AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXI, Issue 47, 24 February 1906, Page 9

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

9 1 ■ TH>&- COMMONWEALTH. New Guinea, will be formally transferred to tho Commonwealth on the Ist July, The Secretary to, tho Treasurer has drawn up a report for' tho Minister in connection with the proposed Federal Banking Bill. -It j g expected that tho UiU will be introduced next session. It will probably bo no moro than tho uni* floation of existing State legislation. At) tii© banquet of x Orangemen in Sydn& lft f * ook the Grand Master of tlto 2£ M i Mn , Whoclw ) » nl d' that Orange Wen throughout Australia at Uie next elections would eng Og»O g» in an active camvT g f.'^ , 6nid th(lt oai^idates would i db tested on questions relating to it. iiominatlonal institutions, socialism, nnd I .Home Rule, irl ho t \f* ml 0< *e«MnMit. In the opin- \ ™, ?/ M . r ' Paxton, should mako a ton jews moil contract two yoarssahoad. nttitvl l , de<!rd6tl to appoint <i now Chief Electoral Officer for the Commonwealth, at a salary of JD7OO per annum, the position being in tho administrative division, ifc i Bi B O p en to pMW>M mtliko a« well as insido the Federal service. «i CO , ?? nee of oxeiso oncers was re* "Sff «" ft the foe charged for the inswetion of spirit* made in vineyards' for M Ulster for Customs has not yet roooived a report, but he understands tho expense of inspection can be reduced and the charge lowered. B ™ JtoHot amongst members of tho «!?■ S Iftb ? UP &OUnCU ' Wftd0 * unimitta associated with it to determino who shall contest tho l noxt Senate olee* tions, when Senators Zeal, Pmser, ! anQ Styles retire, began on tho 15th, and will continue until the 28th in»t. No less than 23 candidates hare been nominated, and more than ono hundrcU branches take part in the ballot. vSh ft? h if n.n .T tts offored the offle6 »' Jjederal .Statistician &i>% salary of some. ißjT* f 100 ° P« r ftnn « m » *ttt declined tho offer in favour of the Agency. General for New South Wales in London. It is now intended to invite «,p. lwoafopns for the position ot about £800 or fllOOOft-year by advertisement, tftv dec tho Publio Service Act tho usnal courso in tho matter is for tho Federal service to havo the 1 first consideration. Applications from tho State services are next in order, and then tho'so from the general public. A wimber of patent 1 agents 'interviewed Sir WiUnint Lyho and submitted reasons in opposition to hla sympnthy with the I provision m the New Zealnml law that j n, patent appllctaion should tako effect I from tho dato stamped on the kttor at tho 'despachlng post office.' Sir William Lyne explained that no stops had yet been taken In the matter, and promised that, the representations should bo con* sidered.' The Defence authorities last year wero compelled, to order investigations into tho cause of rifles bursting, a number of acoldents having occurred on riflo rangos. The matter was referred to experts, and a report has now boen received to the ■effect that the burstings wero due' to tho use of oartridtfOß containing two bullets. Special weighing machines are being so« cured by tho Colonial' Ammunition Com. puny in order to proven* overweight cart, ridges being issued. \ , ..rnnm^f^,', 0 * b «sh fires (says L.B.R. ') extmwdinatyp^cHU'tfons'aro taken by some outback smokers. Ono cooky out Mudgee way spits on ovcry match befort he throws in, down, and another, in the samo district;, carries a small flush ,half-full of water, in which an dead , matches nro dropped and corked «X A; boundary rider i> tho Old Man Plain district places each match, as he extinguishes' it, on his aaddlo, and sits hard thereon j and a man I struck near Waloha some years back not only blew the match put, but spat on it, nnd then deposited it carefully insido his shirt. He'rdckoned he would know if it started ft fire going; tMany Rlvorina stations, by the way, mtpp'y their mew gratis with ssfety.matches to proven!