NEWS BY CABLE AND MAIL.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 16114, 1 May 1923, Page 6

NEWS BY CABLE AND MAIL.

RUM riRATES LOOT STEAMER OF

WHISKY. NEW YORK, March 10.—Eleven rum pirates coming alongside in a power boat raided the Royal Mail steamer Orbita while it was tied' up to the North River pier, and 1 escaped with twenty cases of Scotch whisky which was under seal.

PLUCKY WOMAN CAPTURES HOUSEBREAKER.

MELBOURNE, April 18.—Mrs. G. W. Watkins, a, resident of South Melbourne, seeing a housebreaker at work next door, tackled! him, and, though given a rough handling, followed him down the street, where she cornered him till the police arrived.

MOTOR, TRAINS. MUDGEE (N.S.W.), April 18.—The putting of motor trains on branch lines was strongly advocated by Mr. Thorhy, M.L.A., at a meeting of the Mudge* Farmers and' Settlers' Association. He stated! that private firms were prepared to place on the rails thoroughly up-to-date, efficient motor trains, capable of carrying 50 passengers and 30cwt, of luggage, mails, and 1 parcels a.tj 30 miles per hoar, for less than £IBOO each. At present it took 10k hours to travel from Mud'gee to Coonabarabran, a distance of only 124 miles. This could: be accomplished in half the timo by means of motor trains. A quicker service would bring increased' business to the railways, and the lower running costs would enable a reduction in freights and fares to bo made.

FREE STATE PLANS CUSTOMS BARRIER. DUBLIN, March 10.—In the Dial Eireann President Cosgrave moved the supplementary budget estimates, including an item' of £16.000,000, for the erection of huts at suitable places along tho Ulster frontier in connection with the Customs barriers. The estimates also included an item of £267.000, for war stores and vessels. Mr. Cosgrave said this latter amount was required immediately to equip twelve armed trawlers for coast, guard service and the prevention of gun-running. The original budget estimates call for £7,580,000.

KAISER'S CORFU HOME NOW HOUSES REFUGEES FROM THE NEAR EAST.

NEW YORK, March 2.--Reports from Berlin that former Emperor Wilhelm and his wife. Princess Hermine. were contemplating a move from Doom to Wilhelm's former summer palace, Castle Achilleion, on the Island of Corfu, Greece, have led Charles V. Vickrey, general secretary of the Near East Relief, to observe that, they have a big surprise in store for them. For Castlo Achilleion, Mr. Vickrey said, now housed' 1000 Armenian war orphans brought from Asia Minor by the relief organisation and quartered, in the palace with the permission of the Greek Government. "The palace was requisitioned by the Greek Government during the war," Mr. Vickrey said, "and' has been turned .over to Near East Relief with many other buildings to help shelter the hundreds of thousands of homeless refugees. I do not think the Greek authorities have any intention of returning it to the former Kaiser or his family."

BONAR LAW WARNED TO CHANGE TACTICS.

LONDON, March 3.—Members of Premier Bonar Law's own party have warned him that ho must change his policies or risk the downfall of his Ministry, it is understood, A delegation of Conservative members of Parliament called on the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street on Wednesday and pointed out to him the gravity of the situation which had arisen because of the defeat of three of his Cabinet Ministers at the polls in recent by-elections. Labor and Liberal members insist that the Government has been discredited, declaring that if the Tories could not cany the Conservative stronghold of Liverpool, where J. W. Hills, financial secretary of the treasury, was beaten by J. H. Hayes, an ox-policeman ning on the Labor ticket, then, indeed', the Government is in a'desperate position.

While the defeats of Hills, Sir Arthur Griffith-Boscawen, Minister of Health, and Col. Stanley, under secretary of Homo affairs, are considered in all quarters as showing disapproval of the Government's indecisive policy, the country asks itself: "What is the alternative?" Most observers agree that the country is not ready for the return of Lloyd George, and that tho strength of the Labor party, at present, is insufficient to form a Ministry. 'Hie Government need have no fears of further by-election results for a while. Under the provisions of a recent amendment to the electoral laws, Ministers do not have to seek election to the House of Commons until nine months after they have been appointed io their Go-, vernment positions.

Mr Asqujth said he did not agree with Lloyd George's attack on the Labor party, which had been pilloried, by tho ex-Premier as "the common enemy.''

"Liberals have no quarrel with Labor as such," hp said, "they oven share many aims with tho more responsible factions of what is called tho Labor party." The Daily Chronicle interprets Mr Asquith's speech as a "blank refusal" to confer with Lloyd George.