BRITISH AFFAIRS

Southland Times, Issue 19249, 13 June 1921, Page 5

BRITISH AFFAIRS

IMPERIAL RELATIONS OPPORTUNITIES FOR STATESMANSHIP SPEECH BY MR MASSEY. (By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright.) (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) LONDON, June 11. (Received June 13, 12.45 a.m.) Speaking at the Rhodes Trustees’ dinner at Oxford. Mr Massey said he held strongly the opinion that greater opportunities faced Imperial statesmen to-day than ever hitherto in the Empire’s history. He hoped that the opportunity would not be missed at the Conference to do something of substantial benefit to the citizens of the Empire, particularly in the direction of defining the dominions’ relations to each other and to England. He strongly favoured the principle of partnership between the nations forming the Empire, but partnership carried duties and responsibilities in addition to rights and privileges. There was a serious weakness in the present system of conferences. Up to the signature of the Peace Treaty the War Cabinet did magnificent wprk, its decisions on important subjects being the decisions of the whole Empire. Since then the dominions had not enjoyed representation in Empire government, which was not satisfactory to loyalists oversea and ought to be righted. He wanted to see arrangements and an understanding reached tending to keep the British stock and native races which so loyally stood together during the war united in such a way that it would be impossible to break up the British Empire. A MYSTERIOUS GERMAN. DRIFT ACROSS NORTH SEA. ARRESTED AT HULL. LONDON, June 10. (Received June 12, 5.5 p.m.) Karl Jacket, who arrived at Hull three weeks ago, has been arrested. He drifted across the North Sea from Hamburg in the two-masted sailer Anne, in which the cargo had shifted, rendering navigation impossible. Jackel said he sailed the Anne single-hand-ed, but the German authorities state that he sailed with Anderson, the owner, and Semnelback, a seaman, both of whom have disappeared. SUPPLEMENTARY ESTIMATES. FIFTEEN MILLIONS APPROPRIATED. LONDON, June 11. (Received June 12, 11.45 p.m.) The Supplementary Estimates provide £15,260,000, of which £9,000,000 goes to liquidate the railway agreement, and £6,000,000 for coal importations to maintain utility services during the strike. THE MARRIAGE LAWS. DECEASED BROTHER’S WIDOW BILL. LONDON, June 10. The House of Commons read the third time the Marriage with Deceased Brother’s Widow Bill. MINISTRY OF MUNITIONS. THE SUTTON CASE. A HASTY AND FOOLISH REMARK. LONDON, June 10. The inquiry tribunal into the Sutton case reports that Sutton, without instructions from his superiors, made a hasty and foolish remark about losing important papers which he immediately withdrew. Sutton’s remark was not made with any improper motive, his only desire being to hasten the winding up of the department’s work. Captain Loseby’s allegations, though made in good faith, v.ere not sustained. At the opening sitting of the Munitions Inquiry Committee on April 25, Captain Loseby, M.P., who originated the charges, called two witnesses, formerly accountants in the Ministry of Munitions, who gave evidence that E. J. Sutton, occupying an important position in the Ministry, instructed a meeting of thirty members of the staff ' to destroy documents called working papers, for the purpose of preventing the audit officials nosing too deeply into the accounts. The witnesses thought that no papers were destroyed, as the staff feared that the consequences would be serious to themselves. The cross-examination suggested that the alleged instruction was merely a jocular remark during a discussion on the necessity for expediting the liquidation of the Ministry’s accounts, and that the witnesses were actuated by resentment in consequence of their subsequent discharge owing to retrenchment. THE WOOL POSITION. OFFERINGS OF OLD AND NEW CLIPS. LONDON, June 10. (Received June 12, 5.5 p.m.) rhe committee of the Colonial Wool Merchants’ Association adopted a resolution that the interests of Australian growers and the trade between Australia and England would be best served by recognition that the first consideration should be the realisation of the current clip each year, and subject to that realisation as large a quantity of B.A.W.R.A. wool as the market was able to absorb ought to be offered.

The committee thinks that the quantities offered in August and September should contain a larger proportion of new crop than has hitherto been provided.