CABLE ITEMS.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXIX, Issue I, 5 July 1902, Page 21

CABLE ITEMS.

A record wheat harvest is reported in Kansas, U.S.A.

Oxford University has conferred a Doctorship of Civil Laws on Mr Barton, the Federal Premier.

The “Standard” states that the total of Boer surrenderers has reached 20,000.

The renewal of the Triple Alliance in its original form was signed at Berlin on Saturday.

Lord Hopetoun’s successor has not yet- been chosen. Lord Tennyson administrates after July 14.

Mr Barton, Mr Seddon and the colonial Agents-General have sent messages of condolence to the Royal Family.

The Prince and Princess of Wales entertained 1300 children, mostly orphans, at dinner at Marlborough House.

General Botha visited the Boer prisoners at Pretoria and counselled them, to submit. Forty tpok the oath and were releasea.

Lightning struck a church at Orense, in Spain, while a funeral service was being held. Twenty-five people were killed and 35 injured.

Karl Fitzwilliam’s estate has been proved at £3,000,000. Practically all the Fitzwilliam’s estate has been left to the present Earl.

A cablegram from South Africa states that, the Tenth Contingent will embark for New Zealand early this month.

In view of the conclusion of peace, and the absence of documents, those implicated in the recent Pretoria plot have been released.

The American Steel Corporation is raising the wages of a hundred thousand employees ten per cent., at an annual eost of four million dollars.

A proclamation will be issued on July 4 amnestying all political prisoners in the Philippines, including Aguinaldo.

The revolution in Venezuela continues. The Vice-President and 1744 men with five guns surrendered after five hours’ fighting.

A fire in the heart of Capetown destroyed the South African Mutual Insurance, Fletcher's, Dix's and other offices.

An agent of the Argentine is endeavouring to persuade the Boer refugees in Portuguese territory to found a colony in Patagonia. The death is announced of the Right Hon. William Lidderdale, P.C., ex-Governor of the Bank of England, aged 70 years. Mr Seddon has suggested to Mr Chamberlain the subsidising of ves seis flying the British flag, and con veying British goods, and is hopeful something will result. Many Transvaal and Orange River Colony burghers are petitioning the British Legation at Brussels to be allowed to take the oath of allegiance, and to return to South Africa. Mr Chamberlain is communicating With Lord Milner regarding the appointment of Boer leaders to civil posts, but is unable to give particulars at present. Four hundred and seveffTy-eight Boers at St. Helena signed the declaration of allegiance and marched to the harbour, carrying Union Jacks headed by a band. They embarked amidst immense enthusiasm. The, death is announced of Hugh Edward Collison, of the Tenth New Zealand Contingent, by the accidental dislocation of his neck at Newcastle. News has bsftu received that Lieut, and Commander Watson, of H.M.S. Lizard (now in Auckland) has been promoted to the rank of Commander in the Royal Navy.

A college porter fatally shot Professor McAdam and his assistant in Surgeons’ Hall laboratory, in Edinburgh, during a lecture. The porter walked into the room with a loaded rifle. He is supposed to be insane.

Failing Fiji being controlled by the Commonwealth or New Zealand, Mr Seddon advocates the introduction of an elective element in the Government similar to that of Ceylon.

The Queensland Cabinet decided to show- clemaney to 38 prisoners in recognition of the Coronation. Some will be released, and the sentences of others reduced.

A hundred prisoners at Simonstown have returned to their farms, and other batches are starting daily. The repatriation from the concentration camps will be completed in August.

A railway bridge at lalea collapsed, precipitating a train into the river. Many were killed. Others were rescued through and from the roofs of the carriages in the river.

Lord Milner was sworn in as#Governor and Commander-In-Chief of the Orange River Colony, in the presence of De Wet and others. Mr H. F. Blain has been appointed Legal Adviser, and Mr A- Brown Colonial Treasurer.

Prinee Komatsua, the Japanese envoy, speaking at the Coronation lunch at the Mansion House, said he trusted England and Japan would both deepen and extend the friendly relations wliereinto they had entered.

Mr Chamberlain said the return of the deported Fijian chiefs and the question of the Group's future were not raised at present, though Mr Copeland convenes a meeting of th< Australian Agents-General in support of Mr Barton’s attitude.

Lord Roberts has repeated his appeal to the people not to treat the returning troops to stimulants, adding that he is equally jealous and proud of the stainless reputation of his gallant comrades.

The National Bank of the South African Republic, in Pretoria, held its first meeting’ for three years today, when a dividend of 5 per cent, was declared. It was decided to change the title of the bank to the National Bank of South Africa.

The N.S.W. Government distributed £2OOO to the poor through the benevolent institutions for the Coronation. The Premier stated that if insufficient the Government will provide what is necessary.

