GENERAL CABLES

Hokitika Guardian, 17 March 1928, Page 3

GENERAL CABLES

(Australian A N.Z. Cable Association. DEBATE IN LORDS. LONDON, March 15. There was an interesting debate ii the Lords on censorship of films, Lon Newton pointing out that any trumpery local authority in the country had the power to exhibit whatever was tin Cabinet’s opinion, yet if a censorship liecsesary for plays it was infinitely more necessary for films which thousands of millions saw in a single year, being an average of twenty-five time a year for every man, woman and child. Films which have injurious effect on relations with foreign powers should he considered by the Lord Chamberlain, whose decision should he final. Lord Crawford urged the unfairness in stating a Minister who perhaps had not seen the- film could bar an enterprise costing the promoters thirty thousand. Perhaps the War Office, Admiralty, and Colonial and India Office would similarly put on a ban. Lord Asquith said the members of the film industry were anxious for security. Lord Buckmaster said he had seen the banned film "Dawn.” There was nothing objectionable in the first acts hut the final was morbid and must not be permitted. Lord Desborough on behalf of the ff.evornment said the present hoard of film censors was well qualified. There were very few complaints hut any film not the least shocking in London ■might be shocking in Scotland. There were objections to any single body having universal control. BRIGANDS RATO. LONDON, March 15. The “Times” Riga correspondent reports a serious skirmish on the Roumanian frontier, by a great gang of brigands, who raided Soviet territory sixteen times, killing several officials on each occasion. The majority of the brigands were slain, and the frontier guards arrested fortv-oue. AFGHAN KING’S HURRIED DEPARTURE. | LONDON. March 15. The “Daily Express'’ states that the King and Queen of Afghanistan may return as soon as possible, as it is believed that conditions in Afghanistan are disturbed, as a plot has been discovered. GRANT FOR O’HIGGINS’ DEPENDENTS. DUBLIN, March 10. The Dail voted £20,000 to the. widow and two children of Kevin O’Higgins. BRITAIN’S BnmF-RATE. LONDON, March .b Bonuses for all babies are among the proposals to check the decrease in the British birth-rate, which is at present the lowest in Europe. Several members of Parliament, assisted by demographists, are drawing attention to France’s success in com- ■ bating the decrease. Their scheme includes a bonus for each baby and i other maternity benefits, further ic Ructions in income tnx for Famil'cs of 1 four and over, and cheaper railway, 1 bus and tram fares. It is also dcsir- i cd to give effect to the Queen’s ap- I peal for concerted action to lessen ! maternal mortality, which is now he ] tween ,1000 and 4000 a year. 1 Statisticians point out. that 1,500,- 5 000 marriages in Britain are childless t and 2,500,000 result in only one child. , The French National Alliance has , begun a new campaign for more bab- i ies. Its report emphasises that the -| whole of Europe is committing race j suicide. Babies are fewest in conn- i tries where sport is most popular, de- ( picting athletic women as sterile. . The birth rate has also sharply fallen •in countries having female suffrage, especially in Germany and Norway. I FRENCH COMMUNISTS SEN- A TENCED. i PARIS, March 15. “This trial again reveals an audac- . ions anti-French espionage plan, con- , ' ceivcd at the Third International at , Moscow, and proves French national defence is placed in the greatest peril,” declared the Judge, at the conclusion of the secret trial of thirteen persons, including a city councillor, an ex-employee of the Revenue De- ( partment; and a number of French , soldiers, charged with supplying mill- ■ tnry information to Soviet Agents. . The sentences ranged from five years { to six months. Mademoiselle Dou.se Chirac Secretary to the Communists, was sentenced in her absence to five years’ imprisonment. SLATER’S APPEAL. LONDON, March 15. The Secretary for Scotland has remitted the Oscar Slater ease to the f Scottish Court of Criminal Appeal. ( f