MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 15 November 1923, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

AUSTRALIAN AND N.Z CABLE ASSOCIATION. MR MASSEY 'TRIBUTE!). LONDON. Nov. 13. A large number ot New Zealanders were present at the Empire League’s dinner to Air Massey. The Duke of Devonshire, in proposing his health, referred to Mr Massey as a distinguished statesmen ol the I'.nipiie and the father of the Conference at which he had attended live times each ■ Conference occupying a third ol a year. Such a sacrifice of time could only he justified by the results obtained, and it i-ould not be denied that good results wind follow this year s ( outeieuce. The Duke of Devonshire hoped that when Mr Massey returned to New Zealand he would not regret the expenditure of time and trouble on Ids visit- to London. Mr Massev had been a help and an encouragement. What had impressed evervoiie ln-re most was Mr Massey’s robust and enthusiastic support of the British institution. HU example and iiillueiien was already making itself felt. Air Mas-ev would be the first to acknowledge that his inspiration in firmly upholding the British institution and ideals a;K the splendid spirit the Now Zealanders behind him. Lord Balfour, who seldom appears in public, spoke of past associations with Mr Massey, and said he represented the D iminiou where the flame ot Impelial patriotism glowed with the purest eoneeivable spirit. Out of Ins experience bo fiat! made valuable ■ ■ utributinns towards the solution of the difficult problems facing Britain, which had been very real. A BIG WELCOME. LONDON. November lb The gathering 10 meet Mr Massey at the imperial Institute was the largest one of New Zealander.*, ever hold in London. A grout social success wan marked hv the freemasonry typical of New Zealanders abroad. The Courts ot the Institute were beautifully decorated with flowers and were thrown open to the guests. As the evening advanced the guests concentrated in the quaintly carved Ceylon Court where they weto dancing till midnight. DUKE OF CUMBERLAND. (Received this day at 8 a.m.) LONDON, Nov. 11l The Duke of Cumberland has suffered a stroke of apoplexy and Ids eondiCE.MENT FREIGHTS. LONDON, November 13. The Australian Press Association learns that an interesting situation has arisen regarding the shipments of cement to Australia. Some months ago, the shipping companies, acceding to a request of the shippers, reduced tho freights from -Is oil to -Is per cask. When the shipments at the lower rate reached Australia, the Commonwealth Customs charged the impoitors an antidumping duty of sixpence per cask. The shippers then approached re shipping companies saying that they would lather pay the extra sixpence to the companies than to the Government. 'I o-ilay, tlierefoie, the ship-owners have raised the freight to Is fid pier cask. ■-

IU'SII TO LONDON. NO ACCOMMODATION. •LONDON, November 11. The “Daily Express” estimates that inenty-five million will visit the- Elmlire Exhibition. It states that London is making no adequate arrangements to bouse tile visitors from overseas, while (Mreltil calculations its to the probable number from the Dominions are: Eiom Canada, two hundred thousand: from Australia sixty thousand; L'dm .South Africa, forty thousand; from New Zealand, twenty thousand. There would also be three hundred thousand from the United States, and a heavy invasion from the Continent, and the provinces. The paper says the accommodation in Loudon’s four thousand lintels, private hotels, and boarding houses, excluding the lubtirbar areas, is only o:te hundred thousand Led-, most of wltkh are occupied at otdinaiy times in summer. A joint committee, representing the hotel industry has considered the problem, and hr.s recommended the establishment of a (mitral accommodation office. The authorities of the Exhibition later rejected it. U.S.A. DEPARTMENT’S PREDIC'AM ENT. NEW YORK, Nov. l-L Two thousand immigrants, chiefly Russians, who were included among the four thousand excess quota were admitted under parole. They face deportation unless .Mr Davis specially orders their admittance. Charges of discrimination are being raised since the two thousand Britons, composing half tlf excess (junta, were admitted while orders were received cancelling Russian immigrants paroles. Caustic observers meanwhile allege that. Secretary Davis’s so-called humanitarian Act is really a design to save the .Shipping Board paying a cash penalty of lour hundred thousand dolb'tfjs, which under the law they would 1,0 compelled to pay because one of their vessel- brought this excess quota.