MISCELLANEOUS

Hokitika Guardian, 27 June 1922, Page 1

MISCELLANEOUS

AUSTRALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION

A. RECEIVING ORDER. LONDON, June 25.

A receiving order lias been made against Sir William Hopwood, who a year ago was director of thirty one cotton companies. He was regarded as the Napoleon of cotton mills finance and a reputed millionnire. The incident caused a sensation in Manchester.

ROWING. LONDON. .Tune 25

Baynes won his heat by two lengths, in the senior sculls at Marlow against Wallis. In the final, Gollan, son of a New Zealander defeated Baynes by two lengths.

EVEREST EXPEDITION FATES LONDON, June 25

Unofficial reports suggest the Mt. Everest expedition will he abandoned. Only one hundred feet was added to the record in the third and final attempt i nt the summit. No further progress can be expected. All Die explorers arc incapacitated from the hardships. BLAKE’S FLY. ROME, June 25. Blake arrived at Naples safely. He covered the distance from Marseilles in thirteen hours, He lies to Athens Tomorrow. GERMANY AND LEAGUE. LONDON, June 25. M rLloyd George referring to Germany’s admission to the League of Nations, said:—“l want Germany there, and if a proposal is put before the League Council, the British Government will vote for her admission. We also want United States, and when Russia is clothed in her right mind we want her there. We want the whole earth there. . WHEAT PRICES. LONDON, June 25. The wheat cargo market is dull and quotations are nominally unchanged. Lower prices would he accepted tor steamer parcels if there were any buyers. BILLIARDS. LONDON, June 20. Peall is 14,000 and McConndiy 11,789.

JAPAN’S ARMY BILL

TOIvIO, June 24

The War Office has completed the draft of the Army Bill which is now before the Military Conference. It is expected that its adoption will he followed by submission to Cabinet for incorporation in the 1923-24 budget,. The total strength will be reduced from 290,000 to 240,000 consisting of infantry 33,000, cavalry 3,000, artillery 10000, engineers 4,000. The total saving will bo twenty three million yen. The Diet’s recommendation that the conscription terms he cut from two years to sixteen months was rejected and a service reduction of forty days adopted. There is a strong sentiment in the nation for much further reduction, which will b<3 campaigned for vigorously. The only hope for much more material reduction rests on economic conditions during the coming six months wfiicji may lie so bad as to make further tax cuts imperative.

ALLEGED THEFT. DUNEDIN, June 25. Edward Hedloy Kitchener Hughes, a young man employed in the Post Office was charged a tfchc Police Court with stealing £1001), the property of the New Zealand Motor Association. He was remanded for seven days. Bail 'was allowed.

SHIRRING DISPUTE

WELLINGTON, June 26.

A dispute between the Union Steam Ship Company and the Institute of Marine Engineers came before the Conciliation Council to-day. The Union Company sought a new award and the application was made to add a number of siiial)! shipping companies to the dispute.

Captain Petersen, on bolialf of the Shipowners’ Federation, applied for exemption of small boats from the proceedings. The application to add the parties was referred to the Court. As no agreement could he come to with respect to wages this matter was also referred to the Court for decision.

FORTUNE BURNED. GENEVA, April 11. The remains of a large bonfire in the street and the discovery of minute fragments of banknotes on their doorsteps when they arose have just astonished the inhabitants of Sninl-Bnrthe-lemv-d’Agenais. It appears that a prosperous farm worker living there had decided to com mil .suicide. So great, however, "as his ill-feeling towards his relatives, especially his wife, that he wished to leave nothing behind him. In the stijl night, therefore, he carried nil his clothes, sheets, and linen into the street. He then tore up banknotes and bonds to the value of nearly £250 into small pieces and threw them on top of the |>ile. lie thereupon set fire to it and walked off and jumped into a pond. . , , , As soon as he was in the water, unlever, he remembered £24 ill gold ho had left in his bedroom, and, still hating the thought of leaving anything valuable whatever, ho climbed painfully out of the pond, and went home to get rid of the last remnants ot Ins possessions. , .. , . Back homo, however, he decided to give up the idea of suicide for the night. He lit a fire and dried himself. and then went to sleep while Ins property slowly burned away in the street In the morning he promised the mayor not to make any further suicide attempt.