INTERCOLONIAL.

Press, Volume XL, Issue 5755, 28 February 1884, Page 7

INTERCOLONIAL.

VICTORIA.

At a meeting of the Riverina residents recently a Committee was appointed to inaugurate a Separation League. Mr Templeton has been appointed Chairman of the Public Service Board. Mr Labutoche, Secretary of Railways, has applied for twelve months leave previous to retiring from the service. Owing to the difficulty in finding the way about the new law courts, it has been decided to have 196 notice boards painted, 153 of which will be for the ground floor. Messrs Saunders and' Co. have been the means of introducing to the colonies some -20 native servants. They are being employed by many persons in preference to females as household servants. The demand is increasing. i Mr Murray was elected on Feb. 16th as representative in the Legislative Assembly for Warnambool, vice the late J. G. Francis. I The Marchioness of Normanby, who has been indisposed since the 3rd inst.. is progressing favorably towards recovery. The Central Board of Health has formally disapproved of the proposal to inoculate rabbits with tuberculosis, on the ground that it is attended with dan.er to other living things. Mr R. Speight, the new Chairman of the Victorian Railway Commissioners, arrived by the Lusitania.- He is busy inspecting the various matters connected with the railways. Sir George Whitmore, while travelling by the overland express, was robbed of a bag containing £52. NEW SOUTH WALES. In the Legislative Assembly (Feb. 1) the Government BiU for validating the seats of the Hons. G. H. Reid, A. C. Cohen, Mr Sutter and. others was -under consideration. Mr Sutter's seat, ultimately, was declared vacant, in opposition to Government vote. The Hon. G. H. Read announced his intention of seeking re-election. Mr Sutton,.whose seat the Government propose to validate by a Bill, has declined to take advantage of this technicality, and has written to the Speaker, requesting him to issue a writ. The Elections Committee have also decided that Mr Yaughan's seat is vacant, as he was concerned in a Government contract.

In the course of the debate in the Legislative Council on Feb. 1, angry altercation took place between the Hon. Robert Wisdom and Mr Buchanan. Subsequently both went into the Speaker's retiring room, and while there "Wisdom struck Buchanan, and both rolled on the floor. The House broke up in confusion, and the galleries were cleared. Oα the return of the members an excited debate ensued, and Wisdom was ordered to attend the House uon a future day on a charge of breach of privilege. In the Legislative Assembly on Feb. 6, •Mr Wisdom tendered an apology for the *part he had taken in the disturbance which occurred in the Chamber on the Ist inst. 'On the " motion of the Premier, Mr Wisdom's apology was, after some debate, accepted by the House. At a public meeting which has been held here to consider the scheme of taxation recently announced in Parliament, a resolution has been adopted condemning the- ; proposals of the Colonial Treasurer. Meet-ings-with the same object are being held; throughout the colony. An opposition is being raised throughout the country to the Government taxation. proposals, principally to the Property Tax, which is to be collected in the same way as the New Zealand tax. Meetings are being .convened in opposition. Oα January 294h a meeting against immigration was held in Hyde Park. A large crowd accompanied a deputation to Parliament House, and outside raised groans for Mr Stuart, Premier, and Sir John Robertson, and a petition was presented, through Mr A. &. Taylor, in the Assembly. The Government is beinz attacked for continuing a heavy expenditure, [and retrenchment is being advocated.

