NO FOREIGN COAL FOR HUNGARY .sx AN IMPORTS EMBARGO .sx From Our Own Correspondent .sx Budapest , Wednesday .sx The Parliamentary " Committee of Thirty-Three " to-day passed an emergency decree forbidding the importation of any foreign coal , briquettes , or coke " on currency grounds .sx " The country , the decree states , will have to live on its own coal .sx The saving was estimated at 48,000,000 pengoes ( about 1,7000,000 at par ) annually .sx Hungarian coal-owners have promised to raise production to the necessary figure to meet all national requirements .sx GERMANY AND GOLD .sx STANDARD UNLIKELY TO GO .sx U.S. INFLUENCES .sx By OUR DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENT .sx Despite persistent rumours to the contrary effect and the undoubted difficulties of her financial position , Germany , I gather , is unlikely to abandon the Gold Standard for the present .sx Not only are Chancellor Brning and the Reichsbank president , Dr. Luther , resolutely opposed to such a course , but America , and notably the American banking and industrial world , will spare no efforts in order to dissuade her from adopting it .sx America's desires in this respect may be expected to find full expression in the forthcoming discussions at Washington between American statesmen and financiers and M. Laval and his experts .sx From an American standpoint , it is one thing for the smaller countries like Sweden and Denmark to go off the Gold Standard ; though , even in Sweden's case it constitutes rather a bad blow to American trade .sx It would be quite another thing , however , were the larger states like Germany to follow Great Britain's example .sx Washington , in fact , is extremely anxious lest Italy should take that line , and would probably be prepared , as in Germany's case , to make some sacrifice for its prevention .sx SOVIET POSITION .sx Meanwhile , American trade with Soviet Russia will probably suffer , because so many of the Soviet's purchases in the United States were made with sterling credits , the value of which is now reduced , and Moscow has no longer the alternative of a resort to Berlin , seeing that Germany is now both unable and unwilling at this date to extend to Soviet Russia any credits in excess of the strict value of German exports to Russia .sx STATE SUBSIDY FOR GERMAN COAL .sx EFFECT OF WAGE AWARD .sx From Our Own Correspondent .sx BERLIN , Wednesday .sx In virtue of an emergency decree signed by President Hindenburg to-day , the Minister of Labour has given force of law to the arbitration award reducing wages in the Ruhr coalfield by 7 per cent .sx At the same time , both the mine-owners and the colliers are freed from payments to the unemployment insurance fund , their contributions being paid by the Government .sx Both measures are provisionally limited to the next two months .sx This may be regarded as the first indirect State subsidy to strengthen the German coal trade against the threatened intensification of British competition in consequence of the drop in international value of the pound sterling .sx SHORT-TERM CREDIT .sx Negotiations for the transformation of existing short-term French credits to Germany into long-term loans have , says the " Acht Uhr Abendblatt , " " been inaugurated with the best prospects of success .sx " The statement is made in reply to the suggestion of an English news agency in a telegram from Berlin that Germany will not be able to maintain the Gold Standard after the standstill agreements have run out .sx This suggestion has evoked a deluge of inspired denials here .sx Such a reaction was inevitable , for it followed closely on the categorical declarations of the Chancellor and the Reichsbank president that Germany will adhere to her present monetary system .sx Moreover , it almost coincided with the adoption by all the great federations representing German finance , industry , and commerce , of a manifesto containing the statement :sx " We most emphatically reject all experiments with the currency .sx " Indeed , practically every authoritative voice which has spoken on the subject has expressed the same sentiment .sx SPAIN & THE CHURCH .sx PROMISING SIGNS OF SETTLEMENT .sx From Our Own Correspondent .sx Madrid , Wednesday .sx Hoping , with some show of reason , that the Papal Nuncio's presentation of the still secret Vatican Note will lead to a peaceful arrangement between Church and State , the Spanish parliament has decided to postpone the debate on the religious clauses of the Constitution until next week .sx It is reported that Senor Lerroux , the Foreign Minister , has been recalled from Geneva to open discussions with the Nuncio .sx Meanwhile the Prime Minister has announced that Cardinal Segura , who took refuge in France , has resigned the office of Primate of Spain .sx The Vatican , moreover , is reported to have removed Jesuit leaders in Spain from their posts and to have appointed Spaniards in their place .sx These two items of news are regarded as very favourable omens for a prompt settlement of the religious difficulties and as likely to cause the Government to refrain from carrying out its threat to expel all the Jesuits .sx RUSSIAN TROOPS ON CHINESE SOIL .sx BORDER STATION " INVADED " .sx RIVAL FACTIONS IN MANCHURIA .sx By Our SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE .sx MUKDEN , Wednesday .sx I learn to-day that Russian patrols of cavalry and armoured cars have entered Manchouli , the frontier station on Chinese territory .sx This unprecedented action has evoked a protest from the Chinese .sx The Russian Consul replied that the patrols were only searching for White Guards ( anti-Bolsheviks ) who might attack the Soviet frontiers .sx It is , however , believed that the real object is to " impress " the Chinese .sx In the meantime two rival native Governments are now struggling for power in Manchuria , while Japan maintains her " police " precautions until one or the other faction prevails .sx The remaining followers of Marshal Chang Hsueh-liang , the erstwhile War Lord , have established a capital at Chinchowfu , about 100 miles by rail south of Mukden .sx To this place numbers of the old officials who fled when the troubles began have flocked .sx The rival group have established Kirin , about 250 miles N.E. of Mukden , as their new " capital .sx " MILLIONS AT STAKE .sx The intensity of the expected struggle may be understood from the fact that a prize of millions of pounds is at stake .sx The Kirin Government , in a preliminary statement , asserts that the preceding administration bled Manchuria