NEWS BY CABLE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3614, 19 June 1923, Page 40

NEWS BY CABLE.

TAX ON BETTING. LONDON, June 14. ihe Betting Tax Committee listened to an expert- witness from the Customs Board to explain tho scheme ior collecting the tax. It is proposed to issue at post offices tickets costing od, Is, os, and ie/s, wfiicii will oe punened. Bookmakers will be required to deiace each ticket, preventing tile stemped tickets being- used again. Tins will be done °y a beu-punch similar m those ol tram conductors. the Chairman: Would a punch be possible m a great rush before a racer Witness: j hero is bound to be inconvenience m the collection oi all taxes. \\ hen a bookmaker is supplied with every kind of ticket mere should i.ot be any d.fiicutiy. iue scheme recommends that licenses should be issued to pffiees icr booking bets to replace street betting. A personal license on similar lines to mat for an auctioneer snould be issued lor bookmakers, and a separate license tor each betting office. Betting could be either cash, credit, or lotaiisalor. TRADE RETURN'S. I he imports increased dur.ng May by £7,oo4,iiiv, and the exports oy £ 15,5aJ,5it, and the re-exports by x. 2,5045,52 7. hue principal increases were: Imports— Dutiable toed and drink, £2,7 (6,547; wood and umber, £jL,v7o,!#oo. Exports —Coal, nl. /58, ibj; iron and steel manufactures, £2,079,126; machinery, £1,121,277; cotton yarn manufactures, £1,312,017. rhe principal uec-reascs were; Imports Gram and hour, £2,876,550, raw cotton, £2,595,645; ra\v wool, £1,679,344. Experts. \ emeics, £1,209,668. THE QUEEN MOTHER. A big effort is being made ihis year to break ihe Queen Alexandra rose day record:.- by collecting £60,050, be.ng £I(X"0 for each year since tne Queen-MotTier came to England. thirty thousand collectors held possession of the London streets and tne provincial towns also participated in collecting. A box of roses irom Buckingham Palace was auctioned and reauctioucd at Christie’s, and realised £1632. Jessie \Vairen, aged five, with her Irish terrier, collected £SOOO. Queen Alexandra and Princess Victoria drove through the city inspecting the stalls, and they had ihe heartiest reception. FRAUDULKNT BANKRUPTCTES. At a trial at tho Old Bailey counsel made the startling statement that textile merchants at iiradiord during the last two years had lost at least £2,030,000 owing to traudulent bankruptcies m London. Frederick Rawlings v.as sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment for obtaining goods by lalse pretenec-s. It was alleged that he used the goods to flood the market at under cost price, so that the manufacturers were in competition with their own goods, which were never paid for. Rawlings commenced as a textile merchant in 1921. He obtained goods on credit from Bradford and the North of France by saying that he was selling direct to Australia. His deficiency was finally £54,000, but counsel said that the conspiracy was much more extensive. Rawlings was not the guiding brains in the affair. A CROSS OF SACRIFICE. There was an impressive ceremony at Cairo when Lord Alienby unveiled a cross of sacrifice and placed wreaths on a stone of remembrance at El Kuntara Cemetery, in the presence of Anzac representatives and representatives of the French, Italian, Greek, and Egyptian Governments and tfie British Army. The El lvantara Cemetery holds 1626 graves of all ranks, mostly men who were killed at the batrle of Romani in August of 1916, including 113 New Zealanders. Wreaths were deposited on behalf of the Australian and New Zealand Governments by Major and Mrs Burkland. ITALIAN GIRL ELECTROCUTED. Sightseers at a village fete in Northern Italy were horrified witnesses cf the electrocution cf a beautiful girl, Nina Pancaera, who was known as “the human fish.” While she was giving a performance in a large tank of water, which was charged with electricity sufficient to give a slight shock, the spectators were invited to shake hands with "her. Accidentally the current was increased to too high a voltage. This caused the swimmer to become rigid, and she sank to the bottom. When taken out of the tank she was dead. QUIET WEDDINGS. The marriage of Lady Mary Cambridge to the Marquis of Worcester at St. Margaret’s Church was shorn of