MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 18 September 1923, Page 1

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

IUSTRALI/.N AND N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION. DYER’S POSITION. LONDON, Sept. 16. Police enquiries in connection with the Toombs case show Dyer was in debt to many bookmakers whom he promised payment when he received the insurance on account of a burnt farmhouse. The Insurance Company suspecting he had set fire to a farmhouse had refused the claim. Dyer also took advantage of the law and claimed a return of lost wagers which ho had paid bookmakers by cheque.

INQUEST ON TOOAIBE

LONDON, Sept. 15.

At the inquest on Eric Tootnbe, the medical evidence showed that ho was shot from behind. Four game shot were extracted from the brain and the substance of the skull was broken into three parts. Death was due to a gunshot wound and the injuries c-ould uoi have been, self inflicted. The body had been in the pool seven or eight weeks. The inquest was then adjourned.

AIR. POSSIBILITIES,

LONDON, Sept, 10.

Aeroplanes, capable of carrying one hundred pasengers at a high speed, is the forecast- by Major-General l.eftoii Bra inker, made at a meeting of the British Associations at Liverpool. He declared visibility was the only deterrent to a completely reliable operation of air transport. Definite progress was being made towards greater stability in aircraft and probably in the hear future we would be able to eliminate loss by control machines in a fog or clouds. The development of the transport system of the British Empire was one of the outstanding problems of the day. The solution of the problem of maintaining bonds of Empire depended on the efficiency and rapidity of the Empire’s communications, and air transport might prove the most important factor in the preservation of the Empire. It was the Government’s duty to give financial assistance to enable reasonable fares to be charged, at least until increased traflie made aircraft commercially self-supporting.

NATIONALISTS AND LAUORITES.

CAPETOWN, Sept. 16,

In connection with the Labourites’ declarations against the Nationalists’ independence movement, the Nationalist newspaper “Deburgcr,” edited by Doctor Malan, Chairman of the Cape Province Nationalists, declared that the whole situation was the result ol misconception. The Party’s programme never contemplated a secession. It affirmed the ideal of sovereign independence. but that did not necessarily mean secession. The ideal might lie attained within the British Commonwealth. The fact remains, however, that many Nationalist leaders maintain that independence does mean complete secession.

The Nationalist Congress at Pretoria closed without any public pronouncement. but a long discussion took place in this connection. It is understood the die-hards were satisfied with the decision arrived at. MAN AND WIFE STABBED. DELHI. Sep. 10. It is reported from Rangoon that Mr Bennison, Deputy Commissioner of Myilkyiua, ami his wife were stabbed and badly wounded by a. Gliurka, the reason being unknown. VETERAN DEAD DELHI, Sep. 1.0. Obituary.—Corporal John William Smith, aged eighty-one, a veteran of the mutiny, when he was orderly to (leneral Lawrence. INDIAN AGITATION.

DELHI, Sept. 16

A compromise' resolution, removing tho native boycott on the local legislatures, was passed by an overwhelming majority at tlie Nationalist Coutrress Committee. .Muhamed Ali, in moving it, declared the resolution was necessitated, in the interests of peace, harmony, and unity. Ho informed the committee that Ghaiuli has privately authorised him to change the programme it the interests of the countiy demanded it. Tho congress discusses the resolution to-morrow when opposition is anticipated. The special congress confirmed to-day hy an overwhelming majority, the compromise resolution as passed bv the Subjects’ Committee, reaffirming faith in non-violent, non-co-operation and a constructive programme, but removing the ban on Legislative Council entry. The opposition was very small. i>y this, a compromise, which was lor some time past lacking in the Congress circles, has been effected. Das, the leader of the Council Party, emphasised they would fight the burcaucr;,tv inside the councils, and thereby help to push a constructive programme.

\ NOTABLE ERROR. LONDON, Sept. If'At the British Association Congress Professor Smart of Edinburgh i»" siaueing the errors possible through the use of dead reckoning, referred to an incident during the Battle ol Jutland, which though unavoidable, had most serious consequences. Tie said when Admiral Beatty was decoying the German fleet into Lord Jellicoe s trap, the licet position turned out to he erroneous by twelve miles, and this resulted in I.old Jellicoe unexpectedly encountering the Germans on the starboard how instead ol ahead, find when, according to the reckoning they should have been fifteen miles distant, Lord Jellicoe was forced to instantly decide on ail action, which decision experts have since criticised. BIPTIT OF HATTER. LONDON, Sept. IC, Sir Oliver I.odge in a remarkable address discussed the birth of matter, lie suggested that energy and matter were really identical and suggested that the universe was.created by light, and is endlessly recreating itself by the power of light. Lodge said the sun pours out energy, of which the earth catches only one thousand millionth part. The'great hulk of this energy, also the energy from the stars has been going into space for a billion years. Asked what becomes of it, he said perhaps it is absorbed in the far depths of space, where it produces new matter. Lodge concluded —The question 1 propound is that matter produces radiation. Does radiation produce matter?

