MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 28 April 1924, Page 1

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

[by TELEGRAM! PER PRESS ASSOCIATION,

SYDNEY LOAN. LONDON, April 25 The City of Sydney million sterling five per centum fifteen year debentures at £971, repayable at par in June 1939, was heavily oversubscribed. The lists closed at 9.20 in the morning. A TRAGEDY. LONDON, April 25 New Bond Street, the Empire’s richest shopping centre, was the scene ol a poignant tragedy. An old woman selling watches collapsed in the arms of Hon Airs Christopher Lowther, a passerby, and died before an ambulance iin-ired. A French medical student who rendered first aid, declared that starvation was the cause of the collapse. NEW .FOUND!,AND POLITICS. ST JOHNS (New Foundland), April 24 The AVarren. Government were defeated on a want of confidence motion by sixteen to fifteen. It is understood AVarren will immediately ask the Governor to grant a dissolution and issue the writs for an election.

J ABATES E PR OTESTS. TOKiO, April 25. The United States Ambassador, Woods, daily receives delegations urging him' to use his good offices to prevent the enactment of the American Immigration law. It is significant that most of the protests come from the youth of Japan, such as students’ societies, young men’s Buddhist associations and groups of Japanese who have been educated in America. Japanese Liberals, therefore, while admitting privately that the enactment of exclusion will effect no change in the present international situation, nevertheless express profound misgivings to the future, declaring the exclusion will create juvenile disgust with America’s leadership sincerity, a disinclination to follow American leadership, especially because Japan’s disillusioned youth within twenty years will lead Japanese opinion. Several- newspapers are abandoning restraint and are beginning to attack United States. The “Yoiniuri” says “exclusion is aimed not only at Japan but at all dark races. America is now at the zenith of her power, but should remember that pride gnetli before a full.”

The “A'anmtu” predicts that exclusion niil awaken Pan-Asiatic sentiment a> an effective world force. TOKIO, April 24. Mass meetings of all classes were hclil in Tokio anil Osaka protesting against the American Immigration law. The League of Nations Association adopted a resolution appealing to the League of Nations’ Union at Washington to use its influence to prevent the Bill becoming law. The Premier is credited with a statement- to the I’rivy Council, to the effect that the Government were convinced ■ t hat the question was soluble by a direct appeal to the American people, to which Cabinet were direct-: iug their efforts. TDK A t:. April 25. Official comment on America’s immigration legislation is being everywhere represented, but civic and mercantile organisations continue to meet and adopt resolutions of protest, which a'-e forwarded AYashinglon. A MONSTER SAPPHIRE. DELHI. April 25. Great interest is taken in a gem merchant’s reported discovery in Ceylon oi a sapphire weighing half a pound. I he size precludes its sale, and if is suggested it can lie cut into sections of sixteen carats. WOMAN MINISTER. COPENHAGEN. April 14 The Minister of Education is a woman. Madame Bang. All’ EVEREST EXPEDITION. LONDON, April 25. Major llingstiin, wlm is the medical officer in charge of the Everest expedition, insists on Air Bruce's return to Darjeeling to recuperate. If he recovers quickly lie may rejoin the expedition, the woilk of which will not he checked, Norton assuming the leadership. TROTSKY SEES BED. [“The Times” Service. 1 LONDON, April 25.

The “Timer,” Riga correspondent says Trotsky still talks war. travelling about the country fulminating against foreign Governments in general and the British in particular, urging it is a duty to raise the efficiency of the Bed Army iu view of an inevitable hitter struggle which must last, for years, perhaps decades. He devotes considerable attention to Americans, whom lie accusscs of experimenting with gas on criminals, as part of a preparation for the coming war. Trotsky declares military chemistry and aviation will decide the world’s fate sooner or later, and the present ■ intolerable conditions will be followed by a bloody conflict for which the Soviet forces must be ready.

CRICKETER KILLED. / LONDON, April 25. The Sussex wicket-keeper Street, was killed in a motor cycle accidental Brighton. broadcastixc; conference. GENEVA, April At the closing session of the preliminary Conference to devise inteinational rules governing broadcasting the delegates from fifteen countries rose and listened to the National Anthem played at the opening of Wembley Exhibition, also an Esperanto translation of the King’s speech. The Conference resolved to urge the international regulation of " e lengths and the adoption of Esperanto as an auxiliary language for international broadcasting. A PRINCE’S FROCK COAT. LONDON, April 25 / There was an amusing eontre-temps at Harwich when Prince George, who is undertaking his first public duty, arrived to open the train ferry between Harwich and Zeebrugge. The Mayoress and municipal officers, in full uniform, were awaiting the train, but when it arrived the Prince failed to alight. The minutes passed and then it was rumoured that the Prince’s bag was packed without the frock-coat of sub-lieutenant and the Prince did not wish, to greet the uni-

formed Mayoress _in a mixture of mufti and uniform. An urgent message was sent shortly to the naval barracks which finally resulted in a lieutenant’s frockcoat being sent oil, which the Prince donned, regardless of the fact that his promotion to lieutenant had not been gazetted. COMMITTED FOR TRIAL. LONDON, April 26 Aslitown Faril was committed for trial. CANNOT MAKE DIAMONDS. LONDON, April 25. After trying for twenty years to make diamonds and spending twenty thousand sterling in experiments bo lias come to the conclusion that nobody ever made a diamond, said Sir Charles Parsons, speaking at the Royal Microscopical Society, adding that in his opinion the claims of Sir William Crookes and the French chemist Moissan were mistaken. MR SMUTS’ POLICY. CAPETOWN, April 25.

Mr Smuts delivered a policy speech at Pretoria. Ho claimed the last election destroyed racialism and defeated the secession movement. The Union’s credit was better than that of most great powers, and as good ns Britain’s was, and there was a prospect of remitting taxation. If returned to power lie proposed to continue the programme of railway and harbour construction,, and the policy of opening up European markets. He proposed to appoint a special trade commissioner in North America, and intended to develop agriculture, cotton growing, promote settlement on surplus irrigable lands with government assistance to South Africans, and assisting settlers from abroad. Dealing with the industrial policy Mr Smuts said a policy of courageous action was demanded to solve the problem of providing for future South African boys and girls. It was intended to constitute a new portfolio of industries and trade, and to provide a bank similar to the land bank to lend assistance to industry; also to establish great railway workshops, able to produce, not only rolling stock, hut all engines which hitherto were imported; also’ if possiblo establish the iron and steel industry.

All- Smuts condemned Hertzog’s segregation policy, which would produce a sense of injury, injustice and oppression, and bring business to a complete dead lock.

OBITUARY. TOKIO, April 26 Baron Ijuin is dead. SHIPYARD TROUBLE. 'Received this day t»t 8 a.m.) LONDON, April 26. There is ground to hope that a serious industrial dispute will he averted on account of shipyard unions agreeing to submit to arbitration the national claim for an advance of ten shillings weekly, as well as 1 Southampton local claims. A NAVAL MEMORIAL. LONDON, April 26. The Prince of Wales unveiled- at Chatham one of three memorials erected at British ports to the memory of 25,32-5 men and women who perished in the naval service in the great war. The memorial at Chatham contains 8,543 names. The Prince of Wales said it was impossible to erect a monument to these heroes similar to Hie battlefields of France and Gallipoli, for all the seas of the world were their battlefield and their grave i hough the victory was won by their sacrifice and the ships of Britain still sailed to the furthermost ends of the earth. WARSHIP AGROUND. TOKIO, April 26. The Javamaru is reported aground at Minnsejinui in the Inland Sea. Two destroyers have been despatched to the rescue.