AUSTRALIAN CABLE NEWS

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LII, Issue 8474, 20 December 1923, Page 7

AUSTRALIAN CABLE NEWS

Press. Assoc. By Tel. UopyngUt,

Ar-t.—N.Z. Cable Assoc, Rec. Dec. 20, 10.25 a.m.

Sydney, Dec. 20. A strike of wheelers has rendered the Bellbird colliery idle. This makes a total of four mines not working on the Northern field.

A Bill, providing for a. compulsory levy of the amount to be annually decided by the Australian Meat! Council on owners of cattle and sheep throughout the Commonwealth, has been tabled in the Assembly. The levy will be collected by the Government in each Stale. Mr Oakes states that the. Bill, which was for the encouragement anti improvement of the meat industry, would not be proceeded with, pending the receipt of the report of a joint committee of both Houses, which is enquiring into the whole question. A mass meeting of operative bakers decided to adhere to the previous resolution not to recommence night baking, despite any decision by the Arbitration Court. It stated that if any employee worked at. night a general strike would be declared. The report: of the Auditor-General on State industrial undertakings shows that eighty years trading with the State trawlers and the winding up of the business resulted in a loss of £309,522. The State timber yards showed a deficit of £319,000, while the brick workers and: metal quarries showed a slight, profit. The rain area, is extending north, but so far the falls have been light, in the dry districts. Rain was also experienced in Queensland. The prospects favouring good falls in the central area, which hao been suffering from drought for mouths past. Following the Eqinty Court’s judgment restraining the City Council from proceeding with the proposed extension of Martin Place, Cabinet held a meeting to consider the introduction in Parliament of a Spec, ial Enabling Bill. Perth, Dec. 20.

The Premier announced that ninety group settlements are now established in the South-west, with sixteen hundred families living on and working, them. He expressed confidence that the experiment, would be a great success.