Hutori

[Lusk]

BENEDICT II DIES

11 September 2893

AXMINSTER— Benedict II, formerly the Prince Lusk, has died at Axminster Lutheran University Hospital today after suffering for years from bowel cancer, herniated discs, and a septic internal cavity, all of which are complications of being shot in the 2870s by still-unknown assailants linked to the Ultranationalist movement. His funeral will be held next week and will not be open to the public.

[Lusk]

AXMINSTER ARCOLOGY CONSTRUCTION PROGRAM COMPLETE; NEW PROGRAM IN CONSTANTINE ANNOUNCED

5 October 2893

AXMINSTER— Axminster, the seat of House Lusk, saw all four of its arcologies completed today with the final touches put on the last arcologies. The four arcologies are named after the four Princes Lusk who ruled over the Principality of Central Macon: Adrian I, Benedict I, Adrian II, and Leopold II. In total, they contain almost five million citizens. Axminster Arcology, the Lusk subsidiary in charge of the construction and management of the buildings, expects to expand the existing arcologies and begin construction on a new arcology in the Constantine area, to be called "New Athlorcaea" and consist of sixteen phases. New Athlorcaea will be the largest building on Terra when it is completed, with a hundred million square feet and more than three million inhabitants. The arcology program has increased Axminster's population enormously, drawing people who work in Bekenial out from the city to live in the arcologies.

[Lusk]

NSP LEADERSHIP CHANGE AT SIXTH PARTY CONGRESS

15 February 2895

AXMINSTER-- The Sixth Party Congress of the National Syndicalist Party delivered a surprise upset today for the nonconstitionalist faction, which had previously dominated the party. The nonconstitutionalists, who resolved to stay neutral on constitutional questions in hopes of effecting general policy changes, had been in power under their leader, Benedict Williams, for years. Amy Glenting, Btss., the leader of the constitutionalists, the other faction, was elected party chairman in the third round of balloting. Adrian III, a known nonconstitutionalist, delivered a displeased speech when conferring the title of chair upon Ms Glenting. Ms Glenting delivered a speech in which she remarked that "the main issue of our day is not whether or not abortion should be limited to the first two trimesters, or permitted throughout the whole of the pregnancy. The main issue of our day is the status of the monarchy, and the status of House Lusk, and the potential for a republic. We must renew our commitment to the First Principle of the party, which demands a special leadership role for the Lusk, and remind ourselves that the intoxication with democracy must stop immediately. Our party, alone in the House of Lords, stands for the idea of sane and measured government, divorced from the whimsical demands of the electorate." The party chairman is elected for a term of ten years by and typically from a caucus of delegates comprising hereditary grandees of the Lusk apparatus.

[Windsor-Bainbridge]

===HUTORI TELEGRAPH===

CLP LEADERSHIP BALLOT OPENS

20 January 2894

The last surprise general election following the collapse of the CEP was widely seen as a disaster for the CLP, and for Duchess Thompson personally. Despite gaining 20 parliamentary seats, for the first time in its history, the CLP lost its majority in Kenai constituency, making it also the first time that the CLP has failed to gain a majority in not a single constituency. For the last half year there has been extreme discontent in the party with what they perceive as Duchess Thompson's stronghold on the party and the way in which the party stands stagnant under her leadership. After impressive parliamentary displays, these voices of doubt refused to go away, and Douglas Carter, an extreme libertarian in the party and the first to challenge the leadership, petitioned the Party Leadership Committee for a ballot, and that was granted. Added to the list of nominees, was a representative from the more conservative wing, Bernard Weatherton, former candidate for the Speakership. The three names on the ballot are thus:

Douglas Carter
Duchess Thompson
Bernard Weatherton

To put off the possibility of a further round of voting, Duchess Thompson will have to gain 2/3 of the parliamentary vote, translating into the support of 68 MPs.

