MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 23 February 1920, Page 1

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

(By Electric Telegraph—Copyright )

UNEMPLOYED EX-SOLDIERS. LONDON, Feb. 20. In the House of Commons, referring to 400,000 cx-soldiers being without work, a Unionist member, Air Hambro, sought to make out trades unions were partly responsible for them not getting work. He said certain trade unions bad not permitted the employment of discharged soldiers as journeymen in trades. He said a good deal of the war fervour had evaporated. The result was that ex-soldiers were not receiving the industrial welcome they were entitled to.

Air Sexton spoke 'forcibly on belialf of the trade unions. He said the difficulty was that so many ex-soldiers were seeking to enter into industries to which they had never previously belonged. Unionist cries: “Why shouldn’t they?”. » Air Sexton declared that thousands of these men, on returning, had found the employers had women in their jobs at half the men’s wages, and kept them

Mr Horne (Labour Minister) said that trade unionism had been really a steadying influence during the last twelve months of unrest. The disabled men had received sympathetic treatment from the great bulk of trade unions, though there were some exceptions. There were nearly 400,000 ex-ser-vicemen still unemployed. Some great trades were without sufficient labour, so they might be found work thereby.

PRINCE AS AVIATOR. INTERESTING ANECDOTES. LONDON, Feb. 21. Captain Cunningham Reid’s hook, “Planes and Personalities,” which as published to-day, contains a number of interesting anecdotes about the Piincc of Wales. On one occasion the Prince

was in the trenches under fire, and attempted to go over the top to biing in a wounded man. The- book states he was prevented only by force. At the beginning of the war, the Prince went to see Lord Kitchener at the War Office to try and persuade the latter to allow him to take a share in the fighting,, like the rest of the young Englishmen. Lord Kitchener replied that, in view of the risk of the Prince being captured, “it couldn’t be considered at all.” The authorities firmly forbad the Prince to fly by himself, but he nevertheless has an Avro aeroplane of his own, which lie keeps at Croydon, with Prince Albert’s aeroplane. Prince Albert is an excellent pilot and has piloted the Prince of Wales.

A diplomatic speech. LONDON, Feb. 20. The Prince of Wales presided at a Cornish dinner and spoke in humorous strain. The Prince commented on the number of Cornishmen who had been Lord Mayors of London during recent years. He said lie came across many prominent Cornishmen in Canada and the United States. He was sailing for Austrnlia in three weeks, where he hoped to meet many more. The Prince concluded by paying a tribute to the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry. If anyone suggested that the Empire should die, there would be 400,000 Cornishmen wanting to know the reason why.

THE CAPE COLONY STRIKE. JOHANNESBURG, Feb. 19. Tlie Native mine workers’ strike is spreading. Over 30,000 are out. the Premier (General Smuts), has arrived and has conferred with the heads of the mining industry and the officials. Drafts of police are being despatched to the different centres. Nine mines are now affected, comprising roughly 40,000 Natives. General Smuts in a speech referred to the Native trouble. He said that between 30,000 and 40,000 blacks are now on strike. They had well-orgn.ms-ed picketing, and were doing things they would have considered the Natives incapable of. He had seen portents and signs that showed a tremendous change was coming over South Afirca. Nonsense had been talke about Republics and blood and tears. The Native would put the new idea into practice, and when too late they would find their idle talk had put these mischcvous ideas into the Natives’ heads.

A financial MOVE. (Deceived This Day at 8 a.m.) LONDON, February 19. The Pall Mall Gazette states Mr H. P. Dawson, tlie well-known American financier, is visiting England in order to promote the establishment of a gicat money combine with the object of financing private and national enteiplises in Europe, also the establishment of an international trading company backed by Morgans and a Guarantee Trust Coy