NEWS BY CABLE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3768, 1 June 1926, Page 49

NEWS BY CABLE.

THE WONDERFUL NURMI. BERLIN, May 24. Nurmi put up a world’s record for 3000 metres, which he covered in Bmin 25$sec. THE FRENCH PREMIER. PARIS, May 26. Official circles deny the rumour of M. Briand’s marriage and his retirement from politics. Fi"OM PARIS TO TOKIO. LONDON, May 26. The Paris correspondent of The Timec says that Lieutenant D’Oisy has started a nine-day flight to Tokio via Russia. LEAGUE OF NATIONS. GENEVA, May 28* Brazil has abandoned her opposition to Germany’s entry into the League of Nations. PHILIPPINE MOROS. MANILA, May 28 Twenty-three Moros and one member of the constabulary were killed and eight ol the constabulary were wounded in an attack on a Moro fort. KIDNAPPING" THREAT. LONDON, May 24. The Marquees of Bute has received a letter signed “British Communist” threatening to kidnap his 13-year-old son unless he paid £6OOO to charity. EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY. LONDON, May 25. A Leith shipowner, Mr Thomas Cowan, has given £IO,OOO to the Edinburgh University in appreciation of the strike services of 270 students. FEDERAL CAPITAL. MELBOURNE, May 26. In the House of Representatives Mr Bruce announced that the Federal Parliament would be officially opened at Canberra in May, 1927. POLAR RESEARCH. LONDON,'May 26. The Scott Memorial Polar Research Institute has been inaugurated at Cambridge by Mrs Hilton Young, who was formerly (Japtain Scott’s wife. DESTRUCTIVE TORNADO. SYDNEY, May 25. A tornado is the Young district caused great damage to houses, crops, and stock, demolishing everything in its path. There were many narrow escapee. GEOLOGICAL CONGRESS. MADRID, May 24. There are 53 countries, represented by 1300 delegates, at the fourteenth International Geological Congress, which was opening by the King. LABOUR DAY TRAGEDY. MELBOURNE, May 26. At the inquest concerning the deaths as the result of the level crossing smash at Boronia, the coroner returned a verdict of accidental death in all cases. GENERAL FENG. PEKING. May 27. According to Chinese reports, two Chinese attempted to assassinate General Feng-Yu-hsiang while he was inspecting an arsenal at Moscow. Feng was uninjured and his assailants arrested. NICARAGUAN REVOLT. WASHINGTON, May 26. An informal inquiry into the situation in Nicaragua, where a revolution has been in progress, was initiated on Wednesday hv the Senate’s Foreign Affairs Committee. t IMMIGRATION LAWS. WASHINGTON, May 26. The Bill to permit the entry into the United States of aliens who served in the American forces during the world war regardless of the immigration restrictions was signed by President Coolidge to-day. AVIATION DISASTER. MANILA, May 24. During a practice flight two army aeroplanes collided in mid-air at Noyort, near Nara, one bursting into flames, the other breaking in two. In both cases the pilots and lieutenants were killed. SALVAGE CLAIMS. SYDNEY, May 26. The salvage claims in connection with the rescue by the Devon >f the Eastern Moon will be settled in London. The Wonganella, in tow of the tug St. Giles, has arrived. IRISH REPUBLICANS. LONDON, May 26. Miss Mary M’Swiney has been elected President of the Sinn Fein Executive Council in succession to Mr de Valera, who recently seceded with a large following. DESCENT IN PARACHUTE. SYDNEY, May 27. Flying-Officers Wackett and Angenson successfully descended by parachute from an aeroplane at a height of 2000 ft at Richmond. This is the first time in Australia that a parachute descent has bben made from an aeroplane. CAPTAIN AMUNDSEN. NOME (Alaska), May 27 Captain Amundsen announces he will so direct to Oslo leaving Nome in June and will write a book of 100,000 words on his aerial voyage. He has re-

