NEWS FROM OVERSEAS

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVII, 9 December 1927, Page 3

NEWS FROM OVERSEAS

CABLES IN BRIEF. Win For Liberals: A by-elecfion for Gippqland South in the Victorian Legislative Assembly resulted in a win for Mr. West (Liberal) against Mr. Buckley (Labourite). Presidential Nominee; It is announced that the Republican national convention for the choice of a Presidential nominee will meet at Kansas City on June 12 next. Krupps' profits: Krupps report a net profit of £650,000. compared with the previous loss of £lOO,OOO. No dividend was declared and £450,000 wa 8 allocated to extensions. Health Conditions: The League Council has authorised the Health Commission to co-operate with the Commonwealth in investigating health conditions in Papua, the New Hebrides, New Caledonia, and the Solomon Islands. Singapore Dock: The fifth section of the Singapore floating dock was launched at Swan Brothers’ yard at Wallsend. The remaining two sections will be launched in a few days. Each will be tested separately before the sections are joined into two main sections for towage Vo Singapore. Three million rivets and 20,000 tons of steel were used in building the dock. Threatened Tin Famine: Commenting on Lord Askwith’s speech, Mr. E. J. Byrne, initiator of the tin restriction scheme, says: "In three years the world’s tin mines will be exhausted and the end of supplies is in sight. The price will reach such a figure as to preclude consumption. The only way to prevent tin becoming dearer than gold is to control the price, instead of owners selling to refiners at prices automatically governed by those of refined tin, which should not have anything to do therewith. Therefore 1 propose that the mines control supplies, and thus stabilise prices.’’ Eat More Meat Campaign: Sir Hugh Denison has requested a copy of the Argentine Ambassador’s report proposing a world meat congress for the advocacy of more consumption of meat throughout the world. Sir Hugh Denison believes the suggestion will have the fully sympathy of Australia and lead to co-operation. The Argentine Ambassador (M. H. Puyrrydqn) is already scheduling conferences with private interests in Washington in the hope of interesting them in the proposition.

Maternity Protection: The Minister of Labour was asked in the House of Commons whether, now that the Gov. ernment of the German Reich had ratified the international labour con. vention on maternity nrotection. he would expedite ratification by the British Government. The Minister replied that the general reasons which led the British Government n-pre-sentatives at Washington in 1919 to abstain from voting for the adoption of tho convention, which the British Government had yet to ratify, were that in the British view the benefits provided under the health insurance scheme and other social services already in operation in this country were in accordance with the policy of the convention and were no dpubt in some respects in advance of those embodied in the convention.

Trotskyism Denounced: Stalin and successive speakers at Moscow do nounced Trotskyism at a congress of the Communist party, which adopted a resolution approving the work of the central executive and recommending the executive to develop economic relations with capitalistic countries, accumulate a reserve of grain and goods, strengthen the Rec) army, and continue to carry o n the jieaco policy, strengthening the union between i he workers of Russia and those of otfh’r States and "oppressed colonial na. lions.”

All in tho Swim: Before the child endowment commission in Sydney. Dr. Morris director of maternal and baby welfare, declared that extravagance pervaded the social atmosphere like a pathological miasma. He said the Government concession of free outfits for babies’ clothes was much abused. It frequently came under his notice that expensive furniture was purchased instead of providing for an expected baby. One of the principal factors, if not the main cause of this reckless expenditure was the time payment system. "We are all in the swim to a greater or lesser degree, witness continued. A man on the basic wage could not afford anything but necessities, yet he was surrounded on all sides by others with hired or partially paid for luxuries, and he was impelled to follow them by time-payment inducements. The man higher up, on £5OO, tried to follow the pace set by the man on £lOOO and the latter to follow that of the man on £2OOO.

New Steel Process: The new steel process referred to in the cables eliminates the exacting tasks necessitated by the methods now in use and ensures better conditions for operatives, both as regards cleanliness and physical comfort. Purity of the steel produced is one of the technical advantages of the new process Having no contact with the fuel, the steel in extraordinarily free from sulphur and phosphorus effects. It is estimated that whereas the cost of melting a ton of high-speed steel under the old proocss ranges from £l6 to £24. the cost will be from Jue-half to twothirds of that sum under the new method.

Press News By Radio: Telegraphic advices received in London from Java report a highly successful fust ex periment in transmitting press news service by radio telephony from The Hague. Not only the receiving stations in Java received the messages, but newspaper offices in Cairo, Bombay and Shanghai, which previously were warned; listened-in. The Java offices report that the first two sections were good and the third excellent. even the speakers voices being recognisable.

League Sessions: The Council ot the League discussed privately Sir Austen Chamberlain’s proposal for three instead of four sessions yearly. Sir Austen argued that the time of Foreign Ministers was too heavily taxed. Dr. Stresemann supported tho proposal, saying he had been away from Berlin two and a-half months in one year and could not afford such »n amount of time The Italian, Chilian and Dutch representatives argued that the sessions, though fewer, would last longer. The matter wns dropped, as Sir Austen Chamberlain desired unanimity hut it is believed it will be revived in future.