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f GENERAL NEWS NOTES OF THE DAY J * William Rockerfellor and his ten co defendants, s accused as one-time directors of the New York. 1 New Haven and Hartford Railroad of criminal vio- s: lati m of the Sherman anti-trust law. were declared innocent Wednesday of one of the principal charges ,, preferred against tliem hv the government. This !. was the alleged unlawful acquisition in 1907 of " the New York, Westchester and Boston Railway *J Company, a Hue with a New York charter, but j if which the government charges was bought by the v New Haven to prevent its extension into New . England as a competitor. Judge Hunt, presiding at the trial, threw the governments testimony out , of court, ruling that it had failed to show" that , the defendants had any criminal intent in acquir- -j iug the road. This was at the end of two days , of argument by c .unsel and testimony by Charles S. , . Mcllen and others as to whether the road was pro- J jtected and acquired for the purpose of carrying j on interstate commerce. The court held that while the original projectors of the road may have had some such purpose in mind, there was nothing to * show that the New Haven directors had such a ■fjgpaaa in acquiring it — in effect, that the West- J Chester was an intrastate line. While the gov- J eminent begged leave and was granted the oppor- s tunity to submit further evidence to prove its con- s tent ion. Judge Hunt made it plain that it would J have to be of the strongest character to upset his ruling, which ordered all the Westchesteh J testimony thus far given stricken from the « record. 1 Secretary Lansing announced yesterday that mem- j Iters of the peace party planning to sail on the , ship chartered by Henry Ford will not be given , ltassports to belligerent countries, but only to neutral states in Eureqee. Secretary Lansing made it , plain that passports were given to American citizens for belligerent countries only when business j made it absolutely necessary to visit there or when . they were invited by some governmental agency in , those countries. Mr. Lansing explained that no dis- j tinctiou was being drawn between members of the , peace party and other American citizens and that the general rule of the department of state was , being applied. The ruling, however, was generally , interpreted as meaning that the United States does , not regard unofficial missions in efforts to make , |»cac-c by private persons as business of an urgent j character. Few applications have been made for passports to visit belligerent countries, the plan of the peace party being to assemble a convention in one of the neutral countries and put into opera-Hon their plans using a neutral capital as a base. From Loudon yesterday a dispatch says: The Germans are now engaging the Montenegrins on the Montenegrin frontier and at heavy cost have penetrated some distance beyond the border. Yet this struggle is not comparable to the serious and sanguinary fighting which marked the Serbian campaign last month, and which has now almost ceased. Notwithstanding all the entente negotiations at Athens, the Greek situation today remains much as it was a month ago. It is now clear that Greece has determined not to demobilize or withdraw her army from Saloniki. Though a deadlock seems to have been reached, negotiations are still under way. Dispatches to the Italian newspapers which have been retransmitted to London, report Russian successes in Bukowiua. The Corriere dltalias Bukharest correspondent even asserts that the Russians have captured Czornowitz. capital of liukowina. after four days of fighting. The reports have not been confirmed from any source. Captain Classen of the British steamer Inverkip, which went into drydock at Newport News. Va.. for rush repairs yesterday, says he believes he accidentally rammed a submerged submarine while passing out of the straits of Gibraltar on November «. The Inverkip. from Valencia to Norfolk, in ballast to load coal, was about one hours run from Gibraltar when there was a great shock. The ships officers saw oil rise to the surface of the water, and this, with the fact that a long diagonal dent was made in the ltottom of the Inverkip, leads Captain ;iasscn to believe he struck a submarine. Several holes were torn in the Inverkips ballast tanks, and but for extremely calm weather. Captain Classen l»elieves. his ship would have sunk immediately. The steamer returned to Gibraltar, where teui|K»rary repairs were made. Villa forces in northern Mexico have been signally defeated bv Carranza troops and a large nunilter of Yaqui Indians have surrendered, according to re-itorts to the state department yesterday from Guay-mas. The Indians, says the state department an nouncemeiit. appear to have been connected with the Villa forces. It is stated that this victory will enable the de facto government to scud forces south to intercept the main Villa force. Protection for the Yaqui vallev is promised by the stationing of a patrol of cavalrv around the entrance and main-• raining within quick striking distance 5.00= troops to l e called upon in case tlie