to the tune of 150,000,000 from the beginning of the late Marshal Chang Tso-lin's reign until the recent automatic deposition of his son , Chang Hsueh-liang .sx I understand that the Kirin Government bases its charges of a " vicious ring of wholesale squeeze " upon some information which has resulted from a preliminary audit of two banks , through which Chang Hsueh-liang was financed .sx The spokesman for Kirin alleges that the silver bullion which was behind the colossal note issue has largely disappeared .sx The vaults of both banks , with all their scattered branches , have been sealed by the Japanese pending the establishment of some orderly government , old or new .sx The Kirin Government is headed by Chi-hua , former Chief of the Staff to Chang Tso-hsiang , as senior associate of Chang Hsueh-liang .sx It intends to make a formal application to the Japanese that they shall turn over the properties of the old Government , including the private fortunes of the officials , for it declares the their estates are forfeit , as they were derived from oppressive taxation .sx DR. C. T. WANG RESIGNS .sx From Our Own Correspondent .sx SHANGHAI , Wednesday .sx Dr. C. T. Wang ( Foreign Minister ) has been unable to weather the storm of criticism over his Manchurian policy of non-aggression in face of the Japanese attacks .sx He resigned to-day , and his resignation has been accepted .sx Students from this city to the number of 3,000 are encamping at Nanking for the purpose of making trouble and of attempting to force the hands of the Government into taking an extremely hazardous course .sx ORDER AT MUKDEN .sx According to news circulated by the Japanese Foreign Office , peace is generally being restored at Mukden .sx Two Japanese banks within the city walls have opened .sx About 80 per cent of the shops inside the wall and 50 per cent .sx outside it have started business .sx The Chinese banks remain closed .sx THE ATTACK ON KING ZOG .sx PRISONERS' ASSERTIONS .sx From Our Own Correspondent .sx VIENNA , Wednesday .sx In extraordinary circumstances the trial began to-day at Ried , in Innkreis , of the two Albanians , Ndok Gjeloshi and Aziz Cami , charged with attempting to murder King Zog of Albania and with murdering his adjutant , Major Topollaj , and with seriously wounding a Minister of the Royal Court , M. Libohova .sx As was reported in THE DAILY TELEGRAPH at the time , the attack took place in February last as King Zog was leaving the Vienna Opera House .sx The plea of the defence on the charge of murder is that Major Topollaj was actually killed by a bullet from King Zog's revolver , but the prosecution will produce expert evidence to show that this was of a very different calibre .sx Aziz Cami refused to plead guilty , saying , " Zog is a traitor , who has had many men and women murdered .sx " He made other allegations against King Zog , and declared that his sister used to run about Albania barefooted .sx Then he shouted , " Don't keep on using the title 'king' for Zog .sx I do not recognise him as such .sx " The president declared that he must clear the court , as political complications might arise .sx The trial was then continued in camera .sx " MYSTIC FORCES " .sx After the public was readmitted to court Gjeloshi stated that his own father had been the victim of a blood feud murder .sx He said that he had not intended to kill King Zog , but at the moment of the crime " mystic forces " beyond his control had robbed him of his reason .sx The court was cleared for a second time , when the defence urged in justification of the attempt to assassinate King Zog that he had first taken money from Jugoslavia and then from Italy , starving the population while claiming one-sixth of the revenues of the country for himself .sx Reference was made to King Zog's lover affair with the Viennese girl , Franzi Jenku , the daughter of a gardener , who called herself a baroness .sx It was this affair , as stated in THE DAILY TELEGRAPH at the time , that detained King Zog so long in Vienna .sx The accused state the it was accounts of this affair in the Viennese newspapers , on the night of the murder , as well as of King Zog's extravagant purchase of a golden dinner service in Vienna , which finally made them " see red " and begin to shoot .sx SOVIET EASTERN TRADE PUSH .sx PROPAGANDA AMONG THE MOSLEMS .sx FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT .sx CAIRO , Wednesday .sx A big Soviet trade push is taking place in the Middle East .sx As trade and political propaganda in the case of the Soviet always go hand in hand , an attempt to promote an important extension of Bolshevik influence and activity among Moslem peoples is more than possible .sx In addition to the diplomatic and commercial agent at Jeddah , and the permanent commercial mission in Yemen , which between them cover Western Arabia , the Soviet have now installed at Massawa ( Eritrea ) a special agent .sx He is M. Alexander Stupak , an Orientalist , whom the French authorities expelled from Syria in 1925 , when the suppressed the Arcos organisation , for which he worked .sx M. Stupak has been entrusted with the supervision of the African side of the Red Sea , particularly the Soviet interests in Eritrea , the Sudan , and Abyssinia .sx Already Eritrea has become a clearing house for Soviet traffic and a summer resort for all Soviet subjects in Arabia , while operations have been started with the Sudan , where arrangements are being made to import cement , matches , soap , and various Russian-made commodities .sx My informants tell me that the Soviet has a strong hold over Ibn Saud , the King of the Hejaz and Nejd , to whom they have sold goods on long credit , knowing that he is financially embarrassed .sx Unless we are careful , I am informed by the same source , the Soviet will obtain a similar hold upon the Imam of the Yemen .sx CHECKING SOVIET AGENTS .sx The law empowering the Egyptian Government to deprive of Egyptian nationality any Egyptian subject making common cause with the Communists or indulging in anti-Social activities has had the best possible effect , and is putting an end to Soviet recruiting of Egyptians as propagandists .sx Responsible authorities are of the opinion that if only Syria , Irak , and Palestine will imitate Egypt in this respect , it would shut the door to the penetration of Bolshevik propaganda in the Near and Middle East .sx Similarly it is pointed out that while the main danger from Soviet activity in Western Arabia is commercial , the penetration of the Hedjaz may have results of another kind .sx