AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Press, Volume XXXVI, Issue 5068, 5 December 1881, Page 2

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

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(Per s«. Wakfttinu, at Wellington •( MELBODBNE, November gs The Union Bank of Australia retraction and an apology from ths "aWnewspaper for the recent statement of _!',_ irregularities in that Bank. «** Mr Matheson, manager of the Bs__ «i Victoria, intends to resigr. Mr B!_ c . .j/ assistant manager, tendered his re_i„ a _,„ whioh was accepted. Mr Boyd, a.-iiw' inspeotor, has boen appointed siita.™" manager. It is stated that a doe is n _»„tT tamed to the thief of the £2500. °* A test aotion will shortly bo commenced t. asoertain the legality of using tho tot_j__. on racecourses. Twelve additional refrigerating C ar» abeing oonstruoted for tho Victorian «___., A boarding-house keeper named Brim, h_ been fined £10, or two months' imprlwnniimlL for orimping seamen. *» A man named Walkin has been tentsnea* to six months' imprisonment for attomnt&w to pass an advertisement bank not. _ generics. m

r-v. -, . . SYDNEY, November 26. The Trades' Cnion Bill pn-.ed its lmn * reading aud was considered in committee- on th c 25 th. The land on whioh Me-ars Prinoe, Osaand Co.'s premises stand in George street w_»i__ on the 24th for £45,000, equalling £9QO __• foot frontage. -^ The " Herald " states that an EngUih com. pany, with a large oapital, have offered ** conetruot a bridge to the north shoro if the Government will guarantee Bfc per centum interest on the outlay, and further will hand the bridge to the Government at the end of twenty-one years, on repayment of oosto! construction and maintenance. Private telegrams report that ths b_!__„ 0 _ the meat, ex Garonne, was sold in London si 5d per pound. In consequence of the prevalence ol .*a_, pox in the neighborhood, the Board of _o_\_ has ordered the publio schools in Bussex street to be closed for three weeks. During the ptrf week the di.eaao appears to have spread ml ouily, but at the present time the patient* an reported to be progressing favorably. The " Telegraph " publi.he. telegrams frost Tasmania, describing the extraordinary natalphenomenon of a landslip whioh occurred twenty miles down the Biver Derwent, belov Hobart, oauting heavy floods. Inveitigatio. was made, and it was found the raou_„_ was on fire. Tbe fhmes are described at ruing to a groat height with intonse heat. A dew. mist prevented people going near. It h__ been suggeated that a seam of coal in t_ neighborhood has taken tire. In the Assembly, on tho 22nd, Mr Stmt criticised the budget, while congratulatingtin* House on the prosperity of the colo_v. He considered the finances not so flooriihinf _ represented, and maintained that the .uralM was principally doe to large land sales. _c colony was at present living to a large eiteat upon the land revenue, and ho said that ths expenditure was yearly increasing without change in the ordinary sources of meaus, Mr Lloyd congratulated the Tres—Wron Iho tatisfaofcory statement, whioh ho __ (dad | contained no tinge of protection. Mr Bad f contended the financial statement was lets encouraging than the Treasurer __c out, and argued that little or no surplus would be shown if the land revenue had not «uaesded the estimates. At a conference between the Le_isl&ti**e Council and the Assembly, it was agreed to compromise the disputed points in tho Chinese Bill, the payment of a £10 poll tax being agreed to, but the olause insisting on the Chinese producing a certificate of payment was abandoned.

An important discovery of cos? has besn made twenty miles north of Gosford, and two miles from the proposed line of railway from Sydney to Waratah. The total force of miHfcsry volunteers mi naval brigade in New South Wales is 2758, costing an average of £32 por man. Telegraph wires in operation in Hew South Wales are 13 689 miles, producing a revenue ot £84,000 j Viotoria 6678, revenue £85,0001 and New Znaland 9578, revenue £83,000. Harris, the ocoountant in the Govern—srt Lands Department, was arrested on the 23rd instant, in consequence ot defalcations in his accounts, and was committed for trial on the 25tb, on a oharge of stealing a cheque of £10. The extent of the frauds by the pruoaer is believed to be £200. A match between the English Eleven against Twenty-two of Maitland, ended on the 24th, and was drawn in favor of the Englishmen. The Twenty-two made 113 in the first innings. A. Bignell, 22; Wjndhwn, 17; S. Bignell, 12. In the seoond innings thoy made a total of 123, of which Austin made 43. The Eleven made 157 in tfeeir first innings. Ullyett, 58 • Betes, 58 ; Barlow, 21. In the seoond innings 15 w_ made with the loss of one wicket, when tune was oailed.

The Perth Intercolonial Exhibition wee opened on the 22nd. Governor Bobicioo, _ replying to the address, expatiated on t—• resources of Western Australia. A cants— was then performed by the choir and ths* Austrian band. The Governor, with IMy Bobinson, went through the building and o-amined a number of exhibits and accept— the medals for the Queen and the Governor, whioh were specially struck for the occasion. BBISBANiB, November 26. Mr Griffith., the leader of ths Opposition , was entertained at a banquet at Warwick, _— denounced the Government for sending to India for coolie labor without the consent of Parliament. He maintained that tbe transcontinental railway schema would plM* 20,000,000 acres of land in a big corporatism, and considered the soheme a dengsrou. ess. The Premier was alio banquotted at Awn*—, and said the Government were procuyfef 8 powerful diamond drill with which it W— intended to thoroughly prospect the We.—ra distriot for water.

Messrs Money, Wigram and Co.'s -tea—-* Durham is being oh arte red by the Gown*' ment for the conveyance of 460- i_j_u_rra--to Queensland. The Oooktown inquiry into ths loss of the steamer Brisbane was concluded oa the 22nd. No blame was attaohed to the captain or officers. The wreck sold for £50.

ADELAIDE, November 26. The Government have appointed Major ParguMon to proceed to India to tatia arrangements to introduce oooiis isbo-rsr. for the Norther Territory..