FRUIT IMPORTERS’ RING. LONDON, Oct 13.

Hokitika Guardian, 15 October 1920, Page 1

FRUIT IMPORTERS’ RING. LONDON, Oct 13.

The London newspapers have published a telgram stating that Mr Connolly ,the West Australian Agent-Gen-eral, is being instructed to bring to the notice pf the Imperial Government a oomplaint that there is a “London financial ring!’ making millions out of Australian fruits. The National Federation of Fruit Trade Associations have protested to Mr Cppnolly. They allege the statement is unjust and misleading. They are asking liipi to receive a deputation of fruit importers on the subject.

BIRBWOOD’S VISIT. PARIS, Oc-L 12. General Birdwood has concluded his tour of the West Front. He visited all the Australian battle-fields and inspected the work of tho Australian Graves Section, numbering three officers and 73 men, who have been engaged in discovering isolated Australian graves, exhuming the bodies and reverently jmryng tljem in Australian cemetries. General Birdwood has travelled the entire Passchendaele battlefields, and saw a number of bodies actually found, identified, and removed. One nun’s identity was established only by the name scratched on the plate of his artificial teeth, poring the past few months over four thousand put of sixteen thousand missing Australians have been identified. Many more will he found, but it will never be possible to. locate all the dead, because a. large number were killed during those memorable attacks in which the troops previously removed their identification discs and regimental colours. General Birdwood has been interviewed by the Bishop of Amiens regarding arrangements for the unveiling of an Australian memorial tablet in Amiens Cathedral in ’November, ' when many French Generals will attend. General Birdwood expressed his complete satisfaction with the work of the Australians in tendipg Rip graves of their own dead. Owing to the magnitude of the task it is not expected to be competed within two years. The cpmeteres now appear unkempt, but will soon )e in perfect order. " Already made former residents are returning to the ‘devastated towns, especially Perorine and Corby. They everywhere show'the utmost respect for the Australian graves, and dp not even disturb the Australian sign-posts, giving new names to t)ie streets. Already two thousand people have returned to Villers-Brittonneaux where rebuilding is proceeding slowly. When General Birdwood passed through the inhabitants were not aware that Melbourii© had adopted the towp. ( Genera) BirdwoPfl left to-day, niotoiing to Marseilles. CHINESE GENERAL SUICIDES. "PEKING, Oct. 13. General Lishun, "Inspector-General of Kiang-Kiangsi and Anhui provinces, committed suicide by shooting on the 12th. A LORD SUED, LONDON, Oct. i 3. A firm of bookmakers is suing Lord Loughborough to recover £440, due on n dishonoured cheque, tendered m settlement of a racing bet-. Lord Loughborough’s defence pleads the Gaming Act, adding that the cheque was not met because the trustees of thc Estate, hearing that he was b et ' ting, refused to’advance the money. INCENDIARY”FIRES. LONDON, Oct. 14. A message from Hamburg states a big fire has occurred on the Hamfmi-g-Amcrican liner Victoria Louise, while lying at the Vulcan Yards. Following the recent outbreak on the Bismarck this lookß suspicious. In an least nine gases German liners have been set on fire since’the afmjstice. incendiarism was proved in several cases STEAM TURBINES. ’"" London, pet. u. . At the Air Conference to-day, Marshall EUfngton, Director of Research, stated the. engine experiments would s now bo made with steam turbines, ini stea.d of pejtrol engines.

AMERipANS AND JAPS. TOKIO, 'pcj. 14. Tho American Japan Society lias cabled Frank Vanderljp, the American financier as follows“If anti-,Japan-ese agitation in United States carried too far, the outcome will be hard to foretell. Anti-Japanese agitation in California threatens to estrange Japanese arid American peoples. ”

FALL IN PRICES. [LONDON TIMES SERVICE—COPYRIGHT] (Received This Day at 8.40 a.m.) LONDON, Oct. 14. The “Times” devotes much space to the break in prices and says it is suggested the fall in commodities is making it difficult for holders to market goods at all, but the public are unlikely to waste sympathy upon those speculators who turned a deaf ear to the warnings not to hold back, but ?P sell, even at a loss. They would have sustained no loss if they had heeded tho advice penitently given by bankers in the past two years. The fact :s that sellers of goods-, especially the speculative element had a remarkably longer innings and the consumer is now roping his turn is beginning to arrive