fused invitations to visit cities in the United States and travel through Canada. DISASTROUS EXPLOSION. NEW YORK, May 28. News from Soo Paulo states that 20 civilians and two officers were killed and an undetermined number injured on Friday when the munitions depot of the first regiment of the State Guards exploded. RURAL CREDITS. LONDON. May 29. Messrs Esson, Poison, ana Cox, New Zealand Commissioners, are returning to New Zealand by the Ormonde, sailing today, Having completed their investigations in Great Britain and Europe regarding rural credits. EMPIRE UNION. LONDON, May 28. The annual meeting' of the Empire Union resolved to increase the maximum membership of the Council from 50 to 70, of whom 35 shall be overseas representatives. This enables the Australian membership to be increased from four to six, representing all the States. CANBERRA LEASES. SYDNEY, May 30. The second auction sale of leases on the Federal capital site at Canberra realised £46,580. The banks and insurance companies paid high figures for picked positions. The values realised generally were considerably above the upset prices. AN AVIATOR’S MISHAP. LONDON. May 15. A message from Marseilles states that the aviator, Genesko, while on his way to Barcelona, aboard the “sc‘> Ilea’’ in which he proposes to fiv to America, via the Azores, broke his propeller, when 80 miles from land, and was towed back. ATTACKED BY A DOG. COPENHAGEN, May 28. King Haakon was walking with the Queens dwarf greyhounds when a large dog attacked one of the hounds which the King picked up, driving off the dog with his cane. The dog returned and jumped up and bit King Haakon on the arm. -The wound is believed to be not serious. SEIZURE OF LIQUOR. SAN FRANCISCO. May 28. The Los Angeles Times says that it is learned that the Prohibition officers seized a quantity of beer on the cruiser Hamburg. the first German warship to visit the Pacific Coast since the war. Tile i seizure followed alleged sales on the vessel in San Pedro Harbour. AEROPLANE FLIGHT. VANCOUVER, May 24. A message from Norfolk. Virginia, states: Completirg the first leg of an aeroplane flight of 6100 miles to Buenos Aires, 9enor Bernardo Duggan, an Argentine sportsman, and two companions, arrived to-day from New York. They will resume the flight to-morrow. OAKIEIGH TRAGEDY. MELBOURNE, May 27. The jury returned a verdict of not guilty at the trial of Dr MacGillicuddy and Nurse Hudson were charged with the murder of Mrs Law, whose body was discovered by the roadside at Oakleigh. An examination revealed that death was due to a certain operation. WORK OF AN ASSASSIN. PARI9, May 25. The Russian general Petlura, editor of the Russian newspaper Trident, who commanded the Ukrainians in war time, was shot dead on the Boulevard St. Michel by a Russian workman, who fired six shots, five of which were effective. The assassin was arrested. EGYPTIAN MURDERS. CAIRO, May 25. At the murder-conspiracy trial all the accused were acquitted except Fahmy, who was sentenced to death. The crowded court received the acquittals with joy. The relatives and friends, cheering wildly, shook hands and embraced the prisoners over the spiked railings. SUPPORT OF THE FRANC. PARI9, May 26. The Government has taken a further step in the direction of tightening the measures to protect the franc. Exporters are obliged to make a monthly declaration showing that they have repatriated, within three months, the sums received abrogd for their products, under a penalty of fines and imprisonment. LATE MR WOLF HARRIS. LONDON, May 24. Mr Wolf Harris, formerly of Dunedin, and one of the founders of Messrs Bing

Harris and Company, left £263,393. He bequeathed three pictures to the Dunedin Art Gallery and one to the Christchurch Art Gallery. He expressed the hope that his grandchildren would remain Jews and marry Jews. THE MUNICH SMASH. BERLIN, May 25. Thirty people were killed and 70 were injured in tne Munich railway collision. Both trains were crowded with excursionists. The last two carriages of one train were smashed to atoms, and the passengers were extricated with the greatest difficulty. Most of those killed were terribly mutilated.—Reuter.

The casualties number 33 killed and 100 injured.

