MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 10 March 1920, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

(By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.i

AFRICAN ELECTIONS.

CAPETOWN, Alarch 8. Thja Union general election takes place on Wednesday, hut the final results are not expected to be known till the end of thg week. There are four parties in the field. Three (the South African Party, Labour Party, and the Unionists) favour the Union on the one. side, and the Nationalists against the Union are on the other. The Nationalists are making their Republic agitation the nf/ain issue, whereas the Labour Party, though condemning that agitation, and offering its loyalty to the constitution, professes to believe that it is a side issue. Labour is concentrating on profiteering and the cost of living. It is not possible to forecast the result with any approach to accuracy, but the general expectation is that the Nationalists and Labourites will gain a number of seats.

LOAN FAILURE. LONDON, March 8. I The British Government’s new loan lat 3if per cent is a failure. It has only been one third subscribed. The '“Daily Mail” attributes its failure os being partly due to a public determination to force the Government I to stop its waste. The failure is also duo to the fear of a capital levy to meet obligations. BANK OF ENGLAND. ■LONDON, March 8. A White Paper is being published. The financial correspondence therein reveals that the Governors of the Bank of England have urged the Government to restrict all its future borrowing from the Bank.

HUNTER’S REPORT. I ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. I (Received this dav at 9.30 a.in.) DELHI, March 9. I It is understood the Hunter report is I nearly ready. There will probably beI simultaneous publication in England I and India at the end of March. It is j rumoured the report will declare that I martial law was justifiable and was I generally humanely administrated with I conspicuous exceptions, where the offiI ccrs acted injudiciously and martial *■ law was kept on too long. This was partly due to the Afghan war report. It is believed not to lie unanimous. | There is said to be differences of opinion on Dyers action some are condemning and others maintaining that he only acted as any soldier -would. Hunter leaves for 'England in tile middle of March.

FOOD CONTROL. LONDON, March 8. The “Daily Mai” says the Cabinet I has decided to retain the food control for five years, increasing the Food Minister’s powers to fix prices and control the distribution. I CAILLAUX’S TRIAL. PARIS, March 4. During the Caillaux trial, the Chief Prosecutor charged Caillaux with receiving a- secret visit from a German spy bearing peace proposals. Caillaux admitted receiving the man. He said he bad turned him out as soon as he ascertained the real object of his visit.

[ DAIRY PRODUCE. MELBOURNE, This Day A conference of representatives of the dairy, industry of all States, carried a resolution in favour of a return to pre-war conditions of marketing butter and choose.