MOTHER COUNTRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 31 May 1918, Page 5

MOTHER COUNTRY.

NEGOTIATIONS AS TO PRISONERS. WSSIBIE MEETING AT TBE HAGUE. Beeeived May SO, 8.30 p.m. London, May '29. In the House oi Lords, Lord Newton, referring to the negotiations regarding prisoner?, said the Government Lad already suggested a meeting at The Hague to discuss matters of acute difficulty wjiicti had arisen, and the British Government accepted the suggestion, on condition that under the scheme the exchange of prisoners should be amongst the aabjeotf of di»eunion.—Press Assoc. CEREAL PRODUCTION. * MARKED INCREASE. Received May 30, 8.20 p.m. London, May 29. It is officially estimated that since 1918 two and a halt million acres have been added to the tilled lands in England and ..ales, three hundred thousand acres in Seotiand, and one and a hall' million in Ireland.

The acreage devoted to wheat Is 30 per cent., oats 85 ptr cent., potatoes 30 per cent. It is estimated that if the yield reaches the average the next harvest will give forty weeks' supply of bread and an additional half million tons of amimal foodstuff. The harvest of 1910 •applied only eleven weeks' supply of bread, and in 1917 thirteen weeks'.— (Press Assoc. PAYMENT OF LOAN INTEREST. ARRANGEMENTS TO RE-DTVBSTIXG. Received May 30, 8.30 pm. London, May 30. Payment on Saturday is to be made of ovel fifty milhoni sterling for interest on war loans* Mr. Bomr Law is arranging with the banks in the hope of securing the re-investment of the money in war bonds. The banks have agreed to give generous advances •gainst war boil a, AN OFFICER'S RISE Major Oeeil Humphries, of the Cornwall Regiment (a New Zealander, belonging to ChrMchurcE) has been awarded a tor to the Military Cross and promoted to lieutenant-colonel He has risen from the ranks daring the warPENSIONS IN GREAT BRITAIN. London, Kay 29. Mr Hodge, Minister of Pensions, In the Hoaae of Commons, said it was nerilSlrj to create a new department to dial with the provision of artificial also an experimental laboratory to enable inventions to be e*ploited for tbe benefit of disabled men. Up to the end of April 341,025 disabled men had received pensions. The percentage of the various causes included: Eyesight 28 per cent., leg amputation 28 per cent., am amputation 1-4 per cent., tuberculosis H- 0 P« r eent -' heart diseases 10.3 per cent., nervous diseases mat under 8 per cent., insanity 7.5 per cent., frost-bite 9 per cent., deafness 2 per cent.—Aus. N.Z. Cable AsMQtttiOO* A BYE-ELECTION. Received May 30, 9.40 p.m. London, May 29. The Wansbeek bye-election resulted: Mason (Coalitionist) 5814, Edwards (miHn' candidate) 5167.—Renter.