MISCELLANEOUS.

Hokitika Guardian, 11 February 1928, Page 4

MISCELLANEOUS.

j (Australian & N.Z. Cable Association.) | MODERN AA'AIRFARE. BERLIN'. Feb. 9. ! The second part of the official Gerj man war film, shown yesterday, uc- • knowledges that Germany's fate was i sealed at the end of 1910, owing to j her failure to break through the Allies’ g lines and gain their objective. The ■ film is historically accurate and shows 1 Ihe horrors of modern warfare. S NEW GI N PLANKS. , LONDON. Feb. 10. * Major \Y. I. K. .Jennings of the \ New Zealand Staff Corps has complet- ! ed the first course of the Imperial I Defence College of the Air Ministry, I and made a successful trial in the ■ new fighting plane “Westland Jupij cl -” a AA'estbury machine which ca i'll | jes two small cannon firing explosive 3 shells, instead of machine guns. It i is understood that the new gunplanes solve the difficulty of recoil. \ SUBMARINES FOR BRITAIN, j LONDON, Feb. 9. 1 The Vickers-Armstrong Company has I received an order from the Admiralty j for ‘four submarines of the P. ( lass. "5 and two otlies are to be built else- \ where. 1 U.y. PRESIDENCY. 4 AYASHINGTON. Feb. 9. The La Follette resolution has again ~j become the vehicle of debate in the “1 Senate, in which President Coolidge’s Hi intention is discussed at great length. Senator Foss declared that the President '' wants to get out of office,” and •• means what he says,” but under the hectoring from the Democrats he said he thought a contingency might arise In which the Republican Convention would nominate Coolitlge again, ami Senator Fess contended that the President could accept nomination. Senator Walsh said the resolution was it reflection on the President’s high character. Insurgent Republicans hacked by a considerable number of Democrats, might succeed in forcing the resolution through, when the vote was reached, probably to-morrow, in which event it will unquestionably hamper the efforts to draft Mr Coolitlge at the last moment. Rumours have been gaining currency lately that certain Republican leaders have planned to force a deadlock during the early balloting at the ( onvention, and thereafter take advantage of the situation to secure the unanimous nomination of Mr Coolitlge. A wave of enthusiasm for Senator La I'ollette's resolution is looked upon as a definite effort to minimise such a possibility. SHARP EARTHQUAKE. OTTAWA. Eel). 9. Vancouver Island was shaken hv an earthquake at I o'clock this morning, accompanied by a rumble, which wakened thousands of people. The shock was the sharpest at the •Ramfield Cable Station, where fishermen reported two tidal waves. CANT IMPRISONED. (Received this day at 9.30 tt.in). LONDON. Feh. 10. Three months’ imprisonment was imposed on Captain Cant, who pleaded guilty to embezzling CISO belonging to the New Zealand Government. The Prosecutor said the Government sent Cant to navigate a motor vessel from Ireland to New Zealand, placing certain monies at his disposal and while Cant was in Ireland Sir -lames Parr was informed there were certain charges awaiting him in New Zealand. Sir .lames Parr telegraphed ( ant releasing him from his duties. Cant shortly disappeared taking ifLoU of New Zealand money, and he surrendered to the police on February Ith. Cant in the dock said: ” 1 did not know what I was doing. Some power swept over me. These charges in New Zealand arc line t<> unscrupulous junior officers who lotto stabbed me in the hack eleven thousand miles I com home.” The Magistrate said it is impossible that the charges were trivial ones ' The allegation of “ personal misconduct ” might merely have been drunkenness. HUGE NAVAL EXPENDITURE. WASHINGTON. Feh. 19. According to the official Navy Department estimate .submitted to the House Naval Commiitee it is proposed to have a five year naval programme with (onstruetion already begun, which would cost 4,176,42(>,0(K! dollars. Seventy-one new ships would he laid down in five years, beginning in 1929 and would be completed in 1937. T he expenditures would be spread over the period from 1929 fo 1937. Some members of the Committee claim the enormous figures of the programme would cost far more than the eight hundred millions- originally submil- ' fied; The total includes an annual outlay of approximately 147 millions for nine years, plus a maintenance appropriation of between three hundred and three hundred and fifty millions yearly. The grand total includes aeroplanes and the personnel necessary to man five aircraft carriers, and twenty-five cruisers. A total of 1499 new planes would he necessary, with an increase of 29.C00 men required to man all the proposed additional ships. AUCTIONS. AYASHINGTON, Feh. Ii). Bids for three United States Paci-i lines opened and are being referred to the Merchant Fleet Corporation for consideration. | Two bids were received for the American-Oriental line of seven ships. The Admiral of the Oriental lines offered (570,357 dollars 21) cents, while a ■ : business men’s syndicate from Tacoma | (AA’iishington) offered 09(5,903. K 1 Dawson on behalf of the Portland, Oregon, Corporation, not yet organised offered 1.005,000 dollars for the Oregon Oriental and Matson Navigation ami j American-Hawaiian Coy’s offered a j joint bid of 1,981,775 dollars 50 cents j for the Anierica-Australian Orient line, consisting of twenty-one ships. A SEVERE STORM. (Received this dav at 9.30 a.m.) SYDNEY. Fob. 11. A’esterday’s; storm is described as • one of the severest experienced in Sydncy. The wind reached a velocity of Jilty-i'our miles per hour. ( irmneys and walls were blown down, and buildings were unroofed. At Druinmoyne the electric cable was blown down. The police had to form a cordon round it to protect pedestrians till repairs were effected. At Auburn a tree was struck by lightning and eighteen workmen nearby were thrown to the ground i and dazed. The storm lasted only a little over an hour. Fifty-five points i of rain were recorded at the weatherbureau. but many suburbs reported I over an inch. On the northern fore- i shores of the harbour jagged haii fell, t some of the stones being more than half an inch thick. At Neutral Bay t manv windows were broken. Similar c storms were reported from the country t districts, where many wash-outs on the I railways occurred. o ... a THE BRIBING CHARGES. s SYDNEY, Feb. 11. t In an official statement telegraphed v front Hobart. R. X. Kirk, one of the si Directors of the Stockton Borehole Col- n: leries stated he paid Hoare a bonus S' to keep the mine working. He says P 1

