BRITISH AFFAIRS

Southland Times, Issue 18821, 14 May 1920, Page 5

BRITISH AFFAIRS

ALIEN LAWS. THE NATIONALISATION BILL. (By Telegraph.—Press Assn. —Copyright.) (Imperial News Service.) IjONDON, May 12. (Received May 13, 7.35 p.m.) The Aliens Naturalisation Bill, which is being introduced into the House of Lords, is published. Inter alia, the measure provides that no alien may be appointed to the civil service, nor as master, chief officer, or chief engineer of a British merchant vessel registered in the United Kingdom, exceptions being those who performed faithful service in the war. Aliens are also debarred from holding pilotage certificates, an exception being made in the case of French nationals using the ports of Newhaven and Grimsby. Special clauses are inserted providing special poweTs of nationalisation for British possessions, subject to the proviso in the case of the dominions that the measure must bo adopted by the legislatures of the dominions.

RAW COTTON SUPPLIES. PROPOSED INDUSTRY FOR QUEENSLAND. LONDON, May 12. (Received midnight, May 13.) The Hon. J. M. Hunter. Agent-General for Queensland, will proceed to Manchester on Friday to negotiate for cotton growing in Queensland, This has been a subject of correspondence for some months. Lancashire is particularly anxious to extend its sources of supply of, raw cotton in view of the increasing demands on the American and Egyptian crops, and the Chambers of Commerce have now invited Mr Hunter to discuss definite details. It is pointed out that big enterprise in cotton-growing in connection with soldiers’ settlements and otherwise is only justified if the present high prices of cotton continued or the Lancashire brokers, spinners, and others guaranteed to purchase the output at a fixed price over a period of years. Experiments conducted by the Imperial Institute and the Manchester Chamber of Commerce showed that Queensland cotton is of good marketable quality. WAR GRAVES. ASSISTANCE TO OVERSEAS VISITORS. LONDON, May 12. (Received May 13, 11.30 p.m.) A representative meeting at the New Zealand Office discussed plans for assisting visitors to graves in France. It was resolved to ask the New Zealand Red Cross Society to guarantee the necessary financial assistance. THE LAURENTIC’S TREASURE. A SALVAGE ENTERPRISE. LONDON, May 13. (Received May 14, 12.5 a.m.) The salvage steamer Racer has gone to the north of Ireland to salvage £3,000,000 remaining in the hold of the Laurentic, which lies twenty fathoms deep, where the pressure is fifty pounds to the square inch and divers can only remain below for half an hour. The Racer contains pumps capable of lifting 700 tons of mud per hour. It will be necessary to explode the ship’s plates until the safes are reached. The decks of the liner are so crushed that the height of the wreck is now only ten feet. The hull is so battered out of recognition that it took two months to discover the locality. The gold is in the strong room, which nvas twelve feet high but is now only a few inches.

WOMEN AT UNIVERSITIES. ADMISSION TO OXFORD CONVOCATION. LONDON, May 12. The Oxford Convocation passed unopposed a statute providing for the matriculation and admission of women. The Cambridge syndics are divided whether to take similar action or establish a separate university.