NEWS BY CABLE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3861, 13 March 1928, Page 49

NEWS BY CABLE.

J. AMERICA AND FRANCE. WASHINGTON, March 5. The Senate ratified the Franco-American Arbitration Treaty. . EMPEROR OF JAPAN. TOKIO, March 8. The Emperor is suffering from catarrh, but is reported to be improving. POOR LAW RELIEF. RUGBY, March 5. At the end of December, 1,236,000 men, women, and children were receiving poor law relief, compared with 632,000 in 1913 A DISASTROUS FIRE. DELHI, March 7. Fire at Ellore, in the Kistna district of Madras, destroyed 2000 houses. Ten thousand workers are homeless, and many are dead and injured. , ZINC CONCENTRATES. LONDON, March 8. The Board of Trade Estimates include £2,037,000 for the purchase of Australian zinc concentrates, the sales of which are expected to return £1,502,000. PRINCESS MARY. LONDON, March 8. Princess Mary and Viscount Lascelles have left for Egypt, where they will spend a month a® the guests of Lord Lloyd, touring the Nile and visiting the Pyramids. MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. WASHINGTON, March 8. Mr H. C. Hoover predicted that the Mississippi Valley would sufficiently recover from the flood disaster to produce a full cotton crop this year. THE GERMAN NAVY. BERLIN, March 5. The Reichstag Budget Committee sanctioned by 16 votes to 12 the first instalment of £500,000 to construct a battle cruiser to protect the Baltic. RUSSIAN FISHERMEN. MOSCOW. March 6. Aeroplanes discovered fishermen who had been carried from Mopjovetz Islands on an ice-pack. They dropped them food and warm clothing, and an ice-breaker is being sent to their rescue. THE FRENCH IN MOROCCO. RABAT, March 8. The Aitwadrim tribe, numbering 12,000, has submitted unconditionally to the French, enabling them to enter into a part of Morocco hitherto closed to European influence. BRITAIN AND GERMANY. BERLIN, March'6. Dr Curtius (Minister of Economic Affairs) announced that the Reichstag was cancelling the trade agreement with Britain with the object of renewing it on a different basis. AMERICAN UNEMPLOYED. WASHINGTON, March 5. The Senate adopted Senator Wagner’s resolution requesting the Secretary of Labour to investigate the extent of unemployment in the United States, after a sharp debate, in which Presidential politics were aired. GAS IN WARFARE. MOSCOW, March 8. The Soviet’s Central Executive ratified the Geneva Protocol against the use of poison gas in warfare with the reservation to be free to retaliate against those violating it. DEATH ON H.M.S. DUNEDIN. APIA, March 10 A member of the crew of the H.M.S. Dunedin lost his reason and died on Thursday night from wounds received while being secured. An inquest is proceeding.

A VALUABLE NECKLACE. LONDON, March 7. The assessors offer £5OOO reward for the recovery of a £60,000 necklace of cream rose pearls, lost in post transit between the jewellers Jrom Paris to London. AMIR OF AFGHANISTAN. RUGBY. March 8. The programme of the visit of the Amir of Afghanistan to England is of a comprehensiveness without parallel in. any previous visit of foreign rulers. He will -see every phase of British life—military, naval, usual, industrial, and social. FRENCH ARTILLERYMEN. LONDON, March 7. The Paris correspondent of The Times states that a Communist insulted an artillery- picket at Troyes whom a hostile crowd attacked. The artillerymen fixed bayonets, charged, and dispersed the attackers, injuring several. CONSPIRACY TO SWINDLE. HONOLULU, March 5. Eleven persons, including three women have been indicted by the territorial grand jury on charges linking them with a conspiracy to swindle Thomas Needham,

HONOLULU, March 5.

