AMERICAN ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 7 December 1922, Page 3

AMERICAN ITEMS.

AUBTRALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION ; BUDGET STATEMENT. I WASHINGTON, Dee 4. | A. final session of Congress lias he. a convened.. President Harding submitted the Budget. In his budget mes- ; sage, ho .said,: —It will he approximate- , ly front) 1 ’to ;! billion dollars, the lowest sineo before the war. i wothirds of it represents fixed charges, resulting from the war. Therefore it twill ho difficult to reduce the taxes in tho near future. Tho budget, which is six hundred million less than that lor the current year ,provides 546,433,870 dollars for national defence-, the army taking 256,552,877 dollars tor 125,900 men, - and twelve thousand officers. The navy appropriation is 289.433,870 dollars lor j a. loree of 80,000 men and various eon- j struction works. Ihe Air Service is appropriating 12,8.1,500 dollars. I PACIFIC SHIPPING SUBSIDY. WASHINGTON, Dee 5. The U.S.A. Postmaster-General has announced an extension of tho mail subsidy contract, with the Oceanic Steamship Company in the Pacific, providing lor a subvention ol —-U----doliars for each monthly sailing to Australia. This arrangement is to become elf active as from the expiration of the six months’ contract tom hided last July, hut no definite period, tin its continuance is fixed. 'I ho Ocean if Company, last May, requested a two years" contract at the rate of four dollars per statute mile, declaring that it had sit ire red sixty thousand dollars, |„(., s i„ 1<)21. This the Postmaster declined to do. but a temporary eomHonsand'd'dlars monthly. The newest, arrangement has been made in anticipation of a final settlement of tlu slop subsidy issue. If the subsuly Bdl pasv os tho Postmaster will seek the tiansport of the mails on a poundage basis.

armament question. __ WASHINGTON. Dee o. The U.S.A. Secretary, Mr Hughes, addressing the Central American Armament Conference (cabled «»*«' her 23rd) declared the. In'tdPt.'U' „o ambition to expand at tlu a pense of other nations. United States interests wort, peace m the w<S|U 11 hemisphere and the conservation ->' tercsts of the Central Americ-alls.