BRITISH & FOREIGN NEWS

Hokitika Guardian, 17 February 1927, Page 2

BRITISH & FOREIGN NEWS

[r,v TELEGRAPH —PER PRESS ASSOCIATION'.]

HEAVY LOSS OF LIFE. BELGRADE, February 15. There bare been one hundred and seventy-six distinct shocks of earthquake recorded in the Balkans since .Monday.

The latest reports indicate that six hundred people have been killed.

In many districts the earthquakes Pave been accompanied by wid flashes of lightning, and by peals of terrifying thunder, which have added to the horror of the scenes. The centre of the trouble is in Alontenegro. 1 here great fissures have appeared in the fields. Huge bonldeis have been broken from the mountains and have crashed down into the valleys accompanied by avalanches of s«iow ami ice. which have levelled foicsts and houses. The fields often have sunk below the river levels, and have been converted into swamps. The railway lines have crumpled up, and telegraph wires have' been torn down. A number of houses in the Polo\o* polje District, overlooking an embankment, wore bodily swept into a river without any notice, thus drowning the miserable inmates, wjio were hopelessly trapped. A party of Englishmen at Ragusn. who have also experienced the great ftan Francisco earthquake, and the 1903 earthquakes, recall Signor Bendandi’s prophesy (cabled on the 6th of January), as to the coming of quakes. VIENNA. February to. The centre of the earthquake disturbance proves to have been beneath the sea. Huge waves have swept t-lie Dalmatian coast, forcing the inhabitants to flee. Great damage lias been done at the Reljesac Peninsula. where a Church tower collapsed, and many buildings were destroyed. HOUSE OF LORDS. LONDON, February 15. In tlie House of Commons, during a debate oil the Estimates, a discussion arose on the reform of the House ol Lords.

Air Gerald Hurst (Conservative) moved a motion in favour of reducing the hereditary character of the I ppor Chamber. Professor I.ees-Sinilh (Labour) moved an amendment declaring that toe proposed •changes i’l the House ol Lords were intended to gerrymander the constitution in the interests ■of the Conservative Party. Air Tlmrtle (Labour) in seconding the amendment, emphasised the fact that the Labour Party stood for singlechamber government. “It would, however.” ho said. " rather have the honest stupidity of hereditary peers than the enlightened cunning of ennobled industrialists.” Air Ramsay AlacDonald said that tlie Tories wanted to remain in power after they were kicked out of office. They were now beginning to see tlie end of their tether. ftir AY. Joynson Hicks (Home Al Blister) declined to outline the Government's policy in the matter, but lie said the Government was determined to carry out its pledges. The debate ended without a division.

RACE OVER THE OCEAN. PARIS. February 15 A thrilling trans-Atlantic race in the 1 air is in prospect, owing to the announcement that .Major Broges. the Urugiiyaii airman, lias arranged to ’ take off from Pisa. Italy, on Thursday, in an attempt to fly the Atlantic Ocean by practically the same route as the Alarcliese lie Pinedo, landing at Pernambuco, and ending his flight at Monte Video. .Major Bruges uses a Dernier sea plane, equipped with two Far wait fivehundred horse power motors. The fact that the Alarcliese Tie Pines do is aware of Aiaior Broges’ flight ex- . plans the secrecy of bis own departure. LONDON. February 15. The Alarcliese lie Pinedo arrived at Rokima at 5.15 a.ill. to-dav. thus covering a distance of one thousand miles, and doing it at the rate of 105 miles an hour. To-morrow he will start bis flight over the Atlantic Ocean, crossing to j Port fatal, in Brazil. FRANCE’S F ! RST PRINCIPLES. AIR Aft WELL AS NAVAL , REDUCTION. LONDON. I'Vbruarv 10. Al. Rriand. in his reply to President Coolidge, states that the French delegates at Geneva have already secured i the acceptance of the following general , principles : First:—That it would lie impossible to limit navies without considering I navies and air forces together. Secondly:—That the limitation ot navies will only be achieved by the attribution to each Power of a total tonnage for each division, according to requirements. The American proposals, lie says, ignore these principles. France holdsthat the Preparatory Disarmament Committee, as the result of recent depilates, would enable a Disarmament Conference to have serious chances ot success. Therefor.;?, in view of las' outy as a member of the League of Nations, and in view of the fact that lie also is convinced flint durable work could only be built up by the Powers’ joint assent, lie believes that tin* proposalscan be elHiaciously studied by the Preparatory t 'omiiiit tec*. GERMANY'S ( LAI.MS. BRUSSELS. February 15. Al. Vamlervelde (Belgian Foreign -Minister), speaking in the Chamber, admitted that the maintenance of the Control Commission in Germany for a lew months longer might lie efficacious tor. contrary to the Locarno Agreements. it gave a guarantee which the Allies bad vainly been seeking since 191!). As far as the coming years were concerned. Germany was incapable of making a decisive offensive on her \\ extern Front. The victorious Entente broke ilie offensive weapon which Germany possessed almost intact after tlie Armistice; but it was impossible ’<> achieve what Napoleon had vainly attempted after Tilsit. Germany certainly intended to appeal to the favourable Treaty clauses at the Disarmament Conference. thus causing a dilemma, in which the other Powers must reduce their forces to correspond to Germany s, or else Germany would be able to claim the right to possess lorces sufficiently large to defend her territorv.