GENERAL CABLES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 443, 5 December 1908, Page 3

GENERAL CABLES.

New York, December 8. A highly sensational incident has occurred here.

Four armed men and three women boarded a traracar in the heart of the city at three o’clock this morning. They murderously assaulted the conductor, and robbed 65 passengers of jewellery and money. The gang then decamped. Capetown, December 3.

A memorial to Commandant Scheepers and his companions who were shot as rebels during the Boer war, has been unveiled at Graaf Reinet, Cape Colony.

Ex-President Steyu sent a message declaring that if Scheepers had done anything conflicting with the laws, he only obeyed the instructions of his superiors. “ But,” Mr Steyu added, “I am unaware that anything conflicting with the laws was done.”

Port-au-Pkince, December 3. The people ot Port-au-Prince, capital of the Black Republic ot Haiti, rose and termed a provisional Government, with General Legitime as President. London, December 3.

In the course of a speech Sir Hiram Maxim (the inventor of the automatic system of fire arms, aud an eminent student of aerial flight) asserted that aeroplanes will be a very important military weapon. They will, he declares, enable the bombardment of towns from great distances, and will create a revolution in warfare equal to that resulting from the invention of gunpowder. London, December 3.

A by-election tor the Chelmsford Division of Essex, caused by the resignation of Sir F. C. Rasch (Conservative), resulted in the return of Mr Pretyman, a Taiiffite. Mr Pretyman defeated the Libe* ral candidate, Mr A. H. Dence (Sir F. C. Rasch’s opponent at the general elections) by 2555 votes. The figures are : Mr Pretyman 6x42 Mr Deuce 3587 Majority 2555 Berlin, December 3.

In the Reichstag a debate took place on various motions for reforming the Imperial Constitution in the matter of Ministerial responsibility, presented by the Centre, the Radicals, the Social Democrats, aud Poles. In the absence of the Chancellor (Prince Bulow), the Minister for the Interior (Herr von Beth-mann-Hollweg) explained that the federated Governments were unable to adopt a definite attitude before they had been allowed an opportunity of considering the Reichstag’s definite decisions.

The speeches indicated a wide divergence of views. The debate was adjourned.