GENERAL CABLES.

Hokitika Guardian, 16 December 1927, Page 2

GENERAL CABLES.

(By Telegraph—Per Press RACE AGAINST DISASTER. LONDON, Dec. 15. The Economic Conference was resumed at the Guildhall. Mr Percy MacKinnan, Chairman of Lloyds, declared unsound the tendency in the Dominions and foreign countries to confine and restrict the insurance business of their nationals to certain channels approved by particular governments. When the whole burden of a great disaster fell on the nationals of one country, settlements might necessitate the liquidation of the country’s assets at a time when their value was depressed and exchanges were naturally against theiHjy.* Sir George Paish, stressing the urgency of tariff abolition, said: “We are engaged in a race against disaster. It is a question whether we will win or lose.”

ANGLO-1 BAQ TREATY. LONDON. Dee. 15. The revised Anglo-Iraq treaty was signed at the Colonial Office hv Mr Onnsliy Gore, on Itehalf of the Government, and the Prime Minister of Iraq. It is couched in general language, and provides certain conditions for the termination of the British mandate, and Iraq’s entry into the League, sponsored by Britain, by 1932. The most important sections of the agreement relating to future military and financial relations, have still to be worked out in the shape of separate anneves, hut it is regarded as almost certain that squadrons of the Air Force will continue to be maintained in Iraq.

BRITISH POLITICS. LONDON, Dee. 15. Debating an item of £3.090,0CX) on the supplementary estimates for China, Mr O. P. Trevelyan and Mr J. Wedgwood, other Labourite s urged the withdrawal of the force and treatment of China as an equal. Air Lloyd George said he was firmly convinced that no Government confronted by the same conditions, could have failed to send an expedition to China. It would have lieen utterly futile to back up one of the rival generals or bandits. Air Locker Lampson. replying said that Britain was prepared to grant China tariff antomomy and to surrender Weihaiwci, directly there was anybody available to negotiate with. The vote was carried by 242 to 103.

KING OF AFGHANISTAN. RUGBY, Dee. 9. The King of Afghanistan, accompanied hv the Queen and the Royal suite, lias left. Kabul for his European tour, and is expected to reach London in March. He has been invited to stay with King George, and will remain at Buckingham Palace on an official visit of three days, after which lie will tour several provincial towns of interest, and inspect various industrial works. He is travelling, via Quetta and Karachi, to Bombay, where lie will be received by the Viceroy, Lord Irwin. He will then embark in the liner Rajputana for Egypt, where lie will he the guest of King Fuad. The first European capital to he visited will* l>o Rome, where King Aninmilla will stay with the King of Italy and will meet Signor Mussolini. He will proceed thence to Paris as the guest of the French Republic, afterwards crossing to England. Subsequently Brussels, Berlin and Moscow will he visited, and the return to Afghanistan will probably be made via Central Asia.—British Official AVireless.

PROPOSED SURTAX. RUGBjK Dec 1 . 12. Air Phillip Snowden, who was Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government, referring to the Labour Party’s proposal for a 2s surtax on personal income from investments, said yesterday that while he favoured the principle of the surtax he did not think it would realise anything approaching the estimated yield; of £8.000,000. He emphasised that in any case the tax should bo used only for debt reduction. Sir John Simon. Liberal leader, in a public speech during tlie week-end. condemeud the suggested surtax. CIVILIANS KILLED IN WAR. LONDON, Dee. 15. In the Commons Sir Samuel Hoare, in answer to a question said that the civilians in Britain killed by German aircrafts during tli War totalled 1117. BRITISH SUGAR BEET. LONDON, Dec. 15. Discussing tlie beet sugar subsidy, Mr W. Runeiman soniplained, in the Commons, that it would reach the staggering total of twenty millions in the course of ten years; and, mereover, the lion’s share was going to rectory owners and not to the farmers. The Minister of Agriculture, in justifying the subsidy, said that 11 metoo n beet sugar factories were now in operation. Tile vote was agreed to.