GENERAL CABLES.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXXI, Issue VIII, 22 August 1903, Page 521

GENERAL CABLES.

KING EDWARD. The King has started for Marienbad, travelling as the Duke of Lancaster. Mr laibouchere asserts in “Truth” that His Majesty will make no state visit to Vienna, as bad been stated. UNREST IN RUSSIA. Three days’ street fighting took place at Kiyff. 60 people being killed and nearly 100 wounded. The Cossacks drove many into the river, including some women and children. The railway workers, mechanics, and textile operatives have now joined the Kieff strikers. GROWERS’ UNION. The “Daily Mail” states that an American organisation of 38,000 farmers is projecting a great union of the wheat growers of America, Russia, the Argentine Republic, Australia, Hungary, Roumania, Canada, and India, to tlx a minimum selling price for wheat. RACE PROBLEM IN AMERICA. President Roosevelt in a letter to Mr Durbin, Governor of Indiana, eulogising his firm suppression of race riots, stated that toleration of lynchings would tend to weaken the bonds of civilisation and substitute violent alterations of anarchy and tyranny. Trials for murder must be expedited. WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY. It is reported that the International Congress on Wireless Telegraphy, now being held in Berlin, hits favoured the making of wireless telegraphy the business of the various Governments, exactly in the same manner as that, in which inland telegraphy is now regulated. It is understood that this will extinguish Mr Marconi’s chances of securing a monopoly. HONOURS FOR COLONIALS. The Exhibition Commissioners have awarded a science research scholarship of £ 150 to Mr Arthur Boyd, of Sydney University, and have granted Mr Richard Hosking, of Melbourne, and Mr Mathew Albert Hunter, of New Zealand, a.l extension to a second year. VESUVIUS ACTIVE. The cone in the crater of Vesuvius lias been split, by eruptions, which are however, at present, confined to the crater. The emissions of lava and scoriae are accompanied by lour explosions, which are occasioning some alarm in Naples, PENNY POST. Mr. Austin Chamberlain, replying to a correspondent, said it would be difficult to adopt the penny postage with America and refuse it to others. The sacrifice of revenue from the establishment of an international penny postage would be so great as not to justify the proposal of such a scheme. SOUTH AFRICA. The Natal Government has resigned after a defeat in Committee of Supply by 17 to 16 votes, Sir J. L. Hurlett, the 1-cader of the Opposition, has accordingly been summoned -to form a Cabinet. Mr. Chamberlain slates that the Legislative Council of the Transvaal is entitled to authorise the importation of Asiatics with the Imperial Government’s previous sanction. SERVIA. Lieut. Mirhailovitch, of Servia, has been arrested for stealing the mobilisation plans of the Servian Anny. It is significant that 123 Austrian crowns were found in his pocket. Three Servian Ministers, representing the Radical element in the Cabinet, have resigned, owing to the non-dtsmissat of four superior officers in Belgrade. It is repoited in Vienna that King Peter threatens to abdicate from the Servian throne

ANGLO-FRENCH RELATIONSTha Folk. •stone Chamber of Commerce welcomed 407 members of the Union of Commerce of Calais, who are visiting Folkestone and Canterbury. THE FAB EAST. The “Standard’s” Kiel! correspondent states that 26,000 troops will leave Mos<>w during the next six weeks for the >.r East. The -'Standard’s” Moscow correspon dent states that Russia is massing 100,0*40 troops in the territory to the east of Lake Baikal, in readiness to move to the Far East. PAPAL ELECTION. Advices from Rome state that the Emperor of Austria’s veto of Cardinal Rampolla is attributed to that cleric’s aotlve opposition to Austria as an ally of Italy. It is alleged that he seized every opportunity of showing his feelings, and prevented the Emperor’s visit to Rome. The “Catholic Herald’ states that Cardinal Vannutelli has succeeded Cardinal Rampolla as Secretary of State. THE HUMBERTS. At the trial of the Humberts, witnesses testified that Romain and Emile Daurignac, Madame Humbert’s brothers, impersonated the Crawfords. Experts proved that the Crawford signatures were in Romain and Emile Daurignae’s disguised writing. M. Labor,, counsel for the defence, remarked that the Crawfords exist, but under a different name. GERMANY AND RUSSIA. The German delegates to arrange the preliminaries of a commercial treaty with Russia have arrived at St. Petersbu. M. de Witte, the Russian Finance Minister, insists on the fullest application of the principle of reciprocity in any concessions. This fact is important, inasmuch as the treaty, if arranged, will serve as a basis of Germany’s treaties with other- countries. LORD SALISBURY ILL. Lord Salisbury lias latterly been slowly losing strength, exhaustion following on the slightest exertion. His condition is disquieting, and he has been confined to his room since Monday. Lord Robert Cecil states that though Lord Salisbury is gravely ill, there is no immediate, danger. The members of his lordship’s family are now assembling at Hatfield House, in ease of a more critical development. FIJI CONSTITUTION. Information has been received at Suva that the petition praying for a change in the constitution of Fiji which was forwarded to the King in April has been laid before His Majesty. The reply states that His Ma jesty was pleased to receive the petition very graciously, and that the necessary instruments are being prepared to give effect to the principle that unofficial members of the Legislative Council should in general bo elected, and the number of such members for the present should be eight—two from

