NEWS BY CABLE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3996, 14 October 1930, Page 47

NEWS BY CABLE.

THE DUTCH FLEET. SYDNEY, October 12. The Dutch fleet has sailed for New Zealand.

KING OF BULGARIA’S MARRIAGE. ROME, October 7.

The Osservatore Romano states that the papal dispensation required for the wedding of King Boris and Princess Giovanna has not been given.

REJUVENATION EXPERT’S SUICIDE. BERLIN, October 6.

Dr Peter Schmidt, author of the book entitled “ Conquest of Old Age,” and an ardent advocate of rejuvenation, did not live to test his theories. He committed suicide at the age of 38, deciding that life was no longer worth living.

LOAN FOR CANADA.

NEW YORK, October 7.

The 100,000,000 dollars 4 per cent., SO-ycar bond issue of the Canadian Government, which was floated on the market to-day, was heavily over-subscribed by noon by a banking syndicate. The proceeds will be devoted to refunding loans and general purposes in the dominion.

BRITISH RAILWAYS.

RUGBY, October 9.

The Southern Railway Company has placed orders amounting to nearly £500,000 with two British firms for electrical equipment required for trains to be employed in connection with the extension to Reigate, Brighton, and Worthing of the company's electrified service.

DUMPING OF WHEAT. LONDON, October 10.

The Morning Post says that the Russian wheat dumping campaign is continuing with increased intensity. The Soviet proposes to export 4,000,000 tons of grain, of which 60 per cent, is for England. Soviet agents have been instructed to undercut the current market prices. The Soviet is deliberately losing 110 s per ton on its wheat exports.

BRITISH AGRICULTURE. RUGBY, October 8.

Dr Addison (Minister for Agriculture) in the Labour Party Conference at Llandudno to-day, when discussing the Government's agricultural policy, affirmed the pledge to undertake whatever practical steps were necessary to place the agricultural industry on an economic foundation. He mentioned that the subject of exports and bulk purchase was being examined by the Imperial Conference.

RUSSIAN SOFT WOOD. LONDON, October 8.

Mr Parker Moloney (Australian Minister of Markets) told the Daily Herald that the British Soft Wood Buying Corporation had provisionally agreed to buy all Russian imports of timber to Britain in 1931, valued at between £8,000,000 and £9,000,000, representing fully one-third of the total soft wood used here. Soviet agents handled this year’s timber imports direct.

BRITAIN'S UNEMPLOYED. RUGBY, October 10.

Referring to the Government’s schemes for absorbing the unemployed upon work of economic development, the Transport Minister (Mr Morrison), speaking at the Labour Party's conference at Llandudno this morning, said that out of £129,000,000 spent had passed through his department. A road and bridge construction programme was being pushed forward with all possible speed.

EMPIRE PREFERENCE. LONDON, October 10.

Mr Forbes, speaking at a luncheon given by the Civil Service Store, compli mented the firm on translating into practical action the principle of Empire preference by pushing the sale of Dominion products. He stated that the firm, which was one of New Zealand’s oldest customers, was now taking 100 lambs and two tons of butter weekly. Similar Em pire displays throughout the country would be most valuable.

TREASURY BONDS ISSUE.

RUGBY, October 9.

Applications for 4 per cent. Treasury bonds, 1934-1946, for which tenders were made at the Bank of England to-day. amounted to £116,320,000, and tenders for £105,000,000 Were accepted. Those who tendered at the minimum price of £lOO 10s per cent, received 56 per cent, of their requirements, but the tenders above that price were allotted in full The result is particularly satisfactory for the Government, and was favourably received in the city.

MR FORBES IN ENGLAND

LONDON, October I

Mr Forbes inspected a special display of Empire products at a West End shop, in which Australia and New Zealand were well represented. He has undertaken to visit similar displays at half a dozen other leading London shops.

Mr Forbes had several interviews regarding the present state of the butter market, particularly with a view to discovering the reasons for the present ab-

normal differences between the prices of New Zealand and Danish butter.

EX-KING AMANULLAH. DELHI, October 11.

