BRITISH AND FOREIGN

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7979, 7 April 1904, Page 2

BRITISH AND FOREIGN

» ' - United Press Association— By ElecWo T»l«gr*plh — Copyright. (Received April 7, ff.l6 a.m.) A BY-ELECTION. LONDON, April 6. Major Seely, Conservative Freetrader, was re-elected for the Isle of Wight unop- ■ posed, the Chamberlainites reserving them- ; eeives for the general election. i (At the general election in 1900 Major ; Seely was returned unopposed.) THE COTTON CRISIS. NEW YORK, April 6. Many American cotton spinners are adopting short, time in order to curtail production. ARCTIC EXPLORATION. OTTAWA, April 6. The Dominion Government has purchased ; the German Antarctic exploring ship Gauss \ to survey the Labrador coast. She will afterwards attempt to discover the North Pole from Canada. (Received April 7, 8.26 a.m.) THE Al SUBMARINE. LONDON^ April 6. Bad weather is delaying salvage operations in connection with the submarine Al. (In connection with the naval manoeuvres in Marchj the Al submarine was instructed to await a battleship off the Nab Lightship, her periscope alone indicating her position. The Berwick Castle struck the periscope, and reported to destroyers in the vicinity tbat she had struck a torpedo, being unaware that she had run down a submarine vessel. As the submarine did not comet© the surface, a search was ordered, and her hull was discovered lying in fifteen fathomß of water. Divers who examined the submarine Al ascertained that two holes had been knocked in 'her conning tower, and the electric light had been extinguished. A heavy swell frustrated the efforts to save the vessel by means of ai wire hawser. The salvors contracted to place the submarine in Portsmouth Docks.)