British and Foreign

Horowhenua Chronicle, 14 February 1914, Page 3

British and Foreign

KLEG'.L'IUC TKLEGKAI'II COi" YKIUHT. [per rvj;ss association. I Loudon, .February 1-5. (Received 'Hiis Day, tf.LU a.m.) Lu the House of Lords the Marquis' oi : Londonderry, in tin; Home Llule debate, incidentally quoted the late Lord Wolseley s letter to the J Juke of Cambridge in IttU-'i, slating that if the troops were brought into the conflict the 11ster loyalists would shake the foundations of the army. Lord Roberts followed, and a half-minute speech endorsed Lord Wolseley's contentions, and declared that it is unthinkable that the British army will be called upon to fight tiie I lster volunteers. It will be the army's ruin. Lord Curzon pointed out that fluGovernment now confessed that the Home l'ule Bill in its present. form could not be placed on the Statute Book. l'aris, February 12. There are extraordinary epidemics of scarlet fever, pneumonia, cerebro-meningitis. Eight hundred cases arc in the at Toul and live hundred at Nancy. Many of the garrisons are affected, and numerous deaths have occurred. The epidemic is due to overcrowding with the 1. No, 000 extra recruits and the delay in constructing the new barracks. Ottawa, February !■>. The report of the commissioners appointed to inquire into the cost of the trans-continental railway states that the commission. which had charge of the construction exercised no economy. and eight million sterling was needlessly squandered. The original estimate was exceeded five-fold. Many large contracting firms gained huge profits, by sub-letting contracts and doin.n* nothing Avhatever themselves. Parliamentary action is anticipated as a result of the report. New York, February 1 ; L The temperature is three degrees below zero and has caused numerous deaths. The unemployment problem is pr.n-iny and the municipal shelters are overcrowded. Despite the ccid .'Hi athletes started at Brooklyn in the annual Marathon 20 mile race. Only eleven finished, the others are in the liospiial exhausted. Washington, February t ; S. Sir C. A. Spring-Kice conferred with the officials ()f _ the State Department on the Mexican question, and it is understood that greater pressure will be brought to bear on llucrfa to compel him to resign. Mexico Citv, February 1 : >. The rebels cu'l off the oil supply at Tampico, and blew up a train killing and wounding many passengers, and completely wiping out the military estcort. The total casualties are unknown. London. February Warrants have been granted for the arrests of Minto and Ness in the canteen ease. Ness is supposed to be in ( anada and Minto recently quitted Paris. Colonel Seely, in the Adams case, declined to produce confidential documents on the ground that it would be against the pub'>c interest.