Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1907-05-16

The State Department at Washington
has been informed of the successful con-
clusion of peace negotiated between the
recently warning Central American repub-
lies. A provisional government of Hon
duras has been announced to administer
the affairs of the country pending a pres
idential and congressional election, which
will probably be held in about sixty days
Washington confirms the dispatches
from Pekin to the effect that the Chinese
minister to the United States, Sir Chen
tung Liang-Cheng, is to return to Pekin,
where he will probably assume the Office
of president of the board of foreign af-
fairs and controller general of maritime
customs. Liang Tun-Yen, graduate of
Yale college, is mentioned as his prob
able successor at Washington.
The Italian government gave notice in
the chamber that it would reserve to it
self the entire initiative regarding the
proposed excavations at the ancient city
of Herculaneum, thus excluding all for
eign aid of a financial nature. This means
that the work will be delayed indefinitely
pending an investigation, as it is known
that Italy lacks the funds to carry on the
work as it was proposed to do by English
scientists with the aid of English capital.
The japanese battleship Aki, which
was launched successfully at Kure, Japan,
outclasses the British Dreadnought and
gives Japan the credit of having the larg-
est battleship in the world. The Aki
is 4O2 feet long, S312 feet wide, has 49,
800 tons displacement and turbine en-
gines of $4,000 horsepower, expected to
give her a speed of p y knots. She has
three tunnels and an armor belt 81
inches thick. Her armament includes four
Pinch. twelve 10-inch and eight 6-inch
guns. She was designed and constructed
exclusively by japanese, the net time of
her construction being only eight months.
The last vestige of war in Manchuria
has now been removed, the Russian and
japanese troops having completed their
evacuation of that section of the Chinese
empire all military movements have
ceased, and the Manchurian towns have
been turned over to the Chinese authori-
ties China has written to Japan ex
pressing her appreciation of the with
drawal of the japanese troops, and Civ
ing assurance of the reorganization of
the Manchurian provinces. April 10 was
the expiration of the eighteen months
limit for the evacuation of Manchuria,
according to the treaty of Portsmouth.
In the House of Commons Chancellor
Asquith submitted budget statement
showing a year of unusual prosperity,
with reduction of the national debt and
a surplus of nearly 100000. The
old-age pension scheme is set to go into
effect next year and S7,500,000 is set
aside for that purpose.
The strike situation in Paris has grown
more acute. many of the hotel walters
having joined the ranks of the striking
bakers and other food-producing work
men. While no serious disturbances
have occurred, it has been found neces-
sary to use the troops to disperse the
mobs which have gathered from time to
time.
The committee appointed by the Rus
sian douma to investigate the alleged tor
turing OF political prisoners at Riga and
other prisons submitted its report Tues
day. This confirms officially the worst
stories that have been told, and its state
ments are admitted to be true by the
ministers of the interior and justice. AT
Riga a committee was created to direct
tortures, and the Governor put many pris-
oners who were merely suspects to death
without trial.