BRITISH & FOREIGN NEWS

Hokitika Guardian, 9 December 1924, Page 3

BRITISH & FOREIGN NEWS

LATEST CABLE NEWS

WOMEN' O L'ST .MEN. II!) UNDERTAKERS. /‘‘Sydney Sun” Cables). (Received this day at 9.-15 a.m.) i LONDON. Rcci-nil>er !). The fiiteru.'itional Section of the 1021 census reveals that women have invaded many occupations previously monopolised by men. There are 119 women undertakers, .seventy-three bookmakers, eleven trains and jockeys, five hundred bargees, twenty-three chininev■sweeps, nineteen brewers, 753 railway porters, fit)!) station masters, 217 farm bailiffs, besides plumbers, riveters and gunsmiths. KM PI EE DEFENCE. SOME SIGNIFICANT STATEMENTS. [Eeuters Telegrams.] (Received this day at 10.25 a.m.l LONDON. December 8.

The lion. L. 0. M. 8. Amery (Colonial Secretary), was the guest of Australia and New Zealand at a luncheon. He said that Australia and New Zealand iir new movements to-dav occupied ;i geographical position compatible to the British Isles three hundred years ago. ft was impossible to sav to-day whether Australia and New Zealand would he able to profit from the position of their marvellous opportunity to defend themselves effectively against the possible perils of that position. Their weakness was the lack of numbers owing to the complete absence of a true co-operative policy with the Homeland for the reciprocal use of each other’s resources; but we were learning wisdom now. Hon, Amery said he hoped that it would now lie possible to carry out the Empire .settlement policy to an even greater extent, than provided by the Empire Settlement Act. lie emphasised that it, was useless to assist people to cross the ocean unless provision were made to purchase their produce. He hoped that despite the slight lapse of a few months ago there would ho increasing pressure to carry out the policy of Imperial preference in every direction.

Deferring to the necessity for keeping the ocean routes open in the interest of Empire defence, the Colonial Secretary said that there were three gateways of vital importance Gibraltar, the Sue/. Canal and the Straits of Singapore. Continuing, the ]lon. Amery said: “\Yc were hound to safeguard effectively and firmly our rights in Egypt, narticiilnrly those having a hearing on Imperial communications. This was an internal matter concerning the British Empire and not concerning anyone else. Singapore was annihor gateway which might lie valueless unless means wore provided to re-equip our ships. That also was purely an internal matter for ourselves, which we were not merely entitled to look alter hut hound to make sure of.”

The Cronial Secretary ((included: ‘•fu the vast developments pending in the Pacific, Australia and New Zealand must give a lead to the new world as Britain has given a lead to the old world.’’ THE BEDS IN CHINA. ST CD ENTS AVAENKD. [Reuters Th.hoiiams.J (Received Ibis dav at 8.110 a.in.) I’EKIN. Dec. 8. Dr Sun Yak Sen is ill. and his departure from I’ekiu lor Tientsin has heen postponed. No doubt the Bolsheviks are looking for Sun’s arrival as pportiinily to bring Communism prominently torward. A number of Communist demonstrations have been arranged. The Minister of Education has circularised th(> colleges warning I hem against mass meetings and proeessions when Sun arrives. CHANG’S BEOMISES. (Boe?ived this day ;it 8.30 a.in.) LONDON, Dec. 8. Having promised to surrender Llie post of Inspector-General in three of the Eastern Provinces, Changtsolin, in a circular telegram cancels his expedition against Wu Pei Fu, and expresses pity for the killed and wounded in the fighting of his own countrymen. lie candidly vows the cause of the war was the rivalry of the leaders. C hang proposes to take all his lories hack to Manchuria and promises hereafter to obey the orders of the Central Government, thus demonstrating that he intends to live up to his policy of non intervention in polities on the part ol the militarists. . CHINESE STCDENTS KIDNAPPED. PEKIN. Dec. 8. Thirty-eight Chinese members ol the .stall’ and students of the Canton Christian College were kidnapped on Saturday night while proceeding to the coliege from Canton aboard a launch hv"six well-dressed bandits, who were mingling with the passengers. At a given signal the bandits took ehnige of the vessel which was flying UnAmerican Hag. . 'Pile vessel was sent hack with can* foreign lady and a number of Chinese girls who were aboard. All the men were taken inland.

PROPAGANDA VOTES VETOED. MANILA, Dec. 8. General Wood vetoed the measures appropriating sums for the Philippine’s participation in the inter-Parliainen-tarv Union at Geneva; also sums lor the continuance of the independence propaganda in the United States and elsewhere. GREEK LOAN. (Received this day at 11.25 a.m.) LONDON, Dccemher 8. A portion of tjio seven and a quarter million sterling Greek seven pel centum refugee loan has been issued at eighty-live under the aitspioies of tlie League of Nations. Tim loan uas snapped up and the lists closed one hour after opening. An additional four million eight hundred thousand sterling is being issued at Athens and New Yiirk. Control of the loan will he exercised hv the International Financial Commission.

VALUE OF BINGAI’OBE. LONDON, Decemlier fh The lion. L. C. At. S. Amery. in a speech, said the Ministry was bound to make sure of the Singapore gateway.