MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 3 April 1920, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

fAUSTRALIAN A. N.Z. CABLK ‘SSOCIATION EXCESS PROFITS TO GO. LONDON, March 31. The “Daily Chronicle” states the excess profits tax will be dropped in the coming budget. NEW GUN. April 1 The French Government have paid a hundred thousand francs for the patent of a long range gun. The Government have also uathorised the eof the invention to England.

CHAOTIC MEXICO. NEW YORK, A nr.l 31 A. telegram from San Antonio, Texas, reports that Senior Bonillas, the Mexican Amassador to the Unit-id States and a candidate for the Mexican Presidency, was wounded in a riot in Mexico City. -

AMERICAN WHEAT STJPPTY CHICAGO, April 1 The visible wheat and flour simply east of the Rocky Mountains is estimated at 51,015,000 bushels. GERMAN-AMERICAN trade. NEW YORK, April 1 The imports into the United States from Germany during February were valued at 3,881,000 dollars. The exports from the United States to Germany amounted to 18,508,000 dollars.

SOUTH AFRICAN CURRENCY PROBLEM, (Reuter.) CAPETOWN, April * The Union Assembly has adopted a Government proposal to appoint a Select Committee to enquire into the question of removing the embrago on the export of gold, and also a modification of the banking and currency Irws.

HONOURS LIST. (United Service.) LONDON, April 1 An honours list contains Knighthoods for four war correspondents: Philip Gibbs, Percival Phillips, PerryRobinson, and Herbert ‘Russell. The lattei' is the son of Clark Russell, the novelist.

EASTER HONORS. LONDON April 1. Included in the Easter Honors are Messrs Massey (war correspondent), Perris (journalist), and Chandler (war correspondent), 'who are made Commanders of the Order of the British Empire. Lieuts Stenhouse and Wilde, of Shackleton’s expedition, are made officers of the Order,

AMERICAN MOVE. WASHINGTON, March 31 The Republican leaders; introduced a resolution into the Senate declaring that a state of war with Germany was ended. The motion was referred to the Foreign Relations Committee, with the object of reappearing in the Senate on Friday, the third anniversary of the declaration of war.

ANNOYED .MERCHANTS'.' ! , LONDON, March 31. The Australian Press learns that recent heavy condemnation of Australian jam. canned fruits, and fruit pulp at London and in ti.e provinces has caused immense harm to Australian trade. Merohnfits declare that only through dire necessity will they make further purchase. They bitterly complain they had been misled by the Commonwealth Government certificates, as they assumed the Government certificate would cover careful supervision and shipment in merchantable packages. Many of jam were damaged through careless packing in old petrol cases and defective tins. Canned fruits are reported to be conspicuous by the absence of grading and uniformity in one parcel. Litigation is now threatened for the recovery of ten thousand sterling in connection with consign? nienta. ' 1

BRiTLSH FINANCE. LONDON, April 1. Tho British revenue for the past quar ter is £643,600,000 an increase of £203, 500,000 compared with the corresponding quarters of 1919. The revenue for the fiscal year ended March 31st totals £13,309,500,00(1 an increase of £450,500,000 compared with 1918-19. . Practically all the revenue sources show increases. Tho biggest items arc income tax, £359,000,000; excess profits tax, £290,000,000 miscellaneous, £280,000,000. The latter is mostly derived from the sales of war stores. Tintotal expenditure chargeable against the revenii is £1,665,750,000 which is a decrease of £913,500,000 compared with the proceeding year. There is a deficit for the year of £326,000,000.

ATTACK ON POLICE. LONDON, March 31. Between fifty and a hundred armed men attacked the police barracks at Durras at mid-night. They dropped petrol explosives down a chimney, completely wrecking the building. A sergeant and six constables drpve off the attackers . Two policemen were wound . - RUSSIA ANT) CHINA. PEKIN, March 3|. The Russian Soviet Government are steadily ingratiating themselves into Chinese officialism. The latest Soviet message to China conveys brotherly love, and announces the lied Army docs not ftinj «it io moving East, but merely to rescue tho workmen and peasants from the clutches of the anti-Soviet Generals Sominof and Hor- [ vath and the Japanese forcesI The Moscow Government undertakes to annul all the treaties and privileges which Tsarist Russia acquired in China, and forgives the Chinese in their temporary opposition to the Soviet in 1918. Russia offers various concessions and gifts. Everything, however, is dependent on the willingness of China to give her people complete freedom to detcrmino their own system of Government.

JAPANESE MENACE. TOKIO, March 31. lit cent, disquieting rumours regarding the Japanese situation have been due to a financial crisis. This was owing to profiteers anticipating tho passing of anti-profiteering legislation. The situation is now normal.