Indians attempt to enter the vallev. The department was aelvbed that / I Dillingham, an employe of the United Sugar Companies at L s Mochis, captured by Indians, had escaped and had reached the United States cruiser San Diego, off Tqiolobampo. Martial law was declared by Governor Hall ! Wednesday throughout Jefferson parish, adjoining ! New Orleans, where the state militia recently raided I several alleged gambling resorts. The governor said in his proclamation that "a reign of lawlessness * exists in Jefferson parish, and it appears that authorities of the parish, charged with enforcement : I of the laws, are in sympathy with the lawless i element." Adjt. Gen. McNeese. acting under instructions from the governor, took over the parish -overnment. lie announced that the parish civil : courts would lie permitted to operate so long as _ thev did not conflict with the orders of the military authorities. Saloons serving lM.th white persons and negroes will lie closed immediately, but t other saloons will lie allowed to operate as long as * there is no disorder. The troops confiscated and burned various gambling paraphernalia. Telegraphing from Athens to Paris under date of 1 DecciulHT 1 the correspondent of the Havas News Decency savs- The Bulgarians have not yet occupied i Moi-astir " The Serbian army has evacuated the city, j leavin" only a few officers and a small detachment of troops to preserve order. It is supposed the Bulgarians are waiting lor reinforcements before enter-in" the city The Serbian commandant at Mouastir f posted notices throughout the town, advising all iu-uihtants who feared the treatment they might * receive at the hands of the Bulgars to leave the ? place and that Serbian troops would lte engaged in protecting their flight toward the Greek frontier " Serbian refugees who continue to arrive at t the" Greek Ix.reler are suffering frightfully from 1 cold the weather registering 1 degrees fahrenheit 1 alK.ve zero. Fresh Bulgarian forces are concentrating toward the French front. London dispatch of Tuesday says: The admiralty this evening gave out additional details s concerning the sinking of a German submarine off Middlekerke last Suudav by a IkiuiIi dropped from I i ItritMi aeroplane, and also made announcement I that a German seaplane had Ix-eu brought dowii off Ostend The admiralty statement says: On 1 November 2s Flight Sub-lieut. Viuey. accompanied iiv i French officer. Lieut. Lo Comte de Sincay. While patrolling off the Belgian coast. droHMi a iJ bomb en a German submarine. The submarine was s observed 10 have had its hack broken. It sank in » lew minutes. During the same day Flight Lieut. . Per-and with Air Mechanic oldtiold. in a seaplane I s 1 s: ,, !. " *J j if v . , , -j , , J j * J J s s J J « 1 j , , , j . , j , , , , , j ! ! I * I : i : _ t * 1 i j f * ? " t 1 1 s I I 1 a iJ s . I shot down a German albatross seaplane off Ostend. in The albatross dived nose first into the sea and -sank. The 1 300 employes of the Aetna Explosives Com- si panv in Cary Incl.. will have a joyous Christmas «H and New Year. The company gave its employes -a ten per cent raise in wages on the first of last ugust and announced it would increase their pay. business warranted, until every one in the plant -was getting one hundred per cent more than m i peace times The fifth ten per cent increase will _ be given next Wednesday. This will make an in- 2 crease of fifty per cent since August 1. This last g raise will lie in the nature of a Christmas gift. 2 The company has announced another ten per cent 2 raise for New Years. The plant recently was % placed on an eight-hour basis and every one in all % the country side around Gary is said to be trying ., for a place on its pay roils. 2 Reports received bv the London board of trade during November tell of the sinking of fifty-three British steamers with a total net tonnage ot G1.0c2, with the loss of 040 lives. In the same period the s loss was reported of thirty-five British sailing ves- * sels of 4 977 net tonnage w ith six lives. So Jar h as the figures show only twenty of the steamers p in were sunk by German warships and ten by mines, hut 495 of "the lives lost were on steamers sunk : by German warships. These figures do not record * the total casualties for Novemlier, bnt merely the reports received, some of which relate to previous * mouths. The grand total of British military and naval losses, according to a written reply by Pre- _ mier Asquith to a question propounded in the house ., of commons, has reached 510.230. S A draft of an administration shipping bill to j take the place of the measure which failed of pass- o age at the last session of Congress, was in the « hands of the House merchant marine committee Wednesday It was prepared after conferences be- tween Secretaries McAdoo and Redfield and would j have Congress appropriate 0,000,000 for merchnnt j ships that could lie used as naval auxiliaries. The j bill also, would create a federal board with jurisdiction over deep water traffic, similar to that exercised by the Interstate Commerce Commission over tlie railroads. The new bill will not be intro- j duced iu Congress