AUSTRALIAN.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 9289, 14 December 1895, Page 7

AUSTRALIAN.

Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright. NEW SOUTH WALES RAILWAYS. 0 Sydney, December 18. The Government propose to grant a subsidy of £50,000 per annum to the Railway Commissioners, in order to enable them to reduce the rates in certain districts. The cue has evidently been taken from the Victorian Railway Trust Bill, which embodies a similar idea. At present the burden of unprofitable lines is borne by the paying ones, and any loss beyond has to be made up from the general revenue. The figures given in the annual report of the Railway Department show that this loss amounts to some £860,000 per annum. The idea seems to be to devote £50,000 per annum towards reducing this sum, thereby enabling the general railway rates to be reduced. Later. In the Legislative Assembly, owing to its hostile reception, the Premier withdrew the item £25,000 {sic) proposed to be given to the Commissioners to enable them to reduce the railway rates on stock and produce over a period of six months. He stated that he intended to bring the proposal forward again next session. NEW SOUTH WALES REVENUE. A return presented to Parliament shows that the' revenue from all sources, for the past eleven months, was £8,608,000. The decrease, com* pared with the corresponding period of last year, is £54,000,

LORD MAYOR OF SYDNEY. Alderman Ives is Mayor-elect of Sydney. During the course of a speech after the election the retiring Mayor, Mr S. Lees, announced that it was the intention of the Queen to confer the title of Lord Mayor upon the Mayor of Sydney during' the coming year, so that Mr Ives would he the first to bear the title.

RECOGNITION OF BRAVERY.

In recognition of the gallantry displayed in rescuing the crew of the French barque Terre Neuve off the island of St. Paul, when that vessel was in a sinking condition, the Shipwreck Rescue Society has presented the captain and the chief officers of the rescuing vessel, Aristides, each, with, a gold medal, and also those comprising the rescuing boat's orew (five in number) with silver medals and £5 each. Previously the French Consul-General had visited the Aristides, and had officially thanked the rescuers on behalf of the French Government, and eulogised the bravery of all concerned.

FATHOMLESS DEEPS.

In the course of a survey at the Pacific Islands, the survey vessel, the Penguin, reports that she made attempts to obtain soundings near the Friendly Group, but the wire snapped at a depth of 29,400 ft without the bed of the ocean being reached. This is the deepest known water in the world. It is nearly 1600 ft deeper than the deepest known in the Pacific, and 2000 ft deeper than any known in the North Atlantic. THE DEAN CONSPIRACY CASE. In the conspiracy case Crick has closed his defence. Meagher made a lengthy statement, covering his previous confessions, and claimed that he was acting in accordance with a well established precedent in not giving the secret of his client away, though he knew the facts, and, considering that Dean's case was prejudiced by the course of events, he considered he was serving the true ends of justice by trying to get him off. Finding he 'had inadvertently given his case away, he said he determined to see the matter through. BOXING CONTESTS. Barker has been acquitted on the charge of committing grievous bodily harm on Placke. The jury added a rider that the Government should take steps to put a stop to boxing contests. FEDERAL BUILDING SOCIETY. Melbourne, December 18. At the annual meeting of the Federal Building' Society, in liquidation, the report showed that during tide year the liabilities had been reduced by -£71,000, and the creditors had received £20,000 in dividends, and £48,000 worth of deposit receipts had been cancelled. The report was adopted.