BRITISH & FOREIGN ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 27 April 1921, Page 2

BRITISH & FOREIGN ITEMS.

AUSTRALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION. EXCHANGE RATES. LONDON, April 25. Exchange rates—Paris 23 francs, Stockholm 16.77 kroner, Christiania 25.10 kroner, Berlin 2561 marks, Calcutta 151 pence, Yokohama 29i| yen, Hongkong 30 pence, New York 3951 cents, Montreal 443 cents. WOOL SALES. LONDON, April 25 At Bradford wool sales there was a better tone and more enquiry. PRICE OF BUTTER. LONDON, April 23. The Government’s prices for Australian and New Zealand butter will remain unaltered till May sth. The price of Argentine butter has been lowered by 5s per cwt. APOLOGY TO PERSIA. DELHI. April 24. Persian advices state that the Russian Minister has offered an apology for the Bolsheviks, firing on Persian troops. Consequently, the Minister has been allowed to proceed to Teheran, but he has been warned that, in the ’vent of any repetition of the offence, the Persian Government will refuse the Minister recognition.

SABOTAGE IN ENGLAND. LONDON, April 26. The window-smashing campaign has extended to all parts of Britain. Many thousands of windows have been destroyed during the week-end. In some districts the main streets have been damaged. The police are baffled. NEW IMPERIAL RELATIONS. ' DR KEITH’S VIEWS. LONDON, April 26. ]),. A. Berriedate Keith, ,writing on imperial relations, states the Peace Conference’s rcognition of the international status of the Dominions and a formation of the League of Nations has accelerated in an unprecedented manlier the process of development of imperial relations, thus compelling the Dominions to assume a status for which they are not fully prepared. This was most conclusively evidenced by the unwillingness of any of the Dominions -.even Australia, to face the burden of a just share in the cost of naval defence. “Years must elapse,” he says, “before "the United Kingdom can expect any serious aid in this direction. except possibly ti'om Austialia. The immediate problem before the coming Imperial Conference is to devise some reasonably effective way of co-or-dinating. Imperial and foreign politics must now occupy their serious attention from a broader point of view than mere Dominion interests, hut the process must ho gradual, as it must he the outcome of a spontaneous evolution in the public feeling of the Dominions.

CANADA’S NEW MOVE

PREMIER’S PLANS CRITICISED

NEW YORK, April 2b. The “Evening Post’s” Ottawa correspondent says: The Budget makes provision for sixty thousand dollars for expenses for the Canadian Minister at Washington. This has precipitated an interesting and important debate upon Canada’s right to separate diplomatic representation. It was long known that Premier Meighen favoured this appoint ment. Mr Meighen’s opponents point out that until the British North-Ame-rican Act is .changed, Canada is still a dependency and colony, and cannot take on the trappings of an independent nation. The plan is condemned'as he ing likely to produce friction between the British Ambassador and the Canadian Minister at Washington.

THE MUNITIONS INQUIRY LONDON, April 2b. At the opening of the sitting of the Munitions Inquiry Committee (cabled February 23rd) Mr Loseby, M.P., who originated the charges called two witnesses formerly accountants in the Ministry of Munitions, who gave evidence that E. <T. Sutton, occupying an important position i* the Ministry instructed a meeting of 30 members of the staff to destroy documents called working papers for Hie purpose of preventing the audit officials nosing too deeply into the accounts. Witness though that no papers were destroyed as the staff feared the consequences would !w? serious to themselves.

Cross-examination suggested that th, alleged instructions were merely a jo.-r lar remark during the discussion on the necessity of expediting liquidation of the Ministry’s accounts and witnesses were actuated by resentment in consequence of their subsequent discharge owing to retrenchment. U.S. PEACE WITH GERMANY. NEW YORK, April 25. Air Porter, chairman of the U.S. House of Foreign Affairs Committee, has introduced to the House two resolutions similar to the Knox resolution in favour of terminating war with Germane and Austria.

THE WOOL SALES. (Received this day at 8 a.m.) LONDON, April 26. The wool sales are commencing on 3rd. May, forty thousand bales offering on behalf of Bawra. Privately owned offerings include thirty-four thousand bales from Australia, and 2500 from Capt.

MAY DAY MANIFESTO, (Received this day at 8 a.m. / LONDON. April 26. In a May Day manifesto, the executive of the Committee of labour and socialist international calls upon workers to make this May Day the greatest demonstration of working class solidarity yet known. The manifesto concludes “Laltour must rule.” The signatories include Arthur Henderson, J. H. Thomas, Ramsay MacDonald, Eashing, Huysmanns, Branting, Vandervelde Tv°elstrn and the German Qtto Weis’