OFFICIAL WIRELESS

Hokitika Guardian, 16 January 1929, Page 6

OFFICIAL WIRELESS

MINER’S FEDERATION. PARLIAMENTARY CANDIDATES. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, Jan. 11. As a result of the depression in the coal-mining industry, the Miners’ Federation lias boon faced with the question of providing adequate funds to enable it to have a sufficient number of Parliamentary candidates at the coming general election. The federation, at a meeting to-day, however, decided to run the same number of candidates as last time, and in order to meet the expenditure adopted a scheme whereby the political fund is to be readjusted so that the richer districts will contribute to the support of poorer districts. Members of Parliament representing the miners have agreed on voluntary reductions of their allowances from the federation.

COLLISION IN CHANNEL. GERMAN STEAMER DAMAGED. RUGBY, Jan. 11. Early this.morning a collision occurred in ; the Channel, near the Goodwin Sands', between the German steamship Dioirc, of 1100 tons, and the Swedish steamer Osmed, of 1500 tons. Rockets were fired, and the Dover tugs Lady Brassey and Lady Duncannon went to the assistance of the vessels, while the Walmer lifeboat was also launched.. The Dionc was badly holed amidships and an hour later was grounded at St. Margaret’s Bay. The tugs in the meantime stood by. Efforts to repair the damage and refloat the ship arc being made. ’ The Osmed, with her bows dented, was able to proceed.

AIR LINE TO INDIA. SERVICE TO COMMENCE IX APRIL. REGBY, January 13. Imperial Airways will open in April a 5000 miles Empire mail route, which will bring India within six days of London. The journey will be- made in daily stages. Passengers and-mails, leaving London on the morning of the first day by a Ilandley-Pagc Napier air liner, will fly to Basle. Here they will take the train under the Alps to Genoa, where on the second day they will embaric on- all metal (lying boats and cross the Mediterranean to Cairo. That flight will take two days. The flight across the desert from Cairo to Basra, via Bagdad, will be - on the fourth day, wbjle the journey dO\Vn the Pcrsiap .Gulf to Karachi will take the remaining two days-.

It is propose'! 1 to extend -the route across..lndia to 1 Calcutta, and then via Singapore to Australia. A branch line from Capo Town will ultimately connect with the main lino at Cairo.

CHANNEL LIFEBOAT. LARGEST IN THE WORLD. ' RUGBY, Jan. 13 The new lifeboat which is to be used in the Channel, mainly for the assistance of trans-Channel aeroplane* which might bo in distress, will lie tb” largest in the world, and will have a speed of eighteen knots. The boat will be the first to l>c fitted with wireless telephony. She will be sixty-four feet long., with two cabins, to bold about fifty people. The boat will be lighted by electricity and will have searchlights and a line-throwing gun. The motor-power will be from two 375 horse-pow.or engines of the type used on coastal motor-boats in the Navy.