MISCELLANEOUS

Hokitika Guardian, 17 January 1920, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS

<Uy Electric Telegraph—Copyright.)

THE GREAT EPIDEMIC. LONDON, January 15. A comprehensive account of ,the late great influenza epidemic has been issued in a report by the British Local Government Board. The writer, in tracing its origin, points out that epidemic influenza was prevalent in China and Japan in March of 1018, but it was not reported in Spain until. May of 1918. He is of the opinion. •' that'the disease originated in China, next coming to America, and thence to Europe, or alternatively, it originated in America, proceeding thence to the East and West. In Britain, the Grand Fleet, and the Army were first to suffer. Glasgow' became' the seat of the disease. The first 'civilian outbreak was in May. It was followed by | ah autumn epidemic. Portsmouth, J Southampton, and 1 Liverpool were first • affected by this, but they suffered lightly. The inland towns were suffer- .

ing later more severely. The report adds that it does not appear that one attack is invariably powerful in protecting against others. The results are contradictory, but they may he reconciled by the hypothesis that there are several strains of influenzavirus, none of them conferring protection against the others and each wave having a, peculiar dominant strain, and producing certain waves of individuality.

JEWS’ WAR (LOSSES. LONDON, January 14

Mr Max Gordon, speaking in London said that 900,000 Jews fought in the various armies on both' sides in the war. The number equalled 7 per cent of the Hebrew' race. That proportion was only surpassed in France. They had 80,000 killed and 200,000 casualties.

A NEW BARON. LONDON, January' 14

Rt Hon. Mr Stanley, who lately resigned from the Cabinet, has taken the title of Baron Ashfield, of Southwell. RAILWAY SETTLEMENT. DELEGATES ACCEPT TERMS. LONDON, Jan. 15. The railwaymen’s leaders have by a , majority accepted a settlement on the ... basis of the Government’s offer. Sir E. Geddes informed the delegates that tlie Government was prepared to make substantial concessions, but was not willing to yield everything asked for. Cabinet was anxious that railwaymen should give the new scheme a fair trial. Mi: Thomas, repjving, said that the National Union of Railwaymen would dp all that it could tp help towards that end. LONDON, Jan. 16. Instead of the statement that the railwaympn’s leaders, now by a majority, accepted the settlement, the cable shpuld have read:—“The railwaymens leaders by a narrow majority, accepted tlip terms.”

THE GOVERNMENT TERMS. (Received This Day at 8 a.m.) LONDON, Jan. 15, An official statement of the terms accepted by the railwaymen si lows that t Government lias not departed from • principle of basing the standard grates on the average instead of the ■highest pre-war rate as demanded by the railwaymen. Government will also adhere to its sliding scale based on the cost of living, but agrees to a graduated increase in the war wages of grades not included in tlie Government’s proposals, flpverpinent furUief agrees to extend thg principle of settlement to the Irjsji raijwa^s,

WRECK OF THE AFRIQUE. PARIS, Jan. 14. Boats from Nantes have picked up sis bodies of victims from the liner “‘Afrique” which include three decorated American soldiers. TRAVELLING EXHIBITION. (Received This I)ay at B'a.m.) TpNpOlj, Jan. 15. (fhe oxl)jbjtion / cabled op Jfipuary 2nc|, (eaves United Kingdom on May Ist, and after touring South Africa and Australian Commonwealth capitals, proceeds to New Zealand, opening in Christchurch on November 2nd, and Auckland on December 31st. It thence goes to Canada. WAR CRIMINALS. PARIS January 15. A meeting of tjie Allied Delegates has completed the lisj. of the war criminals to be demanded fyqm Germany. - ffj ier< , | s a total of 880 of \>:lioin 330 ape claimed by France .

MOULDERS STRIKE, (Received This Day at 8 a.pi.) LONDON, January 16. The Moujders Conference decided to take a further ballot strongly recommending strikers to accept the employers terms namely five shillings weekly advance and a conference on working conditions. WAR SAVINGS. (Received This Day at 8 a.m.) LONDON, Jan. 15. Speaking at the National War Savings banquet at London the Chancellor of fhg Exchequer announced that Government was jnakipg an early issue of five year exchequer bonds at 53 per cent. Mr Chamberlain paid a tribute to the labours of the War Savings Committee and said that the amount invested in war savings certificates was Two hundred million sterling, despite the fact that deposits in Post Office and in trustee savings banks had increased from under three hundred millions in 1914 to nearly eight hundred millions last October As regards the establishing of the finances he declared there were no short-cuts or easy remedies. He urged a continuation of the worki of the war savings’ organisation in order to Inculcate the habit of thrift. Since tho armistice the sum of ninetyfive million sterling had been inverted in war savings certificates.

AN INDIAN GIFT. , (Received this day at 8.40 a.in.) LONDON, Jan. 14. The State of Jodhpur has presented the Government with eight lakhs of rupees towards the expenses of the war.