NEWS BY CABLE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3864, 3 April 1928, Page 49

NEWS BY CABLE.

' > . LADY INCHAPE. LONDON. March 29. , Th© condition of Lady Inchcape, who landed at Marseilles, is reported to be precarious. - ? GERMAN NAVAL BUDGET. -- - . . BERLIN, March-28. The Reichstag adopted the Naval Budget, including provision for a new JO,OOO-ton cruiser. . I THE PRINCE OF WALES. LONDON, March 29. Though he fell before the penultimate fence, the Prince of Wales remounted and Won easily the Highland Brigade Steeplechase in a bitter rainstorm at Frensham. • s PRINCESS LOWENSTEIN. LONDON, March 31. Princess Lowenstein, the victim of an Atlantic flight last August, left £28,265. There was no will, and the letters of administration are held by Lady Mary Savile. BRITISH SOLDIERS. LONDON, March 27. Sir L. Worthington-Evans, in answer to a question in the House of Commons, said that 690 soldiers of the British armies on the Rhine had married German women since the armistice. CHOLERA IN CALCUTTA. DELHI, March 29. Cholera has broken out at Calcutta. There were 122 deaths in one day. The health authorities are inoculating thousands, of Indians to prevent the spread of the disease.

NEW ZEALAND ARTISTS. LONDON, March 31. The New Zealand artists, Kathleen Salmond, N. Welch, A. E. Baxter, Mabie Hill, Menzies Gibb, H. Linley Richardson, and Richard Wallbrook, make a creditable exhibit at the Imperial Gallery of Art. STEAMER ON'A REEF. SUVA, March 30. From the Steelmaker it was reported yesterday evening that the ship was twothirds on the reef, and that the sea was smooth. She is awaiting assistance from Tutuila. There is no danger, and there are hopes that she will be refloated. TOWER OF CHARLEMAGNE. TOURS, March 27. The famous Tower of Charlemagne collapsed with a terrific crash, blocking two streets and damaging buildings. The authorities were warned by the appearance of an enormous crack, and by stopping traffic prevented any casualties! NURSE CAVELL FILM. LONDON, March 29. After privately viewing the “ Dawn ” film, the Theatre Committee of the London County Council decided to recommend its release on condition that the shooting of the German in the execution scene is excised. JEWEL ROBBERY. MONTE CARLO, March 27. While Madam de Bittencourt, a wealthy Brazilian, was absent, at a motor show, thieves in the daylight raided her suite at the Hotel de Paris and stole jewellery valued at £50,000, including a pearl necklace valued at £30,000. A MASTER MUSICIAN. LONDON, March 31. The late Mr Leo Schuster, of Bray, Berkshire, who left a fortune of £27,070, bequeathed £7OOO to Sir Frederick Elgar, “ who saved my country from the re proach of having produced no composer worthy to rank with the treat masters.” * ■ SHAW SAVILL COMPANY. LONDON, March 28. The Oceanic Steam Navigation Company has purchased Sir J. R. Ellerman’s interest in the Shaw, Savill and Albion Company amounting to about £107,000 The directors of the Oceanic Company now held all the ordinary shares in the Shaw, Savill Company.

SCOTTISH LEGISLATURE. LONDON, March 27. The Rev. J. Barr (Labour) introduced to the House of Commons a Bill to establish a National Legislature for Scotland, a single chamber of 148 members, to be elected by the present House of Commons constituencies, and to deal only with domestic matters. NEW MOTOR SHIP. LONDON, March 30. The motor ship Zealandic, built by Swan and Hunter for the-. Shaw, Savill and Albion Company,, is the largest and fastest New Zealander trader. She will cover the journey in 34 days The trials were successful. The refrigeration plant contains 35 miles of pipes’. ’ MALARIA SCOURGE. t, - PARIS; March 28. _ Professor Brumpt reports success, through ’the utilisation of the humble i minnow, in ridding Corsica of the scourge Qf malaria. He declares that minnows