Ex-King Amanullah, of Afghanistan, has appealed to Nadir Khan for funds, alleging that he is in financial difficulties in Italy.

The tribal chiefs rejected the appeal, stating that Amanullah during his European tour deposited large sums in Continental banks, and that he also possessed over £1,000,000 worth of jewellery. Therefore he should be able to maintain his family in luxury. His property in Afghanistan has been confiscated -by the State.

RELIGIOUS CONFLICT. MEXICO CITY, October 10.

The cremation of 80 men, women, and children in a church in San Carlos, in the State of Tabasco, is revealed in private despatches. While the congregation was at early Mass the doors were locked and the building was burned, those who escaped being shot down.

The religious conflict which raged throughout last year is still violent in Tabasco. Two priests, who took refuge on a neighbouring ranch, eventually escaped, but two ranchers, who sheltered them, were shot.

FAST TRIP BY NIAGARA. VANCOUVER, Cctober 10.

Anticipating the treaty abrogation by two days, the Niagara arrived wi'b 2,000,0001 b of New Zealand butter, mak ing the trip in 174 days instead of 19 as usual. Only for bad weather she would have arrived four hours earlier.

The Niagara brought 1,000,000 dollars worth of New Zealand butter, mainly for Vancouver, saving £7OOO in duty Twenty-eight of the passengers ar*being held for inquiry before being allowed to land These include mechanics, clerks, one New Zealand journalist, and two Australian journalists.

CHEESE WRAPPERS.

LONDON, October 4

It is officially denied that any trace of metal was found- by the council of the Institute of Hygiene, which states that it never discovered the slightest evidence that tinfoil was contaminating cheese.

The above message refers to the following cable, which was despatched from London on September 23: —Cheese wrapped in tinfoil might be dangerous, according to a report received by the Minister of Health, which states that several wrapped cheese samples were analysed, but in no single case were they free from contamination by tin.

CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP. SYDNEY, October 11

W hen the State chess championship tourney was concluded recently three players—M. E. Goldstein, G. H. Lemparter, and G. Koshnitzky—were equal, with six points each. A double round play-off was ordered, in which Lemparter, losing all his games, was eliminated. The other two pla-yed two drawn games, and the Chess Association decided that they should play on till one gained a victory. Four more games were drawn, and the association has resolved that, as there appeared to be no prospect of either winning, Goldstein and Koshnitzky should b* declared joint holders of the title this year.

NUMBER TEN DOWNING STREET. LONDON, October 6.

No. 10 Downing street, which is famous throughout the world, is under the glare of fierce criticism. The house is old. dark, and inconvenient, and visitors are invariably amazed when they see it. Mr Baldwin frequently expressed dissatisfaction with it, and this is endorsed by the evidence of Mr Ramsay MacDonald and Mr Lloyd George in an official paper which was issued to-day. Mr Baldwin said it was a most awkward house, and the coal, light, and gas bills were enormous.

Mr MacDonald said that he was living there greatly against the will of himself and his family.

EXPLORER S ONLY CHILD. LONDON, October 6.

The purpose of the fund which was started in Brisbane in 1912 for Peter Scott, the only child of Captain Scott, to which the subscribers were mosttly school children, was fulfilled to-day. The money, which was acknowledged by the Brisbane Courier, was invested in endowment policies, maturing at Peter’s majority, which occurs this week.

Mr E. H. Macartney (Queensland Agent-general) presented Peter with between £5OO and £6OO in the presence of Captain Scott’s widow (now Lady Hilton Young) and Sir Hilton Young. Peter, who feelingly acknowledged the gift, is a Cambridge student with artistic leanings, taking after his mother, who is a celebrated sculptress.

THRIFT IN BRITAIN. RUGBY, October 7.

Despite the continued industrial depression an increasing sale of national savings certificates is reported, and at the present rate of investment

1,000,000,000 certificates will have been sold within the next four months. Regional conferences of the National Savings Committee, which are held annually in various parts of the country about this time of the year, give a fair indication of the popular tendencies in the direction of thrift. It is impossible to give any precise figure of the money invested in Great Britain in small savings, but on a comparative basis the sum is estimated at about £1,948,000,000, or £45 per head of the population. Of this total, £483,000,000 represents principal and the accrued interest of national savings certificates, which form the most popular investment of this category.

