VARIOUS CABLES.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10563, 20 February 1912, Page 3

VARIOUS CABLES.

(United Press Association —By Electric Telegraph—Copyright TOTAMSATOK COMMISSION, tXXMPLETE KVIDENCE. MACHINE FAVOURED. (Received February 19, 9.15 a.n\.) SYDNEY, Februayr 19. T'iie 'New South Wales Totalisator Commission lias returned. Mr Levien, chairman, in an interview, stated that thero was a strong preponderance of evidence in all places visited in favour of the machine. Only two witnesses examined, one in New Zealand and the other in Victoria, advocated the bookmaker. Both praised the manner in which New Zealand racecourses' weir run. Ho mentioned tlmt the jockey'n room in Dunoditi was used as a Sunday School and preaching place. The weight of evidence was against allowing women to 'bet. Mr Wilson, another member of the Commission, declared that if lie was a member of a Xew Zealand racing elub lie would ardently support the tote, provided ln> was a public man without a conscience, because of th;' immense .amount of money it brings to chilis. The betting at Auckland was out of all proportion to anything else the Commission saw, including the Melbourne Cup day. The Commission were present at the Auckland meeting. The attendance was 30,000, and the totalisator .investments were £IB,OOO.

BILLIARDS. j STEVENSON DEFEATS GRAY. , (Received February 19, 8.10 a.m.) LONDON, February 18. j In the match, 18, COO up, Stevenson i ran out when Gray's score stood at j 16,503. ' ! Stevenson's score included a break \ of 225. Gray made a 'break of 471, '159 being"off the red. ' I i SIR EDWARD GREY. j speech at Manchester! j STRENGTH MUST BE MAINTAIN- ' ED. (Received February 19, 8.10 a.m.) j LONDON, February 18. | Sir E. Grey, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, in {he course of a -sec- | ond speech at Mancirestor, said : "We intended to preserve, unimpaired, our . ."pecial relationships and friendships. ■ and nothing therein contemplated an 1 aggressive policy towards, or precluded j goodwill to, any. Wherever suspicion ' or mistrust existed wo were ready to clear it away. No nation ought to be j offended if Britain maintained a proper margin of naval strength to meet ' any probable or likely combination, J otherwise we would risk being struck , down in Cirr own house without power j to resist it —a risk wherefrom some natioiLS protect themselves with large j .armies and whereto they ought easily, j to understand we cannot allow ourselves to be exposed." He added that the most serious question to their mind was the possi- I bility of a universal coal strike which, J would he the greatest catas- j trop'he in. our history. He trusted • wisdom could he found to avoid the rainous cost of learning in the school of experience what was learn able, beforehand. ■

NEGOTIATIONS PROCEEDING. . j (Received February 19, 9.15 a.m.) BERLIN 1 , February 18. . The Frankfurter Zeitung says that 1 negotiations between Sir E. Grey, > British Minister of Foreign Affairs, •and Dr. Bethmann-Hollweg, German Chancellor, of a general character, are progressing. BRITISH POLICY CRITOISED. i AGREEMENT WITH RUSSIA. . TO PLUNDER PERSIA. (Received February 19j 9.15 a.m.) BERLIN,- February 18. j Herr Ledebour, speaking in the j Reichstag, asserted that while in 1859 1 Mr successfully protested J agiiiiiiit King "Bomba's" conduct in i Naples, agreements were now being entered into with barbaric Russia to plunder Persia. i The Russian Government, he alleged, was also in communication with Germany. Herr Ledeibour, referring to the Agadir incident, added that the evidence) showed that Germany intended to lay hands on Morocco. : Her von Ki de rl in-Wa echte r, Minis - -- ter for Foreign Affairs, emphatically repudiated Herr Ledcbour's charges against a great neighbouring and friendly State. Ho declared that compensation outside of Morocco was expressly mentioned at the first Kissingen interview, and Herr Rlass, president of the Paiir-German Union, was infoimied in Uunei. . •', j; ji Germany dhi not wish a share in Morocco, 'He a'defeif, _ ; **!) Holt KiderlnirWaechter denied telling anyone that Germany wanted a part in Morocco or advising - propaganda with that object. COUNT AEHRENTHAL. DIES PEACEFULLY. DECORATED BY~TETE EMPEROR. (Received February 19, 8.15 a.m.) VIENNA, February 18._ Count Aehrenthal, Austrian Minister for Foreign Affairs, is dead. Ho said farewell to his colleagues and family in- the, afternoon, and was. cheered by reading Emperor Josef's letter decorating him and eulogising his faithful and distinguished . services. Ho died a.t ten o'clock last night. Count Leopold Berchtold, ex-Am-bassador .at iSt. Petersburg, is Count Aehrenthal's successor. He married the Countess Karolyi, daughter of a former Ambassador to England. WOLVES IN CANADA. RAVAGING NATIONAL PARK. (Received February 19, 8.35 a.m.) OTTAWA, February 18. Wolves are so numerous in the outlying districts in Quebec Province

