BRITISH & FOREIGN ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 31 January 1921, Page 2

BRITISH & FOREIGN ITEMS.

BY TELEGRAPH—PRESS ASSN., COPYRIGHT. ENORMOUS pilfering. 1 LONDON, Jan 28. ✓ At the Old Bailey a stevedore was sentenced to twelve months hard labour for pilfering from a Cunard liner in the Thames. Two ship’s firemen were sentenced to four months, and a third to six months on a charge of receiving stolen goods. It was stated that pilfierings

in the Black Sea service during the last twelve months had amounted to over twenty thousand sterling. LONDON, January 28. Lord Incheape’s letter cabled on the 27th. revived attention of the serious pilfering among overseas cargoes which it is estimated c auses a loss in London alone of over three millions yearly. The Australian Press Association is informed by shipowners that Australian trade losses frequently amount to two thousand sterling per shipper per voyage. One company recently showed pilfering losses at the rate of a quarter of a million sterling per annum. Owners are unable to allocate the chief leakage amongst shipping houses, packers and railways, British dockers and Australian wharf labourers. They point out pilfering by crews is negligible and easily differentiable from the expert methods used prior to shipment by which repacked pilfered cases are undetectable. London shipowners, in view of the heavy claims have recently established at a cost of thirty five thousand pounds per annum, a special plain clothes police force for work at London docks. Members of the force belong to the port police, but shipowners pay the entire cost of their special work aboard ships. Gosling of the Dockers Union approved of the scheme prior to its inauguration, declaring he would- welcome any 'project which would remove the stigma from dockers. The force is not expected to begin to show results immediately hut already increasing prosecutions are promising success. Dockers have not raised difficulties and Australian owners are gratified that the Overseas Committee has adopted a similar scheme at Australian ports.CHURCHILL’S INHERITANCE. LONDON,/an. 28. Owing to land Henry Vane-Tempest’s death, which occurred in the Abermule railway accident, Mr Winston Churchill, who is a cousin, inherits a large estate in Ireland, the rent roll of which amounts to several thousand pounds. RULED OUT. WASHINGTON, January 28. lii the House of Representatives Mr Mason, of Illinois, offered an amendment to the Diplomatic Consular Appropriation Bill. This measure is for authorising the appointment of a United States Minister to the Republic of Ireland. The amendment was ruled out of order. WOMEN JURORS REPELLED. •• A TERRIBLE ORDEAL.” LONDON, Jan. 28. Four days’ divorce proceedings, before u mixed male and female jury, culminated in a disagreement on the cast for the second time. Sir Marshall Hall, the well-known K.C., who was appearing for the wife oi the respondent, remarked: “This is m; first case before a mixed jury, and T l.opi 1 may never have another.”

The foreman of the jury stated thai no question had arisen as between the men and the women jurors.

Two married jury women describee their duty of listening to the letter: connected with the case as “ a terrible ordeal.”

Two unmarried jury women stater that the duties of jurors should he confined to manied women above a certain

Miss Baker, a juror, who, during the war, was Superintendent of the Women’s Munition Workers at Wool wich, and is now prominent in connection with the Women’s Unemployment movement, says she considers that wo men should sit on any case. She says is is “ no use talking of unpleasant details, or of making distinctions between married and unmarried women.” A BATTLE IN FLORENCE. ROME, Jan 28. The Socialists have declared a general strike in Florence. It is interrupting the railways between Rome and Northern Italy. Serious brushes have occurred at Florence between Socialists and anti-Socialists. Ihe latter, armed, with revolvers traversed the city in motor cars.

A pitched battle occurred in the street, but ceased upon the arrival of Carabineers ami Royal Guards in armoured cars. Several were wounded.

A train abandoned at Pistoja, was manned by an emergency staff and resumed the journey, hut was subsequently ambushed, armed men firing on the locomotive. The passengers returned the fire and the assailants were driven ofl» CHINA AND JAVAN. SHANGHAI, Jan 28. The Chino-Japanese military and naval authorities at Peking have signed an agreement abolishing the Chitio-.Tapan-eso military pact. Notes will he exchanged on Saturday hv the Chinese Foreign Minister (Yen) and the Japj a nests Minister (Ohata) officially declar- ! ing the abrogation which will he final, | of a pact, signed in 1918, providing for Chino-Japanese military co-operation 1 against enemy penetration in the east of Siberia for the duration of the war. R.TI WRECKED. j LONDON, Jan 29. i The airship R. 34 reached its aerodrome at Ho\vden. hut. owing to its crippled condition.- humped several times in landing. The crew wore cornpolled to jump 19 feet to earth. The airship was moored for the night, as it was impossible to house her. Then a gale arose, and it became impossible to keep her under control. The envelope collapsed and the ship sank to the ground, a mass of wreckage. Holmes, (already cabled) succumbed.