GENERAL CABLES

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXXI, Issue XVI, 17 October 1903, Page 22

GENERAL CABLES

ANOTHER YACHTING CUP. The "New York World’’ states that Sir Thomas Lipton will give a 2500 dollars cup for a race across the Atlantic-, open to all nations, as a test of seamanship. THE BALKAN CRISIS. An engagement between insurgents and Turks has taken place at Chekres. The latter lost 300 killed and wounded. In an engagement at Vadetepe 70 insurgents were killed. The Greek Metropolitan has informed Austria and Russia that the insurgent leader Chakalaroff is perpetrating horrible atrocities on the Greek peasantry in the Kasoria district. The Macedonian insurgents have offered to suspend insurrection and dynamite outrages until the spring to see if the reforms will be applied. WORK AND WAGES. Walking delegates’ exactions led to the failure of the Morse Ironworks and Dry Dock Company of New York, throwing 220 men idle, and closing a plant worth two million dollars.

Mr Skinner, Commissioner to the Johannesburg Chamber of Mines in the Far East, recommends the tentative importation of Chinese, but says that steady efforts should be made to augment the supply of Kaffirs. The Miners’ Association urges the Government to undertake the superindence of arrangements for completing the importing to the Rand of 3000 Chinese a month, beginning tn January.

COLONIAL PRODUCE IN LONDON. At the Islington Dairy Show there were 17 entries from Victoria, one from South Australia, and five from New Zealand. In the colonial butter competition for salt butter the Victorians carried off the first three prizes, while the exhibit from the Opotiki Factory (Auckland. New Zealand) was very highly commended. Tn fresh butter Victoria also carried off the first three prizes. A MORGAN DEAL. Air Pierpont Morgan and Mr Schwab have, so it is alleged, merged the Bethlehem Works, well-known to be bankrupt, in the American Shipbuilding Trust. It is believed that by this transaction they made a profit ot 5,000,000 dollars in stock. They nre accused, moreover, of selling the stock in advance of the other pooled shipyard stocks. Indignation and excitement prevail on Wall-street, and public feeling is not mollified by Mr Morgan’s denial, which is considered distinctly evasive. THE FAR EAST. The Japanese Minister denies the “Duly Mail’s" story, and asserts that Japan is prepared for any eventuality. He considers it is scarcely likely that Japan will go to war over Manchuria. The Chinese-American commercial treaty has been signed. Advices from Manchuria state that no movement has l>een made towards evacuation, and the officers treat the occupation as permanent. The Russian fleet is cruising off the Corean coast in sight of the Japanese fleet. Neither has.landed troops. Prince Alexieff has concentrated several brigades on the Corean frontier. Prince Alexieff is engaged in naval military manoeuvres, 90 warships participating. The Japanese Ambassador in London is denying the rumours that a Japanese ultimatum is being employed, and declared that it was wrong to deduce that a menace was intended against Japan from the assembly of Russian war vessels at Port Arthur. BRITISH POLITICAL CRISIS. The King Ims accepted the Duke of Devonshire’s resignation. The following changes in the Ministry are officially announced:— Chancellor of the Exchequer: Mr Austen Chamberlain. Secretary of State for India: Air Brodrick. Secretary of State for War: Air Arn-old-Forster. Secretary of State for the Colonies:

The Hon. Alfred Lyttelton. Secretary of State for Scotland: Air Graham Murray. Postmaster-General: The Hon. A. Stanley. All have seats in the Cabinet. The Hon. Alfred Lyttelton is forty-six years of age, of which he has not been eight in Parliament. He is the son of of the fourth Lord Lyttelton, and therefore a brother of the Rev. the Hon. Canon Edward Lyttelton, the wellknown cricketer and head master of Hailebury College. Educated at Eton and Trinity, Cambridge, he was called to the bar, was recognized as a brilliant advocate, and was appointed to the recordership first of Hereford in 1894 and then of Oxford in 1895. But hitherto his chief fame, like that of his brother, has been in the athletic world.

Air Austen Chamberlain is only forty. His career as Financial Secretary and Postmaster-General are too well-known to need review. Similarly with Air Brodrick at the War Office, where he has been since 1900. Air H. 0. Arnold-Forster will be considered by many an acquisition to the AVar Office, looking to his enthusiasm for naval and military reform. He is forty-eight years old. an Oxford man, and the author of a score of very miscellaneous books. He was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty in 1900. The Hon. Arthur Stanley is the 4th son of the 16th Earl of Derby. His experience has been mostly in the diplomatic service, and in his private secretaryship to Air Balfour. He was born 34 years ago.

The "Standard” regards the Duke of Devonshire’s resignation as a severe blow to a Government which is already shaken to its foundations.

The reconstruction is inadequate, and arouses some wonder whether Air Balfour will meet Parliament. Air Lyttelton's appointment, the “Standard” continues, ean only occasion blank amazement- From Mr Chamberlain to Air Lyttelton is a stroke of fantastic ironv.

