INTERCOLONIAL BREVITIES

Evening Post, Volume LV, Issue 101, 30 April 1898, Page 2 (Supplement)

INTERCOLONIAL BREVITIES

The drought in the inland districts of New South Wales is becoming more serious, aud is eausiug a continual advance in valued for nearly all classes of produce. Large quantities of hay are still bein£ bought for the dying stock in Riverina and othpr drought-stricken districts. The Queensland Chief Inspector of Stocl is disappointed to find that stock-ownen are apathetic about the inoculation of tbeii cattle as a preventive against tick fever. Including the 13,000 electors on the additional roll, there will be at leaßt 290,000 persona in New South Wales eligible to vote at the Federal referendum. The West Australian Parliament is tc consider the Federal Enabling Bill in the next session, and will then decide whethei it will submit the measure for the approval of the people. The Government at Sydney will take steps to place before the electors in an authoritative form the financial bearings of the Convention Bill and of Federation. The longer the sentence the less the punibhment seems curious. Tet in Sydney last week Judge Murray, at the request of a prisoner, sentenced him to 13 months 1 imprisonment instead of 12 months. The longer term, it is declared, carried with it certain privileges. The Railway Commissioners of N.S.W. propose to institute a system of fines in cases where passengers are found travelling without tickets. In the course of the inspection of slaugh-ter-houses by the Board of Health officials of Sydney it was found that a large number of diseased animals passed into human consumption. According to the files of the Sydney Telegraph last to hand the advance in marine insurance haß not so far seriously affected current values, although it has given all classes of American goods a firmer tendency. The Pastures and Stock Board of one of the largest agricultural districts of N.S.W . has decided to recommend that hares be declared noxious for two years. It is not difficult to understand the reason of the fall in the price of colonial lamb on the London market when we read that the owner of one station in N.S.W. is making arrangements for the freezing of 10,000 lambs for export to the English market. Typhoid fever is very prevalent in Melbourne and other parts of Victoria, and hospital accommodation is severely taxed. During the fortnight ended the 2nd April 604 cases of typhoid were reported in Victoria. The Irish National League at Adelaide has suggested to the other Australian leagues that a message of sympathy be Bent' to Mr. Gladstone in his illnesa. The local papers estimate that if the ensuing season should prove favourable, the Queensland wheat yield of 1898 should for the first time be well over a million bushels. Butter is now being exported from Southern Queensland to Sydney. This is a trade in which Wellington ought to compete successfully with Brisbane. Encouraging reports as to the success of inoculation against tick fever have been received in Brisbane from the inspectors in Central and Northern coast districts. Five thousand more people were employed in the factories in Victoria at the c/ose of last year than at the end of the previous year. The Queensland Government propose to subsidise a line of intercolonial steamers to carry chilled meat from that colony to the markets of the southern provinces, provided the stockownera will guarantee a supply of stock. The Government will, according to tenders roceived, provide * interest on the cost incurred in fitting the steamers for the chilled meat trade. An increase of nearly 37,000 gallons in the quantity of wine made in Queensland is reported for the year 1897. Sir Hugh Nelson, late Premier of Queensland, though quite an 'old boy,' on opening a new rifle range the other day fired the first shot and scored a bulls-eye. The new regulations under which all diseased fruit is excluded from N.S.W. is causing consternation among growers of the other colonies, particularly Queensland, Tasmania, and Victoria. In one day 11,000 bunches of Queensland bananas were condemned owing to the presence of the fruit fly. Also, 1000 cases of lemons shared the same fate because 'one lemon in forty' showed signs of carraway seed. From Tasmania, out of one shipment of 8000 cases of apples, 2000 were condemned.