/ tho use of jvestas. , If the dry season as now oxlstlng In Victoria should long contintio there is every reason 1 to fear .tt'severe drought and water famine in country 'districts. The low rainfail for tho ffrst, six weeks of the year Is- well nigh a record (Bays tho Sydney Telegraph of the 14th inst.), Mr, Bftraechi, tho Government Meteorologist, skates to-nlght, "so far as .reports go, the drought is only serious in Viotoria. In other States, particularly in Queensland, there has been a lot of rnin, but in pur, State the absence of rain is gen« oral, and as far as I can soo thoro aro no prospects of rain yot, at any rote for ft, couplo of days. Of course, tho month of January is one, of tho .driest months of the year. I cannot say that thoro have nover boon suoh a dry season as last month, /but January must havo 'boen one of the driest ntontha oil record." , ' Four new officers are to be appointed to, tho branch of the Customs Depart, mont, ■ which will control tho administratton of tho Trade Marks' Act. The first is to be examiner, who will be in thp professional division, and will ro. celvo a salary of from £310 to £400 a I year. , The seoond will bo* deputy-exam. ,inor,with a salary of £185 to £$8} ths third a foufth-ctass officer with similar pay: and the, fourth nn officer of the juth;ola«s, at, » remuneration 1 ranging from £40 to £160. It is intended to appoint a flfth-olass clerk in connection with tho Copyright Act. Jfbr tho Commerco Act the services of oxports may occasionally be required,' but -tho inten. tion is to obtain Hho assistanco from outside. ■ • _ I'^owntial trade botwobn Australia' and Canada was recently siiffctestod. Tho Minister for Customs has obtained from Mr. Larko, the representative of tho Canadian Government in Sydney, a list of articles on whioh it was thought a preferential tariff might fee bnsod, but ■he hns found that the trade in them is not eoMidorable, Letters on the matter were tnblfid in Parliament dMring last session, since when thoro have' boen no communications from Canada, ."has been officially announced that the total reserve 1 of .303 ammunition in tho Commonwealth nt tho end of last month was 30,000,000 rounds ; that mate j.li 1 ' nnotnotl 24,000,000 rounds is available) and tho,t ftoforo many Weeks nro past tho reserve of completed amtnu< .nitioji will be largely augmented. This somowhat improved stato of affairs is, said iUi.i « mitcom ° of tho work of tho 'Military Board during 1905. 1 -*l*o viotorlan, South Australian, and West Australlnn Governments have asked the' Minister for Customs to Imvo a record kept of all locftlly.monufoetUMfl arlU clog pflSHlng to and from Ute' States. It* HVas proposed by tho South Australian Govermnent that'«e'parato acrounts should be kept for- (ho Northern Territory. A recorct hus now lo be preserved of nil dutiable Roods, but this !«, meraly fov tho purposo of adjustment. The d&pn'rtmental offlclala recommended that the request should bo compiled with. , flir William Lyno has accepted the rouommondallon. Ho points out in a minute that it is un dosKflibw to hampar trade between tho Stales. Tho proposdl .would, ho adds, in-, volvo an expenses to importers and exporters, and an Increased expenditure of ,t 10 Department. Moreover, ho thinks that tho tendency should bo to rcmovo nil limitations on tho unrestricted passage of from, ono Stato to anothor.

NEW SOUTH WALES. In response tw an advertisement by th»>Oity Council for 30 labourers, over 300 iinen presented themselves at tho Town 'Hall yestordny week in Sydney. It is gonerally announced in N«w Soulh Wales legal circles that Chief Justice "Darky intends shortly to resign, and th« name moet frequently mentioned as that of Ms gucOOTKOp '{* Attovnoy«Gcnerul Wado's. Mr. Pilcher is also mentioned. Said by the 'Bulletin that the AttorneyGeneral has been sounding the lending members of the profession as to how tho appointment would be received. The dams In tho Gulgong district wore dry at the beginning of last week. Water fop flour mills was being carried two niilus. Children took ttater with them to school. Apathy I At n, local option poll at Wooltahra' only 10 votes wore recorded, at An expeiwo of ,02 10s per vote. Tho Stato Premier promised a labour deputation , that tho Government would give favourable consideration to tho proposal to establish workmen's homos. The Sydney Eight-Hour Demonstration and Art Union, hold in October last, yielded a profit of £1248, £1000 of which was handed over to tho Trades Hall building fund. The ■ subdivided Bynm Estate at Invorfell