FRENCH POLITICS. LONDON, May 27. Telegrams from Paris announce that wfcafc was tantamount to a vote of confidence was carried by 320 votes to 209 when tbe Chamber agreed to the Government’s demand for an adjournment of interpellations regarding the financial situation. Undoubtedly the recovery of the franc followed by the collapse of Abd-el Krim has greatly strengthened M. Briand’s position. PHILIPPINE MOROS. MANILA, May 27. A large force of constabulary massed at Tuyuga continues to attack the Moro forts. Three of the constabulary were killed and four constabulary officers and nine privates were wounded. The Moros are heavily entrenched, but one fort was captured. A Moro counter-attack was repelled by 150 of the constabulary. The Moro losses have not been ascertained, but they are believed to be more than 200. CONDITIONS IN SYRIA. DAMASCUS, May 26. Even the Bible is not above censorship, declares the Arab newspaper El Ahrad in a story of French censorship methods in Syria. Owing to the lamentable state of affairs in Syria, the El Ahrad prepared, as an editorial, the first chapter of Isaiah, containing the prophet’s bitter complaint over Judah’s rebellion and his exhortation to repentance, but the censor blotted out the lot. BRITISH BY-ELECTION. LONDON, May 29. The Hammersmith by-election which was necessary owing to the resignation of Mr E. Ashmead Bartlett, resulted as follows : Mr P. Gardner (Lab.) 13,095 Mr S. Gluckstein (Con.) ... 9484 Mr G. Murfitt (Lib.) 1974. The result of the General Ejection for the Hammersmith seat was as follows: Mr th. Ashmcad-Bartlett (Con.) 12,925; Mr J. P. Gardner (Lab.) 10,970. OUTER K OF FIRE. SYDNEY, May 30. A fire in Linden Court, Castlereagh street, early this morning trapped the caretaker’s family of six on the roof. They awoke to find the building ablaze and escape by way of stairways cut off. They flecl to the roof in their night clothes. The night was bitterly cold. The firemen after a difficult task rescued them by means of ladders from the adjoining building. The fire caused considerable damage. GENERAL PETLURA’S DEATH. LONDON, May 26. The Paris correspondent of The Times states that General Petlura’s assailant was a Russian Jew named Samuel Schwartzber, who alleges that General Petlura oppressed the Ukrainian Jews during the anti-revolutionary regime. Schwartzber, determining on vengeance, had been endeavouring to find the general for a fortnight, and shot him when he was leaving a cafe. METHODIST CONFERENCE. BRISBANE, May 29. The general conference of the Methodist Church of Australia adopted a proposal tu establish an Order of Sisterhood. The conference, after a discussion on the question of church reunion decided to ask that the basis of representation at the joi' Australian Council of Churches, contemplating reunion, should be revised, with a view to increasing the representation of non-episcopal churches. CONDITIONS IN CHINA. PEKING, May 24. The British Consul at Swatow, while removing Communist posters from the walls of the consulate, was attacked by a number of pickets. He defended himself with his walking stick, and escaped with slight injuries. Subsequently an aimed guard from a British gunboat in the harbour was posted to defend the consulate. The Chinese Commissioner was informed that the guard would remain until an official apology was tendered and assurances were given that there would be no recurrence of such acts. AUSTRALIAN FINANCE. MELBOURNE, May 28. At a meeting of the Federal Loan Council the question of the taxation of interest on loans issued and securities sold in Australia, in respect to the borrowing of other countries, was considered. It was decided to ask the Commonwealth and State Governments to consider the question of taxing interest on such loans and securities. RENAULT MOTOR WORKS. PARIS, May 28. A serious fire at the Renault Motor Works at Ballancourt, where the workers were recently on strike, started in the petrol store and spread to the tyreworks which were destroyed. The police consider that the fire in the Renault Motor Works was accidental. The workmen helped the brigade to extinguish the flames. The damage is estimated at several million francs. CANADIAN TREATIES. OTTAWA, May 28. The Prime Minister (Mr Mackenzie King) is bringing down a motion that the House of Commons shall recognise the principle that before the ratification of any treaty is advised by the Canadian Government the treaty must receive the approval of Parliament. The motion is expected to precipitate an important debate on international relations. If passed it will carry the principle of formal Par-

