OVERNIGHT CABLES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18830, 6 August 1929, Page 7

OVERNIGHT CABLES.

(United Press Assn.—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) Sensational Flying Accident. LONDON. August 5. A blazing bombing aeroplane attached to a Territorial Flying Squadron crashed on to the roof of St Mary’s Church at Castle Bromwich, near Birmingham. The church was set on fire and destroyed. The pilot was injured, but managed to scramble out of both the aeroplane and the church before they were fully on fire.—Australian Press Association. Shipping Trouble. MELBOURNE, August 5. The Federal Government, having accepted the challenge of the Seamen’s Union, has sent a letter to Mr O’Neill secretary of the Victorian branch, ask ing whether the Press report threaten ing to strike against the engagement of labour supplied by the rival Sea men’s Union is true. If so the Government proposes to take immediate action to maintain the shipping ser vices. Mr O’Neill’s reply contains a number of veiled threats against the Gov ernment which he accuses of partiality towards a few “ rebellious men who are prepared to cause disruption in the in dustrial movement of this country.” The reply, otherwise, gives no in dication whether the members of his union intend to force a strike on the shipping companies.—Australian Press Association. Pleasure Boat Sinks. OSTEND, August 5. It was estimated that there were seventy passengers in a motor boat Joseph 111., chieflj’’ excursionists from Liege and Charleroi, when she sank after a collision. They had just left the pier when the pleasure boat, Knocke, cut the Joseph 111. into halves. Few of the passengers were able to swim and their heartrending cries for help were added to the horror of a mad stampede for the beach, as the news was rumoured about. Boatmen, by rushing boats to sea were able to rescue some of them Artificial respiration was necessary in several cases.

One woman was frantic with grief at the loss of her small girl, whose yellow jacket could be seen floating on the water.

' A man came to the pier to meet his wife and daughter, who were on board lie saw them both drowned. The man was taken to hospital demented Ten thousand people gathered at the pier-head, and waited long into the night, weeping and seeking information regarding those missing.—Australian Press Association—United Service. Relations with Russia. LONDON, August 5 The Riga correspondent of "The Times” states that the Bolshevik authorities are staging demonstrations throughout Russia to protest against "the new rupture of Anglo-Soviet relati jn> by the pseudo-Labour Govern Factories ar d other establishments in Moscow, Leningrad, Khailoft, and i Ar’emcvsk oiganised meetings and passed identical resolutions affirming their determination to give Mi Ramsay MacDonald’s manoeuvres the same response as was- given to Sii Austen Chamberlain s, concluding with 4 Down with MacDonald.”—Times Cable. Millionaire’s Suicide. BERLIN, August 5. A sensation has been caused by the i suicide of Dr Edward Simon, a millionaire textile magnate, at his palatial home in Victoria Strasse. Lt is reported that he was worried over hi.s business after a long battle with financial difficulties following the inflation period. Dr Simon, before the war, was frequently the host of the ex-Kaiser.— Australian Press Association. Opponents of Fascism Escape. i LONDON, August 4. 1 The Paris correspondent of the “Daily 1 Telegraph” states that Signor Mussolini 1 has lost three redoubtable prisoner. 4. 1 who had been banished to the and island of Lipari. They are Emilian Lussu Professor Rosselli and Francesco I Nitti. a nephew of the ex-Prime Minis-j ter, who is now in exile in Paris. They! w’ere all heroes of the war, but were op-1 i posed to the Fascist! movement ' i They had been guarded will the ut- i

§g mpst care bv day and night, by sen-j tries and patrol motor-boats, vet they managed to escape. The news was not allowed ♦o x bc published in Italy, but it was generally known in Rome, where it created a great sensation. —Australian Press Associa tioii. Impudent Attempt at Robbery. SYDNEY, August 5 Two masked robbers, who secreted themselves in the shop of Michael Briggs, a butcher, at Redfern. to-night bound and gagged Briggs and covered him with a revolver. They commence* • to hunt for cash and discovered a bot tie of whisky, of which they impudent ly consumed a large portion. Some woman neighbour, hearing th. men’s threats to Briggs, telephoned to the police, who dashed to the scene in a car and arrested the bandits, but not before a shot was fired by one of them at the woman who gave the alarm.— 'ustralian Press Association. Australian Pilgrimage. LONDON, August 5 The Australian pilgrims will arrive in London after paying interesting visits to Ostend and Zeebrugge. They will remain in London for a week, then

| begin a British tour ending on September 3.—Australian Press Associa tion. Wrestling. SYDNEY, August 5. At the Sydney Stadium to-night in a fierce exchange of wrestling. John Pesex, world champion, again defeated Joe Zigmund, securing a fall in the first round, after dumping Zigmund ver hi. head. Both wrestlers were hurtled out of the ring on a couple of occasions full among the distinguished visitors, strik ing Mr W. M. Hughes and a Supreme 'orirt Tudge. The contest came to blows and the police stopped it.—Australian Press As sociation. Soldier Settlements. MELBOURNE, August 5 Mr Justice Pike has completed his inquiry into the condition of soldier settlements on behalf of the Common wealth Government He severely criticised the State Governments fiv buving land unsuitable for soldier set tlement, with the result that the majority of the soldiers have not rhe slightest chance of making a success of

Mr Justice Pike’s report also condemns the political interference associated with the administration of soldiers’ holdings. The Commonwealth has loaned to date £35.000.000 for soldier settlements, —Australian Press Association.