NEWS BY CABLE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 2901, 17 May 1888, Page 2

NEWS BY CABLE.

London, May 11, A great meeting is being arranged to take place in the city on sth June to protest against the,inadequacy of the defences,

May 15.

A meeting of merchants and bankers was held to-day to consider the national defences. Lord Charles Beresford, Sir 0, Elliott, Captain Colomb, and Messrs W. 11. Hornby and Thos. Mayne, M.P.'s, were present. Those present expressed pleasure at the country awakening to the inadequacy of tho fleet, and said that an invasion at the present time would result in a loss to the wholo Empire, In the House of Lords, Lord Wokeley complained that the attack made upon him by the Marquis of Salisbury was unwarranted, and lie disowned any connection with the article that appeared in tb Daily Telegraph.

Referring to tho after dinner speech, lio denied that he had attacked tho Government, and explained that lie could not have' charged the Government with noligence as they had done much to improve the defences of. the country, He reiterated that the army and navy were weak, and the defences both at Home and abroad were defective and unsatisfactory as to equipments, The organisation also was bad, Tho Marquis of Salisbury in accepting Lord Wolseley's disavowal, said that the protest he had entered was justified and he hoped that in future charges of such a nature would be made in Parliament,

Sir James Fergusson, replying to a question in the House, said the Government were favorable to tho policy eiunciated by Sir J. B. Thurston for the government of Samoa, but ho declined to give any information as to the instructions given to the English delegate to the conference to he held at Washington on the Pacific Islands affairs, saying that it was desirable that those instructions should be kept secret until the conference.had brought its sittings to a conclusion. Vienna, May 15. Tho Government organ declares that the situation in tae East is now intolerable, and that the Powers mast soon take decisive steps to end the snspenso with or without the aisistance o( Russia,

Berlin, May 13, The Emperor has much improved, Ho is now able to take a doily walk, and attend to his correspondence and receive visitors. Prince Bismarck is unwell, and has been ordered complete rest. There i 3 an impatient feeling in Germany and Austria at Russia intriguing in the Balkans, and German troops have been despatched to the frontier. Sofia, May 15. 11. Stambouloff has made a formal complaint to Servia of the incursions of aimed bands on the frontier. AUSTRALIAN. Sydney, May 15. The new rules and revised Standing Orders will shortly be submitted to Parliament. Tho new rules principally relate to Parliamentary procedure, and some are expected to give rise to animated discussions, Those relating to the suppression of disorder are understood to be of a drastic character, and if stringently enforced will effectually prevent the recurrence of those scenes which have lately keen so prevalent, The Divorce Extension Bill, which was recently vetoed by the Imperial (lovernment, was again read a second time this evening by 32 to 18. Mr J. 0. Neill, who has charge of the measure said that it had been approved by Justices Dai-ley, Higginbothain, and Sir J, Hannsn, Chief Judge of the London Divorco Court, and that it was on the same lines as the Bill introduced by Sir Alfred Stephen, Slavin fights Burke on the 9th July.

Brisbane, May 15,

Terrible weather has bemi experienced on the Northern coast. At Marble Island, where a number of men are employed, the weather is so boisterous that tho men are reduced to the verge of starvation, it being impossible, to convey supplies to the Island.

The Diseased Rabbits in New Zealand,,

The Australasian, commenting on our- recent article upon the rabbit question remarks "Modern science has discovered, and is daily making further discoveries, of the causes and origin of obscure diseases, proving them, in many instances, to be identical with others to which some one or more species of the lower animals are subject. The disease culled "sturdy" in sheep is otten inherited, so that, although most sheep so affected die before their third year, some most certainly survive that period, unless only the first lutnb inherits the disease, Need we say that the tapeworm—Tamia osculi's inarginalibus—is also not uncommon amongst the human race 1 Man thus afflicted is a pitiable object, and for that reason, if not also on account uf the liability of certain farm live stock to become hosts for this disgusting parasite, the most careful enquiry should be instituted before the Governments of these colonies determine to incur so great a risk as the scattering of these torriblo pests would seem to imply, Mr Thomas has withheld information on the very proper ground that his duty is first to report to the Government. He appears to have intimated his ability to say a great deal more than lie has chosen to disclose on this intensely interesting subject, it is satisfactory to note his hi»h sense of responsibility in dealing with this matter, Fe feels the imperative necessity for determining whether any of the contagious diseases proposed to be employed- can be so used without " injuriously affecting human beings, live stock, sheep-dogs, domestic animals &c," If the disease complies favorably with this stipulation, he will recognise it as a valuable agent, but not otherwise. It must not be forgotten that once a disease is scattered broadcast, it will probably soon be utterly beyond recall."