flourish in pools in which other fish die, and they dispose greedily of all mosquito larva?. THE REICHSTAG*. BERLIN, March. 29. More than 100 members were involved in a free fight in the Reichstag. A Communist hurled a missile at the rostrum, from which a Socialist was speaking, and the Socialists then made a wild rush and overwhelmed the Communists, two of whom were seriously injured. BIR JAMES PARR. LONDON, March r Sir James Parr was the guest of honour at the dinner of the Knights of the Round Table, at which he waa elected vice-president. Dr,W. Collins and Mr H. E. Davis were other New Zealanders present. The British speakers eulogised New Zealand’s war services. A NOVEL DEVICE. PARIS, March 29. Telephone subscribers are provided with a novelty from a phonographic device which records telephone conversations. The idea is to enable people to beep records of important conversations, which can be played on the ordinary gramophone. CANADIAN TRADE. OTTAWA, March 28, During February New Zealand purchases of goods from Canada, totalled 1,085,595d0l and sales to Canada 1,371,219 dol. Australian purchases totalled 1,089,791d0l and sales 1,115,569d01. The United States purchases amounted to 07,000,000d0l and the sales 57,000,000d01. MURDER NEAR APIA. APIA, March 281 Jn a plantation area near Apia, in the vicinity of the Lotopa murders in December, this morning a Chinese coolie was discovered murdered. He bore knife wounds similar to those of the Lotopa victims, and a money belt worn by the coolie was missing. BRITISH MOTORISTS. LONDON, March 27. In the House of Commons a petition was presented on behalf of 920,000 motor owners in favour of the substitution of a petrol tax for the horse-power tax. In the House of Commons, Mr J. C. W. Milne introduced a Bill, with the object of compelling motor owners to insure against third party risks. A CRIMEAN HORROR. LONDON, March 26. The Moscow correspondent of The Times reports that infuriated peasants in the Crimean vilb.ge of Filarionovka beheaded M. Prikhodko, whom the Soviet had sent to report on the peasants’ delinquencies to the newspapers. They split his head in quarters, which were scattered. FROZEN TURTLES LONDON, March 27. Australia has acquired a new and novel export trade by a request from a London provision house for 200 frozen turtles monthly. • Turtles at Gladstone average but 6d per lb, but in London they realise nearly £1 per lb; Little treatment is required in the freezing. CABLE SERVICES. LONDON, March 27. In the. House of Commons Sir W. Mitchell-Thomson (Postmaster-General), in answer to a question, detailed the reductions in the cable rates since the introduction of the beam services. He said that no statement of future rates was possible till the Imperial WirelessCable Conference had reported.

ILLICIT TRADE IN CUNS. LONDON, March 30. - Investigations by Scotland Yard throw new light on the-gun plot. If appears that the guns were not intended for the Irish Republican army, but to create a reign of. terror in London in the event of further trouble in Ireland. Three hundred men were to be available to stage miniature riots and resort to every means to prevent troops to Ireland. AFTERMATH OF WAR. : . - BRUSSELS, March 3V. An indignant outburst bv war veterans and patriotic societies has been registered against the Louvain University's .proposal to delete from an inscription Cardinal Mercier’s words describing how “ Teutonic rage destroyed the university.” The authorities say the purpose of the alteration is to allow German universities to enjoy full relations with Louvain. A MONTREAL TRAGEDY. , • •_. OTTAWA, March 26. v A Montreal message states that a woman is dead and a man is delirious and. may die as the result of being bitten by an infuriated man with defective teeth. The man who was bitten has been placed under, treatment in hospital, Albert Shutes, aged 56, has been arrested, on a. charge oLwqunding, and possibly of manslaughter.

CRIME WAVE IN PARIS. PARIS, March 27. Taxi-drivers in Paris are likely to be armed with revolvers. In view of the crime epidemic, the Transport Federation urged this precaution on the Minister of the Interior, and asked him to make it legal. They point out that thieves are aware that taximen carry money, and are often obliged to take passengers to lonely spots. CRIME IN NEW JERSEY. NEW YORK, March 29. - The city of Newark (New Jersey) has been aroused by the triple murder of Mr Frank Warren (president of the Newark Chamber of Commerce) and his wife and son. Their home was burned to cover the crime. An X-ray examination revealed bullet marks in the bodies of all three victims. Jewels were found in the ashes. The motive of the crime is a mystery.