an English visitor, of 140,000d0l in a fake race-track betting game. GERMAN WAR CLAIMS. BERLIN, March 5. In consequence of Langkopp’s visit the War Claims Department has received many threatening letters from dissatisfied ex-soldiers. The authorities have become alarmed, and have closed the whole building. LEAD TETRAETHYL. RUGBY, March 6. The Minister of Health announced that immediate steps were being taken to set up a committee of inquiry regarding the effects of the use of petrol containing lead tetraethyl. The committee would be asked to present a report with the least possible delay. EX-KAISER’S SISTER. BERLIN, March 7. The ex-Kaiser’s sister failed in an attempt to prevent publication of a book describing the romance of a court ruled by a person of historic fame, but the judge granted her power to suppress photographs of herself and Zoubkoff taken together. * THE NATIONAL DEBT. LONDON, March 6. Mr Churchill was asked in the House of Commons to try to induce the recent anonymous donors of sums for debt deduction to disclose their names, in order that the movement would be stimulated by force of good example. Mr Churchill did not think this desirable. A MOTHER’S SACRIFICE. QUEBEC, March 6. Ten lives were lost when fire destroyed the home of Mrs Thomas at Cliche Valley Junction. His wife, eight children, and father-in-law. perished. The mother gave her life in an attempt to save the children. Sh e entered the blazing house, and was not seen again. UNEMPLOYED IN BRITAIN. RUGBY, March 6. Unemployment continues steadily to decrease. In the latest return the number of persons on the registers of the unemployment exchange is 1,108,700. This is 28,000 fewer than the week previous, and compares with 1,332,000 on January 2. EASTERN SAMOA GROUP. WASHINGTON, March 9. Senator Bingham introduced a joint resolution for the annexation of the Island of Tutuila Manus in the Eastern Samoan group by the United States. The resolution stated that the chieftains in the islands had given their unqualified consent to annexation. THE P. AND 0. COMPANY. LONDON, March 10. The Peninsular and Oriental Company announce that henceforth all Australian mail steamers will call at Marseilles. The present programme of calls, including Algiers, will be maintained, but Malta will be omitted. MR AMERY’S TOUR. LONDON, March 6. Tlie Marquis of Lincolnshire, Lord Great Chamberlain, refused permission to exhibit a film of Mr Amery’s tour of the Dominions within the palace at Westminster on the ground that it would establish a precedent if a member of Parliament was allowed to show a travel film to his fellow-members. THE PORT OF LONDON. RUGBY, March 9. Lord Ritchie, chairman of the Port of London Authority, speaking at a meeting of the board, said that the total net ton nage of vessels which arrived at and departed from the Port of London last year was 52,576.000. This was an increase of 3,298,000 over the previous year. PORT OF GLASGOW. LONDON, March 8. The Clyde Navigation Trust has appointed a committee to consider means of obtaining increased direct trade with Australia and New Zealand. The trust will probably be sending an emissary there to explain the merits of the port of Glasgow. A NEW WOOL PACK. LONDON, March 8. The Bradford Chamber of Commerce Wqolpack Committee, reporting on Mrs Baird’s pack, unanimously agreed that the lining contained vegetable fibre, and would hav e the same deleterious effect as jute, and was easily torn. Not only were there particles of jute in the wool, but also particles. of the lining. THE FEEBLE-MINDED. OTTAWA, March 7. A message from Edmonton states that a Bill providing for the sexual sterilisation of the feeble-minded has been passed by the Alberta Legislature, and it now awaits the assent of the LieutenantGovernor. ; Edmonton is the first- pro- , vines in Canada to pass such legislation.-'

WOMEN’S FRANCHISE. RUGBY, March 9. The Bill to extend the franchise to women on the same terms as men will be introduced on Monday, and the Prime Minister stated last night that he anticipated that the new voters would be on the register for the general election.

RUSSIAN COALFIELDS. BERLIN, March 11. Advice from Moscow states that German engineers in the Donetz coal regions are allegedly committing acts of sabotage m the mines. It is believed that explosions and fires are part of a widespread counter revolutionary conspiracy financed from British and Polish sources. GOLD FROM RUSSIA. _ WASHINGTON, March 7. The United States Treasury declined to permit the assaying of the Russian gold, on the ground that it may be part of the reserve of the old Imperia] Bank The g old has 1x56,1 ’os’ng TOOdol interest daily since its arrived on back - ary 2 °’ Probably ifc will be shipped ELECTIONS IN POLAND. WARSAW, March 6. The final returns give Marshal Pilsudski’s Party 128 seats out of 444. Assuming the support of 56 of the National minorities block, plus the general support of 73 Socialists, it is thought that Marshal Pilsudski will be able to carry out a constitutional Government instead of a dictatorship. CANADIAN WHEAT POOLS. OTTAWA, March 10. A message from Winnipeg states that 28,000,00 dollars were distributed today as an interim payment to fanners by the wheat pools, of Manitoba, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. Since 1923 the pools have distributed more than 800,000,000 dollars. SERBIAN PARLIAMENT. .. BELGRADE, March 9. M. Raditch was responsible for another uproar in Parliament when he declared that Serbia instigated the war with her eyes on the Adriatic, which she was now neglecting. Members of the Government Party attempted to strike M. Raditch, and the proceedings became so violent that the session was temporarily suspended. ENSURING WORLD PEACE. - PARIS. March 8. ine two chief German ex-servicemen’s organisations, representing 4,000,000 exseivicemen, have agreed to co-operat e with the British legion and ex-servicemen’s organisations in France, Poland, taly, Rumania, Jugo-Slavia, Belgium. Portugal, and Czecho-Slovakia in arranging a world congress to discuss means ,of ensuring world peace. THE RUBBER INDUSTRY. RUGBY, March 8. Mr G. Locker-Lampson (Under-Secre-tary to the Foreign Office) denied in the House of Commons that during the last 12 months there had been any exchange of views with the Government of the United States regarding the removal of the restrictions on rubber exports from certain British colonies.