much of its brilliance (including the cancelling of a big reception) owing to the Court mourning. The King, Queen, and other members of the Royal Family were present, and took leave of the couple at the church gale. The bride was dressed in a white silver brocade dress, beautiful but simple. Frauleiu Amalia Ebert, daughter of the German President, married Franz Jaenick. The bride wore the simplest dress, made by tier mother and herself. One of the witnesses was the chauffeur of the presidential car, in which the couple drove off to a fourroomed dwelling. The President was unable to attend the wedding, as he was holding a conference with financial experts regarding reparations. CURE FOR CANCER. The Empire Cancer Research Fund is receiving donations at the rate of £IOOO daily. The receipts already amount to £34,CTO. Authorities point out that 126 persons die of cancer daily in Great Britain. The only means of dealing with the problem is to subsidise ami extend research in every direction. A TRYING TIME. Rescued after 19 days in a small open boat, Francis Plantagenct, who was believed to have perished in Lie French fishing boat Raymond, lost off Newfoundland Banks, told a tragic story of suffering and death. When the Raymond foundered Plantagenct and three companions embarked in a small boat. Three days later their provisions were exhausted. They sighted a ship on the sixth day, but thensignals were unobserved. Suffering from hunger, thirst, and exposure, their only relief was obtained by sucking ice winch

drifted near. Jhe derelicts lingered on tn! the fourteenth day, when Albert Crepine! died in Iris father’s arms. On the srxSeenth day another sailor died, and T lantagenet was left with the elder CreP* ne J-, They had given up hope, when the l-rench boat Carioca rescued them with tnen- feet frozen and almost on the point cf death. huge submarine. Ihe woiid s largest and most powerful submarine, XI, is to be launched at Chatham recently. The ceremony will be private. Details of the vessel are a closely-guarded secret, but the craft will have - displacement of 36C0 tons when submerged, whioli is 1400 tons greater than tiie largest German submarine. REPUTATION FOR CANDOUR. Dr David, Bishop of St. Edmundsbury r is establishing a reputation for candottr. He recently disturbed some people by the announcement thai he intended to go to ' ue races to learn more about them before declaring horse racing nicked. Now he is urging his church p ei pie to raise funds to establish a maternity home, which, he 7 '' 3 7 ; is particularly needed for unmarried mothers. Dr David frankly admits that he anticipates objections, but lie declares that he lias carefully considered the subject, and has decided that such a home is necessary. VESUVIUS ACTIVE. A telegram from Naples says thal Vesuvius is showing increased activity. The ~nc* e le <ratel ' Ail" collapsed, leaving a “O' t gap, through which a torrent of lava ern and south-western slopes into livers of em and south- western slopes into rivers of hre. Numerous small craters have opened on the slopes. The villagers at the foot of the slopes are removing- their belongings. OFFICER RUNS AMOK. A junior officer on the American vessel Brace Ccenr became suddenly insane. He shot the captain and the wireless operator (named Stewart), hes.des wounding a seaman. Tne crew succeeded in keeping the madman in his cabin till the ship’s arrival in Lisbon, where ihe police boarded the ship. The unfortunate man then committed suicide. TRAGEDY IN ITALY. The Naples correspondent of the Daily Mail reports that a rejected suitor named Potonna hired five masked bandits to kidnap a Neapolitan girl named Laurence Carbone. They surprised her, with her sister Marie, gathering flowers. They bound Laurence with ropes Marie, in attempting to rescue her sister, was shot dead. Laurence's beauty is renowned. Potonna swore that he would force her to marry him. PRICE-FIXING. The South African Union Legislative Assembly discussed a Labour motion to empower the GovernorGeneral, c.n a re ommendation < f the Board of Trade, to control wholesale and retail prices of supplies, if necessary, to protect the public from the effect of agreements in restraint of trade by trusts ami combines controlling monopolies. General Smuts (Prime