THF \EXT EARTHQUAKE. LONDON, Sept.' lt> Professor Sharp, the inventor of earthquake registering: instruments, in the.course of a paper declared the next earthquake may possibly occur in Tonya, but even if it did, it would occur sufficiently far away to obviate .the likelihood of the upheaval affecting Australia.

THE KING’S GOOD WISHES,

CAPETOWN, Sep. 13.

The King cabled his best wishes and warm greeting to the inhabitants oi Rhodesia on the occasion of its foraml incorporation of His Majesty’s new Dominion, which took place to-day. [By a referendum taken on October 27th, 1922. the electors of Southern Rhodesia, which has hitherto been administered by the British South Africa Company, decided by a large majority in favour of responsible government as against joining tho Union of South Africa. A cable. message received the other day said:—Wednesday being tiie thirty-third anniversary of tho hoisting of the British flag at Salisbury, Rhodesia, will be formally annexed to tho King’s Dominions, as a preliminary to tile proclamation of its new constitution as a self-governing colony, which will take effect on October Ist. bir Charles Coghlau, leader of the responsible government party, will be the first Prime Minister, and it is believed that Sir Francis Newton will become Minister of Finance.)

COMMUNISTS IN TROUBLE

SOFIA, Sep. 10,

A demonstration, which was the outcome of a protest against the arrest of Communist leaders, led to a conflict between the police, gendarmes and demonstrators, in which a number were wounded. The arrests were ordered in consequence of tlic discovery of an alleged plot for a general rising fixed for the 17th. Tiio authorities arrested 132 Comunists in Sofia and. several hundreds in the provinces. The Communists’ attempt- to provoke a general strike failed.

HISTORIC RELICS LOST,

LONDON, Sept. 10,

Workmen, laying a new water main at the Marble Arch, discovered a vaulted chamber, twenty-seven feet below the surface. Twenty-four hours later the Water Board ordered tho chamber to be filled) in, and this was done. It is now believed the chamber was a dungeon, in which those awaiting execution at Tylnirn were confined. The foreman of works states its rooi was arched and there is a stone seat round three sides of the wall. “I thought the structure important, and left it intact pending instructions,” lie said, “and when these were received, w knocked oil' the roof, and laid the pip through the vault.” What is probably an historic relic lias thus been destroyed. The skulls and other remains of Tyburn victims worn found in tho vicinity recently.

THE WOOL INDUSTRY

ITS FABULOUS PROFITS-

HONDON, Sept. 17

Mr Win. Maclckincler, who carried out the anti-profiteering inquiry in the wool trade after the armistice, interviewed bv the ‘‘Daily Herald” (Labour) in reference to a Bradford motion in favour of protection of the wool industry, pointed out that the motion was not- carried at a full meeting ol ne chamber. Only 15 persons voted on the motion. He was convinced the protection desired would not benefit the consumer. The demand therefore was I icing engineered solely for the purpose of increasing profits. If an import duty were imposed, Bradford merchants would fix the prices a few pence below the. new French price. The consumer would have to pay. The wool industry must adapt itself to lower profits. It could not hope to keep up its fabulous profits of war time, when the spinners made up to 3200 per cent, above the profit allowed under the Government contracts.

PROTECTION WANTED. LONDON, Sept. 10. A large meeting of Kent iarmers held at Canterbury, unanimously passed a. resolution requesting the Government to consider the question of taxing foreign barley, with a view to assisting agriculture. One speaker declared the Government had betrayed the English barley growers, by failing to redeem its promise. The consequence of this was that 100,000 more acres of barley were planted, and .some -100,000 quarters would now have to be thrown on the market. It was estimated the total loss to the farmers would amount to ;Cl,JOO.OOO. Several speakers declared that unless Government assistance were given. it would ho impossible to pay wages, and hills at the present prices of cereals.

EARLY civilisation. LONDON. Sept. 15.

Professor Elliott Smith gave an interesting demonstration of the unity ot civilisation, countering the common belief that- civilisations arose independent in various centres. lie- said that, migrants. using boats similar to tlio.-e in Egypt iu Tutniikh-Amen’s time, had planted the germs of n common civilisation in places as far Horn Egypt as Sweden, the Millay and Pacific Islands, and Mexico. The search for gold was the chief incentive, resulting in the diffusion of culture, much as*the small bands of gold-miners in Australia had planted civilisation in hitherto waste places. Gold was the first metal that man used, and it hail a magical i.ilue as an elixir of lile. Evidence ol these world-wide jottrnoyings in search of gold could be found in myths and folk loro, and in architecture resembling the pyramids, and also in megolithic sculpture. LORD HEADLEY DECORATED. LONDON, Sept. 17. Lord Headley has arrived in London, after n pilgrimage to Mecca, where King Hussein decorated him with the first-class Order of the Nalida,. the highest that could he given. A review of the Hedjaz troops was specially arranged in Lord Headley’s honour.