AMERICAN ITEMS

Hokitika Guardian, 2 June 1921, Page 2

AMERICAN ITEMS

IUSTRALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION. AUTOMOBILE RACE. NEW YORK, May 31. On th t > Indianopolis speedway, Tommy Milton won the 500 mile automobile race, making a new record of 89.62 miles per hour. Do Palma set a terrific pace, but was forced out by mechanical trouble. There were no serious accidents.

BIG WAGE CUT

NEW YORK, June 1 The United States Railway Labour Board at Chicago will to-day order an average wage cut of 12 per c£nt. The cutjs affecting 31 Labour organisations, 104 railways, and it will decrease their pay roll by 400,000,000 dollars annually. The cut will come into force on July 1. It specifically applies to the railways whose cases have been heard, and may be extended to others submitting disputes for decision. The Board says that since the 1920 wage award, the living costs have decreased and wages in other industries have been cut, thus justifying this decrc.ase. The Big Brotherhood of Railwaymen meet on July V to consider their attitude.

THE OIL WAR

WASHINGTON, May 31

The State-. Department has announced that a Note has been despatched to Holland regarding the granting of oil concessions in Sumatra.

The last Dutch Note to U.S. contended that American interests did not apply to get into the Djambi field before negotiations were started with the Batavia Oil Cov., in which there are British capital interests, and had proceeded so far that they could not he overlooked. It is understood that the American Noie emphatically states that the United States did make application long before the Batavia negotiations were concluded.

CANADIAN IMPORT TARIFF

OTTAWA, May 31

The Dominion Customs Department ordered the collectors to «ollect tariffs of 12 cents, pth- bushel on wheat, 50 cents per barrel on flour, 20 cents per bag on potatoes, on importations from the United States. The first announcement of this step was made nt Windsor, Ontario. Later tlie Customs Minister, (Mr Wigmore) denied it, but enquiry to-day reveals that the law has provided that equal tariffs be effective immediately in any country, and bns placed a tariff upon Canadian goods. Thus the Canadian tariff automatically becomes effective when the United States Emergency Tariff Bill was signed.