action for Libel APIA. March 29. The Samoa Guardian is being sued for libel by Mr Alfred McCarthy, the claim being for _ £lOOO. The plaintiff is the acting police commissioner. " The action is based on a report in the Guardian attributing to the commissioner the statement that th e arrest of Tamasese, which was ordered by the commissioner, had been a mistake, for which an apology had been made. STATE BANK FRAUDS. BERLIN, March 30. The trial of the Barmats, who were charged with fraud against the Prussian State Bank, has concluded. Julius was found guilty of two cases of corruption, and was sentenced to 11 months’ imprisonment, and Hermann was found guilty on one count and received a similar sentence. Dr Hellwig (an ex-director of the Prussian State Bank) was sentenced to six weeks’ imprisonment. BRITISH COMMUNISTS. LONDON, March 27. The Daily Telegraph states that British Communists have been ordered from Moscow to cultivate workers’ sports movements as part of building up workers’ defence corps. It is also hoped that this will aid in the struggle against the activities of bourgeois organisations among the children of the working classes, particularly against Boy Scouts, Girl Guides, and Cubs. ITALIAN POLITICS. LONDON, March 30. Reports circulating on the Continent that King Victor of Italy is about to abdicate in favour of his son appear to be based on the belief that Signor Giolitti’s protest was not made without the King’s approval. Questions asked are: Will King Victor refuse to assent to the new electoral law ? Will he exercise his prerogative and dissolve Parliament, or evade a trial of strength with Signor Mussolini by abdication? NEW ZEALAND BUTTER. LONDON. March 29. Speaking at the Institute of Hygiene dinner in his honour. Sir James Parr denied that the recent New Zealand food preservative regulations were prejudicial to New Zealand butter, which needed no preservative as it would keep as long as frozen, whether in cold storage nr otherwise. It could stand any test. Its very virtues led to the takinu of libe. ties with it, including storage and exposure for sale under poor conditions. STRIKE IN INDIA. DELHI, March 28. A strike of 15,000 employees in the railway workshops at Lilloohah (just outside Calcutta) took a serious turn when 10,000 strikers marched to the business quarters of the city and blocked the street outside the railway offices. Upon the agent declining to concede the principle of full pay while no work was done, the crowd returned to Howrah. They stoned the trains and the loyal workers and lay on the rails. The police fired. One person was killed and 20 wounded.

BIG SUSPENSION BRIDGE. CONSTANTINOPLE, March 28. A Hungarian company has submitted to the Turkish Government plans to join Europe and Asia by a two-mile suspension bridge from Constantinople to a suburb of Scutari, the bridge to be in two tiers with a roadway above the railway. European expresses could then continue to Bagdad and Ciaro. The company proposes to finance the bridge from toll charges on all sorts of traffic for several years, after which it would become the property of the Turkish Government. The construction would take from four to five years LIFE IN OTHER WORLDS. NEW YORK, March 29. In an impressive address before the students of the University of California at Los Angeles, Dr Henry Norris Russell, of the University of Princeton, a worldfamous astronomer, said : —“ Life probably exists on Mars, and may extend to hundreds and even thousands of other worlds. Living beings have probably reached a stage of development billions of years in advance of our own. The laws of mathematical : chance make it possible that of the unknown worlds thousands (perhaps millions) of planets which may revolve about the 1,000.000 known stars support life.” -.-

HIS HOLINESS THE POPE. _ ' ROME, March 27. Th© ?0P. e > addressing the Diocesan Board, criticised the members of the 1 Catholic. Centre Party, who openly sup ported the Fascists during the recent Congress. His remarks are generally interpreted as meaning that the Vatican and the Fascist are not near al satisfactory settlement, as wa© thought. The Pope admitted that Fascismo had done a great deal for the Catholic Church, but there were still many reasons for complaint; specifically, Fascismo’s claim to a monopoly of the education of youth, which is a patent reference to the suppression of the Catholic Boy Scout movement.' FULL OF FALSEHOODS. . . LONDON, March 29, The Trades Union Congress Council has issued a statement strongly condemning Mr A. J. Cook’s pamphlet, entitlea Mond and Moonshine,” referring to the employers’ and trade unionists’ meetings. The council declares that the pamphlet i full of inaccuracies, misrepresentations, and deliberate falsehoods, and was obviously written to discount and damage the council’s prestige and authority. The council is reporting the matter to the Miners’ Federation as a wilful violation of the understanding that recriminations shall cease between the federation and the council. Mr Cook declares that the pamphlet was written before the understanding was reached. THE GERMAN NAVY. , LONDON, March 28. The naval correspondent of the Daily Telegraph says that the design for Germany’s 10,000-ton vessel represents an innovation in naval construction. ' The steel is of the highest quality, and electric welding is employed instead of rivets, thus combining great strength and extraordinary lightness. It will have Diesel engines of astonishing power, but - its radius will b e limited, as the type is designed for the Baltic and the North Sea. The hull is so subdivided that the vessel is virtually unsinkable, and the ship’s superstructure is reduced to a minimum. It is really a seagoing motor-driven monitor, able to navigate waters inaccessible to ordinary battleships, yet able to engage a dreadnought with good prospects of success.

