AMERICAN ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 23 February 1923, Page 2

AMERICAN ITEMS.

AUSTRALIAN AND N.Z. CADLE ASSOCIATION. U.S.A. IMPORTS. WASHINGTON, Feb 22. A definite trend towards increasing the imports into the l liited States is indicated by the statistics published by the Department of Commerce. he first ten months of 1922, imports exceeded the similar period of 1921 by live hundred million dollars. The 1922 figures are 2,527.000,000 dollars. The imports from Australia, for the ten-month period in 1921 totalled 19,SOG.OOOdoI. and in the 1922 period were worth 31,301,000d01. From New Zealand the 1921 imports of 8,595,000d01. increased to 9,418,000 in 1922.

From the United Kingdom the period saw 192,282.000 dollars worth imported, which increased to 292,165,000 in 1922.

South America is among the only five countries whose exports to the United Stales decreased namely, from 7,454,000 to 5,954,000 dollars.

new helicopter. NEW YORK". Feb 21. X At Dayton, Ohio, ns the result of aiutlu-iitivated’ experiments conducted by the. United States Air Service, a helicopter, invented by Doctor Debothezaat. rose vertically fifteen feet, remained virtually stationary in the air for 155 seconds, and then descended vertically.

SHIP SUBSIDY STOPPED

WASHINGTON, Feb. 22 The Senate filibuster (already "' v ~ cabled) ended late to-night, but only after the Ship Subsidy Bill party hail agreed not to call the Bill lor consideration, and thus permit the Senate to consider other business, and not lose valuable time through the impasse. The Ship Subsidy Bill now remains where it was liefore, without any hope of coming to a vote during the present session. The day was spent in a long talk by Senator Borah. M lien tho latter got tired, he permitted Senator Lodge to take the floor. One anti-subsidy Senator, who was to take the floor to-night, promised to consume all night with an interesting amount of how King Tut Ankh Amen’s tomb was discovered, but the Senators were saved the pain of this learned account. The Senate adjourned until to-morrow, when it will consider an Apprpriations Bill.

THE DRY LAW. WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 } Tin? Secretary to the Treasury, Mr ■ Mellon, has sent a letter to Congress, backing Mr Hughes’ attitude (cabled on February 20) and declaring it would be incompatible with the- public interest to divulge the amount-of liquor imported by the Embassies. HUGE FRAUDS. NEW YORK, Feb. 21 The United States S<x-ret Service operatives have been working for a year in an effort to determine the centre of a big counterfeiting commerce. They have arrested more than a thousand persons found passing spurious hills and coins. The operatives ultimately discovered a house in the foreign section of Now York, where the counterfeiters have manufactured, it is est*T mated, denominations totalling a million dollars. United States postage stamps, internal revenue certificates, bonded liquor seals, and Italian lire have also been manufactured. This is the best counterfeiting plant ever discovered in America. The leaders iff the gang had agents throughout the country, to whom their money was shipped on the basis of seventeen cents per dollar. Most of the spurious moneys found their way to the Bahamas and Cuba, where they could be- more easily passed. The police also li#ve found that illicit dealers in liquor were pun basing cargoes from rum-runners outside the three-mile limit, and oiten used this currency to make payments.