liamentary approval further than in Great Britain, or any of the dominions. WORLD S COMMERCE. LONDON, May 27. The King gave audience to 40 delegates to the International Parliamentary Commercial Conference. Hia Majesty, in recalling the 1918 conference, when only eight collieries were represented, said he thought the present encouraging increase indicated a general desire to assist in making reparation for the injuries that the war had inflicted on the world’s commerce. His Majesty picked out from the conference agenda the production and distribution of coal, shipping law, and Customs, which he declared were of vital importance to Britain and doubtless to other countries. RESERVOIR BURSTS. TOKIO, May 26. A report from Akita states that this afternoon, with a tremendous roar, the Mayama irrigation reservoir in the Akita prefecture, in Northern Japan, burst its banks, sweeping away half the town of Kitaura. Accurate details are not available owing to the interruption of communications.- It is officially announced that many buildings were washed away. The dead bodies of five men and 15 women so far have been discovered. It is presumed that the casualties will be comparatively small, as the disaster took place in the daytime. MURDERED DETECTIVES. PERTH, May 25. An important development in connection with the murder of Detectives Walsh and Pitman occurred when the police found the bicycles of the dead men hidden in a clump of scrub, apparently just as the owners had left them. On Walsh’s cycle was a parcel of food, and on Pitman’s a water bag half-full of water. About 500 yards away was found portion of a gold-treatment plant, with indications that a considerable quantity of gold had been treated. There were also signs that a great struggle had occurred near the plant. There is little doubt that the murders were committed at that spot. FRANC FORGERIES. BUDAPEST, May 26 Sentences of four years’ penal servitude were passed on the ex-Chief of Police, Dr Nadossy, and Prince Windischgraetz, and tyo years on Geroe, adviser to the Cartographical Institute in connection with the forged franc note affair. Two other members of the Cartographical Institute and Prince Windischgraetz’s secretary, Baba, and the other accused received sentences ranging from eighteen months to one months’ imprisonment. Baross, director of the savings bank, and Szoertoye, vice-director of the National Union, were acquitted. Appeals were lodged by the prosecution fer more severe sentences and by the defendants for mitigation. AVIATION. TOKIO, May 28. Botved, the Danish aviator, has arrived at Heiio, Korea. NEW YORK. May 28. A giant multi-motored airplane capable not only of carrying, but of providing sleeping accommodation for 35 to 40 passengers, is now under construction from designs furnished by Fokker, at his factory at Amsterdam (Holland). The machine is designed primarily for thing in America, and may be used to inaugurate trans Continental passenger service from -New York to San Francisco. The fuselage of the machine is built in two sections, the upper part of which can be converted into sleeping berths. The machine will have three or more motors so that it can be navigated with one engine out of commission. It is expected that tbe machine will make a transcontinental flight in from 20 to 30 hours as against nearly four days by train. Fokker said the future of aviation in the .United States was very great and it may be expected that America will ultimately THE BRITISH LEGION. LONDON May 24. At the British Legion Conference considerable feeling was shown over a resolution protesting against the action of the headquarters of the Legion in issuing a statement in the Pres 6 calling on all ex-servicemen to offer their services to preserve law and order on the occasion of a general strike. The resolution was defeated. The conference passed a resolution in favour of urging the International Federation of ex-Servieemen to convene a meeting with the ex-servicemen’s organisations of ex-enemy countries which are genuinely working in the interests of goodwill, with a view to devising ways and means of collaboration. • NAVIES OF THE AIR. LONDON, May 24. Plans are being prepared for summer air manoeuvres to test the latest aviation tactics. Air formations will be drilled like infantry battalions by means of wireless, and mock combats will be fought by fast single-seaters fitted with camera guns. Exercises will be carried out attacking camps by means of bombs, air torpedoes, and catapaults, including centripetal attacks in which a dozen machines will converge from all sides upon a target. Recent flights with camera, guns suggest that twin-engined machines are superior to the single seaters, but the advocates of tiie latter complain that the test was not realistic enough to approximate war conditions. It is hoped to stage the trials better at the coming manoeuvres.