until President Wilson has given , his approval after its revision by administration t leaders In and out of Congress. j Premier Asquith made an urgent economy plea r Wednesday at a conference with trades union leaders concerning Great Britains war necessities. The : unionists did not receive all he said in good part, j I believe the countrys shoulders are broad euough to bear its tremendous burden, he told the labor J men but the utmost thrift is imperatively needed. The premier urged the leaders also to use their influence against demands for higher wages, al- . though he admitted the war has increased prices of . food 40 and of clothing 30 per cent. Yet wage , off than before the earners are generally better j war. he added. Murmurs of dissent greeted this i statement. j A German battle plane steered from the bridge j like a steamship is described by Baron Cedurstrom. ; director of the Swedish government aeroplane factory at Soedertelue. who has: been visiting aviation centers in Germany, a Reuter dispatch from Copenhagen to London says. Describing one such i machine on which he made a trip, the baron says 1 it was a giant battle biplane of improved designs ] and enormous dimensions, nearly three times the size of the ordinary Albatross type. It has immense lifting power, great stability and notable : speed, and carries an unprecedented weight of , armor, artillery, petrol and provisions and a large crew. The Providence Journal declared yesterday that its representativc-s had laid before the Department of Justice in Washington evidence that C. C. Crowley, arrested for complicity in explosions on the : Pacific coast, planned to get bombs on munitions i ships bv using the Russian ambassadors wife as a ; dtiiie. A letter from Crowley to Mme. Bakhmeteff, wife of the Russian ambassdor at Washington, asked for credentials for the shipment of dried ; fruits to the Russian Red Cross via Taccnia and | Vladivostok. Lieutenant-General Count Cadorna, chief of the Italian general staff, who was t have visited France for a conference with the French and Bri- j tish commanders, ami for an inspection of the west- I em battle front, has been compelled to forego his trip, the Paris Matins correspondent says, because of the inten-itv of the fighting on the Italian front, especially along the Isonzo. General Porro, under J chief of the general staff, will be sent as a substitute and will arrive in Paris, December 5. The Berlin Vorwaerts. organ of the party, announces the social democrats in the reichstag have determined to put the following interpolation at the next session: Is the imperial chancellor reaclv to give information as to the conditions under which ■ he would lte willing to enter into peace negotiations": Herr Scheldemann. leader of the party, will put the question. Herr Landsherg has been chosen . to lead the debate. Teutonic and Bulgarian forces are reported to have crossed into Albania in pursuit of the fleeing Serbs, among whom is King Peter. The official re|»ort from the Bnlgar army, however, indicates the capture of Prisrcnd ends the Serbian cani- paign in the north. This report tells of the cap- ture of thousands of Serbians as well as the defeat of the allies in the south. What is believed to have been an intimation that an Italian expedition soon will lie sent to Albania was given by Foreign Minister Sonnino in his address before" parliament yesterday, when he said that as soon as possible the Italian flag would wave from the opposite coast of the Adriatic to help the Serbians. The battleship Connecticut left Port au Prince last night for Philadelphia, beginning the with-1 elrawal of American naval forces engaged in the pa i tieat ion of Haiti. Rear Admiral Capertou remains for the present with his flagship, the cruiser ! Washington, several gunboats and more than 2,000 marines on duty ashore. Tlie following official communication was issued 1 Wednesday at Petrograd: In the Caucasus, south of l.ake Van. the Turks, after two days of fighting : near the village of Varkouuis, were dislodged from i two fortified positions and retired precipitately in i a westerly direction, pursued by our troops. Two more British steamers, the Colenso and the , Orange Prince, have been sunk, presumably by Ger-1 man submarines. The Colenso, 2,532 tons, sailed from Hull October 31 for Bombay. The latest r maritime records show that the Orange Prince, 2,200 i tons, was at Liverpool October 7. Representatives of Austria and Germany have informed the Greek government, according to the Athens Neon Astv. that if the demands of the quadruple entente are granted the central empires will j cease to consider Greek Macedonia as friendly ter-f " ritory. Baron Sonnino. minister of foreign affairs, has » informed parliament that Italy has adhered to the ? agreement that no separate peace should be signed 1 by the entente i owers. This agreement was signed 1 at Umdon. September 5. 1914. by France, Creat t Britain and Russia. A complete financial statement of the Panama-i Pa. i!ic Exposition made public by Rtbert S Durkee. ; cent roller, indicates that when the fair is closed there will remain a cash balance of .011. ooO.
