GENERAL CABLES.

Taihape Daily Times, 10 June 1918, Page 4

GENERAL CABLES.

HUGHES' ARRIVAL IN ENGLAND, Received 9.5 a.m. LONDON, June &. 9 Newspapers are making a feature of the arrival of Mr. W. M. Hughes, and the probable influence of his speeches on Imperial affairs. 1 HEROIC SELF-SACRIFICE. * Received 9.25 a.m. LONDON, June S. Tie Albert Medal in Gold has been awarded to Lieut. Thorner. He was examining hand grenades in a dugout in France when one began to fizz. Realizing there was no method of disposing of the bomb Thorner shouted to twelve men to clear out of the dugouts and himself held the bomb against his body till it ; exploded Thorner was killed instantly. The rest escaped. Two being slightly wounded. UNION OF THE YELLOW RACES. OPERATIONS NOT CONFINED TO THE ORIENT. Received 9.40 a.m. TOKIO, June 9. Major-General Ngaki, who negotiated the Chino-Japanese agreement, states it is not limited to defence, and its scope is not confined to th^Orient. Peking messages point out the pub. lication of the Notes exchanged between China and Japan throws no light on the rumours of Japanese control of the training and organisation of the Chinese Army. The" fear Is growing that Japanese control may become general in China.

BRITISHERS TORTURED. , LONDON, June S. An escaped naval reservist relates retaliation for the alleged murder of thirty-six Germans at Libau. The authorities decided to kill thirtysix British. They took a larger number and tied them to poles, on which, they were suspended for fourteen nights for 2* hours, with their toes barely touching the ground. Many were frozen solid. Fourteen died. The authorities sent ten prisoners, attired as sailors, aboard a destroyer and provided them with coffee and cigarettes. This was filmed under the title "Our noble Navy's kindness to the brutal enemy."

BOYCOTTING GERMANS J* Received 10.5 a.m. LONDON, June iB. The Yarn Workers' Conference'ntias resolved to boycott Germans for five years after-the' war.. '■ ;nu;\ A MUNITIONS SCANDAL. Received 10.5 a.m..;. LONDON, June. 8. An extraordinary revelation has been made' in the Auditor-General's report on National munition factories. There is a complete breakdown in Headquarters' records of materials, despatched to* and from factories. The factories also failed to keep adequate records. Stock-taking revealed great shortages. Accounts show that 144 national factories produced 235 millions' worth of wire materials. The Ministry frequently sent no invoices. In one case out of £38,000,000 paid for materials, supplied, £15,885,000 represents materials for which no Invoices were received. In another case, after a firm of chartered accountants certified to the accounts the factoryaccountant discovered an error amounting to £3,000,000 in respect of value of materials supplied. Cases exist where the reconciliation of costs account with the financial books is impossible. Government's rolling'mill was estimated to cost £500,000, but £1,200,000 was spent, a number of important items being omitted from the original estimate, while the actual output has fallen far r;hort of the estimated capacity of the factory.