AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XLI, Issue 9432, 1 February 1921, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

(Per Press Association Copyright.) (Received February 1, 10.30 a.m.) SYDNEY, This Day. The shipowners meet to-day to t consider the reply from the ?eamen assuring peaceful working conditions. Sir Conan Doyle sails to-day by the Naldera. In pacing a tribute to the courtesy and kindness of the people, he spoke with less enthusiasm of the experience at the hands of the taxation authorities. " I was only 15 days m" New Zealand," he said, " but they took £151 m taxes, I do not . quite understand it, but it -appears to be a tax on my earnings m .the Dominion. I believe I have to pay the Australian tax-gatherers several hundreds. Australia never had a visitor who contributed so much to\ the revenue for so short a__ stay and • who has taken bo little from the country." (Received February 1, 10.30 a.m.) SYDNE^, This Day. The coal production m 1920 totalled 10,714,000 tons, as against 8,631,000 tons m 1919. The total value at the pit mouth was £7,723,000, an increase of £2,300,000. The coke output during 1920 totalled 567,000 tons., an increase of 142,000 tons. Shale decreased from 25,453 tons to 21,004 tons. . * All members of the New South* Wales tennis team speak m most appreciative terms of the hospitality experienced throughout the Dominion. Important amalgamation proposals are being entertained by the Australian Workers' Union at a conference. The railway Workers and miners are eager to join, ..and the amalgamation, if effected, will bring the former's strength to 200,000.

(Received February 1, Noon.) MEHBOURNE, This Day. Speaking at the Australian Natives' Association's annual banquet, Admiral Grant dealt with the controversy petween supporters of "big ships" on the one hand and submarines on the other. He said it was a very attractive policy to choose the apparently chief article when considering the question of defence, but he asked supporters of submarines and airships to take into account the amount required to keep the Australian coastline of over 12,000 miles secure by those means. One vital point was always forgotten and. that was the most important one of the protection of trade. Any country which depended on export trade for its wealth and prosperity and on its import trade for its essentials for industry must never lose command of the seas. Big and small ships each had their function and m his opinion the time had not come"~when any one' or two of those classes could succeed complete against a combination of all the others.