USVI Public Records

Document text

programme which had been arranged in honour of the Prince was carried out without a hitch, and he left last evening for Naple to hunt big game. Vanecouver, Nepal Dec. 14th.-Hundreds of tons of supposed dross, mined from the Coalmont collieries in the Nicola Valley of British Columbia, turns out on expert ex- amination to b= amber. This is believed to bethe first amber discovery in North America. Kingston,Jamaica, Dec. 15th.--An im portant conference took place yester day between the members of the officialcom- mission and the elected members of the Legislative Council Speech after speech was made, all of commendable brevity and all the speakers endeavoured to im- press upon the Under Secretary of States for the Colonies what they held to be the chief needs and requirements of Jamaica. Major Wood in the course of his acknow- ledoement of the welcome, tendered said, he thouzht they could claim that this was of the nature of a historic mission for tie reason, as far as he was awave, that it was the first oceasion on whien any ofi- cial eommission from His Majesty’s lm- perial Govt. to wnat was knowa as toe most ancient group of His Majesty’s do- miniors had ever beea sant from the Mother Country, he further said the ar guments by the elected members were well marshalled and the arguments tem- perately and reasonaole advanced and he spoke for his eo'leagues, no less than for himself when he said that what the elected me nbers said was not oaly of great public interest but would, he had no doubt, be of most material advantage in assisting them in the course of their deliberations here and after they had re- turned to England. Ib referring to the West Indian agricultural college at Trini- dad now nearing a stage of being un fait accomplish, he said, he welcomed the spirit of inter-island cooperation, he had listened carefully to the remarks in the speech that had been made in this con- nection but he would plead in addition for a generous measure of inter-island cooperation. He knew rhe difficultizs and not least among them was the matter of lack of steamship communication to which their attention at home had not infrequently been directed and again directed that morning, but difficulties were made, they were made to be over- come. He made two suggestions, Ist that the Jamaica people and the Govt. might organize a West Indian agricultur- al conference to be held in Jamacia. 2nd, that they had a West India argricultural college at frinidad, and it might be, af- ter things began to be a little bit easy, proposals mi ht focus themselves in one common direction and the whole matter discussed with a view to evolving a scheme for the establishment of a West Indian colleze with headguarters in Jam- acia. That was to be done and if they expected the college n Trinidad as well as the college that might be established S IL.UROGIX AVE here to succeed it would be necessary to attract suitable men and they would have to provide adequate salaries for such men, and no single island would be able to provide this. Antigua, Deec. 15th—Edward, Lord Bishop of Antigua, has been elected Arch- bishop of the Province of the West Indies by the votes of the Bishopof the Province. Washington, Dee. 13th - Declaring that the new four power Pacific Treaty had “*All the iniquities of the League of Na- tions, with none of the virtues clesimed for that document’’, Senator Lafollette, republican of Nisconsin today announced in a formal statement that he was pre- pared to do “‘all in my power to prevent its ratitication’”. Mr. Lafollette declared that the document, as it strnds, binds the United States to recognize the title of Great Britain and Japan to the ‘‘vast territory in the Pacific seized by these powers under the treaty of Versailles”’, which territory he added, was divided, in accordance with a secret treaty nego- tiated between Great Britain and Japan prior tb the entrance of the United States into the war. Under the cloak of a cor ferance, made possible by a world wide sentiment for disarmament, the Sceoator continued, the diplomeats repre- senting reactionary sentiment in Great Britai , France and Japan and the Uni- ted States have hatehed in secret a treaty of alliance which morally binds this zountry o g 0 to war whenever the rights of either of the high contracting parties in the Pacific are threatened. For the United States tc enter an alliance with the only great imperialist na ions which survived the war, i 3 a rash substitute for the peaceful anti-imperialist Uni- ted States policy tested by a cen- tury and a quarter and based upon friendship with all nations and en- tangling alliances with none. Article2 of the Pacific Treaty as described by the League of Nations covenant is as binding upon the United States as it is possible tohiad a country by treaty agreement, to participate in whatever ‘‘eflicient measures’’ that may be deemed necessary by the powers party to the treaty. This treaty will no more prevent war than cid the alliances consummated prior to 1914’ the Senator said it will provoke rather than prevent war and when we ratify it we morally bind this country gin advance to participate in any hostilities which may arise in the Pacific where im erialistic interests are in most heated conflict’’. Mr Lafoliette predicted defeat of the treaty, saying it was Inconceivable to him that the Senate should consent so ‘‘such an act of treachery as the freaty contemplates’’. O:itawa, Dec. 14th. The Canadian Squadron, consisting of the cruisers Aurora and ihe destroyers Patriot and Patrician, arrived at Bermuda tnday. London, Dec. 14th ——Viscount Grey, in a speech delivered last night at Man- chester in favour of the Irish agreement said the agreement has been described as a generous offer, but that he did not regard it as an offer at all, but as a treaty and in that light would peace and good- will be brought about between Great Britain and Ireland. WVashington, Dec. 14th-The Arms Con- ference delegates have reached an agree- ment on all the major issued of the naval ratio, but are encountering new difficul- ties in their discussions on the Far East- ern situation. The six 5-3 ratio forms the basis of the naval sett'ement, but there are to be readjustments in the orig- inal plan, to permit Japan to retain her new battleship ‘‘Matsu’’. The United States and Great Britain will be given a compensative quota of additione]l ships not yet determined in detall. In the Far Eastern negotiations the latest element of controversy is a request by China for abrogation of the treaties resulting from Japan’s famous ‘‘twenty demands’’. When the request was presented to the Far BEastern Commmittee of the whole to- day, the Japanese promptly objected and the committee adjourned. Coming at a time when the Shangtung negotia- tions are at a eritical stage the Chinese abrogation proposal has scme- what beclouded the prospects of a Far Eastern agreement, but most of the dele- gates remain confident of an ultimate solution. Another meetinrg of the ‘‘Big Three’ late today advances the naval question nearer to the point cf afinal and detalled settlement, but left some minor points still to be deteimined. In all quarters the announcement of a com- plete acerrd was regarded as anly a quest.on of hours. As an offset to Japan’s retention of the ‘‘Matsu’ the United States is to retain the super- dreadnoughts ‘‘Washington’’ and ‘'Col- oraao’’ and an eqguivalent increase in British capital ships tonnage is to be provided. The details of this British increase cunstitute the only points still to be decided. Coupled with the naval agreement in the proposed treaty will be a status guo understanding on Pacific fortifications and naval bases, exclusive of Hawaii and the islands of the Jagon- ese, Australian and New Zealand coasts. The plan means the abondonment of the United States isiand of Guam as a pro- tential naval base. Temporarily, the naval questions are ieceivirg major at- tention from the arms delegates, but there were indications today that the increasing seriousness of the Far Fastern differences might socn require principle figures of the conference to turn their efforts in that direction. Delbi, India, Dec, 14th.--Asaf ADh & barrister who was arrested ¢n Mcrnday with B 3 other rcn-cc-creraticrists, was sentenced today to J&mcntls inpriscn- ment. The others received sentences rarging frcm 3tc 6 mcntks, Five addi- tirnal arresis were mwade teday on charges of beng men kers of an uvnlawful association,