MONEY AND MARKETS. LONDON, October 11. With the single exception of British funds, which touched new high levels on the continued cheapness of money, practically all the leading stocks, industrial and otherwise, suffered heavily last week from a multiplicity of causes. The news from Brazil resulted in a semi-panic selling of Brazilian securities, which has not yet abated. German bonds fluctuated widely on the continued uncertainty of Herr Hitler’s real attitude regarding the repudiation of the reparation payments and the lack of definite evidence as to the extent to which he is supported by German public opinion. The depressing tendencies were increased by the news of the renewed Wall street slump. Brokerage failures resulted in large blocks of internationals, such as Nickels, Hydro-electrics, and Tractions, being suddenly thrown on the market. Nevertheless, the experts’ opinion is that the liquidation has already exceeded reasonable limits and that it will be followed by a corresponding reaction shortly in at least the soundest securities.

Tin, on the contrary, continues its downward progression with disastrous results to weak investors, who have recently been buying in on the general belief that the metal had touched bottom.

Copper is fairly steady. There is reason to believe that certain large and influential interests are buying in quietly and steadily in view of a profitable turnover in the not far distant future.

It is over early yet to assess the City’s reaction after the opening speeches at the Imperial Conference, although Mr Thomas’s attitude is definitely regarded as unsatisfactory. Despite Mr Bennett’s proposals, the City doubts whether anything is likely to be achieved by a conference at which individual members’ fiscal attitudes are s,o divergent. It is believed that the result may be a general election, which would be welcomed in financial and industrial circles as ending a disastrous uncertainty.

MISSIONARIES MURDERED. SHANGHAI, October 11.

Details of the atrocious murder of two English lady missionaries by Communists in the vicinity of Kienningfu, in Northern Fukien, are available following on the return of the British Consul (Mr Martin), who sought to effect their rescue by the payment of a ransom. Whereas it was first reported that the ladies were shot because the ransom was not paid, it is now shown that both were clumsily and brutally beheaded after subjection to diabolical indignities and frightful bodily and mental torture. The ladies were captives for three months in the hands of Communists of the most fiendish type. On one occasion —the international Labour Day—they were compelled to sit chained to chairs for four hours bareheaded in a blistering sun during a mock trial of four antiCommunists, following which the four men’s heads were hacked off within a few feet of the ladies, who were informed that a similar fate awaited them if the ransom were not paid. A missionary ■go-between offered 50,000 dollars as ransom, but this was rejected, and 100,000 dollars were demanded. The Government troops made no definite effort to attack the Communists, who boast that they can do as they like with foreigners. The latter throughout China are now bitterly condemning the Government’s ineptitude. The Nanking authorities are seriously alarmed at the recrudescence of Communism at their own back door Nanchang is in like jeopardy, near Hankow.

Writing from Foochow on August 4 the Rev. George W. Shepherd, of the •American Board Mission, said in reference to these unfortunate women: “ Since arriving here we have heard that nothing has been done about the release of the two captives, and a letter has been sent to their mission stating that one' finger has been cut off Miss Nettleton’s hand, and unless 50,000 dollars is received immediately one of the ladies will be shot. We think the finger business is bluff, but those two women are in desperate enough circumstances, and General Lu is the only man capable of securing their release, and on his own admission, he cannot negotiate with Communists, he must use armed force. Up to the present he has not kept his promise to the Consuls, but with a big war on his hands he is probably quite fully occupied.” A message from Peking on October 3 stated: “ According to a message which has reached the BritislfConsul at Foochow, Misses Nettleton and Harrison, the British missionaries who have been held on ransom by the Communist bandits in North Fukien since June, seem to have been shot by the captors following the failure of protracted negotiations for their release. It is understood that the British authorities are deferring action pending the receipt of full details.”