AMERICAN ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 18 December 1924, Page 2

AMERICAN ITEMS.

LATEST CABLE NEWS

[Reuters Telegrams.] THE IMBIBING SEASON. SYNTHETIC WHISKY DANGER. (Received this day at 8 a.m.) NEW YORK, December IG. Eight persons, including a woman, died during the last three days from drinking poisonous alcoholic beverages. The city health Commissioner, Air ' Alonagliam, published a statement tha 4 “with the approach of the holiday season and with the spirit of convivality abroad, I think it is well to issue a warning against the use of synthetic liquors. Everyone should avoid them. It must lie generally known that after the time that lias elapsed since the passage of tiie prohibition law that the supplv of good liquor is very limited.” ' V “There- are sixty-seven patients in the alcoholic ward of the principal city hospital and nearly all are dangerously ill. eleven being women. The recent increase in bootleg sales of fabricated liquors, the police believe, are due to the heavy seizures from the runners by tbe Atlantic coastguards ■ and stormy weather, making the land-; ing of good liquors from abroad unusually difficult.

The police have made one arrest of a proprietor of a saloon from which it is believed poisonous liquors were emanating. JAPANESE VIEWS. NEW YORK December 17. The United Press Tokio correspondent states that General Itami, Chief of the liitelilgence Bureau of the Japanese General Staff, interviewed, declared the United States was justified in holding naval manoeuvres in the Pacific, and Japan hail no reason to object. General Itami said : “AYo have never considered manoeuvres un friendly. Every country is doing the same tiling. The necessity of defence justifies all such measures.” He stated the Japanese criticism ot the proposed manoeuvres was an outgrowth of popular discussion by people wlio did not know the facts The Pacific ocean was a sufficient harrier to make impracticable a war on Japan by any power on the opposite shore. General Itami said that such a war would bo fought only on paper, in speeches, in imagination, and by way of the most idle speculation. It was true that there was some apprehension, but it was held by laymen who were unfamiliar with the situation. Despite the war talk Japan and America were growing closer together. General Itaiiii referred to the adoption by Japan of military training schools, following the America plan, a.s only one of many ideas obtained from the United States, lie favoured criticism between nations, hut it must be friendly, to prevent bickerings.