wo* offered at auction last woek. Ovel* 700 people attended tho sale, nnd tho bidding was brisk. Tho lots ranged form £6 6s to £11 2s 6d per acre, and of 10,600 acres offered 12,280 acres Wcro disposed of, the, total amount realiwjd being £56,706/ , • The estate of Mr. Buckley, of Toorak, ox-dra.per, was proved nt £406,051, and paid duty'to tho amount- of £40,606. Broughton Ldand, a, little speck of land Off Port Stophehs hn* been withdrawn from the list of lands availnblo for an* huai lease— a first «tcp towards tho ox* periments' with Dr. l/anysz's rabbit di« BOnM!. ' At the Sydney celebration of tho 26tli anniversary of ,tho Christian Kndcavour movement It was stated that it had developed Into 66,77^ societies of nbout 4,. 000,000 member?. Miss Orahttin, matron of he Stale Children's Hohio nt Mittagong, which was burnt down recently, hcioically saved thirty crippled and deformed children who were nfclcep in the building nt tho time of the,' outbreak. Many of tho children y«w so crippled that they had to be carried out, one ia a time. Iho matron's pluck savetl all of them without so much' aft a sctateli. Mr. Gilbert Curtis Murdoch, formerly ft prominent ''Now South Wales cricketer, and 'ft brother of,th«s' famous batsman, Mr. W. h, Murdoch, dlod at Balmahi, Sydney, last week, after a long illness. According to reports received from, the" superintendent of each police district, th« now liquor Act Js working satisfactorily. Much improvement has taken place us rogarde the conduct of hotels, Tho sale of liquor during prohibited hours, and cspeol* ally en Suntlnyi, has almost ceased, ana the number of cases of drunkennttw brought before tho police courts hna been grently- reduced. Tho Acting-Government Statistician has WBtl«d Ills report on Iho vital statistics of Sydney and suburbs for 1005, showing that fcrthitaUd population oi tho metropolis on'Dbcettib,*).' 3, 1905, was 529,600, of which tho city 1 co'ittprisod 118,100 lmd tho suburb* 411,500. At the end of 1004, Iho population; was 619,670, so that tin increase, during tho year wis 11,030. Reports from White Cliffs stato that the onftl market is brteK, Threo weeks ago 1 " »f for £70, illbo, £200, and £300, which »vero got in the open country weat of Quins. A bit nf a rush set in to Tttrley's Hill, where B omo good »to«o,;litis been got in deep ground. VVant of, b. mi'ydUv (supply is keeping this «plondid field from going ahead. A remafKiu>lß,shoothig caso occurred nt Paddinntwi on tho 16th inst., a man Reginald Cooper, being hit in tho head with a bullet f|rod, through a door by.ChaTlca Sawyer, « tt r labourer. . Cooper, thinking burglars w«ro nbout, went to Sawyer's placo for ns»isttvnco. H« knocked nt his do °fj but Sivwyer, bdlioving larrikins were outside, fired through one of the panels. Mtwyor,, who had boen much troubled by amldna.has been dS^rged with inflict, inu : niejwm bodily harm upon Cooper. pwtlwilflrs 6V the talnantl prodaoUonn of ,thta Stftto, for the yoor 1905, Tlift of £626,170 on that of tho previous year, and is the largest production in thq history of the Stato. The previous best yield was in the yeivr 1800, but I&XJm tw *s&W V ve now been exebeded by ,£561,604,. Tho aggregato vnluo of .all tho mineral* won ft 1 tS State to the cud of 1905 is £164,322,806, Ino total aumbov of persons employed in Mid about the mlne« of tho Stattf during L 0L 09 i S oS e mi M W , th * n « mber "mploycd ili 9 « 4 ' ?\ 6 Vfllue ,^ tho P lftnb m V Oration at JLlio motalliforous mines, in. £fi1,923 f th 6 drCClglng plMlts ' Js Good progrew 1« being made with the construpiidii 'of ,tha long-distaftoo tole. pnone-line between Sydney and -Mel* bourne. 