AUSTRALIAN ITEMS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 13636, 17 March 1915, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN ITEMS.

SYDNEY, March 16 ♦The- Montenegrin Red Cross Association has urgently appealed to Australia £or funds. Colonel Holmes, commander of tho late Now Guinea expedition, has been appointed commander of tho Fifth Infantry Brigade of tho Australasian expeditionary force. ,

Arising out of a recent charge of attempting to trade with tho enemy, the High' Court has appointed a controller for t/he business of Edward Alexander and Co., importers, until tho end of the

war

ADELAIDE,- March 'l6. The Foodstuffs Commission learned that the State wheat deficiency is 191,242 bushels.

(Received March 17, 10 a..m.)

MELBOURNE, March 17. . The High Court of Australia dismissed the appeal m the Bernasconi case. Judge Murray stated it was ai special case on several grounds, the main point being whether Bernasconi had a right to claim, trial' by Jury. The Chief .Justice said the section of the constitution providing for trial by jury related only 10 offences created by Parliament by statutes passed m executed functions described as laws of the Commonwealth. The request for a jury, therefore, was rightly refused. Mr Justice Isaacs aoid Mr Justice Rich concurred.

A deputation of users of fodder pointed out that a year ago /chaff was procurable at £3 15s per ton; now it stood at £10 10s. It is calculated that there has been a shrinkage of two hundred thousand tona of fodder stocks m Victoria. Prices have not shown a tendency to ease. The Minister of Agriculture replied .that there was not much hope of relief. The Government werb importing lucerne fuom California at £8 10s landed. Chaff had been bought m New Zealand at from £5 to £o 15s, and with bags, freight, and other charges, it cost £9 io £9 15s landed at Melbourne. There were also risks m importing from different countries owing to variouSs stock diseases. • •. •