THE DOMINION NAVY. LONDON, March 6. Mr Baldwin, in answer to a question in the House of Commons, said that the New Zealand Navy’s recent operations in Samoa were not subject to the British Cabinet’s approval. New Zealand was responsible for Western Samoa, and the despatch of naval vessels thither was solely a matter for the New Zealand Government and the King. A BOY MILLIONAIRE. NEW YORK, March 6. A five-year-old boy joined the ranks of American millionaires when the will of his father, Mortimer Coward, a shoe manufacturer, who died abroad a few days ago, wa§ published to-day, leaving the youngster between 2,000,000 and 3,000,000 outright of a 4,Offij,OOOdol estate, and the remainder upon the death of the widow. WOMEN’S FRANCHISE. LONDON, March 8. The “ flappers ” of England celebrated the franchise victory at Queen’s Hall tonight at a monster meeting of delegates from 147 principal women’s societies. Mr Baldwin, the principal speaker, called on all women to realise that the new freedom only meant a new duty, for freedom without obligation was merely license of anarchy. THE DRUG TRAFFIC. NEW YORK, March 8. Signor Mussolini promised the United States that he would attend the conference of the World Anti-narcotic League, which is planning to meet an! confer on the drug traffic. In his letter to the league, he said: “I think well of your programme, and wish to continue to throw all my force against the drug evil. I will attend the conference in person.”

THE HOUSE OF BISHOPS. LONDON, March 9., _ The House of. Bishops has been in session for five days revising the Prayer Book in the light of the amendments moved by

th e houses of clergy arid laity, and have adjourned till March 15. The final form will be issued for the consideration of the convocations of Canterbury and York on March 28, and a special session .of the Church Assembly wi.l on April 26 give its final approval.

BRITISH COAL MINES. , . . LONDON, March 6. Mr Baldwin, in the House of Commons told questioners that negotiations were proceeding for several amalgamations in coal mmmg, as well as for the formation of district agencies. He hoped that the latter would eventually enable the trade to negotiate nationally regarding markets and prices. He was not prepared to call a European mining conference with a view to establishing uniform hours and wages

CANADIAN POLITICS. OTTAWA, March 8. An Edmonton message states that the Sterilisation Bill, which was adopted by the Legislature, will be contested in the courts by the People’s Protective League on the ground of unconstitutionality. It is claimed that it intenferes with the rights, of the people. Every woman’s organisation in the province, however, favours the measure.

CHINESE COMMUNISTS. HONGKONG, March 8. Big successes have been registered by the Cantonese army operating against the Soviet Communists who recently carried out a reign of terror in the Swabue and Hailukfung districts. An encircling movement is being carried out, and imporant towns and villages have been recaptured. Many Communists have been killed and firms seized. The remainder are fleeing to the hill fastnesses.

LEAP TO DEATH. LONDON, . .arch 10. Despite appeals from the crowd to wait the arrival of the fire brigade, William C’upitt and his wife, blousemakers, and a woman employee, jumped 70ft from a blazing building in Nottingham. They died in hospital. The fire escapes arrived a few seconds after the last had jumped, but the three victims had no alternative but to jump or be burnt to death. Twentyfour workgirls escaped by an emergency staircase.

PADRES FOR TOC H. LONDON, March 5. The Unitarians are protesting against Toe H executive’s recommendation to the Central Council banning the appointment of Unitarian ministers as padres. They point out that this contravenes Toe H’s professed aim of admitting ministers of any Christian denomination. Th e Toe H secretary explains that there is no desire to exclude Unitarians, who are welcome as members, but there is a difference between their practising of Christianity and preaching it to others.

THE SOVIET GOLD. NEW YORK, March 9 The Soviet gold has been attached in a suit by the Bank of France, which alleges that the metal belongs to it as part of the funds stolen from the State Bank of Russia following the revolution. Tlie United States Treasury declined to permit the assaying of the Russian gold, on the ground that it may be part of the reserve of the old Imperial 3ank of Russia. The gold has been losing 700dol interest daily since its arrival on February 20. A CANADIAN GENERAL. OTTAWA, Ma •ch 6. A message from Coburg states that General Sir Arthur Currie, commander of the Canadian Corps, is the plaintiff in a suit shortly for 50,000d0l damages for alleged libel against W. T. R. Preston, and the publisher of the Port Hope Guide. The claim arises from an article by Preston dealing with the attack on Mons just before the armistice, which he claimed to be an unjustifiable sacrifice of human life. COUNCIL ELECTIONS. LONDON. March 9. The County Council final election results are as follow:—Municipal Re formers, 3 gains, 10 losses ;. Labourites, 13 gains, 5 losses; Liberals, 3 gains, 4 losses. The state of parties is : Reformers, 77 . Labourites, 42: Liberals, 5. Th? women members number 21, the otal being an changed. Mr Ramsay MacDonald toppeJ the poll in the Limehoouse Division, Stepney, and joins Isabel in the London County Council. UNEMPLOYED PROBLEM. LONDON, March 7. Sponsored by Mr R. C. Wallhead and nine other Labourites, a Bill vis been introduced in the House of Commons designed to prevent unemployment. It proposes that a national board, consisting of eleven members of the Cabinet and departmental heads, should make advances from a fund of £10,000,000 yearly, to be expended here or elsewhere in the Empire to promote developmental employment, including lands, mines, and roads. “ SEEING-IN.” LONDON, March 7. Successful television between London .and the steamer Berengaria in midAtlantic was achieved this morning when Mr Brown, chief wireless officer of the Berengaria, saw his fiancee sitting in a

