BRITISH & FOREIGN NEWS

Hokitika Guardian, 19 January 1927, Page 3

BRITISH & FOREIGN NEWS

[“Sydney Sun” Cables.]

EMDEN INCIDENT. CAPETOWN, Jan. 18.

A "arm controversy continues over the Emden incident. Many letters of protest have been published, hut the general opinion is that the Enidcii’s action wast fully justihed. It is nowstated that the jiol.iee did not request the use of hose, hut admitted tho crowd was unmanageable. The Commander, in an interview, expresses deep regret hut states it was the only way of preventing a terrible tragedy. He* acknowledges the extremely cordial reception given in Cajietown, without a single unpleasantness.

BRITAIN'S ATTITUDE. (Received this day at 9.0 a.in.) GENEVA, Jan. 18. The British attitude towards disarmament is defined in an official declaration by the British Empire’s disarmament delegation. It. emphasises the position of an insular country, with large overseas possessions, and 'interests is wholly different from a continental maritime Empire. H maintains a navy for two reasons, firstly for safeguarding the trade routes of commerce and food, and secondly for defence of its own coasts and outlying coasts in its Empire. Therefore it requires a. navy which is only partially affected liv the size of neighbouring navies. The same principle applies to armies. Continental arms are primarily maintained to prevent aggression. A rnnritme Empire’s army is maintained to supply the needs of its oversea commitments. The size of its army is therefore practically independent of the size of neighbouring armies. The difference does not apply to air forces maintained by two different types of country, since the air is a medium free from the limitations unnecessarily limiting action of land and sea forces. It follows therefore, that a maritime country must possess an air force sufficiently strong to repel invasion, and in consequence it follows that air forces most hear a direct relation to the air forces available in neighbouring countries. The declaration concludes: “Three services arc so distinct as to want consideration separately, not in combination.

A VIOLENT BUZZARD. RIGA. J an. 18. A vioent blizzard which started in nid-Deeeinher and has since raged lay arid night continues in middle Russia and ~Siberia, causing immense damage. ("oinnuinicalions have been interrupted. Government despatches 'rom Samara state the loss of life mist be heavy. Relief parties are cnleavotiriug to restore communication. I hey discovered eighty frozen bodies n a single canton near Samara. Many irons as far south as the Urals are ippenling for provisions and fuel, but (iiowdrilts block the railway transport.

W IRE L ESS TEL EPRON Y LONDON, Jan. 18.

The Marconi expert, G. M. Wright, is perfecting; a system of facsimile telegraph transmission dispensing with key tupping, the operator thus reducing the possibility of error, saving both time and money. A written or type-written message is placed on a cylinder anti is duly reproduced in facsimile at the receiving station to which it is dispatched hv directional wireless. Marconi says the system i.wonly workable iii conjunction with beam wireless, therefore it will be one of the systems used in inter-Empire services. While purely line drawing could he transmitted, the dispatch ot half tone pictures are not ret within range.

CONFIDENCE TRICKSTERS. (Received this day at 1(1.15 a.in.) LONDON, Jan. 18. Barclay, otherwise Brearley charged with conspiracy to rob u New Zealander, McKay, (cabled January 10th), was dischaged, tho Crown prosecution not offering evidence. The prosecutor announced that Mason was pleading guilty to ,stealing two of McKay’s bank notes of £IOO and £SO respectively. There were strong reasons for proceeding with these two charges only, though they represented a small proportion of a big fraud. Mason, posing as Monroe, a wealthy Queenslander, met Mclvay on board ship en route from New Zealand to Sjm Francisco in May, 1920. Barclay was n,;so on tho ship and the. three soon established a close friendship. The seed was carefully sown for six months. They parted at Los Angeles but foregathered at London. Then, after a trip to Riviera, Mason one ch.iv in November accompanied McKay to Cornhill, where lie pointed out a man whom the prosecutor regretted was not in custody. He would call him “.Mister A.” “A” was actinlly the conspirator in the fraud. .Mason introduced McKay saving “A” had just made a quarter of a million on the Stock Exchange. "A” voted Mason and McKay to join in speculation in francs. '1 be prosecutor said “It seems ridiculous nonsense, showing the qullibility of human nature is infinite, but then and there McKay find Mason signed documents instructing the International Exchange to invest £15,090 sterling apiece. Fifteen minutes late “A reported they bad won thirty-three thousand, but they could no obtain the money until all three bad shown tin ability to bear an equivalent loss. McKay there-

upon drew £15,009 trom the bank. “A” produced what appeared to be seven thousand in notes, land Mason similarly another thousand. which Mason took to show the manager of tho mvthical exchange. When. Mason returned ho said lie had put the while profits including McKay’s security, of fifteen thousand, into new securities. Naturally this was the end of the matter. Mclvay was furious at Mason s unauthorised action. Mason and “A” promised to put things right and disappeared. Later, “A” by means of telegrams, decoyed’ McKay to Paris and then to Milan and tried to entice him to Alexandria. hut McKay was ill and gate up the pursuit. He returned to London and informed the police. The notes specified had been cashed. Mason from the dock said the temptation was too great for me. The prosecutor said Mason had a had record. He was a well known confidence trickster. . The Magistrate in sentencing lum to a year’s hard labour, mid the limitation of the charge may have been due to Mason’s youth, or perhaps it had been assumed that he was acting as agent for some experienced criminal. WOOL SALES. LONDON. Jan. 18. The wool sales opened with prices firm at par to five per cent, advance. SHIPBUILDING. LONDON, Jan. 18. Lloyds Register in the annual summary of the world's shipbuilding foi IfiOf; shows six hundred vessels of a tonnage of 1674 thousand was launched throughout the world of which 039 thousand was in Greet Britain and Ireland The decrease/ throughout the world compared with 1925 was 518 thousand tons, and the decrease in Great Britain and Ireland was 440 , thousand. Compared with the record , year of 1919. the decrease tor the ' world was only 5,500 thousand tons. World launches Included twent>-t"o vessels of a tonnage of over ten thou- > stlild and eight of a tonnage, over fifteen thousand. The largest vessel was the turbine.-. “Elde de France fortythree thousand tons. rhe tonnage afloat in June 1926. was f>9.lL tliou- ? sand, compared with 42,514 tliousam 1 in June 1914. The tonnage of tankeis - was now 5.665 thousand compared with 5 1 479 thousand in 1914 and motor r ships 3.500 thousand compared with °34 thousand, while the tonnage of steamprs fitted with oil fuel was 13,200

thousand compared with 1,310 thousand.