BRITISH & FOREIGN NEWS

Hokitika Guardian, 9 March 1926, Page 2

BRITISH & FOREIGN NEWS

[Australian it N.Z. Cable Association.] OIL PAINTINGS STOLEN. LONDON, March 8. A stir has been caused in tlio Royal Academy by tlio discovery that four oil landscapes by Constable had disappeared from what is called the diploma gallery. Doubtless they have been stolen. The pictures are of an uniform size, twelve by sixteen inches and were screwed to the walls. Apparently the greatest pains were taken in unscrewing them to avoid damage to the pictures. INDIAN OBSTRUCTION POLICV. DELHI, March 7. The Swarajists who dominate the Congress in politics, obtained the formal permission of the till India Congress Committee to withdraw from the Assembly Council of State and the Provincial Legislatures till over India as a protest against the Government’s attitude to Congress’s demand for Constitutional reform. It was resolved that members of the Congress including the Swarajists contest the forthcoming general elections for the Assembly and the Provincial Councils and adopt a policy of voting to throw out the budgets and not accept oflico until the Government makes a satisfactory response to their demands for the amendment in tlio Legislature. After the easting of thenvotes against the budget they will walk out of the House, but will not resign their seats, thereby preventing the holding of hye-elcctions.

OFFER TO BRKXAN. LONDON. Alarm 7. The Air Ministry, in recognition of Louis Brenun’s achievements on behalf of the. State lias olfored a six months extension of the period of service, and after that- a pension. BROADCASTING R EORGAXSATION. LONDON, March 7. A complete scheme for the reorganising of the management of the broadcasting services in Britain is outlined in an official report of the Broadcasting Committee appointed to decide on the nature of the administration after the expiry of the present company’s license'on the .’list December.

The report recommends that broadcasting be made a public service; that a corporation consisting of five to seven nominees chosen by the Crown he appointed to take over the staff, contracts and apparatus of the existing companies; that the commissioners he persons of judgment and independence, and he empowered to consult appropriate societies, the organisations’ advisory committees to ensure a due consideration of all phases of broadcasting; that generous provision be imi<le for experiments anti research; that tlio co-operation operate under license from tile Postmaster-General for at least a decade; that the Commissioners he invested with the maximum freedom consistent with Parliamentary control through the spokesliinnship of the Postmaster-General. Among the minor points are the recommendations that a receiver’s license fee remain at ten shillings, a blind person’s license being free; that every effort be made to raise tlio standard of programmes, especially music, and also to meet tlio claims of these. Relatively. there are a few who desire a. larger proportion of educational matter. The report raises the present ban on controversial matter, which, may, henceforth, be broadcasted provided it is of high quality and distributed with scrupulous fairness. The Committee counsels a vigorous pursuit and prosecution of pirates. It emphasises the fact that its recommendations do not imply a criticism of the company which was formed when broadcasting was in the embryonic stage and regarded as a toy, a fantasia and even as a joke. The company had raised the service in a degreo reflecting high credit on Brifsli efficiency and enterprise.

AGAINST SPIRITUALISM. LONDON, March 7.

A new Roman Catholic Society, supported by Cardinal Bourne and many Roman Catholic Archbishops and Bishops, is launching an organised country-wide campaign against spiritualism which is. described as “ a dangerous cult, aiming, root and branch, at the destruction of Christianity.” The late liislmp Salford claimed that spiritualism was responsible for a large leakage from Roman Catholicism. ENGINEERING STRIKE SERIOUS. LONDON. March 7. The engineering crisis lias assumed a more serious aspect. As a result of a meeting of tlio London representatives, all engineering unions in London decided to press their claims for a. separate wage advance of 20s weekly in London and ask the authority of tho unions to take a joint district strike ballot and a national ballot on tho question of ending the agreement embracing provisions for avoiding disputes. wliieh. the employers declare, were broken by the unofficial stoppago at Hoe’s Works.

The meeting endorsed the action of the district committee, seven unions backing the Hoe Works strikers and resisting the proposal of the national executive of the unions that the strikers should lie instructed to return to work in order to place the unions in a constitutional position. The meeting also threatened to hold up the public* services if the threatened lock-out occurred. SHAKESPEARE THEATRE DESTROYED. LONDON. March 7. Eire destroyed the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre and Tower, Stratford on Avon, hut the museum and picture gallery were saved. A passerby, at three in the afternoon, noticed smoke from’the chimney of the theatre. Five fire brigades eventually arrived and thousands of spectators watched the hopeless fight to save the theatre, but the combined strenuous efforts, aided by an unfavourable wind, prevented the fire from spreading to the museum and gallery. Flames licked tip a large quantity of woodwork in the tl Lent re. Only the bare walls remain, while the tower resembles a gigantic chimney. The fire was visible from an extensive area. It is understood that many valuable costumes, stored under the stage of the theatre, were destroyed.

EXPLOSION TX WAR CEMETERY LONDON, March 8. Hundreds of graves were destroyed in the British war cemetery at Thiepvav. the scene of terrific fighting on -Aa January 7, 191(5. A party of labourers tried to root up a wire, not knowing it was connected with a mine laid in war time. An explosion followed anil caused a terrific crater. It was heard twenty miles away. Ten thousand, including many Australians and New Zealanders were buried in Thiepval.

SH AK F.SPEAR E’S FESTIVAL. LONDON. March 8. Shakespeare’s birthday festival will he held in a picture house at Strat-ford-on-Avon in April. THEATRE STITJL SMOULDERING. LONDON. March 8. The Memorial Theatre is still .smouldering, but tiie library was saved. BISHOP CROSSLEY. LONDON, March 8. Bishop Crossley was buried at Brnnisliott Church. The Diocese of Auckland sent n wreath,