BRITISH & FOREIGN ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 3 November 1921, Page 3

BRITISH & FOREIGN ITEMS.

AUSTRALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION. PRISONERS’ RIOT. CAPETOWN, Nov. 2 A large number of prisoners in the central gaol at Lahore, rushed the main gate and secured the keys irom tlie warder. They attacked the armoury guard who tired, killing three and wounding several. Some of the warders received slight injuries. The outbreak was suppressed. OBITUARY. LONDON, November 2. Obituary—.l.ord Sandhurst.. dominion status. VIEWS OF GENERAL SMUTS.

REUTEIt’s TEI.EfitlAM'CAPETOWN, November 2. General Smuts has issued a statement in connection with his recent speed, on the question of Dominion status, with a view to a correction of some misunderstanding of both bis attitude and the constitutional point which has been raised. He points o: t that at the l’aris Disarmament Conference, the Dolminions were given all the advantages of recognised individual status, and of .-onsultatjoii and mutual support in the British Empire delegation. Our individual standing was unquestioned while our tu-am \\o,k made us a real effective force. Ibis was a great precedent, which settled tho Dominions international status. But now at the. first great international conference called after the Paris Conference the Dominions, despite the Pacific position of three of them, have been simply ignored. -At the Washington Conference there will only be a British delegation wherein the Dominions as such, will not Ik- found. Hence the Empire will not lie represented m its full authority as a group of States, and the full weight of the Empire will not be exerted.

After denying that lie desired to play a lone hand, General Smuts declares he wants the,Paris precedent to Iso followed at Washington, and at every subsequent- conference He wants to see the Empire represented through its constituent equal States. I here is no other way of giving it representation. Smuts savs lie has no intention ol striking a jarring note, but N merely standing up for that Dominion status which lo him, and lie feels sure to the natioits of the Dominions, is the basis and constitutional reality of our free Imperial Coniiiioiiweail.il. He wishes the American Government to understand the Dominion standpoint, and recognise the Dominion status as other Rowers recognised it at Paris, with the whole hearted advocacy and support of British Gov<*i*iimciii. He concludes by expressing a fervent wish lor I,he success ill the ('(inference at. Washington.

SOUTH AFRICAN RAILWAY. (Received This Day at I.A p.m.) CAPETOWN. November 2. Government's railway const met ion proposals include a railway though through Swaziland, with the object oi developing a new port in Zululaml. probably in Kosi Bav, of which a «urvey is ill progress. If the lililwa, is built, it will form a formidable competitor for Portuguese trade now passing through Pclnp.oii Bay.

EGYPTIAN SEN TE N f'F D. DELHI. Xuveinbei 2. Ali was sentenced to two terms of two years each, lo run concurrently, not four years as previously mentioned. A crowd outside tke Court made a hostile demonstration. MT EVEREST EXPEDITION. (Received This Day at 1.5 p.m.) LONDON. November The Everest expedition have reached Darjeeling en route to England. The results obtained infinite the finding a possible route in the .iiiiiinit of t'n* mountain, the manning out *fi thirteen thousand square miles ol most, difficult country, which hitherto was unknown : the securing ol comprehensive geological climatic data, collections of mammals. birds, (lowers, seeds and photogiaphie records iff most wonderful scenery.

A DIVIDEND. LONDON. Nov ‘J. The Doninsular and Oriental tm s dividend for the year on-deferred stock is twelve per edit, free ot taxation. LORD ROBERT CECIL. <Received This Day at 1.30 p.m.) LONDON. Noveinher ‘J. Sit Janies Mills presided at a bin eon gven by tile Australian and New Zealand Club t- Lord Robert Cecil who delivered au address oil the League of Nations, lie said the League, like nations of the British Empire, was fundamentally based on principles of freedom and public opinio,,. If the League was to succeed public opinion in its favour must he fostered. The League already had done good work, lie instanced the ■Austro-Hungarian States. They did not live very happily together and they looked to the League as the only hope of preventing this mass of tinder troiu igniting. The ipiostion of sploshi also laid been reduced from a state ot acute inflammation to a condition presaging early •oiivnlcsceiice. Lord Oeil asked ‘•Wiio would say Australia and New Zealand had not an interest in the peace of Europe.” All nations of the world were bound together economically. Every sheep farmer and every artisan in Australia and New /.calami was deeply affected, even by the settlement of boundaries of Albania. Even if Australia and New Zealand did not need the League, the latter needed them. Their point of view was of immediate value to the League. Lord Cecil paid a tribute to Sir .lames f„r his lucid exposition of mati tin’s at Geneva anil Mr Bruce s on dis- ' armament, which were one of the most j notable delivered at the Assembly.

LOAN SUBSCRIBED. (Received This Day at 10.15 n.m.) LONDON. Nov 2. The Imperial local loan of twenty millions sterling has lieen oversubscribed.