BRITISH & FOREIGN ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 21 February 1921, Page 3

BRITISH & FOREIGN ITEMS.

CABLE NEWS.

AUSTRALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION. CARDINAL BY E-ELECTIONS. LONDON, * Feb. 18. The Cardigan election caused by tbe ennobling of Mr Rauglian Davies resulted as follows:—Evans (Coalition Liberal), Lloyd George’s private secretary) 14,111. Llewellyn Williams, (Independent) 10,521.

SOVIET DECREE. ® (Received This Day at 9.45 a.m ) COPENHAGEN, Feb. 20 The Soviet has decreed the seizure of valuables in museums throughout Russia to provide money to pay for imports. A SMART IMPOSTOR. (Received This Day at 9.45 a.m.) PARIS, Feb. 20. A smart impostor named Florian, styling himself Don Andre Defarmas, posing as the nephew of the Spanish Ambassador, employed by an American society for the protection of emigrants was entrusted with three hundred thousand francs to buy tickets for Jewish | emigrants. He palmed off bogus tickets, and flew with the spoils in an aeroplane to Berlin, where be posed as a jeweller, securing half a million francs worth of diamonds, and again flew off. He was later arrested at | Hamburg. j

ADMIRAL VON TIRPITZ. (Received This Day at 9.45 a.m.) LONDON, Feb. 20. i Admiral von Tirpitz, writing in the | German Gazette, says America in the next world war expects surface ships to retain their importance with the ini- j proved protection of •submerged ports, submarines remaining adjuncts, but of increasing importance, and with an increased number of greatly improved long range guns only. i PRUSSIAN ELECTIONS. | ! (Received This Day at 9.45 a.m.) ] LONDON, Feb. 19. ' , Tbe Prussian election campaign is being waged with unprecedented bitterness. Junkers are plastering the conntrv with placards of the ghost of e

Frederick the Great, weeping at the spectacle of Republican Germany, and exclaiming—‘‘ls this Prussia?’’ Tbe Socialists retaliate with posters of the ex-Kaiser, "labelled “Imperial Grown, whose folly brought the world war and caused misery and death to millions.” It is anticipated the present coalition of the Majority Party and Centreites will be returned with a lessened majority.

FRANCE AND POLAND. (Received this day at 9.30 a.m.) PARTS, Feb. 20. The Franco-Polish ag.cement provides that if Poland is attacked, Franc'' will assist with material and technicians, but not with troops. Roland lias undertaken to reorganise her army on a stronger footing. The agreement regulates tariffs and exchange of commodities and provides tor an Ang.oPolisli undertaking to exploit American oil. LLOYD GEORGE’S DEFENCE (Received this day, at 9.30 a.m.) LONDON, February 19 In the Commons Hon. Lloyd George replying to Mr Bottomley’s amendment to tlie Address, expressing disappointment that no opportunity had been afforded for discussing peace, treaties and Minister’s policy on indemnities and | war criminals, said be looked for home onlightment on matters, difficult and dark from speeches on Bottomley’s amendment but he never heard such inadequate speeches on so great a prob lcm. He still adhered to the pledge that Germany must pay to the limit oi liei capacity, but the whole point was Germany’s capacity to pay. It Bottomley went to Germany he might perhaps firing a shipload of paper marks, but of what use would they be. The liemier declared Bottomley had paid no attention to the practical difficulties of extracting indemnities. The-very best experts found if we pressed for impossibilities we got nothing. fn regard to criminals, France felt as strongly as we- do that it is not worth risking war with Holland, to get the Kaiser. The trial of the other criminals would be pressed to the end, and German delegates would be so informed. He had a strong suspicion that Germans were coming to the conference in ragged clothes in ail endeavour to secure a re daction of payments. The amendment was negatived !>'y 381 votes to 40.

INCENDIARY FIRES. (Received this day at 11.30 a.m ) LONDON, Feb. 20. During the week end a dozen incendiary fires occurred oil the south side of Manchester causing £30,000 damage being done to stockyards in Cliesshire. In one case a revolver was fired at a farmer who refused to hold up his hands. Several arrests were made.

A RUSSIAN MUTINY. (Received This Day at 11.30 a.in.) HELSINGFORS, Feb. 20. Advices from Batoum report a naval mutiny at Petrovsk on the Caspian Sea owing to the Soviets decree tp pay sailors and workmen in kind instead of money. Several hundred sailors were deported, on a refusal of a. demand for tlmir release all the crews on the warships mutinied. The local soviet was seized and the President and two mcmUers niulrdcred. The mutineers blew up' most of the vessels in port and put to sea aboard the remaining craft. VON SIMON’S ADVICE. BERLIN, February 20 Von. Simon, conferring with the Hessian Government emphasised the failure of the forthcoming London Conference would not mean an immediate enforcement of penalties against Germany. They cduld only he enforced when Germany rejected the demands of the Reparations Commission which rest according to the Peace Treaty decision. Von Simons urged Germans to strongly support the Government’s refusal.