GENERAL CABLE NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 285, 25 April 1913, Page 6

GENERAL CABLE NEWS.

TWENTY LOST GIRLS. IMMIGRANTS GO ASTRAY. (Sydney Sun's Special Service). Chicago, April 15. The immigration authorities are unable to trace the 20 Swedish girl immigrants who disappeared mysteriously a fortnight ago while travelling from New York to Chicago. It is suspected that they have been kidnapped and are locked up in a disorderly house by whiteslavers. The Norwegian and Danish branches of the Young Women's Christian Association are emphasising a request to the authorities to search for the missing girls systematically. The Baltimore-Ohio llailroad Company admitted to-day that it is unable to trace the girls. DANCED 16,000 MILES. COUNTESS' REVELATIONS. London, April 15. Some remarkable memoirs have just been published in St. Petersburg by Countess Lamsdorff, widow of Count LamsdorfT, the well-known Russian statesman.

The Countess evidently kept a strict record of all the dances in which she participated from time to time: She is able to tell that she took part in 2934 square dances, 4500 waltzes and 000 polkas, her partners altogether numbering 1700. Describing the people with whom she has danced, she says that she found 1200 stupid, 300 boresome, 120 offensive, only 12 who were "nice," and tliree who were witty. The Countess makes the interesting calculation that in all the dances shfi took part, she covered a distance equal to 10,000 miles. PLAYS THAT FAIL. CRITICS SAY THEY ARE BAD. London, April 15. Twenty new plays have been produced during a month at West End theatres, and of these twelve have been failures. The managers attribute this to the craze for revues, which are being staged in increasing' numbers at the leading Vaudeville houses. But the critics say that the non-success of the new ventures has been because the plays were too bad to succeed. MARTYR TO SCIENCE. ' BLIND AFTER 30 YEARS. London, April 15. Dr. Delagc. professor of zoology at the University of Sorbonne, lias become' blind after HO years' work, through continually looking through scientific instruments. He continues his laboratorywork with the aid of a lady assistant, PREFERS THE Y.M.C.A. AMBASSADORSHIP REFUSED. London, April 15. Dr. John Mott, the well-known traveller and'lecturer,'has refused the American Ambassadorship at Pekin, believing that he still ought to travel and continue his addresses to students. Dr. John R. Mott has been closely connected with the Y.M.C.A. movement for many years, and in his various high capacities in that Association lias travelled the world lecturing to young men students. He is also an author of note. REDUCTION OF ARMAMENTS. SWITZERLAND LEADS THE WAY. London, April 15. The political parties in Switzerland have invited the members of the German and French Parliaments to a conference to consider the question of the reduction of armaments. " SINGER AND VIOLINIST. AMERICAN-JAPANESE TRAGEDY. San Francisco, April 15. The evidences of a terrible struggle were found by the persons who searched the dooms of George Mchida, a Japanese violist, at Oaklands last night. Two of the windows were smashed, and the furniture was overturned and broken. On the floor were the bodies of Mchida and Anna Pierce, a preLty voting Oregon singer. ISolh had gaping bullet wounds in the head. The police believe that the girl was enticed to Mchida's rooms, but when she discovered her position she had tried to 'vy-iipe. Mchida, driven to madness, had then killed her and himself. He was \live when found, but made no statement. He died a few minutes afterwards. A letter to her father was found among the girl's .property. It hinted that tme Japanese violinist had been over-attentive to her and had threatened her with a revolver.

BATHES FOR SALE. CHEAPER THAX POODLES. Boston, April 15. Mrs. Charlotte. .Smith declares that trafficking in babies is a common trade in Boston, diving evidence before the State Legislative Committee on Public Health she said babies could he bought from 8s upwards. She herself had bought babies, and knew where she could get plenty more. "The idol in most Boston homes." said Mrs. Smith, "is the black poodle dog. They cost from £2O to £2OO, but you can get a baby at from 8s to £l2, according to whether it is a blonde or a brunette." SHOT BY BABY DAUGHTER. CARELESS USE OF REVOLVER. London, April 15. John lfepting. a well-known jeweller, of Stirling, was shot dead yesterday by his little daughter. The man was examining some papers, and had opened his safe. A revolver was lying in the safe, and he placed it on a table behind him. While working over the papers his little daughter entered the room without his hearing her. She picked up the revolver, and it went oil', shooting Hepting through the back and killing him. HEROIC PRIEST. SAVES WOMAX FROM A FIRE. London. April 15. Exciting scenes were witnessed at a fire that broke one in a Roman Catholic presbytery occupied by the Rev. Father Rooney at Sheffield yesterday. The housekeper awoke and found the house on lire, and that it was impossible to escape by way of the staircase. The priest knotted several sheets together, secured one end around the terrified woman, and the other to a bed. and lowered her a distance of 50ft to the street. Afterwards lie himself climbed down the improvised rope, amid tlie cheers of the spectators.

