MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 4 January 1922, Page 1

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

AUSTKALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION. LABOUR AFFAIRS. LONDON, Jan. 2. The General Council, of the Trade Union Congress which is' equivalent to the Labour Party’s' Cabinet, is considering a scheme aiming at the centralising of the control over the industrial disputes. ' If the Council and the' Trade Unions approve of this, the Council will take over the negotiations in every dispute in which standard wages conditions, and principles involved.

AVith a view to improving employment, arid restoring confidence between buyers and sellers, and between workers and employers a new step is proposed by 14 Coalition Trade Unionist the liberal, and the National-Democra-tic parties. They have sent a manifesto to Air Lloyd George, demanding legislation to compel the participants in any industrial dispute which injures any section of'tile public to submit tiie differences to a specially-appointed industrial committee, functioning like the police, ' the country and the high courts. They urge that the decisions of these committees shall be binding on both sides under penalties. The signatories state they believe that' workers will welcome some such machinery for abolishing industrial dispute's find protecting trade union leaders against extremists.

A PRESS COMMENT. LONDON, January 3

The “Daily Herald” describes the Coalition Labourites’ industrial scheme as a pretty plan to chain up unions and asserts that 90 per cent of the workers are unaware of the national democrats’ existence.

“DASHING DORA’S” GANG. GERMAN SHOP ROBBERS AR- " : RESTED. BERLIN, Dec. 31. The most sensational “Raffles” case in the hisory of German crime resulted in the arreht of five women andl two men, who were caught with £50,000 woth of stolen goods. The leader of the gang is l a woman called “Dashing Dora.” She has been twice divorced, and recently married a youth of twenty;. Those arrested include the husband and Dora’s sister, .Dora’s daughter, and Morvilius, a merchant. Morvilius’s wife and the husband of one of the women are also implicated, but not yet arrested. The latter is a wellknown official and director of the Department engaged in the sale of German war material.

The gang’s booty included a golden coffee set of thirty-two pieces, valued at £ISOO, which they carried off from a shop at n single visit. The women went equipped with leather belts fitted will innumerable hooks, to which they attached valuables as they passed through the shops. Finally, Dora and her sister fell under the suspicion of a; sales girl in a luxury shop, hut they managed to bluff the manager. Next day their husbands flashed thousands of mark notes in the manager’s face, and compelled him to give a written apology. The. manager jater, being struck by the youthfulness of th<> husbands as compared with their wives, telephoned the police, who raided their flats and found piles of china, jewels, and other valuables.

Investigations showed that the depredations had extended over several years and that the thefts totalled £250,000 sterling. The crimes were made possible owing to wholsale corruption among the police.

4 NEW YEAR MESSAGE. PARIS. Jan. 2. Rerim acl rices state that Herr' Wirth’s New Year message to America refers to the henry anxious clouds hanging over the country and adds: “Nevertheless the German people have not lost faith in its destiny and is sincerely resolved to carry out to the best of its ability its hare of the work. It wishes full success to the sublime idea of abolishing the causes of wair and the promotion of reconciliation and friendship among all peoples.” A TRAGEDY. MELBOURNE, Jan. 2. A tragedy occurred at Brighton. Mrs Baker, separated from her husband arrived home’late at night with her son and a boarder named Rainsburg. Entering the house Mrs Baker’s husband appeared from one uf the rooms and commenced firing a. revolver. He fatally shot Rainsburg, wounded his wife in the head and liis son slightly. Baker escaped to a paddock, where he exchanged shots with the police and then shot himself in the head. Baker and his wife were sent to the hospital. MELBOURNE, Jan 2. The Baker tragedy was the finale of a long family quarrel. A few days ago the wife secured a protection order against Baker in view of alleged threats