AIRSHIP POLICY. LONDON, March 30. The National Review editorially congratulates Mr Bruce and his colleagues on ” keeping their heads in a mad world ” by refusing to commit Australia to an airship policy until further and better evidence of the utility of giant gasbags and airships has been presented as a serious solution of Imperial communications. tl says: ‘‘With several home Ministers suffering from Zeppelinitis, there was a danger of Australia being rushed into a grandiose scheme resulting in a ruinous loss of life and money. Australia is deluged with propaganda by fantastic orators from the Air Ministry, therefore it is all the more creditable that the Ministers and Cabinet kept their heads. Let- airships be tried out bv the Americans, who have more money than they know what to do with.” BRITISH COTTON MILLS. RUGBY, March 28. Representatives of about 200 ottanspinning companies, controlling about 21,000,000 spindles, attended a meeting at Manchester yesterday, when a scheme for a large-scale amalgamation of mills spinning American-grown cotton was formally announced. The proposal' is that a corporation, to be called the Lancashire Textile Corporation, Ltd., will be formed, which would amalgamate the companies by exchanging its own shares and stock for the presentcreditors’ claims and shareholders’ certificates.

While offering no view as to the merits of the proposal, the President of the Board of Trade, to whom the scheme has been previously submitted, commended it in a letter which was read at yesterday’s meeting. The proposal will be discussed at a further meeting.

ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. LONDON, March 30 The Paris correspondent of The Times says:— “ An order signed by the French cardinals, archbishops, and bishops, bearing the Pope’s approbation, instructs the clergy to emphasise kindly and firmly the grave canonical proscriptions existing against members and partisans of the Action Francaise organisation . Unless thev retract from the error of their wavs and have no further dealings with the party, not even reading its newspaper, they wil] be denied burial in consecrated ground, also the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and communion.” The order warns the Action ’rancnise members intending to marry that they wil) be similarly denied' the religious wedding ceremonv. The correspondent says that the order recalls the eccles-'astical pronouncements of the Middle Ages. UNIVERSITY BOAT RACE. LONDON, March 31. Oxford Won the toss and took the Middlesex side of the river. Cambridge was off smartest, being a canvas aheau in less - tnan a minute. Oxford was already rolling, but quickly recovered, and was almost level with Cambridge at the mile post. " Cambridge was rowing with a beautiful rhythm and length, whereas Oxford was. sloppy and ragged. Cambridge shot the-

Hammersmith bridge a length ahead, and after that the crew did as they liked, virtually making an exhibition row. The Australian, Morphett, was one of the steadiest and most effective in a hopeless chase. . ‘ /• slightly better down the Chiswick straight, but -after that they had another bad patch of splashing and rolling, making the tamest finish. Time,, 20min 21sec. Cambridge won by 10 lengths. ORDINATION OF WOMEN. •• vt’u r» LONDON, March 29. What Paul said about women cannot 1 ybe regarded as determining the church s policy all the time,” says Bishop ellaon (Dean of Durham), commenting objections to ordaining women. It is idl e to assert that women’s only function is to be good wives and mothers. Vyomen have not only outnumbered men, but many men shrink from marriage because it is expensive. Th e problem of nnding careers for educated Women is even more pressing. If the State'treats women and men on a basis of equality the church will not always be able to keep women on a basis of inferiority. Inere is not sufficient reason for denying rhem Holy Orders. A woman’s ministry would benefit the church spiritually, especially at a time when mal e candidates are diminishing. The time is coming—perhaps it is not far distant—when tne ordination of women will be an accomplished fact.” LORD CHANCELLORSHIP. T . . LONDON, March 28. It is officially announced that the At-torney-general Sir Douglas Hogg, becomes Lord Chancellor, m succession to Viscount Cave, who has resigned owing to ill-health. Sir Douglas Hogg, who receives a barony, is succeeded as Attorney-general by the- Solicitor-general, Sir Thomas Inskip, who in turn is succeeded by Mr Frank Merriman, M.P. Mr Merriman receives a knighthood, and Viscount Cave receives an earldom. Mr Baldwin asked the Earl of Birkenhead to resume the Lord Chancellorship, but the latter pi eferred to remain at the India Office in view of the importance of Indian affairs. Sir Douglas Hog’s acceptance of the Chancellorship surprised his friends in the House of Commons, where he was regarded as having a brilliant career. No doubt he himself preferred to remain tn the Commons, but deferred to the wishes of the Prime Minister. BRITISH BUDGET. LONDON, March 31. Mr Churchill, Chancellor of the Exchequer, is gratified at the fact that he is able to announce a surplus. It is recalled that his first Budget showed a deficit of £14,038,000, and his second of £36,694,000. It is known that the Chancellor has been most anxious to avoid even the smallest deficit this year. The revenue has never been more promptly collected. A surplus of £4,250.000 would in ordinary circumstances afford a prospect of substantial taxation relief, but it must be remembered that the revenue includes the earlier collection of the landlords’ property tax, a raid on the road fund, th© curtailment of brewers’ credits, and windfalls which cannot be repeated. Mr Churchill has already announced that there will be no reduction in income tax, sugar, tea, spirits, entertainments, or postage. The feature of the Budget will be th© laying of the foundations of a scheme of relief of the burden on rates on industry and agriculture.