studio in London. The tests were canicu on for two hours. Vision was sometimes clear. The image sound was formed in the studio and thence transmitted by land line to Puriey, where it was broadcast on 45 metres, and picked up on the Berengaria’s short-wave set. PENSIONS IN BRITAIN. RUGBY. March 9. A reduction of £4,270,000 in the estimates for pensions is disclosed in the civil estimates for the coming year, which are now published. The figure includes a substantial reduction on administration costs and medical services, but the bulk of the savings is effected through a reduction in the estimated payments for war pensions, gratuities and treatment allowances, which have naturally fallen progressively in recent years. The cost of these services, however, is estimated at £53,800,000 for the next financial year. REAWAKEKNING ISLAM. PARIS, March 7. The newspaper Le Gaulois states: “He is blind who does not see the close relationshin between the movements that are anti-British to-day and anti-European tomorrow. There is no shaking Islamic illusions on that point. They will prove dangerous sooner or later. The solidarity which ought to exist amongst the Powers interested in Islam will become necessary as a common safeguard if reawakening Islam is not to develop into revolt, the consequences of which would be incalculable.” GERMAN STATE LOTTERY. BERLIN, March 8. A poor teacher at Baden bought a lottery ticket and kept the fact a secret from his wife for fear he should be henpecked for rashness. He won £25,000 in the State lottery. For twenty years the teacher had taken au eighth share, but this year he was tempted to plunge. A sensation was caused by the result, as it is rare for an individual to win the whole prize with a single ticket. INCOME TAX EVASION. MELBOURNE. March 9. Mr Justice Starke, in the High Court, refused to make an order in th e Abraham income tax case, and the proceedings were adjourned sine die. Mr Justic Starke’s judgment, said that the avowed purpose of the proceedings was to use the judgment of the court for the purpose of executing and enforcing an arrangement with the defendants, and so long as that arrangement and purpose subsisted he was not prepared to give any judgment lending the aid of th e court to any such purpose. AMERICAN AUTOMOBILES. NEW YORK. March 7. The General Motors Corporation’s annual report reveals that the company possesses over 1,000,000,000d0l in assets. This is the first instance in which an automobile manufacturing company has reported such assets, although the Ford Company has long been worth over 1,000,000,000d01, in the opinion of financiers. It is stated that national advertisers expended 225.000,000dal in newspaper advertising in 1927. The groups and classifications were headed by the automobile industry, with 57 companies spending in the aggregate 35,505,000d01. WONDERS OF RADIO. NEW YORK, March 7. The Radio Corporation of America has completed preparations for receiving from London the signature of Mr R. B. Strassburgher, of Pennsylvania, a delegate to the Republican National Convention, who signed the authorisation of office in Paris. Tlie process used in transmission will be similar to that employed with photographs. This was previously done when Mr Carl Lae'mmle, kinema producer, signed a contract by radio last September, and is expected to inaugurate a service whereby contracts between Europa and America will be signed by radio. LABOUR IN BRITAIN. RUGBY. March 9. Sir Arthur Steel Maitland (Minister of Labour), speaking at a meeting in London, suggested that more attention should be paid to statistics. Employment given in this country of late had been greater than ever before in its history. Speaking from his own observation, the general conditions of working life in Great Britain compared favourably with those of any other industrial country in the world, not excluding the United States. This was true, despite the fact that certain industries’ were hard hit at the present moment. CANADA AND JAPAN. RUGBY. March 5. Replying to a question in the House of Commons, Mr Amery (Dominions Secretary) said that an agreement had been reached between the Governments of 1 Canada and Japan whereby it was proposed, subject to the approval of the Canadian Parliament and th e Japanese Diet respectively, that each of Giese countries should be represented in the other by a Minister plenipotentiary. His Majesty’s Government in Great Britain was informed in advance of the desire of the Canadian Government for such an arrangement, which was in accordance with the resolution of the Imperial Conference in 1926.

