BRITISH & FOREIGN ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 18 May 1922, Page 3

BRITISH & FOREIGN ITEMS.

' BY TEL EG It APII—PER PRESS ASSOCIATION! _____

SALE OF VALUABLE LIBRARY. LONDON, May 16. At the sale of the late Baroness Burdett Coutt’s library, a famous Daniel first folio Shakespeare, originally bought by the Baroness for £716. fetched £BOOO. Another first folio, bought 150 years ago for four guineas, fetched £5,400. Doctor Rosebeach, an American dealer purchased both.

DICTATOR OF MANCHURIA. SHANGHAI, May 17

Chang Tsolin has declared himself Dictator of Manchuria and ordered the Post Office funds to ho seized. He intends to declare Manchuria and Mongolian separate States and make separate treaties with Russia.

FRENCH BUDGET. PARIS, May 17

The Budget for 1023 provides for a total expenditure of twenty-three milliard francs. There is a 280 million francs deficit. Three milliards have to be covered by means of a loan. The military expenditure increased to the extent of 240 million francs and naval by 323 million francs. There is no new taxation.

LEGAL APPOINTMENT. LONDON, May 16

Mark Lemon Bonier has liecn ap pointed High Court Judge, vice Justic Petersen, deceased.

AMERICAN INDIANS. OTTAWA. May 16

Mr Stewart, Minister of the Inter or assured representatives of the Indians at Bratford (whose plea was cabled on May 12) that the Indian reservation of lands would remain under the control of the Six Nations, and that, certain reforms would he instituted in the Indian Act. He refused to commit himself on the demands to define the Indian status, either as Canadian subjects, or as allies. He advised the Indians to let this issue drop and to live in peace and harmony with the whites.

SIIACKLETON’S WILL. LONDON, May 16.

The late Sir Eriiest Shaekleton left all his unsettled property, amounting to £556 sterling, to his wife. His personality was nil. ARMSTRONG’S CASE. DISMISSAL OF APPEAL. LONDON, May 16. The Chief .Justice, in outlining the Appeal Court’s appeal in the wife poisoning case, said that the evidence was amply sufficient to justify the jury s verdict, without anything relating to Martin being considered.

CHEAP MEAT. LONDON, May L

Mr Jovett. of the meat trade, states that a Queensland meat works firm has secured a. contract to supply the admiralty with 7<M).(XK)lbs weight of lulled meat, for October and December deliveries. bah OX OOKS HAXKHI'HT. BOXDOX. May HiA gazette records a receiving order in bankruptcy against Baron HeaHv. who was converted to Mahommedanism m 1913.

butter controversy. (Received this day at 9.50 a.in.) (LONDON, Alav 17

Butter importers greatly resent the criticisms which appeared in Australia and New Zealand regarding their purchase of Government surplus stocks, i especially the suggestion that they depressed the market, and raised it after the purchase had hen completed, in order to get exorbitant profits. Interviewed by the Australian Press Association, one leading importer said the real facts are that this butter was retailed throughout the country from tenpence to sixteen pence per lb. As a result, consumption rose from twentyfive hundred tons weekly to between live and six thousand, the demand being so great that huge supplies of new butter were also readily cleared. Prices for such have never looked hack, hut if the prices of butter generally had been maintained, the consumption would have been so small that Australia and New Zealand producers would have suffered seriously in regard to this season’s output, as the collapse which was created bv the British Treasury forcing a sale 'would have .come much later, when the accumulations would ; have been considerably heavier and the loss accordingly much greater. Importers transfered the hulk of the Government butter to big retail combinations for a merely nominal commission. 1 lie accusation levelled at importers are altogether erroneous and false. Ihe j Board of Trade did not sell at the request of any individual or combination of importers, but only at the extreme pressure of the Treasury officials. [ A TRUE BILL. LONDON, Alay 16. , TJhe Grand Jury at Old Bailey brought in a true bill against Bottomley for misdemeanour. , BREAKING UP ESTATE. (Received this day at 11.30 a.m.) T ONPON, May 17. The Duke of Richmond and Gordon have decided to sell Huntley estate in Aberdeenshire of sixty thousand acres containing over four hundred farms and small holdings, owing to the pressure of rates taxes and other burdens. LONDON. Alay 17.

A collection of over six hundred of Dickens’ letters, the majority addressed to the late Baroness Burdett Coutts, was sold for £2150 sterling.

GREEK CABINET. , (Received this day at 10.15 a.in.) j ATHENS. Alav 16. I A new Cabinet has been formed unI dor the Premiership of Stratos, who is also Minister of War and Foreign Affairs.

A GERMAN HANK FAIUURK. (Received tliis day at 9.50 a.m.) HAVANA, .May 17. Following the failure for ten million dollars recently of the C'ul>nn-Clerinnn banking house of Upmanu Company, the brothers Upmanu have been arrested by the secret police following an investigation by a banking commission on which the United States was represented. The bank examiners discovered i M item in the bankrupt’s books showing that more t han one . million dollars had been spent in Washington in an attempt to regain the properties of Upmanu m America taken over by the Unit'd States Alien Property Custodian.

NOT ACCEPT. (Received this day at 9.50 a.m.) WASHINGTON, AL.v 17. White House has intimated that the

United Staten will probably not nccepL the British invitation to participate .n a joint Investigation of ihc Turkish Otroeil-iop in Asia Afitior.