OSCAR SLATER. , LONDON, March 27. Oscar Slater’s first statement since his liberation in November is published in the Daily Express. He declares: “ Twenty years ago 1 voluntarily, of my own free will, told the American Court that 1 waived all formalities and v ould be safe in mv faith in British justice. Of my own fre© will and against all advice I offered myself to the British law to be tried for a murder I did not commit. My conscience was clear- I had faith, but some force known or unknown crushed me anddazed and bewildered. me. I staggered into 20 years of hell. Not again voluntarily of my own free will will I surrender my cause to a person or British justice, in which I trust and believe with all my being. This time truth and faith must conquer. For 16 years in Peterhead prison I was silent. Under the sentence imposed by prison law, by the darkness of captivity, and by the agony of the tortures of mind, I almost forgot how to speak, but I held pn to my brain. Now that I can speak I recognise that it will be hard to establish the truth.” SIR TRUBY KING. LONDON, March 29. His Majesty, after the Buckingham Palace party, asked Sir Truby King to remain, and conversed with him for half an hour on children’s welfare. His Majesty displayed keen interest in the movement, stating that while the maternity mortality was so high there was still much work to do. ' LONDON, March 30. Presiding at the Overseas League lunch to Sir Truby King, Sir James Parr said that New Zealand’s lowest infantile mortality in the world is not only due to climate but to the magnificent backing which the people have given the Plunket Society. Sir Truby King, in'reply, reviewed the history and growth of child welfare in New Zealand. He recalled a wartime visit to Britain, and the founding of a mothercraft training centre in London. The New Zealand members of the Plun.ket Society watched the progress of the

London movement with interest. He was also gratified to have assisted in starting in London a movement in which New Zealand had become a specialist. THE HUMAN RACE. LONDON, March 31. Sir Oliver Lodge kept an audience of university men, representative of all England, almost spellbound at Oxford by his declartaion that the human race is only in its infancy and not yet properly civilised. “We know barely anything,” he said. “ The fact is we are just beginning to scrape the ground in an endeavour to advance, and we are making many takes. Those who are depressed by the immediate outlook should realise that it is natural that a race in its infancy would behave badly, as in the starting of wars and trying to destroy each other.” He urged the cultivation of a spirit of international amity, and quoted from a schoolboy’s essay on war, as follows:—‘‘ln modern time, war is not to see the enemy but to fire off rifles all day long and sometimes get hit ; then in the evening you buy a newspaper to find out who has been beaten.” Dropping bombs on everybody and submarines crawling about sinking fishing boats was no occupation for gentlemen, said Sir Oliver. PRINCE HENRY. LONDON, March 31. Prince Henry has been created Duke of Gloucester, Earl of Ulster, and Baron Cullodin. The titles were bestowed on the Prince's twenty-eighth birthday. They are repre sentative of England, Ireland, and Scotland. The Dukedom of Gloucester, which will enable him to joint his brothers in the House of Lords, revives a title of great antiquity, which was held by members of the Royal Family mostly between 1385 and 1834, when it became extinct. Famous holders were the good Duke Humphrey (wounded at Agincourt and a lover of learning, who gave Oxford University its first library) and Richard 111 • The Earldom of Ulster revives a title borne in the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries, also by the Duke of Edinburgh, son of Queen Victoria. Baron of Culloden was amongst the titles held by the Duke of Cambridge, comman-der-in-chief of the British Army nearly 40 years ago, and - became extinct at his death. It is understood the Prince will be known as the Duke of Gloucester.

