BANK MANAGER DEAD.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20621, 10 August 1932, Page 11

BANK MANAGER DEAD.

A BULLET WOUND. SENSATION IN BRISBANE. tUKITED PRESS ABBOCIATIOX—BX BUBCTEIO TELEGRAPH—COPYBIOHT.) (Received August 9th, 10.55 p.m.) BRISBANE, August 9. A sensation was caused in Brisbane banking circles to-day when i$ was learned that the manager of the Commercial Bank of Australia, Mr C. E. Carr, had been found dead in his office with a bullet woun . in his head. Mr Carr came from Auckland five years ago to the managership of the Brisbane branch of this bank. Detectives aro investigating. GRAFT CHARGES. * ——— PAYMENT FOR INFORMATION. MR LANG SEEKS AN ENQUIRY. SYDNEY, August 9. Mr J. T. Lang (ex-Premier) has written to Mr Justice Halso Rogers (who is presiding at the mechanical hare racing enquiry) requesting his Honour to apply to the Governor for an extension of the period of the Commission to permit of an enquiry into the payment of £IBOO to G. R. Barry for certain documentary evidence relating to the granting of licenses. Mr Lang describes this payment as having been made to besmirch the characters of public men. Mr Justice Halse Rogers replied that the enquiry suggested by Mr Lang was beyond the terms of his Commission. The Premier (Mr B. S. B. Stevens) made a statement replying to Mr Lang's letter, declaring that it contains a false suggestion. Mr Stevens says the payment for the documents was made when Mr Lang was Premier, that Barry refused to produce them unless he was paid for them, and that the considerations which determined their purchase were whether they should be secured for the information of the general public or allowed to get into the hands of those whose interest it was that they should be destroyed.

FEAR OF LABOUR UNIONS. CONDITIONS AT BROKEN HILL. (Received August 9th, 10.66 p.m.) SYDNEY, August 9. At the mechanical hare enquiry Ralph Krantss, commission agent at Broken Hill, related the efforts made to secure a coursing license for Broken Hill on behalf of certain business men, who were afraid that their identity might become known as the labour unions there were so powerful that they terrorised business men. The reason underlying their fear was that the tin hare enquiry was being directed against Labour Parliamentarians and unions, and the fact that certain local sports bodies affiliated with the Broken Hill Labour Council had also applied for a license. "In these circumstances," added Krantz, "I did not have a million-to-one chance of getting a license on behalf of the business men who took such a stand, Baying This is a cockeyed town and we must not do anything to cause unions to boycott us.'" Tho hearing was adjourned.

FLOODS IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DAMAGE TO RAILWAYS AND ROADS. PERTH, August 9. Following unprecented heavy rains, miles of country is now under water in the Midland Railway district, north of Perth. Much damage has been done to roads and railway lines. Some residents of Coorow have moved to higher levels, as it was feartfd that the Mown dam might burst. Shops and houses at Moore are flooded, and it is feared that the peak of the flood has not yet been reached. NATIONAL ECONOMY. FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S PLANS. LUXURY VOTES TO GO. (FROM QVR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) SYDNEY, August 4. The whole range of the Commonwealth Government's expenditure is again under review in order to bring about the saving of £2,200,000 necessary to enable the Prime Minister (Mr J. A. Lyons) to give effect to his undertaking to the Premiers' Conference. As the expenditure has already been cut very severely, it is no easy matter to discover other avenues where economy is possible, and the task facing the Ministers is a heavy one. it will probably take the Cabinet a fortnight to reach linality. Departmental votes, special appropriations, and votes for miscellaneous services are being carefully overhauled, but details of the cuts that are inevitable are not available. The frime Minister has admitted that many of the cuts will be "of an unpopular oharaoter," but he has pointed out that the . Government can no longer provide services which the taxpayer cannot afford. The pruning knife will be applied mainly to "luxury" expenditure; or what may be so termed during a period of depression. Bounties for iron, wine, and steel products, cotton, gold, and sulphur last year absorbed more than £400,000. and in view of the benefits which these industries are deriving from exchange considerable reductions in the items mentioned are bound to be made. The ordinarv votes of departments have been reduced in two years from °2 <VSO 000 +o £9 ff*" f*v>. but still further reductions will be neces s arv dnrinc the current ver>r It is likely that the old age and invalid nension l ' scheme will he tboronerhlv overhauled in the TtVht of the knowledge that many neople are dmw'nff pensions but are not rnorallv entHle* to them again, the • cost of ' living has f nllen and in some quarters it ?« suggested that the Government would b« justi-

fied iii reducing the pensions accordingly. The expenditure on the maternity allowance has been reduced from £642,000 to £378,000, and there is no certainty that a further cut will not be made in this grant. War pensions, which last year absorbed £7,449,000, present a grave problem, and any Government bold enough to Tnierfere with them would cause bitterness. However it has been suggested that many soldiers who are receiving pensions are now in circumstances where such a. grant is not needed. Returned men who ;bave made good in spite of their disabilities will protest that they, should not be penalised for doine so. but it may be pointed out to them that these are not ordinary times. A complete review of the war pensions system is not un'ikely, and the Government mav appeal to the returned men to suggest some way out. The bill is far heavier than the Government" can

afford to pay.