[frimaire]

MST CAVAN ANNOUNCES PROPOSAL FOR MAINE-FAL LINK

12 October 2894

OAT CITY, Upper Fal – This normally sleepy town on the banks of the upper Maine was abuzz with activity today as Minister of Science and Technology Cavan announced his support of the council's plan to link the navigable Maine above Interflumnia with the Fal. This would be done through an extensive system of canals, locks, and power-generation dams, as the terrain falls some 1000 meters over the course between the proposed ends. While the minister was excited, announcing that this was "a project of such scope and grandeur one finds only once in a lifetime," others at the conference were critical of the council's plan. "How do they plan to pay for such a huge ditch," asked one bystander, preschool teacher Anders Priita, "if the King isn't allowed to step in?" A Maineford environmentalist group picketed the announcement, arguing that the system would be unpoliceable and lead to migration of invasive southern fish and pollutants into the upper Maine, although Minister Cavan downplayed such fears and pointed out the impact it would have on human activities, decreasing fuel usage and shipping redundancy. Still others accused the minister of playing politics, cutting out CLP heartland Wrightstown from the economic picture of Kenai, although the plan was created by the localist Bread and Fishes Party, who dominate politics on the Upper Fal and aligned themselves with the GKF before that party's collapse [continued, A16]

[frimaire]

TOP CG OFFICER DECRIES "HUMANITARIAN CRISIS" ON WESTERN BORDER

24 February 2895

FARLSBURG – Pétur Eysteinn, Director-General of the Kingdom Civil Guard, today announced to a small group of reporters that the Guard and local authorities were being overtaxed by the steady stream of escaped slaves from Davostan into the northwestern Councils. "The current system of 'benevolent neglect' is broken," he intoned, "by a neighbor without even the most basic respect for human decency. Current law expects refugees to come here with support networks in place, but these people come here stripped of everything they might have had in this world." The Director-General's remarks come after a period of intense campaigns by the gendarmerie against a crime network in the rural upper St. John valley composed primarily of escaped Davostani slaves. "Northwestern Hutori, sharing a border with one of the most repressive and secretive states in Terra, has long had a steady influx of illegal and refugee Davostani. The extended period of silence from the Satanic Emperor's court has generally been taken as a sign of weakness in the Unholy Empire and, combined with an economic state even worse than the general Terra-wide downturn, has led to a greater number of escape attempts across the underpopulated Kivonah region," commented University of Sutton sociologist Miriam Abiah. "Since Hutori lacks a generalized policy for dealing with escaped slaves, many go underground, seeking out networks of other escapees." [Continued, A11]

[Lusk]

ADRIAN III CELEBRATES PASSAGE OF HONORS AND TITLES CONCORDANCE ACT

1 March 2895

BEKENIAL— In a ceremony in the King's suite at the State Office today, King George I signed into law the Honor and Title Concordance Act of 2894, drafted by Luskite MPs. The Lord Great Chamberlain, Adrian III, was also there, and for the first time a Prince Lusk could be legally addressed as such within the State Office. Although the act did not satisfy many parties, it provided the first official framework in fifty years for reconciling the Lusk and Hutori systems of honors and titles. Adrian III had written about such an act in his pre-accession book, "Lusk in the Thirtieth Century," calling such an act a "vital part of ensuring stability in our land." Analysts have noted that this effectively ends the Lusk pretension to the throne of Hutori.

[Lusk]

DEFENCE MINISTER MILLS DEPLOYS TROOPS TO WESTERN FRONT

10 August 2895

PORT DECEMBER— In a statement today, the minister of Defence, Sir John Mills, Bt. OL1, reported that he had deployed the Royal Army to the Councils of East Kivonah, Falrish Salem, and the Upper St. John along the Davostani border in an attempt to restore law and order over the tide of escaped slaves. "Many of these people cannot even respond to commands in Luthori," said Sir John, "they are desperately poor and have escaped wretched lives in Davostan. We are working with the Civil Guard and the council police forces to attempt to find all these persons. Under the refugee law, they are here legally, although it remains to be seen if they can claim nationality. Regardless, the Royal Army has set up camp in East Kivonah which will provide temporary homes for those escaped slaves. The effort will be co-ordinated from here in Port December, where I will be making my temporary quarters. I woud like to appeal to anyone bilingual in Luthori and Davos to come forth and assist in this effort; we are sorely short of interpreters."