FROZEN MEAT. BERLIN, March 9. In response to agitation by German agrarians, the Federal Council has reduced the quota of frozen meat to enter duty

free to 50,000 tans annually; An ordinance will be submitted to the Reichstag before dissolution as a part of the Government’s emergency legislation. A message received on February 15 stated-According to the Berliner Tago* blatt, the Food Department- contemplates the abolition of th-e free import quota of frozen meat, and the substitution of a duty of 40 per cent, ad valorem. It also contemplates raising the wheat duty to six marks per double cwt. AMERICAN IMMIGRATION. VANCOUVER, March 10. Captain Robert Adamson, aged 76, ft master mariner since 1879, is a guest at the Canadian immigration buildings pending the result of an appeal to Washington against hi 3 rejection by the United States immigration authorities Adamson ar rived by the Aorangi from Australia with £3OO in his pocket to visit bis four daugh ters at Portland, Oregon. He was equipped with British and American pass ports, but he did not have an immigration visa. The authorities sav that he relinquished his former United States citizenship, and that had he not appealed he would have been deported to Australia by the Aorangi. LAWLESS CHICAGO. CHICAGO, March 8. Despite the fact that 100,000 citizens gathered last night for special church services dedicated to praying that this. “ city may be purged of vice and corruption,” gunmen are continuing their warfare. Three men, armed with revolvers and a machine gr.n, fatally wounded Jack M’Gurn, chief lieutenant of the Scarface Caponic forces, near a liower show, where the assassination of Dean Obanion began a long list of gang war deaths three years ago. The shooting occurred at a gambling rottort. One bystander was wounded. The- men who did the shooting escaped. BRITISH FILM COMPANY. LONDON, Marcli 8. The films case has been settled, Williams receiving an unnamed sum satisfactory to him, as well as costs. Defendants withdraw every aspersion and suggestion against Williams, and express the opinion that the only cause of the difference was that the company had insufficient capital to give full scope to Williams’s undoubted abilities as a highly accomplished producer mid organiser of pictures. The Judge added that he joined in the hope that the result of the litigation would be that Williams in no way would be impaired in future in exercising the abilities which iiO undoubtedly possessed. EX-ARCHDEACON WAKEFORD. LONDON, March 9. One of the most remarkable church dran»as of recent times is recalled by the announcement that ex-Archdeacon Wakeford has been certified insane and has been sent to a Kent county asylum. The case was heard by the Privy Council in February, 1921. In February, 1921, the Consistory Court at Lincoln found Archdeacon Wakeford, precentor of Lincoln Cathedral, guilty on two charges of adultery. The evidence showed that Wakeford twice stayed with a.i unknown woman at an hotel at Peterborough. Wakeford’s brother-in-law, the Rev. Hubert Worthington, laid the charges and was one of the witnesses for the prosecution. SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH. VANCOUVER, March 5. “ Australia pas robbed Canada of two leading scientific research workers, because they wore not paid enough here,” said Mr C. C. Julius, Australian Trade Commissioner, before the Canadian Club. He made a plea for interempire co-opera-tion in scientific research. He added that if the Empire units were joined in investigations'there would be no robbing one and another. The shortage of Government research workers was due to poor pay. Professor Dickson, of Macdonald College, Montreal, and Professor Slagg, head of the tobacco section of the Federal Department of Agriculture, are the two men referred to as stolen from Canada. CHINA’S TRADE OUTLOOK. SHANGHAI, March 6. A commission, headed by Mr Panfu. the Prime Minister, and including Mr Wellington Koo, former plenipotentiary in London, and 12 prominent Northern adherents, has been appointed by the Peking Government to arrange the introduction of the Customs autonomy at the beginning of next year. A mandate issued in conjunction with the commission’s appointment declares that the restoration of tariff autonomy' has a very important hearing on thp preservation of China’s sovereignty. Sir Mites Lampson, (British Minister at Peking, and now at Shanghai) who is returning from a tour of South China studying tho situation, roporfrs improve ments in the trade outlook, and predicts a boom shortly.

THE COAL INDUSTRY. WASHINGTON. March 8. Mr John L. Lewis, president of the United Mine Workers of America, made * Charges of a grave nature against the operating end of the bituminous coal in■diistry. of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia, during a speech occupying four hours. He placed much of the blame for unemployment., pauperism, and encouragement of Radicalism upon Mr Mellon, Mr Rockefeller. the General Attorney, and the president of the Pennsylvania railroad. He stated that they and others were responsible fop the local companies’ usurpation « the powers of the Government and the

Federal Court’s issuance of “ unfair ” injunctions against the mine unions and the collapse of the Jacksonville agreement.

THE COTTON INDUSTRY. LONDON, March 5. The round table cotton conference cams to a complete deadlock following a five hours’ sitting. The trade unions rejected the proposed 12-aside inquiry into the effects of finance, taxation, hours, wages, and trade union restrictions, in favour of a smaller body with an independent chairman and an assessor for each side. They also drew attention to breaches of the exxisting agreement by two firms. March 6.

