MISCELLANEOUS CABLES

Press, Volume L, Issue 14970, 18 May 1914, Page 7

MISCELLANEOUS CABLES

(By Cable.—Press Areociation.—Copyright.) Land Frontages 7n Queen street, Melbourne, were sold at £460 per foot. Sir Ernest Shackleton has sailed for the. Norwegian snowficlds. There are three more cases of small-

pox in Sydney. Many May Day strikes occurred in the principal Russian cities. Thero were 130,000 men idle, but no disorder. The sexton at the Lithgow cenietery (New South Wales) has resigned, alleging th 1 '* tjiero arc so few deaths that ho is unu_f_< to obtain a living wage.

Italy and the United States havo signed an Arbitration Convention, which provides for a commission of five to settle all disputes between them.

Tho West Australian Presbyterian Assembly approved a letter from the Church in _\cw Zealand in favour of the reduction in armaments.

King George and Queen Mary have commenced a six days' ?:sit to Aldershot, including an in) ./.nnl inspection of tho troops. The Spanish Mi_/,try has tabled a programme creating a second fleet at an expcnuTlure of £2,000,000 annually for a period of nine years, and also providing for the refitting of arsenals.

Four men were injured, two seriously, by a laden sling falling into the hold of tho steamer Ulimaroa at Hobart while unloading operations wero in progress.

It is reported that the British Government, by guaranteeing £2,000,000 to the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, has secured for the Admiralty first call on the company's output.

Jli' Williams, general manager of the Bank of Australasia, has been appointed by tho Olympic Federation to represent Australasia at tho Paris International Congress in place of Mr George Shand. -

Ton ' persons wore ki-led and three injured in an explosion which destroyed the plaut of tho Mexican Crude Rubber Company at Detroit. There are eleven survivors. One body was blown through the roof, and threo were burned beyond recognition. A vat which contained a large quantity of melted rubber, is believed to have exploded. In the Foderal Houso of Representatives, in reply •to questions, Mr P. M. Glynn, Minister for External Affairs, stated that

inquiries were being mado in regard to the alleged slavery in connexion with the recruiting of natives in Papua. Ono Magistrate had been found guilty of misconduct, and strong action was being taken to prevent tho continuance or any ill-treatment of tho natives.

Vincent Sharp, relieving officer to tho Huuslet Board of Guardians, disappeared, and simultaneously two girls named Sedman and Walker disappeared,/at Leeds. The names of both girls appear on the passenger list of the Marathon, which sailed for Australia a week ago'

It is stated that the girl Sedman is a well-known suffragette. Airs Sharp, before her marriage, resigned a post of £200 per annum. Tho emigration authorities aro satisfied as to the girl Walker's bona fides. She was nominated for Sydney. It is alleged that Sharp, under tho name of Simpson, is a passenger by the Marathon.

Under the agreement reached by the conference of "State Treasurers. th_ Commonwealth Bank surrenders jts savings bank business and the States undertake to transact their current banking accounts with tho Commonwealth Bank, thus ending the competition that existed between the institutions. Queensland stands out for the present, owing to an arrangement with the Queensland National Bank, and Tasmania also stands out because competition between the Commonwealth and Tasmanian State Banks does not exist. The Conference discussed the question of the Commonwealth taking over the State debts, but failed to reach an agreement.