AMERICAN ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 1 June 1923, Page 1

AMERICAN ITEMS.

At'STRALIAN AND .N.Z. CATU.K ASSOCIATION. PROFITEERS AXI) WAR. WEALTH TO BE DRAFTED. WASHINGTON', May 31). Speaking at the grave ot the American unknown soldier, President Harding recommitted himself to the pledge to unite America with the other nations in a plan to prevent future wars. He declared that this is a world relationship which we cannot avoid, and will not avoid.

The President added:—“ll the l idled States is ever again involved in a war. it will he to prevent profiteering—which marred the record ol the past war- hy drafting, not only men. hut every resource, every activity, am! ah of her wealth to make common the cause for the nation's preservation. May Cod grant that no cnnliict u 111 come again, but if it does, it shall he without profit to lioiicomhatant participants, except that which they share in the nation's triumph.”

V.S.A. PRESIDENT’S SPEECH. WASHINGTON, May 30. President Harding continued: “We must do the things which rational thinking leads us to believe will tend to render war less likely. I believe it is our God-given duty to give out' *'iflue nee to establish ways of peace throughout the world. Wo cannot guarantee, hut we can promote, the peaceful adjusinents ol" disputes. We can aid in the establishment of agencies of peace.”

The President said: “While the gratitude of the nation is expressed to-day to its soldiers, the' most genuinely felt, real gratitude consists ol action, rather than words. It is gratitude on action which has committed to us the presrevat-ion of civilisation, for which the world war veterans fought, and the task is only -a little less difficult than theirs. I devoutly wish the Fluted States to do its full part toward making war unlikely, if not impossible. While I would abhor a pacifist America. I would rejoice to have the I nited States proved unafraid, and yet the most peace-loving and the toreniost peace-promoting nation in all the world. We have already proved that v.e can have less armament. Let us strive for an assurance we shall have none of war.”

U.S.A. DRY BAAV. NEW YORK. May 31. Gcvenior I’ituTiol. of Pcnnysylvimia, speaking yesterday on the famous Civil War battlefield of Gettysburg, declared that loyalty to the Constitution was attacked hy those who would set aside the Eighteenth Amendment for prohibition. It said the issue now was loyalty to the constitution as it was in 1803. when slavery threatened the union. “It is our task.” lie said, “to overthrow those who attempt to impose the black disgrace of nullification on the people and on the union which you preserved.’’ The Governor declared that be would use every power inherent iu the commonwealth of l’ennsylvania to indicate the people's loyalty to the constitution, “and to crush the base effort of pleasure and profit seekers to bring contempt upon the laws and the institutions which make us prosperous and free.” The audience was composed almost completely of civil war veterans.

CANA Df A N I) ES PE If ADO. BAFFLES POLICE PURSUERS. OTTAWA. May 3th A Toronto telegram stares that- the provincial police are making extraordinary efforts to capture Leo Rogers, a desperado, who lias time and time again escaped the police net. ami who has killed two constables and wounded two during the police pursuit. Rogers escaped from a prisoners’ dock two weeks ago, by flashing a cardboard pistol. When surrounded in a wood, he fought Ids way out, killing one policeman. and wounding two. Since then heavily-armed posses have been on his trail, frequently conoring him ; but Rogers lias made sensational escape-. Bast „igbt he was trapped in a bouse in North liny. When the police approached Rogers shot ami killed their leader. ~n ' d then got through their cordon and escaped.

ROGERS SHOT OKAI). OTTAWA, May 31. Toronto reports that a posse of polit o lmvo surroundt'd, shot- and kuloa Ropers, whose pursuit was cabled Yesterday.

U.R.\. MERCHANT FEEFT. NEW YORK, May 31. ,Tuhn Slack, who is the machine maker for the Post Office nilmits i!i:it lie has made a billion dollars * ffei for the U.S.A. merchant fleet. Nutliinjj lias vet bec-n received from W asliiiu'teu reitardim; this clfei.