INSEPCTION OF MIGRANTS. GENEVA, May 27. A simplification of the inspection of migrants on board ship was the chief subject discussed at the International Labour

Conference which was opened yesterday morning. There was a clear indication that certain interested States were desirous of the adoption of a convention on the subject despite the fact that only 11 out of the 50 members pprovingly replied to the questionnaire. Britain intimated that a convention was undesirable and also outside the competence of the Labour Office. The Director, Mr Thomas, replied that the delegates only expected to lay down rules for the purpose of simplifying the inspection and avoiding the duplication and disputes which hitherto have been evident. THE MONEY MARKET. LONDON, May 25. As a result of the strike the long queue of applicants for loans in London is creating uncertainty in regard to the time and! order of issue. It is stated that New Zealand is issuing : a loan shortly, probably borrowing ; £6,000,000 at 5 per cent, at 98£ or 99. This will probably be followed by Victoria and British East Africa, and also by many loans under the Trade Facilities Act. In addition, numerous housing loans will be issued by the British municipalities and the Treasury is expected to enter the market in October in connection with the first of the large Government loans maturing in 1927. Therefore, in view of the heavy demands the underwriters ad- ’ vise the most severe pruning of require-' ments. THE NAURU MANDATE. * MELBOURNE, May 27. v The report to the League of Nations on the administration of Nauru was tabled in the House of Representatives. The Administrator replies to ouestions addressed to him by the League on the subject of slavery by stating: —“Slavery does not exist on the island, therefore there is no necessity to take any step 9 to ensure its suppression. No particular legislation has been enacted to ensure * the prohibition of forced labour, bub forced labour for any purpose, even for public works and services, is not permitted. The recruiting of Nauruan native ' labour is not practised, the men as a rule ; being employed by the dav, week, or month. Neither is recruiting in Nauru for other territories permitted. Very few of the natives care for any kind sustained work.” A HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE. LONDON, May 24. f The Westminister Gazette’s political \ correspondent states that Signor Mussolini ) is secretly negotiating for Vatican support for Italian expansion on the lines of a Holy Roman Empire. The bargain in-; eludes the settlement of the question of' the Papacy’s temporal power, giving the Pope actual territory on the Vatican side of the River Tiber. Signor Mussolini hopes to profit by the Vatican’s troubles in France and Jugo-Slavia, and to gain the Pope’s blessing and interest in Fascist internal policy and external expansion. Italian officers are alread- wearing wrist watches upon which are miniature maps of Imperial Italy, which includes Nice and Malta. The prime mover at the Vatican is not the Pope, who is actually worried and anxious, but a powerful personage behind the Papal throne who threatens to resign whenever the Pope expresses his misgivings too forcibly. WORLD PARLIAMENT. LONDON, Jlay 2b. \ Thirty-four countries, including Australia. New Zealand, South Africa, and India, were represented at the twelfth assembly of the International Parliamen- | tary Conference, which opened in the. Koval Gallery in the House of Lords, > sir Philip Cunliffe Lister (president of j. the Board of Trade), in welcoming the delegates on behalf ol the Government, said that parliamentary commercial committees had been established in 30 countries, showing that the moverqgnt had met a national and international need. ( The extent of its activities was apparent’ in the agenda, in which shipping, improve* ment of. the facilities for world trade, coal, agricultural credits and company* law figured. Their work would not be , complete unless the delegates impressed > upon their Governments the need for plain / unequivocal international agreements and uniform simultaneous action following on them. WORLD COMMERCE. LONDON, May 25. The International Parliamentary Commercial Conference passed a resolution recognising the extreme desirability of arriving at uniform international legislation fox the universality of bankruptcy laws, and recommended, as a transitional measure to that end, the conclusion of inter-state conventions. LONDON, May 26. At the International Parliamentary Conmercial Conference, Sir Frederick Lewis read a paper in which he dwelt on the enormous losses incurred in the State ownership of shipping, instancing the United States, Australia, and Canada. He declared that Governments should not embark in commerce, and moved a resolution w declaring that the true basis of international commerce was the freedom of ’ the seas, accompanied by equal opportune. ity for ships of all nations at all ports,/ The resolution was carried. . GREAT FEAT OF SPEED. LONDON, May 24. Brooklands was the centre of an enormous holidav throng when Mr Parry Tnomas and “Babs” provided a sensation bv roaring round the track at the rate of 160 miles an hour. Thev course was only built for a maximum speed of 120 miles. The onlookers held their breath as “Babs” dashed round the curve at such a tremendous pace that she missed'* plunging over the edge of the slope by inches only.