AMERICAN NEWS

Hokitika Guardian, 14 September 1928, Page 2

AMERICAN NEWS

SLANDER CAMPAIGN. Australian Press Assn.—United Service NEW' YORK, September 12. . A social whispering campaign, wbicli through the system.of malicious chain letters and word of mouth, has been spreading throughout the country, malicious gossip about Governor Smith which recounts the efforts that have been made to track down the slander to the effect that, upon a re- , cent occasion, lie (Smith) was so drunk that he was unable to make a schedule,] public address. A letter,.written by one woman in West Virginia, gave this alleged incident as coming from an eyewitness, a well-known citizen of that state. This was brought to the attention of the' Democratic National Committee. which, in turn, secured a state- i } meat from a noted Republican, who vhad been with Governor Smith on that day, showing that it was a lie. Governor Smith made a personal effort to secure a retraction from tho writer of tho letter, but thus far it has ■ been without success.

The Republican National Committee bus recently issued a statement deploring this whispering campaign, and saying that both of the candidates were being subjected to it. Governor Smith’s statement, however, with its consequent publishing of the names, forces the whole matter into the public attention, and puts the mud-slinging and the so-called bigotry talk into the ranks of the im-‘ , portnnt presidential issues.

SHOCKING FIRE TRAGEDY: (Received this day at 9.80 a.m). VANCOUVER, Sept. 13. A message from Snult Stemarie states six children of T. P. Payeur were burned to death when Mario Payeur, a cousin tried to revive a. smouldering fire in tbe kitchen stove with kerosene. Marie suffered burns and may die. The parents’ baby and daughter of thirteen escaped from the blaze.

EMIGRANTS FOR CANADA. VANCOUVER, Sept. 13. The Premier (Mr Tolmie) informed tho parliamentary delegates to-day that the Government was prepared to enter into negotiations to place British settlers on British Columbia lands. ■ ' He said: “ Let us get down to busi- > A noss: We are anxious to keep this British Columbia and want British Columbia to be British Columbia and nothing else.” The Premier made light of the present “ice-cream” hardship, compared with the pioneering days. There would always be some failures. If the Twelve Apostles came to British Columbia two or three would want to go fishing.

SUBMARINE SAFETY DEVICE. NEW YORK, Sept. 13. At Baltimore with the new submarine safety device- known ns Lunv, three navy divers proved that men entrapped in sunken undersea craft can safely escape. Tbe simple apparatus is an oxygen bag with a mouthpiece attachment. It is unofficially stated that the United States may thus equip each members of tho crews of its seventy-eight submarines.