BRITISH & FOREIGN ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 26 September 1921, Page 3

BRITISH & FOREIGN ITEMS.

AUSTRALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION. “CHEMICAL” STRATEGY. __ LONDON, Sept. 24. Field-Marshal Sir 11. Wilson has con. trihuted the preface to Major Lefbnre » forthcoming hook entitled “Chemical Strategy, in Peace and t\ ar, ” Sir H. IVilsoiT states Major Lefebnre makes it clear that no convention, guarantee or disarmament safeguard will prevent an unscrupulous enemy from employing poison gas especially if Ins enemy has discovered a new and powerful agent ,or fMSsesscs (as Germany does) in her organised chemical industry the ready means for producing such chemicals in bulk at practically i ni< ment’s notice. He \ontinues: “Britain’s” safetv demands a continuation of studv and investigation, and also th e development of our chemical industry, so that when any emergency arrives, we shall have the neeespiry facilities for supply at hand. V.tl* a. full and careful consideration ol all the facts it is, not for me to express *nv opinion here regarding Vio ( * c '^ r abilitv of using gas as a weapon, or the possibility of preventing an enemy using it: hut Tam convinced that any decision reached without a full Allow lodge of the facts may involve grave danger-and heavy preventable loss ot life.”

ENGLISH CABINET PROPOSALS. LONDON, Sept. 24. Vfter a Cabinet Conference at Gair--1«4, Sir R. Mornl and Mr Maenamara have returned to London. They state tlie Government propose that the ic.igiirv blanks and financiers could into considerable financial assistance for the purpose of increasing trade, in addition to loans to load authorities, toi immediate relief work. “BOARDING HOUSES' FOR THE T>KAD. LONDON. September 24. The “Daily Express” Rome correspondent says: “It is customary to bury the dead in the Roman district in brick vaults belonging to tlie Municipality. Owing to a building crisis there is now a serious shortage of vaults, and a business has sprung up to provide so-called hoarding hoiiseu for the dead. Speculators secure the rights to use large existing tombs, callable of holding 15 to 20 bodies. Hearing of a death, they bargain with the relatives offering tu place it m a tomb for £3O or £4O. The relatives generally pay rather than have the body lying for months in a mortuary chapel, until the Municipality build more vaults.. EXPLORATIONS IN SITTZBERGhN. A TERR Hi Id- ORDEAL. LONDON. September 24. Segult, the explorer, who has returned from the Island of Spitsbergen in the Areti*, has recounted to the Australian Press Association ninllling experiences during an expedition to Mount Terrier, a sharp peak rising from an immense glacier, overlooking Kkrasbillen Bay, and the whole of Spitsbergen Island. Mount Terrier had never before .been climbed.. Segult and two others trudged ten miles across a badly eravassed glacier. Segult. wlio was the centre man ill the rope, fail the leader on the rope over a doubt-ful-looking snow-bridge. When be was following tlie trail, this bridge collapsed. Segult then disappeared on a depth of rope "of fifteen feet. His companions j then anchored themselves with their i axes. The opening in the bridge was very wide. Snow came crashing down j two hundred feet. Segult was suspend- j ed. He thought the end had come, as I he feared the rope would snap before | being embedded in the ice in which case | the position would be most perilous. I | Hung myself forward against' tlie re- | maining portion of the snow-bridge,’ i

lie said, “and succeeded in keeping

the rope abovetin 1 ice. I was 1 ncthan t lialf an hour out of tlu> sight of inv compstuinns. Eventually I groped my wav out hv a swingin'; action. I was half frozen but I soon recovered." Scgolt secured valuable fossils mainly corals.'on the top of the. peak, which is 4000 feet high. He is to write two papers for the Loudon Geological Society. SM ACK I ETON'S VE.M C RE. LONDON Sept. 2b. Just prior to tho sailing of the Quest, McLeod, a mem lay of last Shackleton expedition visited the ship, and signed on its a member of the expedition. Kir 'l*.. Shackleton in a special article in the ‘Times” explains the economic importance to the Dominions in the Southern Hemisphere of the two broad lines of research to which the expedition will devote its energies namely, magnetism and meteorology. The correction of errors ol the magnetic compass and the charts based tncreon are highly important in these days ol fast steamers. The total savings in time and money will be enormous through more accurate charts and accurate meteorology in the southern hemisphere. de]>onds on a knowledge of Antarctic- weather. The furnishing of fresh knowledge thus acquired, with the assistance of wireless to the stock raising Dominions will enable farmers and breeders to know the weather ahead. ,Shackleton also hopes to lay down lines fur the development of air services.

A SCUOOXF.iI WRECKED. SUVA, Sept. 2 Captain Neil Mun-hison, master of the schooner Columbia lliver, entered Suva harbour at 11..‘10 yesterday alleruuon in the ship’s boat. He reported the schooner was wrecked on Sunday Island in the Kerinadccs at I o’clock of the morning of Sept. Bth, while bound from Auckland to Portland, ' Oregon. The ship ran right ashore r-i.d ifi a total*wreck, in a safe position. The crew of thirteen are all ashore. The captain landed stores and then decided to come to Suva for help. He started on Sept, lltli on a voyage of 7b() miles in the ship’s boat with six of the crew. The balance are well provided for and are living on the ship. All is well on the island, which is full „of goats. The Veronica, now in Suva, the Pioneer may go to-day* to rescue the balance of the crew. ■v- - OFF TO HF.SCUE. SUVA, 21}. H.M.S. Chatham sails at six Ibis afternoon for Sunday Island to pick iip the Columbia River survivors. She goes thence to Auckland,