THE UNITED STATES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3594, 30 January 1923, Page 19

THE UNITED STATES.

A WALL STREET RECORD. NEW Y r ORK, January 21. The District Attorney’s Office has announced that 154 stock and brokerage firms in Wall street failed during the last 15 months, causing the loss of 100,000,000 dollars. The assets of these firms were less than 10,000,000 dollars. There is considerable agitation for a law licensing stockbrokers, who hitherto have been disciplined by the Stock Exchange organisations, which are violently opposing the measure. The unsettled market conditions, joined with actual malfeasance on the part of the bankrupt firms’ officials, have caused the unprecedented number of failures. MUTINY IN GAOL. WASHINGTON, January 23. At Baltimore 14 persons were shot and three guards injured when 100 prisoners in the Maryland House of Correction revolted. The mutineers were finally subdued after four hours’ desperate battle. The trouble arose when the prisoners were breakfasting. They complained of the food and attacked the warders with chairs and broken furniture. The guards were finally forced to use their rifles and pistols. They fired over the heads of the rioters, but 14 were hit by rebounding bullets. LABOUR DEMANDS JUSTICE. WASHINGTON, January 23. Mr Gompers has asked the authorities in the State of Arkansas to take action to punish the mob at Harrison. Mr Gompers’s statement says Properly constituted authority in Arkansas can vindicate itself only by the speedy determination of the responsibility and the adequate punishment of those guilty of one of the worst atrocities in our time. It is only fair to state, where there is so much animosity to Labour, that it will do its duty. PROHIBITION LAW. NEW i'ORK. January 23. At Gary, Indiana, 60 persons were arrested, including the mayor of the city, the sheriff, the prosecuting attorney, arid justices of the peace, as a result of indictments by a Federal grand jury arising from the investigations of an alleged “bootleg” ring, which, it is said, made 100,000 dollars out of the illicit liquor traffic in the steel centres. ARMENIAN REFUGEES. V’ASHINGTON, January 23. The House of Representatives Immigration Committee has rejected the proposal to admit 2500 Armenian refugee orphans to America. ASSISTING FARMERS. WASHINGTON, January 24. The Senate’s Agricultural Committee ha* ordered a favourable report on a Bill to stimulate the prices of farm products by creating a credit of 250,000,000 dollars for foreign buyers. STATE CONTROL IN EMERGENCY. WASHINGTON, January 25. Senator Bookhand has introduced a Bill in the Senate authorising the President to seize and operate the coal mines in case of a national emergency. The Bill provides that a national emergency may be declared at any time that the President believes that the coal supply ’a inadequate to meet the national needs. The operators will be compensated by an amount not exceeding the net earnings for the period of seizure. KU KLUX KLAN. NEW YORK, January 25. In closing the preliminary inquiry at Bastrop in connection with the murder of Daniel Richards, the State Attorney directly charged the Ku Klux Klara with being responsible for serious outrages, culminating in this murder. He announcedhis intention of going before the Grand Jury and asking for indictments against numbers of the Klansmen who were referred to during the investigation.

JAPANESE IN HAWAII. WASHINGTON, January 25. A special Labour Department Commis sion, which was appointed to investigate labour conditions in the island possessions, reported that the Japanese are acquiring domination in the Hawaiian Islands, which is a menace to the national defence and the welfare of the American citizens. The report states that the Japanese largely control the islands business, and have defeated the purpose of the Japanese “gentlemen’s agreement” by a policy of parental adoption and tlie importation of the so-called “picture brides.” The report urges immediate legislation to stop these practices, and declares that :1 the islands are to remain under assured American control politically, then the industrial, commercial, social, and educational life must also be American. TOKIO, January 26. Baron Uchida (Minister of Foreign Affairs) stated in the Diet that the newlyappointed ambassador, M. Ham Hara, was sailing for the United States, and would re-open negotiations despite the Supreme Court’s adverse decision concerning Japanese citizenship. TARIFF ANOMALIES. WASHINGTON, January 25. One of the most curious anomalies In the tariff schedule was brought out when Senator Smith (Carolina) announced that, through heroic efforts last year, he had succeeded in getting admitted to the free list white arsenic, the basic constituent of calcium arsenate, the only known medium to fight the boll weevil, which is considered the greatest menace to American agriculture. The production of arsenic, he said, is inadequate to supply the demand for this purpose, but the tariff nevertheless, makes arsenic, when imported in the form of chemicals, a compound which is charged 25 per cent, ad valorem. Tile Tariff Commission had informed him that it was very sorry, but it was unable to do anything. Senator Smith is now appealing to President Harding to adjust the matter under the flexible provisions of the tariff. He pointed out that the cotton industry was gravely menaced by the boll weevi 1 .