Minister) said the motion went too far. TTie vesting of power of investigation in a board which would report .to Parliament wouid be sufficient. The House could then say what action would be necessary. GENERAL ITEMS. The Merchandise Marks Committee has decided upon the compulsory marking of imported honey. German waiters are appearing in the West End in large numbers, especially where the managers are German. The Daily Chronicle says that Mr Bonar Law’s friends are gravely concerned over his health. Gainsborough's famous painting of his two daughters, which was recently auctioned at 2900 guineas, has been acquired for the National Gallery. The Persian Government has again resigned. Difficulty is anticipated in finding anyone who will accept the Premiership. The King is keenly interested in the importation of Canadian cattle. He has ordered a herd from the Canadian Government for his Sandringham farm, Norfolk. Representatives of Norway. Sweden, Denmark, Germany, and Finland are conferring cn possible joint measures against the smuggling of liquor. Divers located the wreck of the P. and O. steamer Egypt. which was sunk near Ushant oil May 20.. 1922. One million sterling in bullion which was on board is expected to be recovered. A typhoon which swept Samar Island Philippines, killed 13 persons and rendered thousands homeless. Tin; natives are on the verge of starvation, and all their homes have been blown down. A telegram from Port Sudan reports that the steamer Maiden, of 8205 tons, has sunk, and the passengers are proceeding to their destinations in the steamer Warwickshire. Official reports from Kabul state that two Sbinwaris tribesmen, who are accused of the murders of Majors Orr and Anderson, .of the Seaforth Highbinders, ai Lie beginning of April, have been arrested by Lie Afghan authorities and sent to Jcllahabad for trial. The Spectator congratulates Mr Massey on reintroducing penny postage. It says that this is not Lie first occasion that New Zealand lias given n lead to Lie Empire. The reintroduction is proof of the Dominion's financial soundness The firm of riir Titus Salt and Sons, of Salta ire, has been converted into a limited liability company with a capital of fiI.COO.OGO in ordinary shares. £1.200.000 7 per cent, preference shares, and £1.200,v00 6 ner cent. ielx-Tilures. The death is announced of Mr Maurice Hewlett, author: aged 62. Ho was called to the Bar in 1891. He was the author of the pastoral plav in two acts. “Pan and the Young Shepherd, ’’ and “The Youngest of the Angels”; also of several novels, including “The Forest Lovers.” “Richard Yca-and-Nav.” and “The Queen’s Quair.” An incident unique in ihe history of the British Army is reported. General Higginson. aged 97. “the Father of the Guard.” inspected the Grenadier Guards at Victoria Barracks. The general was veryactive, and walked from his car to tho parade ground. The first day’s sale of Sir Anthony Rothschild's furniture at Christie’s totalled £63.600, including four panels of Gobelin tapestry for 15.C00 guineas, a Louis Quinze fable for 4700 guineas, and a writing (able belonging to Lie ill-fated Princess Dc Lambelle, for 35C0 guineas.

In the heait of the city of -Milan three men assaulted two clerks who were carrying jewels to the value of £156,000 to a place of safety, robbed them, and made off in a motor ear. They tired on the police, who chased them in another motor car, and got away with the spoil. F'or a collection of first editions of Rudyard Kipling's works an offer of £560 was declined at Sotheby’s rooms. London. A presentation copy of ‘’Schoolboy Lyrics realise.-! £228. Sir Janies Allen was the guest of honour at the Xtw Zealand students’ Oxford dinner in Alasrdalen (Allege. New Zealand students from Cambridge were also present. The Daily Mail’s Paris correspondent says that a Bill will be introduced into the French Chamber providing for building a railway across the Sahara Desert from Oran (a Mediterranean port in Western Algeria) to the Gold Coast. Because the authorities cf Durango City, Mexico, limited to 25 the number of clergymen allowed to represent each denomination. 3000 enraged Roman Catholics stormed the Provincial Palace. Ten were killed. The trouble grew out of what was intended as a demonstration of protest against the new law.