BRITISH PARLIAMENT

Hokitika Guardian, 18 February 1926, Page 2

BRITISH PARLIAMENT

'Australia & N.Z. Cable Association. 1

A STATE SPOUTS GROUND. LONDON. Fob. 16

Iu thy House of Commons, following up tm announcement that the Government. proposed lo grant two hundred thousand sterling towards a sports ground for the civil services, several Cum metiers protested mat tf.iis was an unnecessary expense when national economy was important. Mr Baldwin (Premier) spiritedly defended the grant, pointing out that every big employer had provided similar facilities for tlie recreation of employees, hut the State thus far had provided no such consideration far its three hundred thousand employees. BRITAIN’S NATIONAL DEBT. 1.07,’D0N, February Li. lit the House of Commons the Hon. Winston Churchill (Chancellor of the Exchequer) announced the nominal national debt at 31st December was C7,Biy.<:Oa.OOO and the estimated interest thereon was .2205.000.000. 'The respective amounts due per capita thereon were 2171 anil 20 15s in Britain and America. .2’3,;302.030 was coining this year as compared with fourteen million last year title from German reparations and intcr-Allied debts. WIRELESS PROGRESS. LONDON, Feb. 17. In the Commons, asked with which parts of the Empire his department was now in direct wireless communication. Mr .Mitchell Thompson replied that there was at present no two way communication by Government wireless between Britain and Dominions. though he hoped such a service mig l t lie established during the current year with Canada, Smith Africa and Australia by means of beam stations now being constructed. Contractors Imped to complete the respective stations for Caiulada and South Africa by April, and for India and Australia by August. As regards one way communication fhero had been for some time press services between Britain and Nova Scotia. ! lie opening of Rugby station had now enabled the broadcasting of a message for reception tiny where in the British Empire. Experiments of wireless telephony bot wen Britain and Canada was continually proceeding hut- it was too much to say that the progress hail been satisfactory.