INTERCOLONIAL BREVITIES

Evening Post, Volume LX, Issue 102, 27 October 1900, Page 3 (Supplement)

INTERCOLONIAL BREVITIES

Nearly 20,000,000 people travelled in the Sydney and suburban tramways <-uving the September quarter. Grasshoppers are doing much damage to the vegetable gardens in the Gilgunnia district of New South Wales. Some of the new season's wheat is already in stpre in South Australia, and the prospects poiht to a bumper harvest. The numbex* of names on the new electoral list for Now South Wales is 318,163, about 8000 less than on the previous roll. New South Wales is possessed of timber, says the Engineer-in-Chief, whiol) ; in strength and durability, can vie with the world. At the inauguration of the Congregational Union 20th Century Fund, in Melbourne, £4000 wo* (subscribed at the meeting. A case of leprosy has been discovered in the hospital at Dalby, QueenslanS. It appears that the patient had been an inmate for 1 §pm.e time. Over 1600 railway trucks have been ordered from the Railway Department for the removal o f starving stock from Bourke /to the south. Sir William Lyne states that the Government policy is to project railway lines to the centres in New South Wales rather than to other colonies. , The delegates present at the Federated Manufacturers Conference, recently held m New South Wales, represented at least three millions of money. The tramway earnings in Sydney for the September quarterly period show the largest increase recorded, namely £26,864. The expenditure was £24,963. The latest report from Tarcoola, South Australia, by the Government Geologist, is of a most satisfactory character. Splendid gold has been found about seven miles out, Mr. E. A. Rennie, Auditor-General of New ' South Wales, celebrated his bOth birthday on the 16th October He has been continuously in the Audit Office since 1846. Tha railway earpings in New South Wales for the September quarter show an increase of £57,758 over the corresponding quarter of last year. The net increase is £20,463. The Government of South Australia proposes to celebrate the cessation of hostilities in South Africa on Monday, 12th November, which date is also to be kept as the Prince of Wales's Birthday. The Colonial Secretary states that he had determined to give the returne"d New South Wales soldiers preference for Government employment, subject to the Approval of the Public. Service Board. The equine and canine entourage of the Governor-General of Australia, Lord Hppetoun, consists of sixteen horses, a couple of ponies, and sundry dogs, and are expected ta land in Melbourne shortly. A Federated Chamber of Manufactures is to be formed in Australia, to consist of •thiee representatives from each of. the federating colonies, to' meet, as occasion may demand, in any colony br State to be decided upon. The Premier of Victoria states that he intends next session to ask Parliament to refer the question of the introduction of Scripture lessons in State schools to a vote of the peepl© at the forthcoming Federal elections. A young feHow named Maguire and two others were droving, and camped for the night at Gilgandra, New Sputh Wales, with 200 head «f cattle. During the night the cattle rushed, and trampled Maguire almost to a pulp. In the West Australian Legislative Assembly a motion has been carried, by 19 votes to five, in favour of payment of members ; the motion applies to the present Parliament. ' The Premier announced ( that he would bring in a Bill immediately. The interest on the Credit Foncier beads issued by \h§ V;qtppja.n Government is Übe raised to 3£ per cent. , and are to have a. fixed currency until the 30th September, 1904. Previously the rate of interest was 3 per cent., and the bonds were liable to redemption at any time, consequently they were not favourably received by the investing public. The Central Committee, New South Wales, has forwarded a further remittance to Calcutta of £}OQO, making in all £16,000 to date. Intimation has been received from the' other colonies showing the respective contributions dispatched, viz. : — Melbourne, £4320 ; Adelaide, £4730; Brisbane, £2130} Perth, about £1000 } so that the total sum sent from Australia reaches the enormous sum of £28,180. What is termed the "en queue" system has been adopted at the Princess Theatre, Melbourne. Each night the patrons of the unreserved seats form themselves up into an orderly procession until the opening of the doors,, and then enter the building without the slightest struggle or confusion, and when all the seats aye occupied the doors are closed, and the members at the tail end of the procession disperse. Nothing has yet been done in the direction of carrying into effect the recommendation of the Royal Commission for the early release from the Ptirramatta Asylum of William Creswell, who, it has been persistently claimed, is the longmissing Sir Roger Tichborne. Replying to a question in the Legislative Assembly (New South Wales) Mr. See stated that William Cresweil was first admitted to Gladesville on 13th January, 1871, and was discharged after three months' residence, being readmitted on 14th August, 1871. He was transferred to Parramatta on 18th April, 1872, and had since, re" mained a patient there. A case presenting peculiar features was before the City Court, Melbourne, recently. Joseph. Hanley was arrested on warrant for the larceny of forty-eight sovereigns from Solomon Witgas, diamond dealer, on Tuesday last. Witgas was a passenger on the mail-boat from Sydney, and met two confidence men. He weftt with them to the St. Kilda Hotel, where one of the men got him to give him goldin change for a cheque, saying he wanted to pay his .bill at the hotel. > He then Yi'ent out bathing, and never returned to go with W}tga<3, to the bank to get the cheque changed. A warrant was then issued for the arrest of Hanley, who was said to be one of the, two confidence men concerned. He, however, proved an alibi. The waiters at th,e hotel said he was not the man, and the char^ s was withdrawn. At the Chambers of W nnufactures' Conference, held in Sydney recently, the following motion was adopted ;— ' That in the opinion of this Conference it is highly desirable in the interests of Australian commerce, manuiactures, and products, that freedom, of trade should be preserved where now established between Australian dependencies outside the limits of the Commonwealth." The mover said this motion had been suggested to him by the observation of the Chairman during his opening speech at the Conference with reference to the action of New Zealand in attempting to annex some of the islands in the South Seas. He was pkaiiod to note that Sir William Lyne had protested against this annexation, and he hoped that his protest would be successful. It was highly essential that the open-door policy should bo observed with reference to Australia in the South Sens. A fatal shooting case occurred at Pialba (Q.). A little girl picked up a rifle standin,,' in a room, thinking it was not loaded, and pointed it at a boy named Murtens. The weapon went off, and the bullet struck the child in the temple, and he died during the night.