A ROYAL ROMANCE. PARIS, March 30. Thirty-nine years after the Mayerling tragedy, -when" the Archduke Rudolf of Austria and the beautiful Maria Vetsera were found dead in the Imperial hunting lodge, the first authentic account appears in the memoirs of the late Empress Eugenie, just published. It relates how Rudolf’s mother, the Empress Elizabeth, widow of the Emperor Francis Joseph, re vealed the full story. It appears that Rudolf, after a violent quarrel with the Emperor, consented to break the liaison, and gained permission for a last farewell of Maria, wno was waiting dinner in the. hunting field He told her of the promise given to his father under a threat of renouncing his rights to the throne. “She replied coolly: “ I am expecting, to become a mother.” They talked throughout the night, and agreed to die together Rudolf shot Maria in the heart, laid the body on the bed, and covered it with roses from vases, 5 then wrote to his mother a lono .letter, in which he said : “ I hav e killed someone. I have no longer the right to live.” At 6 o’clock in the morning Rudolf died by a bullet in the brain. OBITUARY. SYDNEY, March 27. The death is announced of the Rev. James Richard Murray, a well-known Methodist minister and Maori War veteran. He had charge of a mission at Christchurch till 1906, when he came to Australia. He was 65 years of age. PERTH, March 27. The death is announced of Sir Alfred Langler, governing-director of the newspaper West Australian: aged 68. LONDON, March 27. .The death, is reported of Mr Bertram Giles, a survivor of the Nanking outrages. He died suddenly at his Surrey home. LONDON, March 27. The death is announced of Mr Les’ie Stuart, aged 62. Mr Leslie Stuart, organist, was the composer of many songs,' including " Soldiers of the Queen,” “The Bandolero,” “Louisiana Lou,” and “Rin Van Winkle.” LONDON, March 27. The death is announced of Sir Charles Russell, solicitor. He was guardian of the secrets of half of England's prominent social people, and he acted for the Marquis of Quecnsbury in the Wilde trial. LONDON, March 29. The death is’announced of Earl Cave. GENEVA, March 31. Gustave Ador, president of the International Committee, died to-day, aged 83 years. A ROMANCE EXPLODED. LONDON, March 28. The novelist Mr Clifford Collinson, who oftne characterised Bondi, Coogee, and Manly as the best surf bathing places in the world, described in his book “ Life and Laughter ’Midst Cannibals ” how " a splendid fellow named Captain Baxter Nicholson, once’ district officer in the Solomon Islands, blew his* brains out in Melbourne.” Mr Collinson’s telephone rang on Monday morning, and a voice, said: This is Captain Nicholson speaking.

Mr Collinson (surprisedly)*; What t Not the chap who committed. suicide in ’Melbourne T v ' Captain Nicholson replied: Yes/ I’m the .one. ' J ‘ \ Mr Collinson: Well, where are you speaking from? Captain Nicholson (laughingly) : A very earthly spot known as Bayswater. Both bad a hearty laugh, and the incident. exploded the romance woven around the supposed evil spell of a native “ devil-devil ” totem which Mr Collinson possessed. Captain Nicholson disclosed that he had been in the motoring business in Melbourne and Adelaide for the last two year. He was offered a job at Rabaul, but thought London more attractive.. The pair arranged to relive the South Seas romance at an early West End lunch party. SIR ROBERT HORNE. VANCOUVER, March 31. Deriding the suggestion that Great Britain wished to enter into a shipbuilding competition with the United States, Sir Robert Horne told the Canadian Club on Saturday that none but a lunatic would think of such a thing, principally for the reason that Great Britain could not hope to cope with the United States and all the gold that country had accumulated since the war. “ With the greatest burden of debt which every confronted any country, no Chancellor of the Exchequer could hold his position who would be so mad as to suggest a naval race with America,” he said. He advocated the migration of you no men to the various dominions, favouring drafts of youths leaving school, who would readily assimilate the rew conditions. VANCOUVER, March 31. Discussing the failure of the Geneva Conference, Sir Robert Horne deplored the articles in the United States press giving the impression that Britain wished to dominate the seas. “The truth is,” he said, “we have s< many possessions, and we must protect them all, we wise to have a fleet adequate to our necessities—nothing less and nothing more. We never worry how many ships the United otates builds. War between us is entirely inconceivable, but we do not think they should tell us how many ships we should build.” Sir Robert urged an Empire trade interchange similar to that of the American States.

