BRITISH & FOREIGN ITEMS

Hokitika Guardian, 9 January 1922, Page 3

BRITISH & FOREIGN ITEMS

iUSTHALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE ABSOOI..IION FOOD PRICES. LONDON, Jan 5. The index of the wholesale commodity prices at the end of December was 163.1, a fall of 3.2 on the month. The f«bll during the year was 351, per cent, leaving prices sixty-two per cent, above those ruling in 1913. The monthly average was 189 compared with 321 tho previous year. The fall is unparalleled for many years.

A PECULAR CLAIM. BERLIN, Jan 5. A piquant case has opened. Tlio widow of Prince Joachim of Prussia, who recently committed suicide, sued the ex-Kaiser for maintenance, grounding tho claim upon. the laws of the House of Hohenzollern. Counsel for defence claimed the laws were no longer valid. The case was finally adjourned as there was some prospect of a. compromise.

REV VAL MAJOR. LONDON, Jan. 7. The Bishop of Oxford refuses to try Major for heresy. The matter has lapsed. SEARCH FOR MURDERER. LONDON, Jan. 7 The Bournemouth police made untiring, but fruitless efforts to find tne murderer of Miss Wilkins. They have conducted a house to house search. They also have compared the writing on the telegrams sent to Miss Wilkins with that of every holder of a hank account in the district, the police believing that the murderer nm.v be an educated man masquerading as a chaffcur, and purposely making spelling mistakes in the telegram.

REPORTS OF RUSSIA. BERLIN, January 6. It is reported that Herr Stinnes has purchased a warehouse in Petrogrnd and is negotiating with the Soviet Governrnent to orjzfunso maritime coninninieations beltween Petrograd, German ports and Amsterdam. Batavia advices state that Hen Stinnes offered. Badong municipality a 6 nor cent loan for municipal works conditionally on Stinnes’s concern executing the work.

POWERS AND TURKEY. LONDON, January 7. Publication of a white paper gives the correspondence between the British and French Governments respecting the France-Angora agreement. It shows that both the Governments are now agreed that the agreement is not a treaty of peace and does not imply any recognition of the Angora (Turkish) Government. The agreement has a purely local scope. France reserves the question of peace with Turkey. She. will refuse facilities for any o ili'nry action in the agreed territory under the British mandate.

The rumours regarding a French loan for the supply by France of munitions to the Kemalists are baseless. Franco admits the principle of adjusting in a final treaty, the question of peace, when a different agreement is negotiated. France also is ready to collaborate in the work of mediation between the KemaFsts and Greeks, in which work Italy and Britain are associated.

GIFT TO LONDON HOSPITAL. LONDON, January 7. A wealthy American has given £lO- - >to the London Hospital as a thanks offering to the hospital for find ing volunteers willing to give a pint of blood to save his sick wife. This gift enables the hospital to reopen 200 beds that were closed owing to the increased cost of maintaining the hospital BRITISH EMPIRE EXHIBITION. LONDON, January 7. An anonymous guarantor of the final £B,OOO, of the minimum £1,000,000 required for a British Empire Exhibition enables the work to be started immediately. The Duke of York turns the hrst sod on Tuesday. I SOLE SURVIVOR OF WRECK. | LONDON, Jan 6. ! The report of the loss of the German i vessel Salama in the recent Baltic storm I shows that the sole survivor was a 15- ■ year old cabin boy. He maintained life i by gnawing his hand and drinking his i i own blood. He was unconscious when i j rescued, being lashed ’to the wreckage. Thus he escaped the Baltic hurricane.

TRIAL OF ARBUCKLE. SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 6. It is announced that Arbuckle’s second trial cannot start on Monday, as scheduled, because of a crowded dock.

BIG BEQUESTS. LONDON, Ja.n 7

Mr Henry Musgrove has left £200,000 to Belfast charities, including £50,000 to the Victoria Hospital, and £50,000 to the Presbyterian Church.

ASSAULTS ON CHILDREN. LONDON, Jan. 0,

The conference of the National Union of Women Teachers has passed a resolution in favour of an amendment of the law relating to assaults and cruelty on children, in order that the sentences shall in future be commensurate with the crime.

The speakers emphasised the fact that fifteen years imprisonment and the “cat” were given in Australia, for ruining children, while imprisonment for life was given in South Australia, and then condemned the light sentences given in Britain.

A JAP PROTEST. (Received This Day at 8 30 a.m.) TOKIO, Jan. 7

The Japanese Government strongly protested to China Government against the publication of documents alleging a Franco-Japanese secret agreement regarding Siberia. The protest, denies the alleged exposure and declared negotiations with the China Government will be discontinued if the falsehoods do not cense. • CHIEF RABBI’S PROTEST. 'Received This Day at 9.40 a.m.) , LONDON, Jahuary 7. Rev. Dr Hertz, Chief Rabbi, at the annual conference for assisting Ukranian Jews, said one of tho blackest pages in the moral history of contemporary humanity was the unspeakable horrors and infinity crimes of the past year in Ukraine, yet the world knew Tittle of the matteir., There had) be/m a conspiracy of silence in which the Jewish leaders themselves were not blameless, yet one hundred thousand human beings had been butchered, amid fiendish cruelties. For three years, three million people in Ukraine had been passing through all the horrors of 'Hell, including clubbings, rape, burying alive and drowning in the Dneister. This unspeakable bestiality should have raisod a thunderous protest. Tho massacres were now over but six hundred thousand Jews in Ukraine were homeless. There were 150 thousand children orphans, and 35 thousand double orphans.

