THE UNREST IN RUSSIA.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7714, 17 January 1905, Page 3

THE UNREST IN RUSSIA.

MINISTERS AND THE CZAR. Opposition to Statute Law. (Received Jan. 16, 9.30 p.m.) St. PETERSBURG, Jan. 16. The Council of Ministers strongly opposes the Czar's desire to replace arbitrary Ministerial rule by statute law, and the censorship over the provincial press has been increased. Newspapers are not permitted to publish the Czar's decree as cabled on December 27th, but they are allowed to publish the Government's circular menacing the Zemstvos if they exceed their powers. A STUDENT'S EXPLOIT. EX-CHIEF OF POLICE SHOT. St. PETERSBURG, Jan. 10. While General Trepoff, cx-Chicf of Police, was escorting the Grand Duke Sergrus to the Moscow railway station a student fired three times with a revolver, hitting Trepoff once. (Received Jan. 16, 10.14 p.m.) LONDON, Jan. 16. General Trepoff had been relieved of his post, and ordered .to join General Kuropatkin. THE CENSORED DECREE. The Czar's decree, which was addressed to the Senate, was entitled "A Scheme for the Improvement of State Administration." It emphacised the immutability of the fundamental laws, and the wisdom of distinguishing between real interests and transitory circumstances, and introducing innovations when the need for a change is shown. The nature of the Ministers' proposals for ameliorating the condition of the peasantry was under examination, and instructions were given to bring the peasantry laws into harmony with the general Imperial law. Firstly, it was directed, there must be legal redress for citizens' grievances arising from arbitrary acts, inasmuch as the exercise ,of authority entails official responsibility ; secondly, the scope of local and municipal institutions should be extended, and all sections of the population called, on equable conditions, to participate therein ; thirdly, to ensure the equality of all before the law the necessary unity of judicial procedure and insure the independence of the courts was urged ; fourthly, attention must be given to State insurance of workmen ; fifthly, the revision of exceptional laws with a view of restricting thej limitations of individual eights to cases where the actual safety of the State is threatened, was provided for ; sixthly, a revision of the laws to insure religious freedom was suggested ; seventhly, limitations of the rights of foreigners and the natives of certain terrirories were to be maintained only for the Empire's interests and as the people's needs required ; eighthly, the removal of unnecessary press rcstricsions was proposed. Ministers were directed to submit to the Czar their earliest decisions, elaborating the aforementioned measures in their prescribed order.