BRITISH & FOREIGN ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 11 February 1924, Page 2

BRITISH & FOREIGN ITEMS.

LATEST CABLE NEWS

AUSTRALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION. GANDHI’S REGRET. DELHI, February 8. Gandhi in u letter to the President of the Mohammedan Congress says'- that lie is sorry the Government ha.s prematurely released him because of his > illness. He declared that national problems are more perplexing than on the eve of his incarceration. 'Without the unity of all communities, all talk of a Swaraj is idle. Bis belief in the efficiency of civil disobedience is not weakened. Gandhi urges the settlement of party quarrels and declares that the Englishmen a.s well as the Indians are friends of the struggle against the system for which the British Government stands. He adds that the quarrel is not against, the Englishmen who administer the system. CIVIL ENGINEERS’ EXAMS. LONDON, Fob. S. The pass list of the October examination ,*f the Institute of Civil Engineers includes the following New Zealanders : Associate Membership (all sections), —G. Thomas, Napier. Sectoins A. and B.—T. Anderson and I’. Bryden ( Wellington) ; \V. Bell (Taranaki). Sections B. and C.—Horace Lusty (Okahune Junction). Section A.—Neil Angus. I. Carmichael and O. Harrison (Auckland) ; T. lleck, (Arthur's Pa«s) ; D. Marchbanks " (Dunedin): G. Simmers (Christchurch) , Section B.—John Christie and R. Lovatt, (Christchurch) ; G. Collrns, (Auckland) ; D. Scott (Wellington). Section C’.—John Dow, (Wellington); J. Howell, (Auckland). Preliminary.—E. Adams, T_ Adams, T. Hulse (Wellington); C. Eraser, (Tauranga); W. Grace (Wanganui); D. Hutcheson, A. Jenkins, E. Mclvit- * lop and T. Wright (Christchurch); M. Paterson, L. Wakeman (Auckland); J. Raeburn (Ohaknne Junction). THE YELLOW BOOK. LONDON, Feh. 8. Mr Lloyd George has returned to the Foreign Office the proofs of the French Yellow Book which caused the controversy. It is stated on good authority that AT. Poincare intimated that- so far ns he was concerned the incident may he regarded as closed. JAP GENERAL ELECTIONS. TOKIO, February 9. The general elections have been fixed for the tenth of May. ENGLAND V. IRELAND. [Reuters Telegrams.] (Received this day at S a.ni.) LONDON, February 9. The England v. Ireland match was played at Belfast before sixteen thousand spectators. The ball was very slippery. Ireland continually attacked in the first twenty minutes and then a beautiful movement by the English Lack- resulted in Corbett securing a uy. which was not converted. An Irish rush to the English line tollow-

o'l. Douglas darting over. Crawford fail-d to convert. The score at halftime was 3—3.

(tn tin- resumption of play, tlie Irishmen pre-sod heavily, their forwards playin'.: desperately, but they met a sound defsmee After a time the Irish attacks were less .sustained, England pressed and after neat handling by the hacks Wickcs scored, the try being unconverted. Then followed a couple of tries by the English tliice-quartev-rntcliside. the first being converted by Conway. The filial scores were England 14. Ireland 3. CANADA AND PREFERENCE. (Received this day at 8 a.m.J LONDON, February 9. Hi i Robert Horne, interviewed, oil his arrival from Canada, said that it would he a calamity if the Labour Government does not carry out the preference proposals which the Economic Conference approved. There was a great deal of interest thereon in Canada, and prominent politicians on both sides told him that if the British action indicates disapproval of an extension of preference, whereto the Conference agreed, it would have an awkward and an embarra.' sing reaction on the development of Imperial policy. DISASTROUS AVALANCHES. .Received this day r.t 8 a.m.) VIENNA, February 9. Avalanches on the Austrian Alps arc causing an unprecedented loss of life and property. The railway, postal and telegraph services have stopped in many districts. Several trains were buried am! the drivers and firemen burned to death. Eight raftsmen, two telegraphists. and throe school children were killed. LANCASHIRE CONSERVATIVES’ RESOLUTIONS.

ißeceived this day at 8 a.m.) LONDON. ".February 10. A meeting of the Lancashire Federation ui the National Unionist Association resolved that in view of the eouiitiy’s verdict, it is not desirable to include protection in the Conservative policy at the present juncture. Tiie meeting further protested against the method adopted when the appeal was made to the electors without affording the party organisation a country-wide oppoi tuuity of expressing an ii'ion. The meeting further urged the establishment of a method and a liaison between the party leaders. A central office and a local organisation meeting was held privately, Lord Derby presiding. FRANCO-BRITLSH CONFERENCE. LONDON, February S. The “Daily Express” Paris correspondent says that the French Government would welcome a conference beta ecu M. Poincare and Mr MacDonald as being tiselnl towards clearing the w:h for a general understanding, but if is a far cry from this to accepting a new European conference to settle Europe's problems. France would certainly waul the a.-suranee of a definite quid pro quo before putting her Versailles Treaty light into the melting P u. The correspondent learns that Mr MacDonald's plan tor salving the •*% eurity question by the Longue of Me tans was anticipated in a memorandum wherein he suggested that the west hank of the Rhine he placed under a special regime under the League of Nations. This memorandum may he published in the forthcoming yellow hook. CALLOUS DOINGS. LONDON. Feb. 9. The Dailv Chronicle’s Paris correspondent states the Budapest police, on visiting a travelling circus, discovered a number of children hidden in cages. Inquiries revealed that the children had been lured to the circus by sweetmeats and were then kidnapped, with the idea of selling them to other circuses.