Suva, one from Levuka, two appointed by the Planters’ Association, one by the sugar companies, and two by the native.

When the new Royal warrant is received the questions of qualification, suffrage, election, and term will be submitted to the Legislative Council for discussion and the necessary legislation.

The President of the Council in future will not have a debating, but will Ivivn a casting vote. The number of official members will be increased. CYCLONE IN JAMAICA. A cyclone has devastated Port Antonio, in Jamaica, causing many fatalities and enormous fruit losses. The country fifteen miles westward of Kingston has been destroyed. The velocity of the wind was 120 miles an hour. The “Daily Telegraph” states that the losses by the hurricane in Jamaica amount to two million sterling, the greatest sufferer being the United Fruit Company. CANADIAN GRAND TRUNK. The House of Commons of the Dominion has passed a bill incorporating the Grand Trunk and the Canadian Pacific railway, the former of which is to construct a trans-continental railway for a distance of between 2500 and 3000 miles, from Ontario through Manitoba and the N.W. Territories to the coast of British Columbia. IMPERIAL TRADE. According to return issued by the Board of Trade the following are the increases in Imperial trade for the decade ended 1900:—Imports. Into British Colonies. Increase, From the United Kingdom.... £6,000,000 From British Possessions 13.000,000 From Foreign Countries 29,000,030 Exports from the Colonies. TO the United Kingdom 21,500,000 To British Possessions 10,000,000 To Foreign Countries 18,500,000 The Imports for the year 1900 consisted of £117.000,000 from the the United Kingdom; £46.000.000 from British possessions; £81,000,000 from foreign countries. The exports consisted of £108,000,000 to the United Kingdom; £43,500,00 to British possessions; £87,000,000 to foreign countries. HOUSE OF COMMONS PROROGUED. Parliament has been prorogued. The closing hours were marked, by the wrangling of the Opposition, in endeav ouring to compel Mr. Balfour to produce the Board of Trade returns on the fiscal question before the rising of the II ouse. The King’s Speech, read at the closing of Parliament, trusted that His Majesty’s visits to the Continent had been productive of good results. The visit of M. Loubet, the French President, to England had evoked a striking exhibition of mutual goodwill. The Speech also mentioned the great progress made in the re-settlement and pacification of the Transvaal and Orange Colonies, and referred to the Balkans trouble, India, and to Somaliland. The Government were hopeful that future operations in Somaliland would prove more favourable.