“The Times” states that the Duke of Devonshire’s retirement will exercise no little influence on the approaching struggle. The “Daily Express” holds that Air Lyttelton is an ideal choice. It regards the Duke of Devonshire’s action as most extraordinary.

The “Daily Mail” considers that Air Balfour is presiding over a Cabinet of stop gaps. His letter is most spiritful and petulant.

The “Daily Chronicle"’ and the “Daily News,” papers strongly in opposition, agree that the Alinistry is doomed. The “Daily Telegraph” maintains that the appointments immeasurably strengthen Air Balfour s hold on the country, and heartily welcomes Mr Lyttelton to the Cabinet. The “Aloming Post” is of opinion that Air Balfour is wise to rely on young colleagues, PREFERENTIAL TRADE. Five thousand of the 70,000 people who had applied for tickets were crammed into the large building known as St. Andrew’s Hall to hear Air Chamberlain’s great speech on the fiscal question. at Glasgow. After referring to the present position of affairs and Great Britain declining foreign trade, Air Chamberlain said: M e must either draw closer to our sister States, or else drift apart. Although I do not hesitate to ask my countrymen to make a sacrifice to maintain the Empire, I believe that at this moment it is an unnecessary arrangement to benefit all concerned. Only by commercial union and reciprocal preference can you lay the foundations of the Empire we look to as a brilliant possibility. It would be futile to offer the colonies preference on their manufactures. You cannot give them preference on their raw material. Nor do I propose it. But you must put a tax on food. ’ In broad outline, I propose the imposition of a duty of 2/ per quarter on foreign corn, no duty being imposed on corn jsom British possessions. There will be no duty whatever on maize. There will be a corresponding tax on foreign flour, a 5 per cent, duty on foreign meat and dairy produce, except bacon. Substantial preference would be given to colonial wines, and perhaps fruits, and the remission of three-quarters of the duty on tea and half that on sugar, with a corresponding reduetion on coffee and cocoa. The new duties would cost the agricultural labourer sixteen and a half farthings per week, and the artisan nineteen and a half farthings. But the remission would be equivalent even if

the whole of the taxes were paid by the consumers, instead of by foreigners. I estimate that the Exchequer would lose £2,800,000 a year, and propose to recover it by means of a 10 per eent. tax on ferign manufactures, yielding nine millions, and enabling a further reduction of food and other taxes. I am confident that the colonies will meet us in no spirit of selfishness. In conclusion, Mr Chamberlain, as a missionary of the Empire, implored them to do nothing to disintegrate the Empire, and not to refuse to sacrifice a futile superstition and inept prejudice, thereby losing the results of centuries of noble effort and patriotic endeavour. This peroration was received with wildly enthusiastic applause. Mr. Asquith. M.P., in a speech at Lancaster. said that retaliation would be futile, and injured most the party who used it. They must fight the tariffs with free imports. Protection was not more advanced than in 1846. It would be impossible to retaliate against Russia and the United States without injuring ourselves. Mr. Asquith, ridiculed Mr. Chamberlain’s ' hysterical dump-phobia.” Great Britain’s great asset of Empire ought not to be treated as an appendage of the colonies’ will. Mr. Chamberlain had said that trade was stagnant. That assertion, he maintained, was based on fallacies. Mr. Chamberlain entirely, ignored the Home trade, and the carrying trade had been selected in an abnormal year for comparison. The statement that the Empire would break up without preferential trade was pure assumption, a calumny upon the colonies and a slur upon the Empire. Protection was inelined to the plane of their beings. There was no halting until the bottom was reached. Unless preference were given to raw materials besides wool and food it would be impossible to establish a logical scheme. To attempt it would be a sure cause of dangerous rivalry.

The German press exhibits the greatest reserve as to Mr Chamberlain’s speech, but business men admit that a ten per cent, retaliatory duty would severely hit German industries, and especially if combined with preference to the colonies.

Tlie general trend of South African op.nioa is strongly favourable to Mr Chamberlain, whose proposals, it is believed, would greatly foster the wine and fruit industries. The Paris “Journal” declares that Mr Chamberlain’s proposals are scarcely in accordance with the entente eordia'le.

The “Independence Beige” exhorts Liberals to make a final and determined effort to crush the reactionary forces which have been threatening England for vears.

The “New York Journal” considers that a Customs union is impossible, and doubts whether the colonies would be able or willing to concede an adequate recompense for England’s sacrifice. Mr. Bryce, speaking at Lancaster, said that Mr. Chamberlain’s case rested upon a tissue of blunders. The edifice was utterly rotten and worthless.

Mr. Gerald Balfour, in a speech at Leeds, said that Great Britain really wanted freer trade and not unalloyed protection.

Mr Chamberlain, in bidding farewell to his colleagues, thanked them for their zealous assistance. He believes that the Colonial Office’s service to the Empire was more generally appreciated than formerly. Mr. Benjamin Kidd, the well-known sociologist and author of the worldfamed “Social Evolution.” published this morning a powerful letter in the “Times,” exposing what he calls “free-trade fallacies” and answering the critics of Mr. Chamberlain’s scheme.