COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 142, 17 June 1926, Page 7

COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS.

A MONUMENT DAMAGED. RESULT OF THE FOG. DENSEST SINCE 1858. (Bj Cable.—Fress Association.—Copyright.) (ISeceived 11 a.m.) SYDNEY, this day. The State meteorologist says the fog of yesterday was the densest recorded since the weather bureau commenced keeping records in 1858. It was between 300 and 400 feet high, the usual height of a Sydney fog being 50 feet. Another very dense fog was experienced this morning. During the heavy fog an unknown vessel collided with and seriously damaged the monument to the former sculling champion, Harry Searle, which marks the finishing point of the sculling championship course on the Parramatta River at Sydney. Six feet of the top of the monument was dislodged by the accident.— (A. and N.Z.) COLD IN MELBOURNE. RECORD LOW TEMPERATURE. (Received 11 a.m.) MELBOURNE, this day. Yesterday Melbourne experienced one of the coldest days on record, the minimum shade temperature being 34.1. The grass temperature was 22.9. Uncovered water had layers of ice. Many taps were frozen.— (A. and N.Z.) FOUND DROWNED. N.Z. WOMAN IN SYDNEY. (Received 11 a.m.) SYDNEY, this day. The coroner returned a verdust of death from drowning in the case of a woman, whose body was found floating in the surf at Manly. The woman had previously been found wandering in the streets. *She told the police her name was Annie Miller, and that she had come from New Zealand. She appeared to be about 05 years of age.— (A. and N.Z.)

N.S.W. COALMINES. MEN MAY WORK SOON. SYDNEY, June 16. At an aggregate meeting of enginedrivers and firemen on the Maitland coalfields the most important field in the State, a resolution was carried agreeing to resume work on Saturday under the terms of the settlement reached at the recent compulsory conference. It was also agreed to prepare the mines for a full resumption of operations by the miners on Monday. The Wollongong enginedrivers and firemen carried a similar resolution. There is now little doubt that there will be a resumption of work in all the mines on Monday. The Minister of Mines and Labour,, Mr. J. M. Baddeley, announces that the operations at all the mines will be resumed on Monday. The restrictions on the use of gas are to be removed tomorrow.—A. and N.Z.) S.S. WAIMARINO SOLD. SYDNEY, June 16. It is reported that the Union Company's steamer Waimarino, which hag been lying idle in Rose Bay for some months, has been sold to Eastern buyers.— (A. and N.Z.) The Waimarino is a steel-screw steamer of 4204 tons. She was built in 1000 by A. McMillan and Son of Dumbarton, for the Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand.

ESSENTIAL SERVICES. MELBOURNE, June 16. The House of Representatives, after an all-night sitting, passed a bill providing for a second referendum relating to the essential services.— (A. and N.Z.)