BRITISH & FOREIGN NEWS

Hokitika Guardian, 10 April 1926, Page 3

BRITISH & FOREIGN NEWS

[Australia & N.Z. Cable Association.] OLD PLAYS. 1 BERLIN, April 9. Following oil the production of “Hamlet” in modern dress at London ! the “ Volksbuhue ” theatre at Berlin . presented Goethe’s “ Faust ” and eli ■ initiated tho mydinevalisni. “ Faust ’ 1 was robed as a University proctor, or wore a. dinner jacket. Mcphistopheles 1 waves an opera hat at the window. Martha Gretchcn’s home is a modern suburban villa. Critics express the opinion that flu* Grctdien tragedy is • thus robbed of its ethical foundation, as it deals with the problems of a definite historical period, unlike “ Hamlet,” which is timeless in • its subject matter. KIIIP P INC CON V ENT lON. BRUSSELS, April 8 'flio Maritime Conference concluded with llic adoption of a convention respecting State owned ships. All the delegates agreed that such vessels, even warships, should lie subject to the same obligations and responsibilities as privately owned vosels, hut the convention provides that warships and publiclyowned vessels shall bo immune from arrest, and that actions against them shall only fie brongh't before the courts of the State concerned. Sir Leslie Scott carried a. vital point that all vessels during war time, even merchantmen, shall be immune from arrest in order to avert the possibility of vessels being detained in neutral ports on the pretext of legal actions based on flimsy grounds EXPLOSION DISASTER. NEW YORK, April 8. The Now Orleans authorities have notified that ail oil tanker, the name of which is not stated, exploded on Thursday night in the Mississippi River twenty miles below there. Several men are. believed to have been killed. A large number were rescued from the river. The water was covered with burning petroleum. One report said the captain and pilot of the vessels are known to have been killed, and that thirty-live men are missing. Fifteen of the crew were rescued. There were unverified reports that Ihe ship * was tho Dutch tanker “Sofrrainst.” Another report states that when several gasolene tanks were aboard the tank vessel “0. T. Warring,” an explosion occurred on Thursday after noon, twenty-nine men being injured 1 and 23 rescued from the river, i four not being accounted for. There were two hundred men aboard flic vessel at tiie time of the explosion. A CORRECTION. NEW YORK, April R. A correction gives the name of tho • Dutch steamer _as the “Silvanus,’’ 1 which, was in collision with the oil tanker “Thomas 11. Wheeler.” ’lhe ; explosion was on the Silvanus, and it followed the collision. , JAPAN’S NEW CRUISERS. LONDON, April 9.

The “Daily News” naval correspondent' says .Japan li.v building four secret cruisers lias sprung a surprise on the naval world. Even Japanese officers in Britain were unaware that tli© vessels were being constructed. They arc named Kuril taka. Kako, Kin Ugnsa ' and On ha. Although much smaller and cheaper than tho ten thousand foil vessels provided by the treaty they are nevertheless formidable fighting shi'iis. The secret oi design is well kept. The Furutaka completed is revealed as 7100 tons, which is 2900 tons smaller than the British county class, thirty-three knots, six eight-inch guns, three twelve-pounders, an antiaircraft gun and twelve torpedo tubes. It is in the disposition of heavy artillery that the Japanese designers have shown marked ingenuity, contrary to text book -plans showing: the Furii-t-ika’s six big guns mounted on turrets three forward and three astern. The second of each group is superposed for the purpose of obtaining end on (ire. Thus all will lie able to five a broadside and two and possibly three (ire directly ahead or astern. The distribution minimised the risk of a- few lucky shots silencing the whole battery. Tho guns are mounted singly and can develop more rapid fire than pairs. These ships represent better value for their money than larger, more vulnerable and more expensive ten thousand tonners Britain and other nations are now building. DEVASTATING OIL FIRE. SAN FRANCISCO. April 8. Brea Town, a short distance from San Luis Bispa, is now on fire. After two Union Company tallies exploded, the explosions added a million sterling loss to the previous total. A SOVIET MOVE. LONDON. April 9. A Riga ■ correspondent states the Soviet Inis instructed diplomatic agents to reopen negotiations to conclude three separate guarantee pacts. Firstly, with Poland; secondly, with Finland and thirdly with Estiionia, Latavi.n and Lithunin. providing they mutually guarantee the existing frontiers, mutual non-aggression, neutrality and peaceful settlement of disputes; also economic trade agreement. The newspapers regard this as a new attempt to create an eastern Locarno or tactical move to estrange tho Baltic States from the League of Nations.