During the King’s visit to Ireland he noticed with the deepest gratification the

signs of increasing concord among all classes, presaging. His Majesiy hoped, a new ora of united effort for the general welfare. The Speech reviewed the chief matters dealt with during the session. FIRE IN THE PARIS UNDERGROUND. One of the most disastrous and sensational fires known in Paris for some time past broke out in the underground railway beneath the French capital. The conflagration originated with an electric locomotive near the suburb of Menil - Montant, and ignited the carriages which it was hauling. For some reason the signals were not against other trains on the line, and three of them ran into the midst of the conflagration. The tunnel became choked with smoke, rendering respiration for more than a few moments an impossibility. There were a hundred deaths, most of the victims being asphyxiated. Heartrending sccenes were witnessed when the bodies were brought to the Morgue for identification, the distress of some of the relatives of the dead passengers being pitiful. TROUBLE IN THE BALKANS. Bulgarian officials are pessimistic, fearing an early general massacre of Christians in Macedonia. The Moslems in the Uskub district are excited, and are congregating in the mosques. This is interpreted as ominous, and it is feared the troops will prove incapable of restraining the fanatical Moslems. Half the troops in Monastir are raw recruits and unreliable. Practically the whole of Western Macedonia is in the hands of the insurgents, the Turks being masters of little more than the ground they stand on. The insurgents “have captured the Government food supplies in the Korista district, and 300 repeating rifles and a supply of ammunition at Kruchoo. A squadron of the Russian Black Sea fleet has sailed for Turkish waters. Reports from Vienna state that the situation is now desperate. The Porte is utterly incapable of restoring order. Strong bands of rebels are plundering the villages and firing houses everywhere. A thousand Turks attacked a rebel stronghold in the mountains in the Florina district, guarded by 600 Macedonians, whence bread, clothing, ammunition, rifles and shoes were distributed. After 24 hours’ fighting the Turks were repulsed with Kbavy loss.

The Ambassadors have demanded that the Porte shall take measures for the protection of the Consuls and the subjects of the foreign Powers resident in Monastir. This step is due to the demand of the population for arms, ostensibly for self-defence. The Turks and Macedonians accuse each other of massacres. The instances given include a slaughter of Christians at Kitchevo, and one of Moslems at Krushevo, which latter place the troops afterwards reoccupied. The revolutionary bands dynamited a bridge on the Monastir railway line. Belgrade advices state that the Turks have been guilty of horrible atrocities at the villages near Monastir. They des-

troyed fourteen villages in the Uskub and t iles districts.

Bulgaria is to present the Powers with a memorial enumerating misdeeds on Christian villayets bordering on Bulgaria, and setting out the hopelessness of expecting any good from Turkey’s socalled reforms. PREFERENTIAL TARIFFS. The Tariff Reform League has issued a pamphlet in answer to the appeal of the Labour members of the House of Commons to colonial workmen, cabled on August 9. The pamphlet assures ths colonies that Mr. Chamberlain has never suggested that the food of any householder should be rendered dearer. He had specifically stated that the price of no worker’s food should be increased by a single farthing. The Hon. Henry Copeland, AgentGeneral for New South Wales, in a letter published in the “Standard,” in quoting decimal statistics in support of Mr Chamberlain’s demand for a fiscal inquiry, declares that unless favourable intervention occurs, Australia’s foreign trade in a few years will exceed that with the Motherland. Mr Balfour, replying to Mr Dalzicl, said that the Government were revising some advance proofs of the Board of Trade returns relative to the fiscal question. The “Westminster Gazette” states that the latest report carrying weight is that Mr Chamberlain is considering a scheme of taxation of foreign manufactured goods, the revenue from which would be devoted to subsidising the carriage of colonial wheat and other food stulls. The “Standard,” in an apparently inspired first leader, complains of Mr Chamberlain’s cataclysmic precipitancy in introducing the fiscal problem with the prospect of an even more hopelessly shattered party than were the Liberals on the occasion of Mr Gladstone’s Home Rule proposals. Mr Chamberlain’s agitating, while the Cabinet is inquiring into the question, destroys collective responsibility for the situation, which, adds the "Standard,” cannot last. Resignations, in any case, aro only too likely when the Cabinet policy which Mr Chamberlain so brusquely assumed he could anticipate is announced. Disruption is nevertheless not inevitable. With commonsense, and if the proposal is limited to a revenue tax on com and measures terminated which encourage the unfair and bounty-supported competition of foreign manufactures w.th the Home market, it would be possible to unite the Unionist majority on a programme capably and reasonably presented to the constituencies. The solution now rests, the Government organ concludes, with the Cabinet, and, above all, with Mr Chamberlain, if he chooses to drop the idea of protective taxes on the food of the masses.