MISCELLANEOUS

Hokitika Guardian, 29 December 1920, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS

AUSTRALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION. AN AIR TRAGEDY. ) / V / CAPETOWN, Dec. An aeroplane disaster occurred at Greenpoint, Capetown suburbs. The machine was in charge of Cap mi tig, an experienced pilot, three passengers, two ladies and a cJBT It struck a high chimney and bursWEto flames and crashed. All the passengers were killed. The bodies were i*i : cineratcd. FREEMAN’S JOURNAL. EDITOR GAOLED AND FINED. LONDON, Dec 27. At Dublin, P. J. Hooper, editor of “Freeman’s Journal” was charged with dissiminating false news regarding the Crown forces in Ireland and was sencnced to one year in gaol. The paper was fined £3OOO. IN PIGMY LAND. LONDON, Dec 27. Sydney Fairbairn, a member of the Travellers’ Club, has returned from an adventurous journey in Central Africa. He went, through Congo and Ug*ndo, and after much searching found a pigmy dwarf. The average height of the pigmies was forty-five to fifty inches. He found the pigmies were much fairer and lighten in colour than average tribes. The men were beautifully made and the women massive with tiny feet and faces gnomelike. At the outset they were scared, especially by the camera. Later they danced all night long at log fire dances. Fairbairn travelled one hundred miles, guided, by savages, with a system of signalling by tom-toms, sending elaborate messages by beating.

THE MANDATES. / PARIS, Dec 27. A controversy regarding the mandates will probably be revived in a new form. It is reported America is claimingn a voice in the settlement- of the' mandates, and has sent diplomatic notes to the French and British'Governments, asserting that the final sanction to the mandates is not the prerogative of the League of Nations, but is of the Allied and Associated Power. The nature of the British reply is not disclosed, but it is inevitable that America’s attention will be directed to the fact that she cannot claim to exert any right under the Versailles Treaty while she lias not ratified that Treaty.

BRITAIN AND FRANCE. LONDON, December 27. The Duke of Portland, interviewed, paid that the best, way for Britain and France to show mutual affection was in the practical sphere. He continued : “This was what’l tried to do in forwarding to the war-soarred, districts of-France a small part of what they lost. Our 'Agricultural Committee has already raised £75,000 with which . . cattle are being purchased for farmers on the old battlefront. The . British. fund for the restoration of the Rheims Cathedral soon reached £109,000.” • a BOLSHEVIKS CONCENTRATING. • BELGRADE, Dec 26. Russian Bolsheviks are concentrating near the Roumanian, frontier, especially at. Knmenetz, Podlosk, Mehleff and Odessa. Refugees describe the situation as indicating that an offensive is imminent. A “PUPPET” SOVIET. CONSTANTINOPLE, Dec. 26. Having decreed the abolition of private property the puppet Armenian Soviet has taken the. second regular step in Bolshevism and repudiated all financial obligations. ' . A FATAL QUARREL. BUDAPEST, Dec. 26. Colonel Kusor, the Bulgarian member of the Serb-Bulgarian Frontier Commission, killed a Serbian General in a quarrel, and then committed suicide. A HUNNISH TRICK: BERLIN, Dec. 26., The police at Cologne discovered a German, who had been selling, for upwards of a year, poisoned wine to the troops of the Army of Occupation.

FRENCH ALLEGATIONS.

PARIS,- December 26. During the debate in the Chamber on the foreign policy, ex War Minister M. Lefevre explained that his rcsigna- - tion was mainly due to the finance Ministers’ demand to cut down army estimates, with which he did not agree. -' i He asserted that. Germany was trying to reconstitute her armaments as shown by the fact that she still possessed tens of thousands of machine guns, millions of rifle and a number of field truns. Germany was also concealing 1,100 gun breeches in secret depots, whilst not a single model had been discovered of two of her latest machine-guns, one of which was oapable og firing 1500 shots per minute, or of anti-aircraft guns and another intended to be used for firing on trenches from aircraft.

M. Lefcvie asked for the maintenance of the military forces, which were indispensible, if a barricade between Germany and the Bolsheviks was to be kopt up. GERMAN HOPES IN AMERICA. BERLIN, Dec. 25. The German Foreign Minister, Dr Simon, has written an article in the “Frankfort Zeitung,” in which.he says the only ray of light in the night covering Germany comes from the - Land of the Stars and Stripes. Dr Simon expresses the belief that Mr Harding (President-elect) will not delay the establishment of peace between the United States and Germany, and that this, more than anything else, will tend to revive the spirit and the oco-umie life of Germany.