1 Tenders have been accepted for strengthening' thd existing toiographpoles, 'so that they may carry tho now lino of heavy cable. Quotations have nl«o boen Invited for .this table nnd other necessdry materials, no that It is hoped that, the Intercity lino will bo ready for business boforo lha end of iho yeai 1 . VICTORIA. The Marconi Wireless Telegraph Com. Smy , has oommetioed operations. Mr. enshnm, who is in charge, expects to imvo tho stfttion ready for experimental ■ purposes nt a.n early ilato. Sir George Turner continue* to restat pwssuro from his friend* to oohtimio in 'p6ltticß. It J« ntmourerl, however, thul Ito may coiHcst a neat In the Sonnto nt tho next election, Whilst, returning from Ten-mile (near Mansfield), tho Uov, Fnthor Kgnn, who ww tiding on a pony, mot with a wagon. Noticing a beaten track on tho «ido, ho guided tho pony to it, and had not, pnv eeeded far when the pony fell into a 20ft «luiffc. lather ,KgM\ dismounted during the pony's struggles on the edge of tho shaft. Father Kgan *eociv«d a few slight bruises, Tho pony died before It could bo got out. The gold yield of Victoria, foi' January Is shown by the official returns to have been 47,3M0z groan, equal to 44,0860k flue, valued >at £187,566, Compared with January last year this is a, decrease of 191703, Tho Kara Kara Shire Council has ap« proved of the suggestion of tho shire of Mount Alexander, to hold 'a conference to deal with tho question of tho sp«r« row pest. The shiro of Mount .Alexander mtggests n bonus of Id per denen, half thn bonus to bo pnld by th& Government, ' nnd half by Ihe municipalities. Died in Victoria tho othor day (says tho Bulletin) an ol'tUftga ponsioner who, In tha fifties, lmd a remarkable export* ©nee. He was then a storekeeper near Ballarnt, and onco'whon nn urgent mattor onllod htm away, hid 600 sovereigns In a sack of flour, When he relumed, a couple of days later, ho found thnt every sack of flour had been sold during his absence. Smirching onqnirios seemed to Iraeo tho golden sack, but tho buyer pooh-pooli'd tho Idea thnt it had contftlnetl any coin. A meeting of the Victorian Wholosnlo Milk Producers' Association wns held ln«t woek, when It was doelded thnt tho wholesale price of milk nhoukl bo in* ctcasotl by Id nor gallon from Monday 1 iioxt. This Ift the •econd incroaso which

has been tlocitled upon this year. At a mooting of tho association held on 12th January it was agreed to raise the price ffrom 6d to 7d per gallon wholesale Tho Government, on tho 15th insfc,, cmnplotcd tho purchase of Mr. George Chil'iisido's Worribe© I'nik estate, Tho price paid was £13 por aero. As thoio 1110 24,000 noros, tho cheque, to Uo paid to Mr. Chirnsido will nmount to about £312,000. A scnsiblo Innovation 3s to bo introduced In the new Anglican Chutch to bo built nt Murrumbocnn,, Tho committee has decided thnt up>to-dnto punknhs, worked by water-power, shall bo iltted up in Iho new building, It is intended that t.he«o will bo worked on all hot days in which meetings and services arc held in church. At Geolong a few days ngo a cab convoying n lady passenger was boing driven along Ryrio-stroet, when it suddenly burst into flames. Tho occupant of tho cab nnd her luggngo escaped, but tlio vehicle was only saved from total destruction by a number of volunteers, who deluged it with buckets of water from a neighbouring horse-trough, In many country districts the want of rain was seriously felt. Dams and springs wero dried up on Uio 11th inst,, and farmers liacl in many instances to cart water several miles, In. country towns domestic supplies wero exhausted. Up to that date rain bad not fallen ior two months. SOUTH AUSTRALIA. Speaking at Qowjer, tho Premier lilntcd that soveral changes havo yet to be mndo in the Education Department, and that thse would involve the expenditure of moro monoy on education than wns be< ing spent nt presoYit. Whot' lind been dono wns only a. commencement in. the "great movement." He appealed to the peoplo of South Australia, to support tho Government m this matter, and expressed his belief that thoy would' do so. Many things had been starved' rn r , tho past, find among them education. Their schools had boon nlowed to remnln dirty, their furniture- was defective, and their teachers had been disGOurn&ed, < Tho time had come when this should bo changed. Mr. IS. Mauger, M.P. (Viotoria)j took an nctlva part in tho local option campaign oh behalf of the Liqour Licence* Reduction League. Meetings woro held throughout the polhnnf districts, and n big fight was pttt up. Tno polling took place last Saturday. QUEENSLAND. , The total damage dono by the eyclonts at Geraldtoiv was estitnatod nt from £100,000 to £160,000. ' Tho damago to buildings was set down at £10,000, and tho cane crops had suffered to tho extent of J2BQO. Tho balnneo represented tho 1,088 to tho banana, industry, N 7O por cent, of tho crop boing damaged. • The