STARS IN COLLISION. CAPETOWN. March 27. Th-e staff of the Union Observatorv at Johannesburg record a remarkable obser vation. Last week Mr Bernard Dawson, of the La Plata Observatory, Argentina, reported that the star Novapictoris was looking strange, and he was unable properly to study it with a small telescope. He therefore asked Johannesburg to make an examination of it through its 26Ain instrument. Tin's was done by various members of the staff, when they discovered that tlie star was split in two Mr Spencer Jones, astronomer roval at Capetown Observatory, states that* it is wrong to say that the star is split in two. There are two stars now, ana were two stars before, although w e did not know that. Novapictoris belongs to the class of star *hich blazes up rapidly in the course of a few days from below nakedeye visibility to very brilliant. The state of the two stars now visible seems to show that there has been a collision or a grazing impact between them. Mr Jones judges the distance between the two stars to be one-fifth of a second of an arc, and he thinks it possible that thig is the first direct evidence of a collision or a grazing impact of the stare The. origin of our solar system ts a direct result nf a similar occurrence in the nebula. Consequent on an outburst in Pictoris a constellation may -condense into plants and form another solar system, where life may evolve. NEW ZEALAND FRUIT. LONDON, March 26. “ New Zealand’s astounding progress in dairy exports should shortly be paralleled by her apple exports, which in 1928 will double those of 1927,” said Mr L. S. Amery, at the opening of an exhibition of fruit at the New Zealand offices. “This is typical of the enterprise with which the New Zealand Government and producers have entered into Empire trade Britain is endeavouring to co-operate through , the Empire Marketing Board by Dominion's produce. This is not only an appeal to sentiment, but it will react on British exports.” Mr Amery pointed out that every New Zealander purchased thirty- times more British, goods than the average American. Mr Amery was photographed eating an apple from baskets representing the first fruit of the season, with which Tie was presented by girls in blue sashes, bearing the names of the provinces of Auckland, Hawke's Bay, Nelson, and Otago. The Tainui's New Zealand apples realised prices as follows.:—Worcester’s and Dunn’s, 16s to 17s: Alfriston’s, 14s to 16s: Gravenstein’s, 13s to 15s; Cox’s, 22s 6d to 27s fid. Sir James Parr remarked that 60 per cent, of Britain’s fruit imports were of foreign origin. He said he hoped that Mr Amery would co-operate with the dominions in their efforts to secure the whole market, Canada supplying for one part of the year, and couth Africa, Australia, and New Zealand the tther parts. If New Zealand were enabled to secure a market at a reasonable price it would double the area of orchards in the near future. Mr Stophens, chairman of the Fruit. Board, said that their slogan was,

“ Sound fruit; reasonable prices, and continuity of shiprnents.” THE COAL INDUSTRY. RUGBY, March 26. ’ In the House of Commons, Mr Ramsay Macdonald raised the question of distress in the mining areas of South Wales. Mr Nevill e Chamberlain (Minister of Health), replying, said that he found in South Wales confidence, both among the miners and the mine owners and managers, that in time the situation would recover, and that the coal industry of South Wales would regain at any rate a large measure of its former prosperity; but, while that might be true of the industry as a whole, in certain particular districts there could be no such hope. One had to recognise that there might be a number of men, estimated at some 200,000, who were unlikely to find permanent employment in the mining industry again, That was the situation,’ which, so far as he knew, in our time was unprecedented, It was one which, might call for exceptional measures, and the Government would not be deterred from taking such exceptional measures. If there were large numbers of miners who could no longer find employment, obviously it would be a great mistake to take measures the effect of which would be still to tie them down to places where they could not earn their own Livings. The problem resolved itself into one of transference from a place where there was no work for them to places where there was work. One difficulty about th e transference of these people was that they were miners. The Government was, however, taking steps to give them training in order to make- it more easy for them to embark upon other means of support.