BRITISH AND FOREIGN

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 13152, 7 December 1906, Page 5

BRITISH AND FOREIGN

United Press AMOcaafcion— ?Per Electric Telegraph—Copyright. THE PORTSMOUTH RIOTS. „ LONDON, December 5. The court-martial in connection with.the recent stokers' riot at Portsmouth ordered Lieutenant Coliard to be reprimanded for compelling a single stoker to kneel in November, 1905, when he reproved the stoker for impertinence. The Court acquitted Lieutenant Coliard for ordering the stokers to kneel in -November last. RAILWAY FREIGHTS. Evidence wais. given at the Vice-Regal Commission on Irish Railways, showing that the carriage of dead poultry from seven leading entres in Ireland to England was 72s 6d per ion, whilst fromsNew Zealand it was .30*. The cost from Belfast to Nottingham. Leeds and Manchester, was 61s Bd, and from Germany 59s 7d per ton. MODELS OP FRUIT. Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland have small exhibits of driedi fruits as models at the Horticultural Society's Show. ;■'■•■ AUSTRALIAN MUSICIANS. Miss Margaret Baxter read a paper atj the Austral Club an the position of Australians in the London musical world. She advocated- the establishment of travelling scholarships for Australian students and the adoption of some ineahs of preventing ill-equipped vocalists from coming to London. WASTE OF FUNDS. Forty per cent, of the moneys placed at the disposal of..- the Unemployed Act Distress Committee r-f Southwark have been expended en salaries and other administrative expenses. CONFERENCE POSTPONED. LONDON, December 6. The " Morning Post" announces that the sitting of the Colonial Conference has been postponed till May sth to suit the colonial Premiers. ' THE ARMY OF JAPAN. The " Times" Tokio correspondent reports that Japan is contemplating changes enabling her to place an army of 700,000 men in the field. The Minister of War declared that the. sole object was to secure peace by making Japan too formidable to be attacked. Some of the Ministers dissented, but finallv yielded. „ SEVERE EARTHQUAKE. £ An earthquake, lasting eighty seconds, occurred at Saint Vincent on Monday night. The shocks were felt at the Barbadoes and Saint Lucia. RECORD WITH BIG GUNS. The cruiser Drake, the flagship of rearAdmiral Prince Louis of Battenburg, whilst at gun practice in Aranci Bay, out of 133 shots fired by her big guns, at a distance of four miles, made 105, hits, establishing a record. A HUMANE MEASURE. BERLIN, December 5.

Owing to suggestions made in connection with Voight's trial, the' Kaiser has ordered the introduction, of a (Bill in Parliament to stop the police worrying discharged convicts. ' , THE PLAGUE AT MANILA. MANILA, December 5. The recent outbreak of plague amongst the prisoners at -Bilibed, in Manila, was due to a visitor in the absence of the responsible medical officer inadvei. tently exchanging .culture tubes. A GOVERNOR DISMISSED. BAGD'AD, December 5. The Governor of Bagdad was dismissed for levying illegal taxes, and causing the Arabs to revolt. PREFERENCE TO BRITAIN. OTTAWA, December 6. The British preference proposals have passed the Dominion House. Mr Feilding, Minister of Finance, admitted that the Government were unable to apply an: intermediate. tariff until the most favoured nations' treaties had been disposed of. THE AMEER'S VISIT. CALCUTTA, December 6. The Ameer has started on a visit to India. THE SHIP SUBSIDY BILL. '-"' NEW'YORK,- December 6. There is a' consensus of opinion that the Ship Subsidy Bill will pass Congress this session, giving inter alia an additional grant of £45.200 annually to the San FranciscoAustralian line. It is claimed that the Bill will create ten new lines, and raise 10,000 naval volunteers with, a, new fleet of 500.000 tons, serviceable in war time.