At the Manchester conference the employers suggested a joint inquiry by equal numbers on each side.

The workers demanded an impartial chairman and an accountant and assessors to enable a full investigation into the costs of production and distribution. The employers refused the demand.

BEAM WIRELESS. LONDON, March 7. Sir William Mitchell-Thomson (Post-master-general), in answer to a question in the House of Commons, s aid that beam wireless stations in Britain were constructed by Marconis under an agreement providing for payment by the Government in a lump sum, and a royalty of 6£ per cent, on all receipts as long as the stations contain valid Marconi patents. The messages sent or received via the beam for the week ended February 26 numbered : India 15,182, South Africa 8516, Australia 7130, and Canada 4666. The statistics of traffic by cable routes were unavailable, but it was evident that the total cable and wireless traffic with the dominions was now considerably greater than prior to the beam services. SOUTH TYROL. LONDON, March 10. The special correspondent of the Sunday Express, in a special message from Bozen which he sent across the Alps, declares that the Fascists have transformed South Tyrol into a vast prison. He says that he himself is forced to live the life of a hunted criminal or a spy in order to learn the truth. He refers to the system of terrorism which is endured by 250.000 Austro-Germans, who are without a newspaper or representatives, and whose children are forbidden to learn their mother tongue. Young men are refused passports to study in German universities, and Mayors have been replaced by Fascisti nominees.- Meetings are forbidden, but the worst of all is the system of espionage, under which the penalty for giving in formt ion c* l ' , ”'rtpd to inhire Italy s good name is 15 /t ars’ imprisonment. ANGLO-GERMAN TRADE. LONDON, March 7. The Berlin correspondent of The Times reports Germany will denounce the Anglo-German trade treaty at the earliest possible date, with a view to securing a fresh basis for trade ” said Di Curtins (Minister of Economic Affairs), agreeing with the deputies who are criticising the British attitude. The correspondent explains that Dr Curtins was referring to the increase in British safeguarding iutics and the extension of the merchandise marks regulations since the treaty was negotiated in 1924, when Britain was virtually Free Trade. The Germans now coinplain that they granted Britain the most favoured nation treatment for nothing, and declare that complaints have been useless. The treaty cannot be denounced until 1929. CAVALRY IN WARFARE. RUGBY, March 8. Regarding cavalry, the War Minister (Sir Laming Worthington-Evans) said that war had changed, and would continue to change, but it would always be necessary to find the enemy and take precautions against a surprise attack. Reconnaissance was therefore necessary. Long-distance reconnaissance could, weather permitting, he done by aeroplane, and at medium distances aeroplanes were of great advantage, but close reconnaissance, especially in a country affording some cover, and still to be done by troops capable of speedy and silent movement over difficult ground, and in the face of opposition. The problem, in considering the future of cavalry, was to produce a force capable of carrying out the old accepted role of gaining information, requirements, which could not be met by the use of aircraft. ROMANCE OF REAL . LIFE. BERLIN, March 6 A pretty little romance of real life is given prominence in the evening papers. A poor working girl stood at a knitting machine at Leipzig. Her fair but lifeless expression revealed the hopeles drudgery of daily life. A crowd of visitors stopped, and soon her machine was t he centre of the Amir of Afghanistan’s ■_ insatiable thirst for knowledge. Through an interpreter, he asked for a demonstration, and the girl, accurately and adroitly, but mechanically, responded, unaware that th e familiar movements had a far-reaching influence on her destiny. The Amir asked questions, which s h e answered in a perfunctory manner, not attempting to thrust her personality into the matter. Thereupon thg King ordered 150 knitting machines, adding: “ But the girl must come to teach my people how to use them.” The deal was sealed on the spot, the girl bursting into tears of joy. THE PASADENA MURDER. NEW YORK, March 10 A Los Ange'es message states that the jury found Hickman and Welby Htmt

guilty of the murder of Ivy Toms, a chemist. The jury recommended life’imi-- ment for Hickman and leniency for Hunt, '

-<ier hi« arrest in connection with the murder of the 12-year-old schoolgirl Marion Parker, Hickman was asked if he had killed any other person. He replied : “ I killed Toms, a Pasadena druggist, while Welby Hunt and myself wer© holding up his place on Christmas Eve last year.” The police immediately arrested Hunt, who strenuously denied tbo crime. Hickman recalled the details of the shooting, and declared that Hunt was wounded by a policeman while escaping from gaol. A physician examined Hunt, and found a bullet scar cn his shoulder. Hunt later confessed, but claimed that Hickman fired the fatal shots.

THE CHANNEL DISASTER. MOSCOW, March 5. The President of the Soviet Mercantile Marine says that the captain of the Tovarisch will be reporting shortly. If the report shows that the officers have been guilty of infringement of the rules of established international practice at sea, they will be punished with the full severity of the Soviet laws.