that tho Government is taking steps to poison them. The National Park, in particular, is suffering from tho ravages of the animals. ■ LABOUR UNREST. THE THREATENED STRIKE. EFFORTS TOWARDS A SETTLEMENT. (Received February 19, 8.45 a.m.) LONDON, February 18. The Upper House of Convocation passed a resolution of deep sympathy with the efforts of the Government and .representatives concerned to effect a fair and reasonable settlement of the coal dispute. The Primate described tho threatened strike as cutting at the "heart of | English life, .and affecting practical ly \ all industries and 1 wines. The Bishop of Manchester thought all would .sympathise with the principle that Labour should bo the Jirst and not the last charge on industry. Big* Sheffield, Wolverhampton, Dudley and other-.firms have resolved, in the event of a strike, to close t-ho less profitable departments. The coal-owners have taken elaborate precautions. There are indications that in the event of a strike a big filip will be given to the South coal export to India, Egypt,. West Africa, and South America. Inquiries are progressing as. to facilitieis for billet-ting soldiers in South Wales. Mr Compton Rickott, recommends the Government to arrange for a postponement of the notices for a month, provided the owners concede a mini- , mum, leaving-the.lndustrial Council to settle the amount. ■ ' SYMPATHETIC'STRIKE. NOT PROBABLE. I (Received February ID, 8.45 a.m.) j -.BRUSSELS, February 18. j T ! he miners are unwilling to call a? sympathetic strike to help the English collieries, because the failure of tjhe Borinage strike, has strained their pecuniary reserves. | IN THE EVENT OF A STRIKE. (Received February 19, 3.10 a.m.)

LONDON, February *l£. Great Central railw-ayiiien have officially ■eyerifeiof will ily. discharged. " " ' ANXIEITT IN GERMAN:-'?. FEAR OF STRIKE SPREADING. (Received. February 19, 8.15 a.m.) ' ' BERLIN, February 18. Anxiety is felt at Essen lest the threatened strike in England, should spread to the'coalfield which supplies the Krapp's works. All three miners' unions have demanded an increase owitig to rise in the cost of living since the last settlement. AFFAIRS IN CHINA. FIGHTING CONTINUES. JAPANESE PROTESTS IGNORED. <■ (Received February 19, 8.15 a.m.) j PEKIN, February 18. The Imperialists - and Republicans, ! disregarding the Japanese protests, I are fighting in the neutral zone at, jWa Fang Tien, -to-South Manchuria. : JAPANESE ACTIVITY. A RIVAL. OF BRITAIN. (Received February 19, 9 a.m.) PEICIN, February 18. - It is stated that Britain's .firmness in .securing the cancellation of the Japanese loan at Nanking,, on the security of the Shangbai-Hu ligcha u railway, wherein England lias a prior right, concentrates' attention on persistent Japanese financial activity in the Yangtse Valley, hence the loan of ten million .taels on the security of the China merchants fleet may become a lever to diminish British interests, while the loan of twenty million taels on the security of the Hang Yang iron-works will give Japan a forei most position in Hankow.