AUSTRALIAN NEWS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XLIII, Issue 9826, 20 March 1923, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN NEWS

COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS. DECREASE IN ASIATICS.

(Per Press Association, Copyright.) MELBOURNE, March 19. Senator Pearce has published statistics showing that since 1911 the Chinese in Australia have decreased hy 5098, Japanese by 655, and Hindus by 164.- The full-blooded non-Euro-pean population is now 30,812. BOOKMAKERS IN TASMANIA. HOBART, March 18. The publication of evidence taken by a Select Committee on a bill to register bookmakers reveals that eight of the witnesses were bookmakers. Under the existing law betting is illegal, and to secure their evidence the committee had to give -an undertaking that their names would not be disclosed. Thus they appeared in rthe report wrapped in mystery, as Mr “X.,” Mr “Y.,” and so on. All were in favour of registration, and, incidentally, they gave interesting information on the extent to which the calling is plied in Tasmania, despite its illegality. At the City Police Court a young married woman was fined £2O for tinlawful betting at the Elwick racecourse. The evidence showed that defendant’s bets ranged from Is 3d to 10s. Twelve or thirteen women, suspected of betting, had been warned off the racecourse recently.

THE LABOUR SPLIT. (Received This Day, 10.55 a.m.) SYDNEY, This Day. The rival factions in the Labour movement are .continuing to press recriminations. Many Labour leagues and unions are inviting Mr Dooley to put his case' before thenr, ; despite threats that such action will be regarded as contumacy, ‘ 'and trill be followed by expulsion, . The executive also communicated, with several jgiem-, bers who were issuing statments to the Press, notifying "them that they will be expelled unless the statements cedse. The Federal Labour executive so far has not replied to the request that it should intervene for the sake of peace. QUEENSLAND ELECTIONS. BRISBANE, This Day. Surprise has'Taeen caused in political circles by the announcement that the elections will take place on May 12. Political organisations had not expected the elections before October.