The Imperial Government object to the manufacture at less than cost price curative serum in England, with a view to supplying it at less than cost price to all British territories visited by the plague. They have asked the Federal Government to contribute £333, Australia’s proportionate share of the eost of production. Mrs Uru has received a cable message from, the Premier stating that ( apt. Taranaki and Lieut. Uru (of the New Zealand Coronation Contingent) had nor contracted enteric fever, though both are in hospital. They are expected to be about again in four or five days. At the swimming carnival of the Life Saving Society at Highgate Ponds, the international mile race for the Prince of Wales’ Cup was won by Jarvis, Billington being second, Read (of Sydney) third, and Cavill fifth. Time, 25m 355. Lane, of Sydney, won the 150 yards handicap. Thirty thousand people witnessed the carnival. A great public welcome is beiug arranged for Lord Kitchener. There will probably be a procession through London. Lord Kitchener will be escorted by the war veterans who arrived in the s.s. Bavarian fi'om South Africa. -

Tn the House of Commons Mr Balfour, referring to the Education Bill, said that instead of grants to the amount of £640,000 to voluntary schools, representing 5/ per child, and £220,000 to necessitous school boards, Sir Michael Hicks-Beach was prepared to grant £ 1,760,000, making 4/ per child on the average attendance at all elementary schools, the remainder to be distributed among poor districts whose financial capacity would be shown by the amount producible from a penny rate.

Mrs Seddon christens the Union S.S. Company's new steamer Moeraki at Dumbarton, on July Sth.

[The Moeraki is a new steel steamer of about 4500 tons gross register, and will be engined up to 4500 horse, power. She is built to the order of the I nion S.S. Company of New Zealand, and is intended for the. intercolonial trade.j

As a result- of the revolutionary fighting in Venezuela German and French warships are proceeding to La Guayra, the seaport of Caracas, the capital, to look after their respective interests. The French cruiser Suchet is returning to Cartagena. The German cruiser Falke is being temporarily’ entrusted with French interests.

It was reported that seven French traders were arrested by the Venezuelan Government, the object being to enforce duties already paid to the revolutionists. Release being refused the Suehet kept the gunboat Restran'der under her guns. This had the desired effect, release being effected within an hour.

Lord Kitchener, at a luncheon prior to bis departure from Capetown, in accepting a sword of honour, said he did so as a compliment to the army. He was relieved to find that Cape colonists did not denounce martial Taw, for the declaration of which he was primarily’ responsible. Without it the Cape farmers would have been actually’ or politically dead. They were fed with lies, not always in Dutch, until they thought us a nation of monsters. Martial law intervened and prevented people from taking a fatal step. Now peace was restored, he urged all to banish racial feelings, to banish leagues and bonds, and unitedly throw in their lot with the movement for promoting the common welfare.

A collision occurred between a British steamer and a German torpedoboat at the mouth of the river. The latter sank. The commander and three of the crew are missing.

Lord Iveagii was rescued from the collision between a British steamer and a German torpedo-boat at the mouth of the Meuse River. Reuter's Agency states that at the time of the collision the German torpedo boat was following- a yacht race. Five of the crew were drowned.. There were four Englishmen aboard, including Mr Robert Guinness, who was accompanied by Lord Iveagh and Sir Edward Birkbeek. They were saved. The steering of the German torpedo boat, which sank in the recent collision in the river Meuse, caused tlsc disaster. When sinking the. commander ordered that all Englishmen on board should be saved first. The British colliding steamer was the Forsby, and she was detained by the Kaiser’s order, in view of damages. She will be released on payment of a £25.000 sterling deposit. Congress has adopted the Panama Canal route. [A cablegram from Washington on 20th June stated that the Senate by 42 votes to 31 agreed to the Panama Canal scheme, if the title is clear and purchasable at 40.000, iKiOdol.. otherwise the Nicaraguan scheme will be carried out. On April 23rd last a treaty was signed by Mr Hay, the U.S. Secretary of State, and Senator Concha, the Columbian Minister at Washington. The treaty contained 27 articles invowing' concessions and obligations. It granted the Panama Company the right to dispose of its entire rights, title and interest, to the U.S., the lease to run by hui dred year periods. The following is a short history of the canal:—M. Ferdinand de Lessees convened an international congress for the construction of the canal at Paris in 1879. As a result the Panama Canal Company was formed, anti got to work in ISM. On New Year's Day, IS®, the company went into liquidation, having got through about seventy millions sterling and done one-Ilfth of the work. The tremendous Panama scandals followed, shaking Franco to her foundations. Tr.e concession was kept alive, the Co-

lombian Government granting extenaloM first to litre, then to 1»W. Meantime, the need of Inter-oceanic communication impressed itself more and more keenly upon the T. nlted States. The liquidator, for the concession, work done, and standing plant, asked the United States a orice of about eight million* eterllng, but not before the United States Cana! Commission had reported for the Nicaragua route. The cost of the Nicaragua route was estimated at thirty-eight millions sterling, that of the Panama route nine millions less. But the latter was found to be the shorter route and capable of being soonest finished.] s , j

The death i« announced of Mr James Brunton Stephens, the Australian writer and poet, of angina pectoris, at the age of sixty-seven. . t

[The late Mr James Brunton Stephens hail a high reputation in Australia as a writer of excellent verse and prose. Ho was born tn Linlithgowshire in 1835, and went out to Queensland in IS6«. For seme years he was in the service of the Queensland Education Department as a school teacher, and was afterwards transferred to a clerkship in the Colonial Secretary's Office, which he held to the time of his death. He contributed largely to several leading Australian Journals, and bls tine blank verse poem “Mute Discourse” first’ appeared in the Melbourne ''Review.” “Convict Once," his most ambitious poem, was published by MacMillan, and “The Godolphin Arabian" and "Miscellaneous Poems” were published in Brisbane. Stephens had also written two novelettes of Australian life. He was regarded as the wittiest of Australian poets.] .