BRITISH AND FOREIGN.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume XXIV, 11 December 1924, Page 7

BRITISH AND FOREIGN.

OVERNIGHT NEWS SbdMARY. Per Press Association—Copyright. PARIS, December 10. The Chamber of Deputies yesterday voted confidence in the Government bv 319 to 29. The motion was based on the Government’s recent measures against the Communists. LONDON, Dec. 9. The mine owners sent a letter to the Miners’ Federation proposing a joint committee to investigate the serious position ot the industry. PEKIN, December 9. Three kidnapped students have been released on parole. They reached the college bringing the robbers’ demands for a ransom. Lifuhlin, the Bandit Suppression Commander, ordered the delegates not to return and not to pay the ransom. He warned the Elders of four villages in the bandit district that he would destroy the villages unless the students were released. Troops have been despatched thither. PARIS, December 9. Most of the expelled foreign Communists were taken to the Belgian frontier. The presence of these, together with other Communists who are voluntarily leaving France, has alarmed the Belgian Government, which has ordered the frontier guards not to permit their entry into Belgium. The Government is approaching the French Government on the subject. LONDON, Dec. ,9. The execution ot Smith, in whose interest dramatic appeals were made to the Home Secretary tor reprieve, was carried out at Hull without incident. Contrary to expectations the crowd outside the prison were most orderly. The hangman slept in the gaol overnight as a precaution. When the prison bell tolled the hour of execution, the crowd sang ‘fNearer, My God, to Thee.” There were poignant scenes when Smith’s mother collapsed, but she recovered, and remained an hour amidst the crowd. (Smith was sentenced to death for killing a woman with whom he lived because he suspected her —* ; ity.) SYDNEY, Dec. 10. William Simpson, who twice appealed against the death sentence, was hanged at Long Bay gaol this morning. Death was instantaneous. (William Simpson was twice tried on the charge of murder of Guy Clift and Constable Flynn at Appin. At the second trial on September 2 accused, in a statement from the dock, claimed that Mr Clift anti the constable were his best friends, and their deaths were accidental. On June 5 Simpson was found guilty and sentenced to death. He appealed for a new trial and on July 1 the appeal was allowed. The grounds for the Court’s decision were that evidence was wrongly admitted at the first trial. The Chief Justice, in ordering a new trial, said that the first one amounted to a miscarriage of justice.) NEW YORK, Dec. 9. New York’s right to the title of the c’ity of sky-scrapers, will be undisputed for some time to come, if an eighty-eight storey office building be erected in Lower Broadway. The fact that such a building is contemplated is vouched for by the architect who designed the fifty-one storey Woolworth building at present rated as the tallest office structure in the world. He states that tests will be made shortly to determine the extent the Woolworth sways in heavy

gales and the purpose of these tests is to ascertain the practicability of an eighty-eight storey building. If practicable it will be built In the same location indicated. It will be near enough to overshadow Woolworth. CAPETOWN, Dec. 9. Further details of the burning of the steamer Cigale, 55 miles from Mauritius show there when there were iiity-seven persons on board, a cargo of 1500 cases of motor spirit caught fire. A Chinese passenger was blown up into the rigging with his clothing ablaze, and before help could reach him he was burned to death. A panic followed, and there was a wild rush to the boats, and women died of fright. Two full boats abandoned the ship, leaving t.re captain, officers and fainting women passengers on the blazing vessel. After hours of torturing work, reach French sailors subdued the flames, but the ship began tosink. The boats then returned. When the ship sank twenty-three were drowned. Two old Roman Catholic priests, who were offered seats in the boats, refused, saying: “We have no families.” One was subsequently rescued, alter many hours buffeting on a raft 6ft. square.

The boats eventuaally reached Reunion.