BRITISH & FOREIGN NEWS

Hokitika Guardian, 22 January 1925, Page 3

BRITISH & FOREIGN NEWS

LATEST CABLE NEWS

AUSTRALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION. SCOTTISH EVICTIONS. LONDON, January 20. Eleven evictions took place at Dalmuir, adjacent to Clydesbank. this morning. There was lit'-..: opposition. A barricaded house was torn down by an irate woman. The tenant of another house was most abusive, and throw a kettle full of water on the ejectors. Street corner meetings were held, and these agreed to reinstate the tenants immediately the officers left.

GENERA I. Rl RDWOOD. LONDON. January 20. At he Birdwood function, the company present included .Sir J. Allen i nd Sir J. Cook. General Birdwood referring to the Press said that, in taking up a daily newspaper in Australia, he would expect to find some interesting piece of Imperial news, hut instead he saw headlines about the divorce of Lady Somebody, or the bankruptcy of tiie Earl of Seven Dials. Those were matters doubtless of extraordinary interest to the people concerned, arid (he Press would say it supplied a demand, hut, if so. lie urged the Press to fight against stupid people more than it was doing at present. Referring to :he war. General Birdwood said that he often received messages from, old A n.xacs. asking if lie “ remembered Bill ISmith.” He usually did remember them, and was very glad to learn that they were getting on so well. Ilis aide-de-camp, an old Victorian hoy. embodied the Australian spirit of absolute loyalty, and “would give his life, for Birdwood at any moment.” He always made a point of having some Anzacs on his staff. General Hirthvood dwelt on the ignorance of parts of the Empire with regard to conditions in other

parts, especially the ignorance of many in England about matters concerning the '.Dominions. It was only by going abroad that people could realise the difficulties of other parts of the Empire. All the Dorniions were wedded to democracy. Such a marriage hrought many cares. They wanted all the wisdom and experience they could find to keep them out of difficulty. Democracy was extraordinarily jealous of its rights, and sometimes of those it put ill authority. All must try to get rid of individual selfishness.

OPIUM PROFITS. GENEVA, January 20. Mr Stephen Porter, American representative in an outspoken speech at the Opium Conference, said: “T have been in Geneva two months, and still I find myself pleading for a hearing on the most important item among my Government's suggestions.” He; proceeded to accuse the Hague signatories of wishing to postpone reforms, because they found the drug trade lucrative. Mr Porter denounced as a “vile slander” the statement made by Lord Cecil that the consumption of opium in America was greater per head than in India. Lord Cecil acknowledged that his statement was based on inaccurate data.

Mr Porter expressed his surprise that this inaccuracy should not have been known to Lord Cecil’s advisers, and lie continued: “America lias come to the conclusion that the time has arrived to fix a definite time limit after which, the vending and production of prepared opium shall lie illegal through out the world. She is willing, as a concession, to extend that limit from ten to fifteen years.” EXPLOITERS CHECKED. LONDON. Jan. L A sensation lias been caused in H.c Rugby world by the action of the .Scottish Rugby Union in cancelling all the stand tickets, which were sold at a premium, for the Scotland v. 1-rancc match at. Edinburgh on Saturday. The tickets have In extensively advertised and arc known to have changed hands for large sums. The persons who paid more than their face value are being ‘requested to communicate wiilih the Union’s solicitors. The Secretary of the English Rugby Union, in an interview said that the Scotchmen had, apparently, devised a method of cheeking a widespread abuse, which other organisations were doing their best to prevent. THE GOLD STANDARD. LONDON, January 21. The City editor of the “Times” definitely connects Sir M. Norman’s (Governor of the Bank of England) recent visit to America with the question of the return of the gold standard. which lm says, may materialise before tlm end of 1925, when the embargo on gold oxpdrt is due to expire. DAWES SOHEiMF, WORKING SMOOTHLY. (Received this day at 9.25 a.m.) LONDON, January 21. Giilliert. 'Agent-Getnerail .of reparations payments in Germany, has presented liis first report to the Reparations Commission. Ihe report is confidential, hut a Paris correspondent understands that it. shows the Dawes scheme is working smoothly and tint Germany so far has faithfully Oilid l vl her part. SOVfKT OIL FOR FRANCE. f 1 ‘The Times” Service.] (Received this day at 9.15 a.m.) LONDON. January 21. The Riga correspondent of the “Times” states that it. is reported from -Moscow that a. contract has been signed by the .French Marine Department and a Soviet Russian oil syndicate to supply 750,000 ous of naptha to France. The Soviet press emphasises that the transaction is most important since it represents the first- direct deal with the French Government. KX-SF.RVICK.MKN. (Received this dav at 10.25 a.m.) I,ONO ON, January 21. Of twenty-nine thousand ex-service-men in the civil service, thirteen thousand henceforth will he translerred to the permanent stuff' under an agreement between the Treasury and exServicemen’s Association creating a new class of ex-servicemen civil servants, who will have security of tenure hut he without pensions rights. The agreement also provides for the institution of a special examination conferring permanency and lull l>ension rights on successful candidates. Ihe agreement crowns five years eiioits |>> the Asosointion to secure better official recognition of ex-servicemen. BTG AIR RASE. CSvdnev Sun” Cables' (Received this day at 10.25 a.m.) LONDON. January 21. The “ Daily Mail ” says it is intended to make Singapore the biggest station for commercial airships on m •Vimlo-J.ndinn-Australian route as well as a base for British air power m the East, from which naval airships will |,c able to patrol the whole Eastern seas. The station will contain even facility for handling land and seaplanes and also airships. Already the nironlnne carrier Pegasus with a fleet of Fairev amphibians is carrying out a preliminary survey of Singapore, before the base is finally located. Giant sheds will ho erected to accommodate the airships even bigger than Burney’s monsters. In addition there will be a mooring mast and regassing plant.

