MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS

Hokitika Guardian, 6 April 1922, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS

IUSTUALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION JAPS FIGHT IN CHITA. TOKIO, April 5. The Japanese War Office has confirmed dispatches, announcing a con* fliet between the Japanese troops and the troops of Chita, near Spasskoya, 100 miles from Vladivostock. Eighty Chitians have been' killed. A battle with heavy artillery is rag. mg.

QUEBEC PREMIER’S QUERY. OTTAWA, April 4 Premier Taschereau, of Quebec,

an interview, declared that the American attitude on tariff question is one that invites retaliation in kind. He added: “What would the (Americans do if the Ottawa Government prevented them from getting their wood pulp supplies from Canada?” He pointed out that 10,000 acres of forest land was being denuded in Quebec each year to supply 1,000,000 cords of pulp wood to th e American paper mills.

MR BAR,WELL’S SPEECH.

LONDON, April 5.

Mr Barwell, premier Of South Australia, responding to the toast of his health at the Lord Mayor df London’s banquet, said that South Australia Wfts imperially-minded. He said Empire unity was necessary, both in defence and in trade. Th e future of England and the Empire depended on the future of the Dominions, because Britain and the Dominions were interdependent, “You could not,” he said “maintain your position without uS, and we certainly could not maintain curs without yoii.” The Dominions < ere destined to become great nations.Any one of them might ultimately Surpass Britain in wealth and greatness. Should Britain decline—which God forbid—the Empire’s greatness would yet be assured by the Dominions. The residents of Britain might hear occasionally of disloyal utterances from Australia, but these were merely the isolated utterances of irresponsible people, Who often were given undue prominence by the press. Regarding defence, lie considered . that,' but for the British navy, Australia would he ,ui easy prey to the first foreign power Which sought to extend its territories, and that he said, would probably be an Asiatic power!

“There is,” he said, “A strong body of opinion in Australia that, rather than attempt to maintain any aavv of our own, we should contribute f m a fair reasonable basis to the maintenance of the British Navy.” Regarding trade, he said the Empire should be self contained and self-sup-porting. They must keep trade withn the Empire. Britain would fall info econd place, unless she maintained a commercial supremacy. The (Dominions could help her to maintain that supremacy,

RUGBY CENTENARY

LONDON, April 4

Plans are on foot to celebrate the ■entenary of the Rugby game next season ,by a grand tournament between all the great Rugby-playing countries, and by a match between the combined strengths of England and Wales, versus those of Scotland and Ireland.

BRITISH ENGINEERS’ .LOCK-OUT

LLOYD GEORGE’S EFFORTS,

LONDON, April 5

Mr Lloyd Gedfge and Mr MacNainara to-day had a series of conferences liming at ending the engineering and shipbuilding disputes. To-night the General Workers ana the Foundry Workers’ Unions, the largest section affected, outside the Amalgamated Engineers, informed the engineers that they were willing to accept the employers’ latest conditions for a withdrawal of the lock-out notices as a fair basis for direct negotia ‘ tions.

This is a breakaway of 47 unions from the Amalgamated Engineers. The breakaway is the sequel to the conferences with Mr Lloyd George. The position is that the representatives of these unions will immediately resume their conference with the employers, who are now considering a ' cancellation of their lock-out notices,leaving the Amalgamated Engineers to fight on alone." ' The engineers have protested vigorously against the action of the other unions. . BRITISH SHIPYARD WORKERS. BALLOT REJECTS WAGE CUT, LONDON, April 5. The shipbuilding workers trade’ unioms have held a ballot, in which they have rejected the employers’ proposed rduction in wages. The voting was : Against reduction 87,026 Acceptance 26;451 The National Joint Council of Labour baa offered to mediate.

MALTA’S PARLIAMENT. MALTA, April 4. The Government of Malta has been defeated in the Legislative Assembly, through the Constitutional and Labor Parties combining in passing an amendment demanding the abolitiion of the senate and refusing to vote the Senators’ salaries,