MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 30 December 1921, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

AUSTRALIAN AND N.z. CABLE ASSOCIATION CANNES CONCLAVE. CANNES, Dec. 28. There are British, American, Japanese, Italian, Belgian and French delegations here now for the Allied Supremo touncii Conference. All the delegations stay at the same hotel. Tlie first ineetiiig is on Jaiiuary 6tli. Mr Lloyd George is here. CANADA’S STAND. , OTTAWA, Dec 29. Mr Wickham Stead in a speech in Toronto, seid: “It has been a realisation by the British Government that Canada would have placed itself with America iii the event of a war between Japan and United States, that has been largely responsible for the scrapping of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance.” EUROPE’S PROBLEMS. LONDON. Dec. 28. It is expected that the meeting of the British and French business men ami industrialists will lead to agreement on certain broad principles, which will lie submitted to the Supreme Council as a basis for the establishment of a European financial corporation composed of ieading nations, for economy and the industrial reconstruction of Europe.

In furtherance of the scheme, the Council will arrange for the holding of j a European economic conterence, to which Germany and Russia may he invited and also the l nited States and Japan. Such corporation, if necessary, will issue currency and lay down conditions upon which it would he willing to finance industries and lecotithe railways of Europe, linking up in one system, and supply stock. The “Times” in a leader, says that It sees in the meeting, the desire cl Mr Lloyd George to establish closei , relations with Russia. It expiessiS| scepticism regarding dealings with the j Soviet, and considers in the present j financial embarrassments of every conn- . trv, that any Government support ot j such a colossal enterprise as the proposed corporation, with money oi eredit, is entirely out of the question. j MEAT POOL. LONDON, Dec. 29 j A deputation here representing th« j principal meat companies doing bus:-j ness in Britain and New Zealand re-, quested Sir .1. Allen to cable to .1 i . Massey their protest against the proposed compulsory meat pool. A repiesentative of a leading firm declares that a Government pool, bv destroying pi>vate enterprise, which had taken a large share in developing Now Zealand export trade, will create a precedent in state appropriation whi<*h »»«>* resl< * 1 much further than New Zealand and is following on the line of Queensland s action re pastoral leases. It is claimed the matter is of paramount importance to English financiers and business men interested in colonial investments. TUBE SENSATION. LONDON, Dec. 28. A sensation has been caused in racing circles hv the refund to forty bookmakers of bets totalling L!500. !>’>"' ( ’" 1 to an army officer, whose father is « successful owner of racehorses, lhe officer hacked the winner of the chic! race at Kempton Park on October Bth. i He did so by means of telegrams, lodged tit a village post office to Midlands, apparently a few minutes >efore the race started, and directed to forty bookmakers in various towns. Ihe Intelligence Department of the os Office investigated the dispatch ol these telegrams, and the bookmakers have since received a refund of the bets I torn a relativee of the winner. STRIKe7)N THE RAND. (Received This Day at 10.15 a.m A CAPETOWN, Dec. 29. The Labour situation is assuming a serious aspect. A Conference between the Minister of the Intenor and the Coalminers at Johannesburg on the question of a reduction of wages proved abortive. The Industrial Federation recommend the men to strike on Ist Jan. uffy. The Chamber of Mines refused tMe men’s proposal for arbitration. SHIPBUILDING. reutek’b TELEGRAMS. - (Received Tlds Day at 8.30 a.nO J LONDON, December 28. Clyde shipbuilding returns for the year show 314 vessels were launched of a tonnage of 514 thousand, compared with 669 thousand tons last