BRITISH & FOREIGN NEWS

Hokitika Guardian, 8 February 1927, Page 2

BRITISH & FOREIGN NEWS

[by telegraph—PEll press association.]

merrett case. LONDON, February 3. The Crown case lias concluded after the evidence relating to 31 rs Meriett s banking account was given. The hearing was adjourned till day the Judge requesting the jury nw, to discuss the case because they had heal’d only the one side.

CONTROLLING TRADE UNIONS. LONDON. Feb. 6. In view of the Baldwin Government’s proposed reform of the trade union laws, the Engineering Employers’ National Federation proposes the 'following:— (1) That a trade union should he liable for damages in respect of tortious acts committed by them or on their behalf.

(2) That the breaking of contracts nf employment in furtherance of tradej—disoutes should be actionable. (3) That in connection with political levies, provision should bo made for contracting in, instead of contracting out. by unionists. (4) That mass picketing and the picketing of houses should be illegal. The Federation adds: Provident funds should not be available to meet claims in respect of damages.

BIG AIR ENTERPRISE. LONDON, Feb. 6

German air interests have secured contract- to build an air station at Seville. Snain. costing one million sterling to link up combined aerojplane and airship services between Berlin and Buenos Ayres, for which two dirigibles accommodating forty passengers are being built at Friedrichsafeils. They areY expected to complete the journey in one ] hundred hours.

STEEL TRUST FAILURE. LONDON, Feb. 6.

The Daily Express says: The Street Trust formed in September by tlie French. German. Belgian and Luxembourg magnates is crumbling. . Herr Thyssen, the German industrialist, has withdrawn, as a protest against the French action in tlie occupied territories, and other Germans now demand that their percentage of the steel trade shall he increased. o r otherwise they will abandon the trust in April. The Germans claim that the fall of the franc artificially stimulated the French production, thus giving France an ad-\ vantage that was not anticipated when ) the trust terms were arranged in Sep- 1 tember. PRIEST’S PROTEST. AG ATX ST DECADF.XT PUBLICATIONS. PARIS, February 0. Arrested for the sixth time for attacking bookstalls in front of tlie “Folios Bergene.” and for tearing up magazines containing pictures of nudes the Parish Priest of Bcthleem, accompanied by a gendarme, whom a bong-..* stall keeper summoned to arrest the Priest, explained that ho intended to force the authorities to realise the existence of scandalous publications. Tlie Priest added that the law called on all citizens to denounce offences against social order. Thus far, the law has taken tne Priest less seriously than the Priest has taken the law. The Priest was again discharged with a caution.

PRISONER OF VATICAN MAY REGAIN LIBERTY. ROME, Feh. 6. y It is understood that the Italian Government and tlie Vatican are sue- : \ cessfully working out the details of a Concordat, enabling the Pope to leave the voluntary seclusion of the Vatican. It is expected that arrangements will be completed by September, enabling the Pope to participate in the Eucharistic Congress at Bologna. Avoir AX’S LOXG SWIM. SAX FRANCISCO, Feb. 6. The first woman to swim the Santa Catalina Channel is Mrs Myrtle Huddlestone. She finished the course today, taking 20 hours and 42 minutes, lie was almost exhausted in battling through the surf to lanH.