AUSTRALIAN.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 9314, 15 January 1896, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN.

Press Association—By Teleirraph—Copyright HAWKERS' LICENSES. Sydney, January 14. A full Bench dealt with the question of hawkers' licenses. There were 193 applications for renewal, of which twenty-three were withdrawn, and as the police had no complaint to make against the remainder, which included a number recently refused by one magistrate, all were granted. Seven out of nine new applications were refused on the ground that the applicants were insufficiently known to the police. CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. The appointment of the Civil Service Commission was announced this afternoon. Mr G. A. Wilson, Manager of the Bank of New Zealand in Sydney, is to be Chairman, and he will have Messrs J. Barling, Under Secretary for Public Works, and T. A. Coghlan, the well-known Government statistician, as colleagues. Mr Wilson joined the Bank of New Zealand in Dunedin in 1874, was appointed accountant of the Melbourne branch in 1888, and Manager in 1887, and was transferred to.Sydney in 1891. THE FIRE ON THE CINTRA. Melbourne, January 14. Later accounts show that there was a considerable panic on board the Cintra when the fire was first discovered, but the coolness of the captain and officers soon restored order. The sailors worked splendidly in suppressing the fire. BANKING RETURNS. The quarterly banking returns show:—Assets -149,297,000, a decrease of £48,000 as compared with last quarter, and liabilities £32,923,000, an increase of £1,060,000 on last quarter. The coin and bullion held in the Banks amounts to £8,218,000, an increase of £436,000. The proportion of coin and bullion to liabilities at call is 14s 8d in the pound. TELEGRAPHICCOMMUNICATION INTERRUPTED. Adelaide, January 14. Severe thunderstorms and heavy rains in the Northern Territory are interfering with the telegraphic service. The overland cable line in the vicinity of Port Darwin has been blocked since last night. THE BRITISH NAVY. Hobart, January 14. Admiral Bridge considers that the British navy is strong enough to ruin any enemies attempting conquest, and to give reasonable protection to England's vast ocean trade. The navy is not strong enough to guarantee every port in the empire from attack; but out-of-the-way ports should have a few hundred trained soldiers, which would make a raider think twice before attacking them.