BRITISH & FOREIGN ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 5 February 1921, Page 2

BRITISH & FOREIGN ITEMS.

BY TE!jF.GI!.VriI —PItESS ASSN., COPYRIGHT, ACQUITTED OF MURDER. LONDON, Feb. 3. Fowler and McPartlin have been acquitted of the murder of Ward m Liverpool, cabled on Nov. 28th. BRITAIN’S MANDATE. LONDON Feb. < l Referring to the terms of wie British mandate over Mesopotamia which compels Britain to retain a large force of troops, but does not permit her to discriminate against foreign countries in regard to exploitation of resources, Lord Sydenham says if Britain has to bear a tremendous cost and responsibility, it is monstrous that she should be expected to share the trade rights with every other country. It would also be a dangerous step to hand the government to Arabs. Lord Robert Cecil also thinks the mandate does not give protection against concession hunters. A CARDINAL’S DEATH. ROME( February 3.

The death is recorded of Cardinal Ferrari, Archbishop of Milan. The passing of the Cardinal was a most dramatic one. He was born a peasant at Parma, and rose to become-Arch-bishop of Milan. He was universally beloved. When it was noised abroad that the Cardinal was doomed, due to cancer in the throat, immense crowds of' people besieged the Archiepisoapal Palace, clamouring for admission. The dj'ing Prelate exclaimed: “It is a grand good-byd. Throw open the <- doors! Let them .all come!” For <a fortnight there were interminable queues, from the highest in the See to the humblest peasant, who passed his! deathbed. From five to ten thousand people received his blessing each day. The Cardinal displayed a stoic heroism, and he refused all narcotics. When cylinders of oxygen were brought in, he pencilled a note to the doctors as follows: “These are sixteen . inch shells for speeding folk to eternity. Why not let a Christian go peacefully to Paradise, as God and nature will?”

BRITISH SUBMARINE DISASTER

LONDON, February 3,

The Admiralty, as the result of an enquiry into the loss of submarine K 5, state the cause cannot be ascertained, and that no blame can be attributed to anyone; but that the submarine did not sink as the result of a collision. Some loss of control while submerged may have caused the submarine to reach a depth where the external pressure became too great and destruction would quickly follow. The great size of “K” submarines makes their management while diving specially difficult. K 5 underwent a periodical refit in December. , SOVIET PLOT. PARIS, February 3. “Le Petit Parisian” states that arrests of Soviet agents have upset an important plot, planned for May the Ist. The chief Soviet delegate, Abamoviteh, who is one of the arrested men, is reported to have been a Commissary in Russia. EXCESS PROFITS TAX.

LONDON, February 3. Mr Austin Chamberlain, Chancellor of the Exchequer, speaking at Birmingham, announced the withdrawal by the Government of 'the excess profits duty. lie said it was very unusual to make a statement upon the Budget so long before its delivery. Only abnormal conditions would justify such an action. There were, be said, many objections to the tax, which had a tendency to encourage extravagances, and to restrict enterprise. Now the wiar conditions were passed the tax thus hit new busi nesses struggling to pay their way. “AVe have come to the conclusion,” he said, “that we can afford not to renew the tax, and we shall not exact it after it runs its normal course. All businesses years except those begun since the war, will pay the tax for ,a period of seven years dating from the first accountancy period. The tax will cease as from December 31, 1920, in the case of all new businesses. Mr Chamberlain said it -was not intended to impose any new taxes to replace the excess profits tax, though there might be new duties n to deal with dumped goods and depreciated exchanges.

RAILWAY INQUEST. VERDICT AGAINST OFFICIALS. LONDON, Feb. 3. Lewis, the stationmaster at Abermule, burst into tears when giving evidence. He said that he thought the boy who handed him the tablet from the slow train said: “Take the tablet,” whereas the boy declared that he asked Lewis to change the tablet. AA’hen Lewis realised the terrible situation, he shouted to the signalman to dro£_ the distance signal, but it was too late. A verdict of gross negligence was returned against Lewis, and alsq the signalman (Jones), and one of negligencel and excess of duty against Rogers and a clerk named Thompson'. The Coroner said that the finding amounted to a verdict of manslaughter against Lewis and .Jones. The jury reconsidered tliejr verdict, and decided that Lewis and Jbnes deserved the severest censure, but that their negligence did not anioupt to manslaughter, CALIFORNIA AND THE JAPS. SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 3. The Japanese Exclusion League at Sacramento has received a telegram from Senator Johnson stating that Ambassador Morris and Mr Shidohara v have negotiated a tentative agreement as Regards Japanese emigration which, if adopted, will scrap the Californian Land Law against Japanese.