MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 24 January 1924, Page 4

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

ACBTRALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION. CREW OF KASSA SAVED. LONDON. Jan. 22. A thrilling story of the sea is apparently behind the brief telegrams to Lloyds reporting that the crew of the British barque, Kassa, which was totally lust on the 4th of January, eight hundred miles from* 'Jatalahe, have been saved and have landed at Senncrive and St Marie. .Madagascar. CHINESE PIRACY. PEKING. Jan. 22. The (liinese river steamer Tat Lee, on a voyage from Hung Kong io Kongmooii, with about three hundred passengers, was boarded by pirates at midnight on Sunday, ( apt V illox and one Indian guard were mortally wounded, two other Indian guards seriously injured and the ship looted, considerable booty being secured. A number of Chinese passengers, variously estimated from fit teen to eighty, were carried off to bo held for ransom. The report of the piracy was communicated to the British warship Robin which hastened to the scene from Pakkai on the west of the river. The pirates had di-appeared but the Robin found one of the Tai T.oo's empty lifeboats in which the pirates had made off for the shore and escaped.

THU. RAILWAY BLOCKADE

E\ I’LAIN ED BY THE FRENCH

LONDON. Jan. 22

Regarding the railway blockade ot the Cologne zone by the French authorities and which is said to ngaging the attention of the British Government the ■Time" Paiis correspondent says that lie has been authorised to state that, the deck ion to restrict the tratlu* hctv.'ccn ihe Fveiieh and British zones wa-. ialien by the authorities on the „!„n. |i wa- not an net of high policy and the Kreneh Foreign Office ordered it ; i- a mca*t!tv with no other object than to allow time i<>r the clearing of the Nell-silia'i'in line which was intolerably igesied. It I* apparently inli'iiih'il lo la-op lie* rest riel ions ill C,as long as the transport difficulties co 11 1 inlie. Tlic suggestion 1 hat t lie measure wa.*. taken in order to deprive Cologne of trade facilities and bring pressure to hear on the British occupation authorities b .strongly deprecated in Baris. THE J'OY C (TIE. LONDON. Jan. PJ. Fullest Hall, of Maidstone, the five-xear-old son of a war cripple, wa.; m badly !rights ned by a train]) a few months ago ill:. I It* lot tin* panel' 'd xpci'i'ii. Doctor-, could do nothing, hill a member of the Sunshine Guild look up the case, arguing that, ns the hoy s speech had gone through terror, it mi'lit. return through gr.-til ]»>'.

Tin* child wa*. taken to a huge Christina-, parly for ho-) poor children. Fa I her (Tu ist mu s had to choose tin* children to receive toys i't• in a gorgeously lighted < hvisi in.is tree. Luckily, or proi id.cntint(y. he- first , hub •• w hii h was quite nnaiTaiigcd, felt on Ernest Halt, win* was Ud Up to tim stage by fairies, when the hoy's sudden jnv loosened hi- longin', and lie cried out. "Look at l‘ atln-r Christmas II" now talks as well as ever. Tl lilxi.SU DECISION. LONDON. Jniimnv 22. The "Time " Constantino] h: * oires- | i ndent slates the Angora Government ha cancelled iho nia trying ban men l.iolie'l on tile 15th. EMPIRE AIR POWER. LONDON. January 22. t vm;Biandcr liouthby. lecturing bi tcrc tie Luanda! Lmlirute said Hide::-. *. 2 Ime ... lE.. to tl.. air and. d* • I*:,* • dg J'.'l'c-.! a a.;. u:..v. it inur.t ■■ a: | • at >i:*. log. '.'rau challenge. Ida suggested Uea best stops oil the rente, Britain to Australia, would he Kgvpi. Delhi. Singiij ore, Darwin. Australia align erect its ow n ha " -L Darwin and run a serine to Singapore. Tin. chain would toon U* completed, it the work were begun at both ends. Australia should establish the airsnip censtruction industry, and imdidaiu a licet of airdd] .s which would he availal'c in war lime, in the Pacific. FIXE TWEED:: ADY \N( E. LONDON, dan. IS. Scottish woollen manufacturers producing the finest tweeds for i lie London trade haw substantially re I ran,-oil the prices ot cloth, owing to world s shortage ot wool. Fine wools have already risen over per cent ami. as a further advance is assured, cloth is being raised I*l a yard. Suits w ill ns t more next spring. OFFICIALS TO EXPLAIN. LONDON. Jan. 22. Tim olTu i:iK connected with the Ministry for the Liberated Regions will he asked to explain why one controller retired within ten months and others received important posts with firms in Northern France. DECLINE IN BRITISH SIMPBUILDING. LONDON, Jan 22 Thirty per cent lets tonnage launched in the British shipbuilding yards in 192.3 than in any previous year since Ist>2. states Lloyds Register of Shipping. The total was (115,000 tons, a decrease of 325,000 tons, as compared with 1022, this representing 30.2 per cent of the world’s output as eompaied with lIN per cent iu 1022 and 52 per ecu! in 100,3. Ruling 102.5 IJjlit.ftftft tons were launched throughout the world, this being a reduction of S2-!,ftoo as compared with 1032 and no h'-s than 5.250,000 as compared with the. record year of 1019. Ships under const ruction throughout the world at the list of Dee. showed a

rod lift it m of 510 in number ns compared with tho twelve months previous. IDLED BY SIIOKTALE OF TRUCKS LONDON. -Inn. 22 Forty-two Welsh minors are idle owing to a shortage of coal waggons and sovora! thousand arc similarly idled in the AYigan district. LONSDALE BELTS AY ITT I OUT HOLDERS. LONDON. January 22. Joe Fox lots relinqui.sned the Lonsdale Fen titer Weight Belt, having accepted nil offer from Australia for five contests. Thus the belts in every class rr< now without holders, hut the National Sporting Club has: decided to recirculate them as early as possible. I!FIBRE AIAFJTZ ON TRIAL. CAPETOWN. Jan. 22. At a preliminary inquiry in the Magistrate's Court into the charge of high treason against Commander Maritz. leader of the rebellion in 1914, General Brits tv ho commanded the forces which fought ami defeated Maritz gave evidence that Maritz. prior to fighting, wrote urging him as. an old comrade in arms, to join the rebellion, enclosing a copy of a treaty between Maritz and the Governor of German West Africa on behalf of the Kaiser, which, provided that the Kaiser would assist Maritz in a war against the