or a long time the colliery was subected to irritation tactics and lengthy toppages. The situation became in-olei-able. It was thought the Presilent of the Miners’ Federation might >e disposed to consider arrangements For maintaining peace. ‘lt seemed ivortli while paying the President of die Federation an insurance premium, jusoil on the tonnage output to secure continuity in the work of the colliery, ind induce the men to obey the awards. .Afr Kirk says: “I did not disclose the details to the co-directors or the Secretary of the Company who were quite unaware of the payments made to or through Hoare. Such payments were made by me out of the selling convinssion paid to me by the Colliery Coy. and from an allowance made by the Broken Hill Proprietary Coy, which was anxious to keep the pit regularly at work in the interests of the steel works. DIED OF INJURIES. LONDON, Feb. 10. Alfred Webb, the victim of the shooting aiming the struggle with a burglar in a Bayswater Flat, died of injury. CRICKET CRTTICTSM. LONDON. Fob. 10. After allowance for all excuses, the fact remains that English cricket again failed says the “Daily .Alan,” chiefly because the batsmen do not know how to play fast bowling. Certainly the selectors did not regard Sou til African cricket seriously, and did not attempt to collect a representative team, but England’s bulling was disgusting. If South Africa U able to do this, heaven help us in Australia. Happily them i- .-till lime for younger player- to discover that length and spin in fouling pay hot. also that the way in play last howling is to go forward. It Larwood's knee recovers England will commence tin tour of Australia with a tremendousasset. Australia docs not possess ; pair of howiers equal to late anti Larwood. THE TIC AROMA EIRE. SERIOUS POSITION. AUCKLAND. Fell. 11. A'cstcrday afternoon the lire broke out afresh on Mount r l e Aruba. At (i. 30 tile left face of the hold spin broke into flames. The bracken blazed along a wide limit. Ihe alarm was given, and the Mayor canvassed the town for every available mail and hoy as fire heaters. In suite of all efforts, the desperate remedy had ti tie adopted of firing an area running parallel with the town’s water suppi\ mains. This served as a fire break hut the position towards midnight was still critical. The catchment area b -.till a roaring furnace. If the gale ionics up the light to save the Ti A folia’s beauty spots oil the mountain and domain will he a stern one. AY FI.CO ME RAIN. DUNEDIN. Kelt. 11. Between I p.m. yesterday and i this morning 1.31 inches of rain ha: fallen, relieving the drought condi tions. .Rain is also reported iron Otago Central where the drought wai acute. WfitrußwiiH B—ianruHnanni u