplice inside the cab and the cabman opened lire with revolvers. A sharp light ensued, in which the thieves escaped, leaving the pictuie unharmed in the cab. ITALIAN POLITICS. Tbo Italian Chamber carried a motion of confidence in Signor Giolitti’s foreign policy by 234 votes to 200. The Prime Aimister obtained a large majority on the internal policy. Despite these vqtes the Cabinet resigned, the action being due to loyalty towards Signor Siorza, whose foreign policy caused strong opposition. On receipt of the news that Signor Sforza had ceded the port of Baross to Jugo Slavia, a force of Arditi occupied the port, but they have since been isolated by Carabinieri, who were despatched to oust the rebels. Although all parties have been consulted, they have informed the King that only Signor Giolitti is able to carry on. The latter, however, refuses to form a Ministry, and the task has been entrusted to Signor Denicola, President of Chamber of Deputies. BOMB THROWN AT SERBIAN PRINCE. During the Sarajevo anniversary a bomb was thrown at the Serbian Prince Regent’s carriage as he left the National Assembly after taking the oath in connection with the new Constitution. The bomb foil among the crowd. One person was killed and six were seriously injured. The Prince and the Prime Minister were unhurt. A WASHINGTON STATUE. The statue of George Washington, which was presented to the British Government by Virginia, was unveiled in Trafalgar square, London. It was a picturesque ceremony, a number of American Civil War veterans wearing old Republican uniforms participating. Lord Curzon accepted the gift on behalf of the Government, He said it was a symbol of affection and a sign that the two great English-speaking nations now and henceforth were indissolubly one. They could never fight each other again.- That was axiomatic, but he would like to add that we ought never to quarrel again. We could, if we would, direct our joint forces to prevent other nations fighting. A GREAT ADMINISTRATOR DIES INSOLVENT. The Daily Express states that General Sir John Steven Cowans died insolvent. His case illustrates the tragic irony of State service. General Cowns controlled stores valued at hundreds of millions of pounds, and he fed the army in Flanders and Mesopotamia. His personal fortune was estimated at £BOOO, yet it was swallowed up in debts. He died worth less than a small trader, and his widow is utterly unprovided for. FRANCE’S CHINESE BANK FACTS. The Paris correspondent of the Times reports that the Banque Industrielle de Chino, established in 1913, with the object of developing French trade in China and the Far East, has suspended payment. The, news created a most disquieting impression owing to coinciding with the reopening of acti\ities in China, of a huge German Deutsche Asiatische Bank. It is feared that the result of the immense ramifications involved in the failure will involve others. CROP FAILURE IN RUSSIA. Reports from Moscow state that there was a great,failure of crops which is spreading- southwards, and starvation menaces 25,'0C0,000 people in Eastern Russia. GENERAL ITEMS. It is announced that Lord Northcliffe will visit Australia this year. The preliminary results of tlie census show that the European population of the South African Union is 1,523,424. Air Larkin is continuing the management of the Commonwealth Steamship Line pro tem. The King visited the Royal Agricultural Show at Derby, which he inspected, and complimented the exhibitors on the display. The census returns give the population of France as 36,000,000, excluding a large number of troops on the Rhineland. The figures represent a decrease of the 1911 total of 2,300,000. The German Reichsbank till July 3 is exchanging German and foreign gold, offering 300 paper marks for a 20-mark gold piece, and 42,500 paper marks for a kilogram of fine gold. The Polish insurgents have completed the evacuation of the disputed zone in Silesia. A similar German movement is proceeding. T.e Temps (Paris) says that King Alfonso of Spain is visiting London to obtain England’s help against, France in regard to Tangier. Miss M. Jelliooe, aged 90, died at South ampton. She was an aunt of Lord Jelliooe. Aliss Catherine Jellicoe. a sister, celebrated her lOOt’ii birthday in September. Owing to the discovery that wild rodents are affected with plague, and that there is a danger of the disease becoming endemic, the South African Government is organising a national rat campaign. The Commonwealth Shipping Line has decided to extend the oversea service, so as to cater for the Australian trade to Germany. A steamer is now loading for Hamburg and Antwerp.

In the House of Commons Mr Chamberlain said that it was impossible this session to introduce legislation providing for the reconstruction of the House of Lords. He stated that the Government hoped to submit proposals early next session. I ladivostock correspondent states that General Semenoff declined the Japanese Commander-m-Chief’s advice to leave Siberia m order to stop political excitenient. He secretly left, his ship, proceeding to Nikolaievsk, where His followers are gathered. Ihe \ ladivostock authorities are arresting SemenofE adherents, and serious tiouhie is brewing. Tlie South African Acting Prime Minister announced in tne course of a debate on mine churches in the Union and how far uiey are associated with political propaganda, that there were no fewer than 106 native denominations entirely under native coxi .1,0" He added that the Government "as. instituting an inquiry into the Bulhoek ment anC 1on ° ln of t,le Israelite moveThe Berlin correspondent of the Daily Chronicle draws attention to the number of secessions from the Evangelical Church of 14P non’ m, seceßS,oris in 1919 numbered i, ’ ULJ - , lf . le movement developed during rne revolution, and is attributed partly to ■offi.’f 'tW L: ! X ’ !’ :it m;,inl y t( > the general belief that the Evangelical Church is the .nstiument of militarist Germany.