Commissioner of Railways has received information from ' Cunnantulla on the 9th inst. stating that a largo body of wnter, over ft mil© wide, was running strongly, and making large gaps in tho railway line near the town. Tho pnssengeftt nnd malls lmd to bo trollled over the breaks'. Tho Fitwoy River' «t Rookhnmptonjiad risen to I4it 6ift, and tho docks of the main wharves wero awash. Tli© Comet River washed ovor the central railway Hno last night, and truffle was> blockod on tho previous morning, passengers htiving to be boated ovor. At 2 p.m. tlio river was 3ft above the rails. Next day tho flood waters began to recedo, westehnTustralia. ■ At a public meeting held nt ftroome, a . resolution was cnrrictl protecting against the provisions of tlie Itnmigrataon Mc«tribtlon Acb prohibiting, the importation of coloured domestic servnnis. • TII6 meeting considered that houwliolders In tho trfl pics should bo pormittod to import hreo coloured donio&tics «neh. ,tho uomesucs not to remain in Austrnlla for more' than three years, and to bo then dsp6rted. It was decided to telegraph ho resolutions to nil towns north of the tropio of Capricorn, nnd ask their co-operation. + Alexander Juett has been selected as the 1906 Rhodes scholar. H6 wns educat. od chiefly nt'tho Cbrlstlnn Mrothors' CoX lege, Perth, nnd is 19 years of age. ' H» Js Iho son of tho owner ol Mount Fingall mine ncn/ Day Dawn. rjmhmd cflseg j n the Govornmenb Hojf. pltal at Kalgoorlle, nccordintr o.the lntest repoi'ti, nnmbor 33 out of 80 patients in tho insfitntion.i "The percentage 'is tho lijgheat that has 'oceurrotl dnrlno tlio last mglit months. • ' ' 1 A publip meeting in CJoolgardlo has decldod to 1 erect a drinking fountain in the municipal gardens there, in memory of Mrs. Mercy Gregory,' who was murdered m a Sydney hotel by the boy QulnUn. Mrs, Gregory wns tho fITSt Matron of the Coo!g«rd\o Jtospltal. '■ Tho trafflo receipts of tho Brisbane 1 n Jftinwi 7» 1008, ,th«y woro . T-»o'T -»o' pnymeftts for crenm in Jnmntrv by the Muter factories of Southern Queoiisland amounted to £140,600 «nd for milk by cream factovlo* to £10,000. Under tv stratum of blue ntotoi, 60ft thtou(fh, a, Dnrllng Downs farmer, whllo wo l-smking, ttruok 0 log 18111 In diamotor, with ono end oitbot chopped or sawn. When oxbosed to tho Jlr, tho timbop soon orumblod dway. A few feet below (ho sits of Uio log t splendid supply of water was found; l n^ W* 110 I" 11 ] 4 Von . d , OT w «» fined £1? and £6 6S6 S costa for solllntfmilk containing tho nrosorvtttlvo formglto. Kvidonco preparation called " Isvot-sweet. ' TASMANIA. It wfts propo*«l'tb' jhip 800,000 oases of npplo ? from Tasmania, lo England this season, but owing to tho partial failure of tbo crop, tho amount is reduced by Prospecting, on thrVo acres of alluvial ground on the ReMson'fleJl property , nbovo tho .railway lino, Z^hm, has rol «A lc i l J]xoJ ]x 0 oxlsttonoo ;6f apnroxlmatelv £10,000 worth of tlii wnsh, whicli T S ftges over thrfto fcot. Interviowod, tho Premier (Mr, Evans) stated that tho refusal to admit tho coloured man Robert Williams into Weatom Australia in aocovdnnce with tho provisions of tho Mining Act of that fctato wns brought uudxsr bis notice Ho at onco communicated with tho Premier of Westorn Australia, pointing out that vfimam was born in the West Indian, of A rican parenlnge, and was therefore a Ilritish-born subjoct. News that Mr. Riwou, the Premier of Western Ans* U'«lin, admits now that no British subject enn bo prohibited under the Mining Act, of Western Australia Imb been received Iwo with great satisfaction, and tho Premier is pleased that his rcprenontntions have boen of avail in clearing tho matter up, Tho Government Statistician has issu<vl hia forecast Tor Uio current season, 1I« estimates thai there aro 182,013 ncrw» winter the live leading crops, an iticreaflo of 11,893 acres compared with last year. Tlio bnd eenson caused <i decronKo In wheat, English barley, and potatoes, but other crops art> good. Died, at Wllmot, Mr.' Price Fletcher, well known throughout Australasia for many years ns Iho gifted agricultural editor of tho Qnoonslandor, Tic was born in Manchester in 1836. Tho champion souller, H. liurkr, left, Ifobail on the 11th inst. for England, to compete fov tho Diamond Sculli,