[Windsor-Bainbridge]

===HUTORI TELEGRAPH===

DUCHESS THOMPSON RESIGNS AS CLP LEADER

31 July 2897

After 21 years as leader of the CLP, Duchess Thompson has today announced her resignation. Describing her term as leader "life-enhancing", the Duchess today retreated to her private home for some time alone. For almost half of her own life, Duchess Thompson has been at the top of politics, leading the CLP in both victory and defeat, and has been Prime Minister for a total of 15 years. Becoming leader at the age of 23 made the Duchess one of the youngest ever front line politicians in Hutori, and at the age of just 44, she remains much younger than the age at which many politicians ever became prominent.

It is believed that Duchess Thompson was forced to resign after meeting with the Party Leadership Committee. For the second time in a row, the CLP failed to take a majority in any of Hutori's constituencies and, most worryingly for the PLC, the newly-founded HNP, a party based on similar lines to the nationalists, gained control of Kenai. Speaking about this, Duchess Thompson said:

"The Hutorian electorate often seem to have an extraordinary trust in new and untried parties. It is my one doubt about the benefits of democracy! But the people must speak, and the people will soon learn that with their rights come responsibilities. Pollsters tell me that parties of government often get punished, explaining the ridiculous rise of fascist parties in liberal, tolerant Hutori. I am sure the people shall not put up with regressive policies such as the ones proposed by the fascists."

Asked why she resigned, the Duchess stated:

"I would be lying if I said I wasn't partly pushed! But, all good things must come to an end, and it feels that this is the right time to go. A new battle must be fought as fascism seems to be on the rise, and that needs a new, idealistic CLP leader. I will always be on the sidelines ready to help should it be needed, just as my great-uncle and Duke Major did after their periods in office. I hope that my successor takes the right decision and works with the non-fascist parties to save Hutori."

It is believed that Duchess Thompson will take a couple of years out of frontline politics before returning for a leading role. Given that 21 out of her 44 years have been spent at the very front of public life, it would not be surprising if the Duchess puts some time aside for herself. However, it would be very unusual indeed, given her personality and beliefs, if she stayed out of politics altogether.

After a relatively short leadership election, the Rt Hon David Craddock, the current Health and Social Services Secretary, has been elected leader. He has been described as a safe pair of hands, who will not return to extreme libertarianism, but also an idealist, who wishes to defeat the fascists through rhetoric.

[Lusk]

ARCOLOGY CONSTRUCTION CONTINUES

13 April 2898

SAINT JOHN— Along this hostile shore, where the ice is just now thawing and the shipping at this summer port is resuming, a vast tower is rising. This tower, constructed by Falrish Arcology, the number two arcology construction program, is partially funded by the Metropolitan Council of Saint John, one of the fastest-growing councils in Hutori. The new arcology, called Kendrick St. John after the pioneer whose name already is found on so many things in the northern Hutori.

Arcologies are sprouting all over Hutori. Every major city either already has at least one, or a plan for one. The construction of arcologies has massively alleviated the population crisis, providing the swelling millions with hospitable living space, even in hostile climates, like the northern shore of Hutori. Three corporations have received the lion's share of contracts for arcology construction: Axminster Arcology, owned by Lusk Enterprises, Falrish Arcology, based out of Corktown, and Kingdom Construction, based out of Sutton. Together, all arcology corporations have received contracts for nearly one billion square feet worth of building over the past fifteen years. An estimated ten million Hutori subjects now live in arcologies, and millions more work there.