- Thft. property tax proposedby the Treasurer, to be framed on the luiee of that of New Zealand, includes property of all kinds, real and personal, land, houses, mortgages, shares. Bank deposits, household furniture and -wearing apparel. An exemption is allowed tiuder £300, and allowance to that amount is token off when above that value. A daring attempt was made to murder a constable by a youth named Deenen. The latter. • was arrested by the constable, Hodgkinson, on a charge of horse stealing, and was being conveyed to Pieton by train. The prisoner induced the constable to remove the handcuffs, ond then shot four times with a revolver. The guard _of the train came to the constable's assistance, and Deenen was secured. The constable, though badly injured, is progressing favorably. The authorities decided that the recently imported American sheep, which were found to be infected with scab, shall be destroyed and all traces of them obliterated. In the Legislative Assembly on Feb. 20, the Government announced that the taxation proposals made by the Treasurer in the Budget Statement had been withdrawn, except in so far as the inoreaaed duty on tobacco was concerned. The Government propose to meet the expected deficiency in the revenue by retrenchment to the extent of three-quarters of a million sterling. In addition to this, he believed that the Customs revenue.will show an increase of one hundred and seventy thousand sterling during the year. In the report of the Inspector-General of Police for the year, Mr Fosberry regrets that he found no diminution in the idle and dissolute habits of the youth of the colony. The general diffusion of education has not had the moral effect hoped for. The old students of King's College, London, residing in the colony, have decided to present an address of welcome to Bishop Barry on his arrival. The Opposition having elected Sir John Robertson as leader, collected their forces and made an assault on the Government taxation proposals in the Assembly last night. Sir John made a very indifferent speech, and referred at some length to the land laws. The Premier suggested that there were hidden motives in the amendment, which, if carried, would result in the restoration of Sir John Boberteon to power and the resumption of sales of land by auction. Questions of ways and meane he etated should be settled in Committee. After he sat down the debate was finally brought to a close.: A few Opposition members spoke, and an! adjournment was asked for, but when this was negatived by 50 to 29, no division was called for on the main question, which was also negatived. The Opposition could not count upon more than 18 votes. There are indications that the Treasury Bill proposals will be greatly moderated. SOUTH AUSTRALIA.

t The Government are despatching a suri vey party to Melville and Bathurst Island, I north of Port Darwin. In 1821 a military post was established at Melville, but abandoned on account of the trouble with natives. The islands are swarming with buffaloes, the descendants of those left by the soldiers. At the half-yearly meeting of the Ostrich Farming Company it was stated that the Company had purchased farms at a cost of £12,000. Port Augusta had 152 birds and QambierlS3. The Company had shipped featheie of the value ef £425, and had £250 worth on the birds at present, Mr Malcolm, the Managing Director, said the feathers alone met the working expenses and interest. The Chief Secretary made a statement to the House of the Ministerial intentions to meet the difficulty caused by the rejection of the Taxation Bill by tho Council. He said it would be the duty of Government to introduce the same Bill again in ord>r I to absolutely test the question. At the same time it was not intended, to bring

down the supplementary estimates. Tiam would probably be the b. st means of calling the attention of tfa« country to the action tak»u by the Council Captain Gortley, ot th* barque Chitter, which recently went aehore atTroubridge, baa been summoned to anewer the charge of ineoßpetency, gros» misconduct, and default in the navigation of the vessel. QTJEENSLAITD. A hurricane of a moet severe character hee been experienced at Bowen, a seaport town about 725 milee north of this city. The wind blew some honre with terrific force, and caused immense destruction, every building in town beinjj more or lees damaged, and many being Mown down. Hundreds of people have been rendered homeless, both the bank buildings have been razed to the ground, and all the hotels have been so damaged as to be unfit for occupation. The jetty has been blown away, and the steamer PiadOj which was lying alongside, has been driven aground. So far as is known no lobs of life has been caused. It has been ascertained that no loss of life occurred from the hurricane recently experienced in the north. The Poole Island Freezing Works near Bowen were completely destroyed, and it is feared that there has been a wreck on Gloucester Island, off Bay. The storm I had a most extensive front, and serious floods are reported in many parts of

Northern Queensland. A hundredpersons at Bowen are in a state of destitution. The official return gives the number of Polynesians in the colony on the 30th of June, 1883, as 13,697. Notwithstanding the large influx of immigrants the demand for single men continues good. The Polynesian Laborers Act Amendment Bill has been passed through Committee. There have been further- rich- finds of gold at the Wjlmot Extended Gympie mine. The barque Catherine Jane, from Townsville to Newcastle, in ballast; became a total wreck cff Cape Upstart during the recent cyclone. The barque Duke of Richmond- was also lost on Barrier lieef. No loss of life resulted in either case. The season's yield of sugar at Mackay is 14,0COtons,4000less than waa estimated representing a loss of -380,000. TASMANIA. The death is announced of the Hon. Thomas Daniel Chapman, Presidenfcef the Legislative Council.