REDUCING FREIGHT. 1 'Received This Dav at 8.30 a.m.) j LONDON, January 7. The Australian shipping lines, including the Commonwealth have reduced freight from 90s to 75s on over one hundred! and fifty articles including earthenware, woodwaro, hollow-ware, j glassware, window glass, bedsteads, beer and matches. The reductions are to commence immediately. , AMERICA AND WORLD PEACE. | IReceived This Dnv at 8.30 a.m.) NEW YORK, January 7.

The New York ‘Times’ is printingj T serially Roy Standard Bakers Book , “America and World Peace”, based , on the secret minutes and documents j of the Paris Conference, supplied by) Mr Wilson and written with liis consent. Mr Baker was head of the American press division and Baker points out the idea of disarmament brought 1 to Paris by Mr Wilson was based on i a conception of the American union, 1 each State maintaining only a police force and the union guarateeing the : safety of forty-eight states, hut it was < Llovd George who offered a concrete j disarmament programme. At a secret j meeting on 23rd January, 1919, of the i Big Five, Lord Reading moved that a Commission ho appointed consisting of two representatives of each great powers and five representatives from other ■ powers at the Peace Conference to j advise an immediate, drastic in the armed forco of the enemy, to | prepare it in connection with the Lea- 1 gue for a permanent reduction of the J burden of military, naval and aerial, forces armament. The author points out this was drastically applied to } Germany, but whenever the question j aroso applying it to the Allies practio- j ally, France and then Italy, opposed, i REPORTED NOT DEAD. | (Received This Dav at 9.40 a.m.. , HONOLULU, Jan 8. A Tokyo telegram to the newspaper ( “Nippu JijL” states the report of j I Okuma’s death is erroneous, although t i Prince Hirohito as Regent,. bestowed j ! posthumous honours. Physicians an- j ! nounce that the state of coma, into j ! which Okuma lias fallen, has been mis- > j taken for death. | | CAPE LABOR TROUBLE. ,j i ; | (Received This Day at 8.30 a.m.) > | CAPETOWN, Jan. 7. i j All available coal from Johannesburg j lis being hurried to the coast. Largo ; : numbers of police are concentrating in j j Johannesburg. The crux is expected, !on Wednesday afternoon at a con-j i fereuee between chambers of mines and t j .roldmincrs delegates. Meanwhile, the I : Chamber is accepting General Smut’s j • proposal to investigate the «>al, trouble, by the appointment of a Confiliation Board. The Central Strike j Connnittc eis considering Smuts’ pro- j posal. I Smuts paid an unexpected visit to j Johannesburg and bad a conferenr" with the executive of the Industrial Federation. He appealed to them to eosui'C coal for the- power stations during the period of negotiations otherwise it would mean closing a number of mines. The Federation subsequently ' decided to rfuse the request. ’ It, is officially announced that early ■ returns of the ballot indicate a hun- " died to one majority in favour of a strike. k It is announced that lighting r hospital, municipal and other necessary services is assured in the event of a strike. 1 ' GERMANS SUMMONED, a " ' (Received This Day at 10.15 a.m.) e LONDON, Jan. 7 ? A Cannes message stated despite M. n Briand’s opposition, the Council re- »• solved to summon German representations to Cannes, regarding reparations.

THE KIDNAPPED KAY. LONDON, Jan. 7

Kay, the correspondent who was kidnapped, states his captors motored him in the night time at a dangerous speed to Cork. He afterwards chatted affably with his chief captor 'over his fare and strolled the following morning with him over a hill. It was evident the motive was to ascertain who lias given the views embodied in the obnoxious article. They consented to bring certain specified witnesses in order to test his statements. When the court was hold one of these denied consenting to a press interview -and the other declared he was unable to recall any statements. After deliberating the court accepted a written declaration, concerning members of the I.R.A. not being interviewed. Kay was then released.

CHINESE POLITICS. (Received This Day at 10.15 a.m.) . PEKIN, Jan. 7.

The newspapers state that Premiel Sliivyn lias announced the restoration of the Vive-Regal system existing under the Monarchy, for the purpose of hastening the national reunion. There will be a disbandment of troops. Chiuntmin and Pingehen two strongest members of Sun Yat Sen’s Canton Government have been named Southern Viceroys, a secret arrangement designed to undermine Sun Yat Sen s influence.

PRINCE IN BURMA

(Received This Day at 10.15 a.m.) DELHI, January 7.

The Prince of Wales returned to Rangoon after a brief interesting visit to Upper Burma, unmarked bv the slightest evidence of political agitation. The energetic action oi the authorities on the eve. of his arrival in Bm'mah prevented a repetition of_the Calcutta boycott. A few judicious warnings and arrests, with exemplary sentences prevented anything in the shape of anti-British movements, attempts to foster which, made by a younger Buddhist priest, and an association, known a young men’s Buddhists Association which though not wholly of political character, aimed at throwing cold water on the welcome of the Prince. The pageant provided for the entertainment of "the Prince at Mandalay by the Chiefs of Shan states > was remarkably picturesque and weird, illustrating tho manners and customs of these far distant wild though intensely loyal states. Many tribesmen were never out of the wilderness before, and wore startled by the motorcars and other city sights. The Chiefs were highly pleased at the Prince’s appreciation and the attention he paid them. Another item was a race meeting, the contestants heavy bullock teams, driven at full, speed by excited Burmans, the finishes providing as much enthusiasm and wagering as a Derby Day. The official functions were on a lavish scale.

Persian advices state (lie Government has obtained from an American Coy whose name is undisclosed, an advance of H million dollars against royalties of tlie AngLo-Persian Oil Coy, the major portion being devoted to troops and police who are several months in arrears.