I JAPAN AS AN ALLY. I CANADA'S CONGRATULATIONS. London, April 15. The measure introduced into the Canadian Senate to extend the Japanese tre&ty has passed its third reading. The Liberal leader congratulated the Government on-entering into closer relations with -a great Oriental Power, and said that the nation's friendship with Japan was desirable. It might one day be found comfortable to have so powerful a friend and ally in the Pacific. PETROL FROZEN. NEW AEROPLANE DANGER. London, April 15. Two military aviators flying at Farnborough had a serious accident on account of the intense cold. They were flying at a height of 1000 ft, when the petrol became frozen, the carburetter refused to act, and the engine stopped. The pilot started to volplane to the earth, and was gliding downward in sweeping spirals, when the machine suddenly dropped like a stone straight to the ground. The pilot had his spine injured and the mechanic had his shoulder dislocated. ROYAL ADVICE. DEAD KING AND HIS SON. London April 15. The will of the late King George of Greece contains the prayer that his son will let the night pass before coming to any momentous decision, and that he will never take any step while in a passion.

It also expresses the hope that the , new king will also let the interests of ' his first. COLONEL ASTOR'S MILLIONS. London, April 15. The will of Colonel Astor, who was one of the victims of the Titanic (lisas- j ter, has been proved at £17,000,000. Ilis Bon inherits £15,000,000 of the total. J PETROL DRIVEN TRAINS. i London, April 15. J A Daimler petrol-driven railway car | was tried at Nuneaton yesterday, and made several satisfactory journeys, cov- j ering eight miles in 12 minutes. THREE FOR ONE JOB. j JOHN BURNS AND LABOR POST. London, April 15. Mr. John Burns, M.P., Mr. Tom Mann, and Air. N. Barnes, M.P., a former occupier of the position, have been nominated for the secretaryship of the Amalgamated Society of Engineers. The post is worth £234 a year, witli house, coal and light free. Trades unionists are wondering whether Mr. John Burns will combine the secretarial -work with his Ministerial duties if he is elected. LONG LIVE ANARCHY KING ALFONSO'S ASSASSIN. London, April 16. The Madrid police have discovered; that King Alfonso's asasilant, Rafael Sanchez Alcgre, is not a Catalonian, as at first reported, but a Frenchman, who was engaged as a professor of languages in the Spanish capital. The King had a wonderfully narrow escape from death, the second shot that was tireel at him scorching the glove of on® hand, and wounding the horse on Which he was mounted. ■Upon being interrogated by the police, the assassin declared that he yielded to a sudden impulse, and that his desperate act was not premeditated. The police, however, upon searching Alegrc, found in his possession a letter addressed to his wife, which ran: My Dear,—This is the last letter I shall write to you. You are morally the author of my deed. If you had sent me what I asked I should not have committed an outrage for which they are going to shoot me. You Will always be the wife of a regicide. When yon receive this letter the outrage will already have been consummated. Long live anarchy!— Your companion, , SANCHEZ. , The woman who was arrested after the shooting is reported to be Alegre's mistress. She avers that she was not acquainted witli her lover's plans.

l; CATASTROPHES! OF WAR." POWER OF THE PRESS. LORD ROSEBERY'S PLEA. London, April 13. Lord Rosebery, speaking at a press biinqnot t De Keyser's, Hotel, on tlie Thames Embankment, last night, remarked that the power of the press was enormous. He continued:— "With regard to peace or war, you have paramount influences. You can either magnify or minimise them. I pray you in the issues which involve either to diminish them as ■ much--as possible. ' • • • "You may sometimes in .the lmrry'iof journalism forget the great principles which must be inherent in journalism.' As you write, you may, on the impulse of the moment, or in defence against aggressive journalism abroad, . forget your obligation to your own country.. "[ would ask you when such an issue may occur—and God knows the atmosphere is electrical enough at this moment —not to say the word that would iinnecessarily bring with it the innumerable catastrophes of war."