GENERAL NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 February 1920, Page 6

GENERAL NEWS.

A FRENCH TRAITOR, j % , By Telecrarh.—rresa Assn.- Copyr'stit. London, Feb. 22. A court-martini at Lille sentenced to death Wiart, who during the occupation betrayed members of the anti-espionage organisation at Cambrai and caused thirty to be arrested, of whom two were shot. IMPERIAL PREFERENCE SCHEME. Simla, Feb. 22. A Government Committee has been appointed to devise a scheme for preferential duties on Empire-grown products.— Times. . , U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE. Washington, Feb. 22. Mr. Bainbridgc Colby, a. Booseveltian Progressive, has been appointed to succeed Mr. Lansing as Secretary ox State. —Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. GALE AT FIJI. Suva, Feb. 20. A gale raged at Taviuni and Labasa on Tuesday night, thence travelling to the south-east. The storm-centre is probably on the eastern edge of the Fiji group, and the Law Islands may be damaged. The coconut crops in Taviuni were I considerably damaged. Suva suffered no damage. There are no advices from Levuka, as the telephone is down. SNoW IN JERUSALEM. Jerusalem, Feb. 23. The heaviest snowstorm since 1860 occurred on February 15, and caused damage to the extent of a quarter of a million sterling. It. brought down the famous tree EI Butmi, where culprits were hanged. According to local tradition the fall of the tree synchronises with the fall of the Turkish Empire. The populace was most impressed by the omen.—Reuter.

empj.be statistics. f „ . London, Feb. 24. At a farewell dinner u> the oversea delegates to the Imperial Statistical Conference, a letter from Colonel Amery, Under-Secretary for the Colonies, was read, emphasising the necessity of the fullest possible statistics with regard to trade, agriculture, mining, finance, population, the cost of living, labor and migration, and their proper co-ordination in order to develop and utilise the resources of the Empire to the fullest extent. He was sure that the deliberations of the conference had greatly contributed to the attainment of that end which he would do everything in his power to further.— I Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. DISPOSAL OF GERMAN SHIPS. Washington, Feb. 20. President Wilson informed the Senate that the Allies had agreed that the Powers shall retain respectively those German vessels which each Power seized, but where the seized ships exceeded the losses suffered through sinkings by the Germans, the Reparations Commission will deduct the value of the excess of vessels from the amount of reparation Ger-. many must pay.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.