On February 25 a collision occurred in rhe English Channel between the Italian steamer Alcantara and th e Russian ship Tovarisch, in which the former was sunk. A mysterious feature of the collision was that the Tovarisch, after the first 5.0.5., cancelled the call, saying that two vessels were standing by. This resulted in the departure of the lifeboats from ths Moldavia being delayed by two hours and a-half. Lifeboatmen are of the opinion that some people on the Alcantara might have been saved if the delay had not occurred. Thereafter the Tovarisch disregarded attempts by many wireless stations to secure information.'

THE TRUPHENE MURDER. PARIS, March 8. A startling theory, reminiscent of Edgar Allan Poe, has been advanced for the Truphene murder. It is now suggested that Truphene, who was in possession of more than £6OOO in money and diamonds, himself murdered an unknown man and substituted the victim’s body, dressed in his own clothes, to which'he set fire, hop-ng to mislead the police into believing that li© was dead. The theory is supported by three men identifying Truphene from a photograph as the driver of a coffee-coloured motor car in which it is believed the body was conveyed to the scene. Two women well known to Truphene state that he mentioned that he had a presentiment that he would be assassinated and his body- burned, and that he was going to Amsterdam, where he had a new position. Another intriguing circumstance is that Truphene’s overcoat in the pocket of which there was a small set of scales used for weighing jewels, was found on the roadsid e °near the body.

OIL COMPANIES. NEW iORK, March 9. lhe New York World states that while witnesses to-day before the Senate Oil Committee continued to disclose how Liberty Bonds from the defunct Continental Trading Company were passed on to the Republican Party Treasury, a group of prominent millionaires, including Mr W. L. Mellow and other oil magnates, underwrote a scheme and advertised it widely on behalf of Messrs Harding and Coolidge in foreign language newspapers here. Efforts are now being made to create a aiant oil corporation with total assets of 5C0,000,OOOdol, in which all the Sinclair interests will disappear from the names of the various corporations in which they are now interested, but will continue to own many millions of stocks. The Sinclair Consolidated Oil Corporation and Marland Oil Company will be the principal factors in the merger, which, because of.it s huge extent. may possibly have to face an action of the 'Federal Trade Commission along the lines which more than a decade ago broke up the vast Standard Oil interests into constituent parts. BRITISH INDUSTRIES. RUGBY, March 5. Captain D. H. Hacking (Undor-Secre-tary for Overseas Trade) stated that the mult of the British Industries Fair in London and Birmingham had been eminently satisfactory. There were 256.000 square feet of exhibition space in London and 180,000 square feet in Birmingham. Both figures beat the n-evlous records, and represented a total increase of 130,000 square feet over last year. The attendance was also a record, being in London 103,586, and in Birmingham 103,000. A large amount of space had already been booked lor next year’s fair. This year’s exhibition had been of real practical benefit to all sections of. British industry, and he was satisfied that it would lead to an increase of. business. ■ Asked if he would consider whether th: fair could not be put on a more permanent footing and be held for a longer period. Captain Hacking replied that this was being considered. VETERINARY OFFICIALS. LONDON, Ma ch 9. Mr Dunlop Young sails by the Orsova on March 31 to attend the conferences of veterinary officials at Melbourne Thence he goes to New Zealand to see sheep killing. He returns to Sydney at the end of June and tours all the States for two months, and later returns to New Zealand to see calf killing: thence hi» goe s to Canada and the United States. A message received in October last stilted : —Addressing the Sanitary Inspec tors’ Association, Mr Dunlop Young, .the. Corporation. of London’s veterinary sur.' geon, who is to visit Australia, said that

though Smithfield's meat was supposed to be inspected at the place of slaughter, the .Corporation of large start inspectors seized between .1000 ana 2000 tons of unsold meat yearly. • All the dominions and Argentina had veterinaries in London watching cargoes. He had long advocated that British veterinary inspectors should be stationed overseas to watch killing and handling. One had now been allotted Argentina.

SOVIET INDUSTRY. LONDON, March 9. Die /'? c ? rres P°pdent of The lim-.-s says: ‘ The industrial peace movement m England is one of the dangerous recent developments, and ruthless war must be declared on it, declares a resolution cf on International Executive. “ English Communists must strive their utmost to gain control of strike machinery.” Meanwhile the Soviet’s Sup! erne Economic Council, representing the Stateowned industries, has conferred with the Central Council of Trade Unions 'n an effort to establish its own peace. For the first time industrial conflict has been openly avowed. M. Tomsky, a trade union leader, .admitted that this first attempt at a joint conference had been a failure, but he scolded his colleagues for defending their own petty interests instead of viewing the dispute from a national standpoint. . The chaos in the Soviety industry is due to the searcitv of skilled technicians, ’he said. “ Unless we import foreign engineers we cannot get along/’

