GENERAL CABLES.

Hokitika Guardian, 20 October 1927, Page 2

GENERAL CABLES.

(By Telegraph—Per Press Association.} A WARNING TO SHIPPING TRUST. CAPETOWN, Oct. 19. A dramatic turn has been given to the South African freight war by the intervention of the Union Government. This step was taken in view' of the conference, Lines recently coming to the decision to give a special discount to the shippers of wool from South Africa, provided that these shippers employed exclusively the vessels of the Conference Lines. _ The Union Government now warns tho Union Castle Coy. that such methods are regarded as a deliberate and an open violation of the Mail Contract.

The Government declares that, unless those methods are stopped immediately, the Government will not only take action to terminate the Mail Contract by giving the necessary year's notice, but v ill also, "exercise its' powers under the Post Office Act in order to impose countervailing dock charges. The Cape Times, commenting on'the Government's action, states: These bludgeoning methods are unworthy of the Union Castle Line’s fine past record. The paper declares : The Conference lilies’ action is giving a powerful lever to the Socialist elements in the Pact Government, who are .searching for a good excuse to commit South Africa to the fatal policy of State shipping.

DRAMATIC TRIAL. PARIS, Oct. 18. The trial of Schwarzbard, on a charge of murdering General Peflura in May last, has opened; 149 witnesses were cited, including Professor Einstein and Maxim Gorky. Russian, Germans, Polish. Ukranian and Yiddish interpreters were present to deal with the polyglot evidence. It was mentioned that (Schwarzbard won the Croix De Guerre when fighting in the French Foreign Legion duriiig the world war, His conduct in Paris after the war was beyond reproach, Replying to the Judges’s questions the prisoner said Petlura Was rightly killed as he ordered Jewish Pogroms. LONILON, Oct. 18. The Paris correspondent of the Times states that at the trial of iSchwardbard, the fa'lter said: <I T killed Petlura absolutely alone.” Wien exultantly ho described the crime. He threw his arms rouhd a Court official’s neck in illustration of his joyful embrace when a policeman informed him that Petlura’s wounds were fatal. He gave evidence as to hearing two of General Petlura’s officers boasting of killing fifteen Jews, and of outraging thirty-seven women in one day. This had filled him with fury, and he determined to avenge half a million • murdered A Jews. He had shadowed Gehernl Petlura daily and finally he had fired fivo good shots. He telegraphed the news of liis feat to his wife. Then he gave himself up to the police.

NOVEL MACHINE. LONDON, Oct. 18. An outstanding novelty at the Dairy Show is a machine for pluck- 1 ing fowls. It makes six hundred revolutions per minute, and plucks ii bird in forty-five seconds by suction, tlie (feathers being drawn into the , machine by a fan. Then they are gripped, pulled out, and caught in a collecting bag, without any iiity of tearing the flesh.

GENEVA CONFERENCE. GENEVA, Oet. 19. The Conference on trade restrictions began the examination of Article One of a Draft Agreement, providing for the contracting States to undertake, within six months, to abolish all export prohibition restrictions, and ndt / to impose or maintain any in future. The British and Italian delegations submitted amendment. "The discussion was largely technical, but if is —. apparent that the Conference is be- j .coming much more important than was originally expected. The German delegates are quietly, but forcibly, lobbying, with a view to securing te abolition of prohibitions without exception. It is understood that the British Government is submitting almost a completely revised draft, embodying suggestions that bullion and coinage bo not mentioned, and the maintenance of standards be included. It Is generally considered that the eventual agreement will be in such a form that few, if any, of the countries be able to sign it. ELECTIONS IN NORWAY. Oslo, Oct. i 9. Latest general election teturUS in Norway indicate a sweeping Labour victory. Both the Conservatives and the Liberals have been crusliingly defeated in the rural districts.

ENGLISH FIRE TRAGEDY. LONDON, Oct. 19. A fire broke out in Wateringbury Hall, a country mansion, near Maidstone, Inhabited by Major White. The result was the death of j Major White, his wife, and their infant son and its nurse. The lire was discovered by a passerby, who saw the flames. The house was in darkness*,, ami everybody Id bed. The household were aroused by stones being thrown at the windows. The housemaid telephoned to a Fire Brigade, who arrived in a quarter of an hour, but the flames had then such a hold that there was little hope of saving either the house or the inmates. Three of the servants made turous escapes from the bedroom windows, but there was no hope from the beginning for the family. Major Bavley White, D.S.O. was forty-one years of age, and the child was aged four years. The nurse was 55 years of age. They slept in another wing of the house, which had been practically burned down when the Eire Brigade arrived. Firemen, policemen and villagers workers all night, but oltly recovered the bodies in the morning. DAUEET’S ESCAPE. * LONDON, Oct. 18. The “Daily Mail’s” Paris correspondent says: The police are making another search for M. Daudet, the Royalist, who is reported to have returned to France. TEXTHjE STRIKE; - * BERLIN, Oct. 19. The textile industry lock-out is complete and 40,000 workers are idle.