AMERICAN ITEMS

Hokitika Guardian, 30 December 1924, Page 3

AMERICAN ITEMS

AUSTRALIAN AND N.Z- OAIILK ASSOCIATION. lift: CATCH. NEW YORK. Dee. 2G. The British sehooncr. Petara, with seven prisoners and six thousand cases of alleged liquor, also three motor boats and twelve other prisoners, were taken b.v the Coast Guard. The liquor is valued at more than half a million dollars. The Petara was captured after a forty mile chase bv two Hevenue (utters. DISASTERS IX AMERICA. XKW YORK, December 20. A message from Abingdon, Virginia reports twenty-throe persons were killed and many injured through the breaking of the dam on Holston Diver. Another account says twelve were drowned at Parkmarton on Christmas Kve, and twenty eight are seriously ill. An emergency dam, stemming llolstou Diver, for the purpose of supplying water for a local chemical works, broke down, Hooding and carrying hundreds of houses down stream, and drowning those caught unawares. Others were seriously blinded owing to the water being polluted bv alkali muck from the chemical work’s. Another disaster involving the loss of a large number of lives occurred in a widely-situated section of the country. Thirty-six men, women and children were burned to death, and forty others were so seriously injured that few of them are expected to recover, in a fire which destroyed the country schools at Hobart for Hobbsu;ich), Oklahoma. A Christinas Kve entertainment was in progress when it is believed, a lighted candle on a Christmas tree started a fire.

* Extremely cold weather which has been gripping the country everywhere, bad frozen the water supply, making the efforts of the lire lighters unavailing. The attempts of parents and children to crowd out from the burning building caused the narrow exits to ho congested, niail.v being trampled and crushed to death. The death list of the Hobart fire totals thirty-eight. Sixteen children among the victims were buried in one grave.

IVI.I.SON PEACE PIHZE. VISCOUNT CECIL’S TKIRUTK. lilccciveil this day at 9.25 a.m.) NEW YORK. December 29. Viscount Cecil has licen proseiiD’d with the 25.0(H) dollar peace award and medal, given under the Woodrow Wilson .Foundation for meritorious service in the cause of international co-opera-tion and peace. In accepting the award, Viscount Cecil asserted that the advance during the past five years in the direction of international co-operation was little short of marvellous. He praised the United States for consistently standing lor peace and said that he would not utter u word of criticism regarding the attitude of the United States towards the League of Nations. Viscount Cecil stressed, however, the accomplishments of the League since its inception under the leadership of the late President Wilson, whom he characterised as a great American and a great citizen of the world, adding that no title to fame is higher than that. . , • • l Disarmament, said Lord Cecil, is the goal to which all intelligent lovers of peace must desire to tend, hut the difficulties in the way are prodigious.

‘2l 11 FLOW ZERO. NEW YORK, December 29. The thermometer at Chicago registered twolvo degrees below zero, which is the coldest since 1880. Terrific: weather was experienced all through the -Middle V est. KID McCOY’S TRIAL. (Received this day at 12 .10 p.m.) NEW YORK, December 29. After sixty hours deliberation the jury hearing the ease ol Kid McCoy at Los Angles for the murder or Theresa .Moss, stood at seven to five for his acquittal, several jury women holding out for hanging. McCoy testified the woman committed suicide in liis presence before he could prevent lier. DAVIS CUP 1925. NEW YORK, December 29. Early interest in the 1925 Davis Cup games indicates that there will be a abcord ‘.entry. Switzerland is the second nation to enter.