CRIME WAVE IN PARIS. . . ; PARIS, March 8. Ihi 3 city is outrivalling Chicago as a crime centre. Never in its history has there been such a wave of press and public attack upon the police and their powerlessness in dealing with criminality. There has scarcely been a day of the new year without som e terrible crime the perpetrators escaping. To-dav the body of a motorist was found on the banks of the Seine, the victim being kidnapped from a motor car, which was abandoned at the nois de Boulogne. A sensational scen e was enacted at the laris Divorce Court. When the judge, whose duty it is to try to reconcile people before divorce action, announced the husband’s refusal to compromise with his wife the latter, who is a Serbian aged 26 drew a revolver from a handbag and shot herself in the heart. The.newspaper Quotidien comments that the crime wave threatens to submerge the pftliCg organisation. There are three reasons for the crime wave—the police are insuniciont and are inadequately equipped, juries will not convict, and th e Ircads of departments are incompetent. SUBMARINES IN WARFARE. WASHINGTON, March 6. Die House Foreign Affaira Committee went on record against the proposals to outlaw tne submarine. The committee voted six to five against a favourable report to the House on a resolution designed to prohibit the general use of submarines. Mr F. B. Kellogg (Secretary of State) in a letter to the committee, had advocated the resolution, with the proviso that other nations should also outlaw submarines. The Chairman (Mr S. G. Porter) of the Foreign Affiars Committee, in opposing the resolution on the ground that the sub° marine was regarded as an essential defence to small nations, said that he felt that . the resolution was an “ empty gesture. He said: “We have no more right to ask France and Italy to abolish their only means of defence on sea than they have to ask us to abandon our only defence—the navy. In asking them to abolish submarines we are strengthening our defences by weakening theirs.” Representative C. Hull said: “If the submarine is horrible we should find means of settling disputes without war, instead of trying to make it a parlour game.” ALLEGED WAR LIBEL. OTTAWA. March 10. A message from Cobourg, Ontario, states: —“ We wer e through Mons and on the other side before the armistice was signed, and. yet I am accused of sacrificing the lives of Canadians to take the city Nothing could be more false,” declared Sir Arthur Currie on arriving here to attend the examination in connection with the 50,000d0l suit for aliened libel he has launched against F. W. Wilson, publisher of the Port Hone Guide, and W. T R. Preston, the author of the article, which was published in June. 1927, and alleged that there had been useless sacrifice of human life in order that the Cana(han headquarters’ staff might have the honour of. saying ‘‘ the Canadians fired the last shot in the war and captured the last German entrenchments.”

hot only was there no useless sacrifice, but all the Canadians did was to straighten out the line and get a good Place to kick off from before the armistice became effective,” declared Sir Arthur Cnrrie. who added that he had difficulty m holding the troops back.

THE MILLS BOMB. LONDON, March 6. Sir William Mills, the patentee of the Mills bomb, lost an appeal against the Income Tax Commissioners, who charged supertax on £27,750, which was received from the Government for the use of the bomb, of which it was revealed 75,131,962 were made in war time. Counsel explained that Sir William Mills improved on the Roland bomb, a Belgian invention. The Inventors’ Awards Commission awarded him £37,000 for the bomb, of which £29,250

was paid to the Belgians. Sir William, Mills, contended that the award was a lump sum for the acquisition of the rights. The Income Tax Commissioners argued that, although the award referred to a future user, the possibility thereof was so remote that the sum should be regarded in respect of the past user. The judge held that the reference to a future user was only inserted to prevent a further claim. He added that the award was given in respect to something worth compensation, and was therefore taxable. i BRITISH ROAD FUND. LONDON,' March 6In the- House of Lords, Earl Beauchamp moved a resolution protesting against Mr Churchill’s raiding of the Road Fund to the extent of £26,400,000 in two years, resulting in the postponement or cancellation of road improvements throughout the country. Motor vehicles licensed in Britain totalled 1,729,000, equal to one for every 26 people, compared with one per six in the United States and one per eleven in Canada. Mr Churchill’s raids damped down municipal road schemes and checked the expenditure at at least £13,000,000 in wages alone for road work. Viscount Peel, in reply, objected to the term “ raid,” which suggested something iniquitous. A pledge could never be given that the proceeds of a particular tax would permanently be devoted to a particular purpose. Without the Road Fund money Mr Churchill would have been forced in 1926 to increase the income tax by 3d just when trade was staggering from the results of the general strike. 1 hat would have been more damaging from tb e viewpoint of unemployment than the course adopted. Road improvements had not stopped. On the contrary, the expenditure on the work was increasing at the rate of over £1,000,000 yearly, and Britain’s roads were probably the best in the world. . Earl Beauchamp withdrew hi s resolution.