GIIIL BURGLAR. PARIS, January 21. The burglar who rilled, houses in the fashionable suburb of Sevres proved to he a girl of twenty-five. She wore iftfile attire at night and was fashionably dressed female in the daytime. Six male accomplices were captured. The girl owed her leaderships to her remarkable agility. She climbed rain pipes and entered upper stories affixing a rope to' enable her accomplices to follow. GERMAN POLITICS. [“The Times” Service. | LONDON, January 21. The “ Times ” commenting on the Nationalist, attitude in the Riechstag debate, says the general attitude boded ill for Luther's policy. The Nationalist leaders, with almost brutal candour declared the Government was the last attempt at Parliamentary rule adding significantly that lie hoped it would fan as the question of the Monarchy was never more: real since the foundation of the Republic.

CAPTURE OF PIRATES. (Received this dav at, 12.30 p.m.) PEKING, Jan. 21. A pirates stronghold at Bias Hay, near Hong Kong, was raided and captured by Cliiue.se troops in consequence of British representations following an act of piracy oil the steamer Hongwha. British naval representatives witnessed the operation. One pirate was kill’d and .seventeen captured. X'o British ships asisted hut the iI.M.S. Howe lay fi miles away and the Chinese were able to count on their assistance if required. A PERSIAN ARREST. LONDON. January 21. A Teheran messages states Genera! Amir Tishtedan, Minister of the In’. rior in the Persian Ooveriun "it. has been arrested by order of tlie Minister of War, on a charge of treachery to the army. The Minister had jimt returned after a prolonged tour of the districts affected by the recent threat of civil war.

RUSSIAN EXPORTS. '.Received this day at 995 a.ill ) MOSCOW, Jan. 21. Important developments in Rmsn.i'oil exports for 1925 are foreshadowed. The Assistant Commissariat of Foreign Trade, in the course of at. interview, also declared that the commissariat’s exports would not he lower than last year, despite the suspicion created by the export of the principal cereals. There would also lie an increase in the oxnorts of llax and raw silk, especially, to France. The export of mead and dairy products was developing and would he shipped from Leningrad where new cold storage would shortly be erected.

INDIAN ASS EM BLV OPENS. DELHI'. Jan. 21. The Viceroy opened the session of the Indian Legislature. Reviewing the year’s administration. Lord Reading said the marked improvement recorded in the economic conditions of trade in rosnert to the agricutural outlook was satisiactory despite the disastrous floods in some parts. The Viceroy announced the acceptance of the recommendation of the Assembly for an economic enquiry into the conditions of the masses. A small committee would he appointed to collect material for a larger enquiry. He also announced the decision to appoint a currency committee as soon as conditions became more staple. He approved of the Bengal Governor’s certification ot special legislation to stamp out terrorism and warned the Swaraj Party that the terrorists’ friendship would kill the party like a parasite killing its host. The Viceroy felt satisfied that India’s relations with foreign countries on tin- border were most friendly and concluding bv urging the restoration of communal goodwill without which political progress would lie retarded.

Shorter working hours for mother! “ Tari-oi ” liquid polish brightens floors and furniture in record tunc —A'lvl.