BRITISH & FOREIGN ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 18 December 1922, Page 2

BRITISH & FOREIGN ITEMS.

AUSTRALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION, !. ~ S’. LADY ASTOR. LONDON, Dec., 16. At the Unionist Association’s meeting, Lady Astor, AI.P., was howled down while supporting a resolution--, urging a housing campaign as against ! the Socialist propaganda. She , declared that the first antidote was housing, and said that what was wrong with the -Conservatives was that they did not realise that, while they occupied two or more houses, they failed to regard the position of those who lived in only two rooms. She asked how could they blame some of the school teachers who were teaching Socialism when they did not pay the teachers living wages? When continuous interruption ensued, she retorted: “You’re worsfi ttiJlrl the La-™' obur Party. It is uncomfortable to bfi bowled down at o.ne’s own party meeting-” » •*- "

NEW WAR AEROPLANE. LONDON, Deo 16. Bert Hinkler, an' Australian, has piloted ’the trial trip of an aeroplane with a thousand horse power engine, which is the largest in the world. It was launched at Southampton to-day 7" The engine consists Of sixteen cylinders, fitted to a long-distaiice comber, with a lifting capacity of seven toils, It carries three people, any of whom can change places during the, fight. One propellor is sixteen feet across. There is a special appliance for keeping the hands and feet warm, ami for preventing a gun from freezing. The petrol tanks are self-sealing, so they will npt catch fire if pierced, by bullets. . v Hlinklor readily manoeuvred the monster aeroplane, rising and falling, and turning in all directions with great ease. AN IMPROVED AfACHINE. THE HAGUE, Dec 15. Fokker ha.s built a* new type of biplane. It is convertible into a monoplane in a few minutes. It carries eight passengers and two pilots. Tt has double steering gear, enabling the pilos to relieve each other without changing places. The machine is intended to undertake a flight to Dutch East Indies. CONFIDENCE IN POINCARE. PARIS, Dec 15. The Frencr Chamber of Deputies has passed a vote of confidence in M. Poincare by 512 votes to 7S.

DANGEROUS COAL. PARIS, Dec 15. Recent explosions in France of domestic coal 'imported from England nave bee nexplained by the discovery of 16 detonators in a cargo of British anthracite coa lin a barge going to Paris from Rouen. The theory is that when detonators fail to explode, the minors, instead of returning them to the store, discard them among the hewn coal. MAX HARDEN’S CASE. BERLIN, ' Dee 15. The trial lias commenced of two of the assailants of Herr Maximilian Har- . den ,the noted German Jewish journalist (the attack on whom was cabled on Julv 4th last). The trial has revealed the fact that they are members of societies closely connected with the “Consul’ ’organisaion, which was founded by the notorious Captain Ehrhardt, who was suspected of being a Junker agent. Harden, leaning on a stick gave evidence that he became 1 Christian 40 years ago, but the fact of his Jewish descent has appeared,to be indelible. He condemned the antiJudaism movement. He also declared that Doctor Einstein (the noted scientist) went to Japan because lie considered himself not to he sate m Geimany. ■- WAR MEMORIAL. LONDON, December 16. Admiral Sinclair unveiled a memorial at Temple Gardens to the officers and men who lost their lives in the submarine service. It records the loss of 53 submarines. The number killed was greater in proportion to the strength than in any other branch of the fighting forces, being 138 officeis and 1225 men’ including many gallant merchant sailors, who volunteered and lost their lives, representing one-third of the total submarine service. TRIBUTE TO MR MASSEY. LONDON, December 16. The “Times” in a leading Article commenting on'the Now Zealand elections says:—“Even the political opponents of ATr Massey, who, after a decade finds himself without any majority, must pay a tribute to the singleminded devotion with which he has served the Dominion and the Empire durng the critical years of his administrnton. Tire almost fratricidal quarrel of its opponents was a golden opportunity for New Zealand Labour.”

FEAR FOR. THEBES FIND. LONDON, December 15. The “Daily Mail’s” correspondent at Luxor states: —Owing to a threat of rains and to a fear that in consequence floods may destroy the Tecently discovered antiques, Dictor Carter and his assistants are feverishly attempting to rebury the door of the Emperor Tutankhamen’s tomb under a watertight compnrtment of earth and rock. Doctor Carter states that there will be practically no hope of saving’ the treasures in the event of it stornveoming,