BRITISH & FOREIGN ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 12 May 1924, Page 2

BRITISH & FOREIGN ITEMS.

LATEST CABLE NEWS

AUSTRALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION. FINNISH ARMY FRICTION. LONDON, -May 9. . The ••Times's'’ llelingsfors correspondent states that 90 per cent of the officers in the Finnish Army have resigned their commissions, because the Government refuses to dismiss General Wilkanna, Coiiimaiuler-in-C'hief, whom officers declare is lacking in organising ability. The General is said to have tendered his resignation, but it was not accepted.

ANARCHISTS ON TRIAL. . LONDON, May 9. The " Daily Telegraph’s” Rome correspondent- states:—One of the biggest , trials in the history of Italy opened f at Florence, where 138 Anarchists and Communists were charged with responsibility for the massacre at Empoie on February 18th, 1921.

As it is the custom in Italy for all the accused to appear in Court shat up in an iron cage, a special cage had to be constructed to aceoliimodate the accused prisoners. They occupy five tiers of seats, and the jury was supplied with a plan of the cage like a theatre plan. Each juror is supplied with tvvolume of 279 pages containing the aecitseds’ photographs and details of charges. Special dormitories were built where the prisoners will sleep under strong military guard throughout tho trial, which is expected to last several weeks, possibly months, as six hundred witnesses have to he examined. There arc fifty defending counsel. The jury at the end of the trial will have to answer three thousand questions. PREMIERS TO MEET.

LONDON May 9. M. Poincare has accepted Mr R. MacDonald’s invitation to a meeting in England' bn the 20th. May. LONDON May 10. Satisfaction is gened ally expressed x at tile meeting of Mr MacDonald and . M. Poincare.

The “Morning Post’s” Paris correspondent says: Mr MacDonald has extended the invitation because the House of Commons is sitting and he couhl not himself leave London. Tho task of tho Premiers, it is stated, will he to prepare an understanding which will lie indispensable if the experts’ plans are to he put into operation, and it is thought Mr MacDonald has chosen the right moment to demonstrate Britain's goodwill l,y seeking a personal dsicussion. and an exchange of opinions, is expected the Premiers will fix a date lor the next inter-Allied conference.

MEETING OF PREMIERS. (Received this dav at 9.0 a.m.) LONDON,, May 11. The “Sunday Times” Paris eorres* poiulent says there is sound reason to anticipate that the Poineaire-MacDon-ahl meeting will result ill an agreement. MacDonald, while opposed to pre-arranging sanctions will agree that Britain is Ikiiiikl to set. should (formally flagrantly fail to execute the Dawes plan. s* y«—■ VERY BITTER CAMPAIGN. TOKlt). May 9. On tho eve of the national elections to-morrow, one of the bitterest political campaigns in modern Japanese history is drawing to a close. More than one thousand candidates are standing for 491 seats in the House of Representatives. Tho Immigration issue with America has been injected towards the end of the campaign, which has made the discussion excessively acrimonious, and attacks upon the Government have come from all sides.

The Scivo Houle Party, being an insurgent clique which broke front ~tTuT Scyukni Party four months ago, is contesting with the | a rent organisation for plurality control ill the new house. The Seiyo Iloulo party nevertheless, are regarded as the Government party, supporting Premier Kiyotirn. whose tenure of office is believed to he doomed as a result of the American exclusion Act. Premier Kiyoura depends upon Coalition of the Seiyo Honto and Sequika Parties for a majority control in the House. The strength of the various parties in the House was Seiyo llonto 112: Seyukai 13S; Konseikaj HI; Kakushiu 29; Independents

It estimated the nveiago cost of each candidates campaign will total approximately forty thousand yen. making this also the most expensive of Japanese elections.

RUSH FOR DIVORCE. LONDON, May 10. The ‘‘Daily Chronicle’s” Berlin eorrcsiiondent rays: “The Germans ordinarily are inclined to he horrified at the large numbers of divorces being granted in England. This is chiefly because the German divorce cases are not reported in the press. Formally is now bidding fair to outdo the United States in the direction of rapid wholesale divorce. Last week the Be* !i:i Court granted 17(5 .decrees at the rate of one every lit teen minutes. They mostly were cases ari'ing out of war marriages, the impurity being on the husband's petition, and the chief grounds were simply incompatibility of temper.” A BIG FIND.

LONDON. sfay Id. Tlic “Daily Express” general corros- - _ pendent states: ‘‘That as the result > of a secret search carried out during the mist rix years on behalf of the Serbian Government. several lioxes of gold plate and coins valued at one million and three-quarters sterling, the property of the late King Nicholas, at .Montenegro, has been found in alt old bouse in Zagreb, in Jugoslavia. The haul will probably l>c divided between the deceased’s family and the Serbian 1 lovcriiment.

FRENCH ELECTIONS. LONDON. May 10. The “Daily Telegraph’s” Paris correspondent says: —Sunday will h-c the lolling day in France, when 584 De--1 uties will he elected to the Chamber. The comparatively uninteresting charter of the electoral campaign litis been due to the fact that no parties have definite doctrines, and there a " no ( lour is sues. This uninspiring mdefinitencss may result in the strengthening of tile Extreme Right, on the one hand, and the Communists on the other, producing a movement towards extremes, which may lie stimulated by impatience with the present Government on the ground that it has not coped with the problem of the high. u>.st of living. Nevertheless, the general aspect of the Chamber may remain unmodified fundamentally, beyond a slight shifting to the Left.

SPANISH FIGHT RIFFS. LONDON. May 10. Messages from Paris states the Spaniards have launched a much heralded offensive against the Riffs. A battle raged for the whole of a day. An official communique states that the Spanish lost five killed and 34 wounded. The Riffs lost heavily. 300 dead being counted on the battlefield.