BRITISH & FOREIGN ITEMS

Hokitika Guardian, 19 December 1921, Page 3

BRITISH & FOREIGN ITEMS

AUSTRALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE ASSOta-iION FRANCE AND THE VATICAN. PARIS, Dec. 17. The French Senate has by 166 votes to 125 the Government s action in effecting a resumption ol French diplomatio relations with the 1 atican. A CURIOUS TRAGEDY. UNITED SERVICE TELEGRAMS. (Received This Day at 9.40 a.m.) LONDON, December 17. The “Weekly Despatch” reports a curious tragedy. A butcher’s assistant named Coleman died at Dalston Hospital from the effects of a stab m the heart with a boning knife, by a four year old son, while re-enacting a cinema scene they had witnessed together. moplah casualties. (Received This Day at 9.40 a.m.) DELHI, December 17. Aloplah casualties from the outbreak of* the revolution to 9th. December were 1826 killed and approximately 15 000 wounded, 5474 captured and 1424 voluntarily surrendered. MOPLAHS CRY ENOUGH. DELHI, Dec. L. A Calicut official report states twenty four thousand Moplahs around Brurangodi, have petitioned to surrender and more are expected to follow. SCOTCH RELIGIOUS REVIVAL. LONDON, December 18. The religious revival in Scottish fishing towns continues. Converts total fifteen thousand. Bonfires of whisky casks, cards, dice, chess, draughts, and tobacco pouches and pipes _ were made during street services. Work is j almost entirely suspended, and cinemas : and public houses are empty. J ODENI3UR.G PLEBISCITE- _ J VIENNA, December 17. I The Odenburg plebiscite resulted ill j an overwhelming majority in favour , of joining Hungary.

FRANCE’S NAVY. (Received This Day at 10.10 a.m.) PARIS, December 18. The newspapers comment bitterly on opposition offered in Washington to France’s naval claim. Tim Ie i Journal” answering a question why Japan, United States and Britain were so easily able to come to an agreement regarding the limitation of fleets, while France and Italy are unable, says the reason is that France and Italy have not got first class navies. The “Matin” claims France was justified in relying on the submarine which is a less costly weapon. Theiefore it is a weapon of the weak anc poor. The paper indignantly rebuts the idea that submarines menace Britain. “Le Journal” reproaches French delegates for presenting their claim alter United States and Britain had come to an agreement. Nevertheless, it says, French claims hit in no wax exaggerated.

WIRELESS TELEPHONY. LONDON. Dec 18. Quite a. suteessful application of contmereial wireless telephony was carried out bv the Marconi Cov. in co-operation with British and Dutch postal authon- %, ties. The ordinary telephone trunk line from London to Southwold was used and the speech was automatically trails, ferred at. the latter point to wireless, which was relayed from Zandvoort by a landline to Amsterdam. A feature of the test was the introuetion of Duplex and an unusually short' wave length, whereby the conversation was carried on as in an ordinary local telephone circuit. A difference of three metres in the wave length, between the outgoing and incoming waves, was maintained and the clarity of the conversation e<]nailed that of an adjacent suburban exchniijge, find w*ik cjuite ini muni* from disturbances by high-powered wire less telegraph stations. BIG BANK SMASH. RF.UTF.It’S TF.LKIUtAMS. (Received Tliis Day at 12.25 p.m.) OTTAWA, Dec. 17. The biggest financial sensation for ve ars developed, when it was officially announced that the Merchants Bank of Canada was selling out to the Bank of Montreal. The former is the fifth largest hank in Canada, and finds, following upon a. special examination that its reserve fund has been seriously impaired. While the announcement is silent regarding the causes, it is stated unfortunate investments were at the root of the trouble. The reserve fund was supposed to amount to nine million dollars, p> actually duplicating the capital of the Bank. It is disclosed that the Bank lost four million dollars through the. recent failure of a large brokerage firm in Montreal, while similar losses came through the shrinkage of general collateral loans. COLONIAL LOANS. LONDON, Dec 17. It is authoritatively stated that Victorian, New Zealand and other Ausi i ilasian loans are not being floated before January and February. THE NAVAL AGREEMENT. (Received This Day at 8.30 a.r.i.) WASHINGTON, Dec. 17. The Agreement does not allow Britain to proceed with any of the four super Hoods ordered prior to tlie Conference. Two smaller warships of thirty-five thousand tons each will be ordered instead. but they will embody the results of the Jutland experience.