GENERAL CABLES.

Hokitika Guardian, 3 November 1927, Page 2

GENERAL CABLES.

Telegraph—Per Press Association.)

BANK DIVIDENDS—£IS,OOO,OOO. SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 21. The most amazing bank success in recent American finance culminated 1')dav when the Bank of Italy announced stock and cash dividends exceeding £15,000,000. • The hank’s capital has been raised to £10,000,000. It owns a mercantile and realty corporation capitalised at £60,000,000. Starting business 30 years ago, the Bank of Italy specialised in agricultural loans to foreign grape-growers and other farmers in California. It underwrote vast realty holdings in fastgrowing centres, and to-day it wieK s tremendous financial power over th ? entire Pacific Coast. it outranks the National City Bank in Ne" York- in capital investments and deposits. LONDON TUBE SCHF.AIE. LONDON, Ncv. 2. A gigantic scheme to re-organise London tubes is announced, including a complete overhaul, costing two and ahalf millions, in which twenty year old rolling stock will be scrapped. DIVORCE OBTAINED. LONDON, Nov. 7. Countess Kinnonll obtained a divorce on the ground of her husband’s misconduct. They were married in 1923. WEARING OF AIEDaLS. LONDON, Nov. 2. Following on last year’s controversy over the wearing of medals of fallen ' relatives on Armistice Day, an offieial notice expressed the hope that those wearing such medals this year will do so on the right breast, thus distin--1 guishing them from those correctly 1 wearing medals personally awarded, on the left breast.

JAPANESE FESTIVITIES. TOKIO, Nov. 2

Aleiji Day to-morrow is a general holiday. This year there will bo more than usual ceremonies, some of which continue for a fortnight or upwards. A million people are expected to worship at tlie shrine of the great Liberator of Tokio. TOKIO, Nov. 2. Prince Takamatsu, brother of the Emperor, will visit Australia early next year on the training ship Yakunin. Ho holds tlio rank of lieutenant, and has long expressed a desii Australia and Now Zealand. MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS. LONDON, Nov. 2. Labour gains are a feature of the Alunicipal Elections in three hundred Cities and Boroughs of England and Wales. The latest returns show : One hundred and five Labourite gains and twelve losses. Seven Conservative gains and seventy losses. Twelve Liberal gains and thirtythree losses. Sixteen Independent gains and twen-ty-five losses. The Aloderates won five seats from Labourites in Glasgow. AFRICAN FLAG. CAPETOWN, Nov. 2. A painful sensation was created among the British section by an interview on the flag settlement, given to the Dutch press by Air Alabin, Alinister responsible for the Flag Bill. Speaking in Parliament a few days ago, Air Alalan declared that both sides had compromised to an equal extent. Now lie tells the interviewer that the “Nationalists lost nothing; that the flying of the Union Jack simply shows the country is on friendly terms with Britain, and that they can fly similarly if South Africa stands on particularly friendly terms with-America!”

Air Alalan also declared that an'lmperial flag for the Empire was unnecessary, as there was no such thing as an Empire, and if Britain was at war. South Africa need not even declare its neutrality.

Britishers are at a loss to understand Mr Malan’s motive, but political droll's suspect the statement is inspired by Air Malan’s personal hostility towards ATr Rons, who lias worked persistently for the Hag settlement. The Senate has yet to pass Hie Flag Bill, and it is expected that Air Afalan will be asked for an explanation. THE FLAG SETTLEAIENT. (Received this day at 8 a.m.) CAPETOWN, Nov. 2. Interviewed, ATr Tfoos disagreed entirely with Mr Malan’s press interview regarding the flag settlement. He declared the Government had undoubtedly given concessions, that the pact and hill both clearly effect the Union Jack, which is one of the two flags of South Africa. The quarrel lietwoen the two Ministers may lead to a Cabinet crisis. FISHING FLEET DISASTER. LONDON, Nov. 2. The King lias given £IOO, and the Queen £SO, toward the relief fund for the dependents of the victims of the Irish fishing fleet disaster. DIVORCE BY ORDER. LONDON, Nov. 2. A lively controversy is in progress over Air Justice Hill’s revolutionary view of the Divorce Court. He said: Some day perhaps the law would altered to enable a judge to use k!>discretion, and order divorce when a judicial separation was asked for. It is interesting to record that befero the Royal Commission on divorce in 1912, a similar opinion was expressed; namely, if separation was an undesirable remedy, as leading to immorality, it was unreasonable that a judge should not he empowered to make a divorce decree. It was not a question concerning the party alone, hut the children, the State, and the interests of morality. Therefore, it should not he left to the caprice of one party.

ST. PAUL’S CATHEDRAL. LONDON, Nov. 1. After three years’ constant work, utilising the funds subscribed from all parts of tbe Empire, the restoration of tl e piers in tbe crypt of St. Paul’s has been completed. At first the interior of the pillars was grouted out ' and steel bars inserted; then cement was pumped in at high pressure, con- . verting the pillars into solid hoicks of reinforced concrete. Many of the iron tie bars linking tbe piers with bastions, which Sir Christopher Wren ed, were found broken, and these have been replaced with steel tie bars that will stand a strain of 600 tons. Engineers are now working upon the columns supporting the dome, which will occupy another four years.

BULGAR.TAN STREET MURDER LONDON, Nov. 2.

A Belgrade correspondent states the township of Iskip was the scene of another street murder, when unknown men in an automobile shot dead two residents. Mikailo and Rist.a Mihailoff, father and brother of the renowned Macedonian leader Vaiitche Mihailoff. It. is supposed the crime was an act of vengeance against Yantche who is regarded as the main instigator of the murder of General Kovatohevitch, who was shot dead in Iskip several weeks