AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVI, Issue 44, 20 August 1908, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

NEW ZEALAND FRUIT TRADE. A general meeting of the New South Wales Fruit Exchange Co-operative Company, Limited, was held on 12th August, Mr. J. Slater presiding. The shippers' certificate, which, under the New Zealand Orchard and Garden Pest Act, accompanies fruit shipped to New Zealand, was discussed. Mr. J. Slater (the --Herald reports) pointed out that a deputation had waited on the Minister for Agriculture in reference to a modified certificate. They desired that the last paragraph should be omitted, as it required that no species of fruit-fly was known to exist in or within one mile of the orchard where such fruit was certified to have been grown. There were only six or seven orchards which could comply with that regulation. After due consideration, Mr. Perry decided to allow the shippers to ship under the modified certificate, but subsequently he refused to recognise it. This now meant total prohibition as far as the New Zealand trade was concernod. It was decided that the secretary -should write to the Minister for Agri- • culture asking him to receive another deputation from the fruitgrowers and merchants in regard to the shipments of fruit to New Zealand. AUSTRALIAN CHAMPAGNE. ■An interesting question has arisen regarding the use of Continental names for Australian wines. The Consul-Gen-eral for France in Australia in a letter to the Victorian 'Minister for Agriculture (Mr. Swinburne), states that the French Minister for Commerce has asked him to invite attention to the use of the term "champagne" as applied to sparkling Australian wines. , "This designation," the Consul-Generaf points out, "is a local appellation, applicable only to certain effervescing wines made in a definite region of France. It cannot consequently serve for a generic name to designate other sparkling wines. The French law of Ist August, 1905, relating to frauds and the regulations made for its application, gives besides to foreign consumers every guarantee as to the origin and purity of our champagne." Mr. Swinburne has decided to refer the question to the Viticultural Society of Victoria, the Rutherglen Vinegrowers' Progress Committee, and other kindred bodies. A NOVEL CRAFT. A good deal of interest was manifested along the waterside (says the Sydney 'Morning Herald, of 14th inst.), in the manoeuvres of a strange-looking craft, built upon lines hitherto unknown, in 'Maine architecture, and called by M. De Sers, her designer and owner, a "water velocipede." The craft was making a trial trip preparatory to an application being made to the authorities for a passenger certificate, and she cruised around from Rushcutter Bay to Farm Cove. The structure floats on two cylinders 34ft in length, and no fewer than nine bulkheads are provided. The King Edward VII. , as she is called, is fitted with an oil engine, but can be propelled by means of treadles connected with the paddle wheel. Briefly described, this remarkable craft is a huge floating bicycle, covered with an awning. STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. A terrible fatality occurred at Dundee, near Glenlnnes, N.S.W., on 12th instant. Matthew Bree, aged 12, son of Mr. Owen Bree, an old resident of the district, was killed by lightning. The lad was returning home from school, when he was overtaken by a storm, and took refuge behind a tree. The tree was struck by lightning, which appeared to run down the tree to the spot where the boy's head would be. The boy was wearing a pair of steel-rimmed glasses, which must have acted as an attraction for the fatal flash. The head was black round the ears and eyes, the hair was singed and blackened down the left side, and the left boot torn to particles. The collar was torn off, and lying about five yards away. Parts of the glasses were lying in another direction. The boy's little sister, who took refuge under an adjoining tree, witnessed the tragic occurrence. She ran home and told her father, who immediately hurried off. He passed his son's body, which was several yards off the roaH, 'but found it on tfye way back. . '' ADVERTISING THE COMMONWEALTH. The Federal Prime Minister is (says the Sydney Herald) in communication with the various States as to renewing the subsidy paid to the Standard of the Empire, the weekly edition of the London Standard, devoted chiefly to matters connected with, the colonies. The arrangement will probably be continued. It was originally arranged that the Commonwealth should pay the proprietors ot the journal £64 a week for a certain amount of space. The States of Victoria, Queensland, and Western Australia subsequently agreed to contribute, on portions of the space being made available for their own purposes. This reduced the payment by the Commonwealth by about two-thirds. The Queensland arrangement, however, fell through, and the Commonwealth then paid a little over half. The end of the three months for which the contract, was made is now being reached. Victoria has again decided to take portion of the space, and Western Australia will probably do the same. If the others do not desire xo join, the unallotted space will be utilised for Federal purposes. WET WOOL PROBLEM. The Federal Cabinet has decided toplace £500 on the. Estimates to be considered by Parliament for the purpose of investigating wet wool. A deputation representing a conference of pastoralists' associations and the Australian Workers' Union, held in Melbourne on the subject, asked that this should be done in order that a scientist and a medical man might be engaged to visit shearing sheds, and carry out experiments in order to obtain reliable data upon which the amount of moisture in wool might be determined, and a standard perhaps laid down as to when sheep might be handled with safety. The opinion is held that shearers suffer from ailments caused by the moisture. The matter of spontaneous combustion will also be examined. GEORGE ADAMS'S WILL. Exactly a dozen counsel seated themselves at the Bar table in the High Court on the 12th inst., says the Sydney Morning Herald, when the appeal lodged by che Attorney-General of New South Wales against that portion of the decision of Mr. Justice Street in October, that the charitable bequests contained in the will of the late Mr. George Adams were void for uncertainty, was called on. All the classes of persons benefited by the will were represented, but by an arrangement, which the court sanctioned, two of the classes, whose interests were originally somewhat antagonistic, were for the purposes of this appeal acting m common, and their joint interests were merged in a third one. Consequently the counsel tsmSMSsMpsi. Uxem.,

retired from the suit. This is one of, several appeals filed in connection withthe case, but as it stands by itself it was argued separately from the rest. The case was, however, not completely opened, but enough was said to indicate that the ground taken in support of the. appeal was to tie effect that the charitable bequests were good ones, and that, there was no uncertainty respecting the: intentions of tho testator. THE- PRICE OF BUTTER. Wheat was dearer on Saturfflty, by. Is per bushel, in sympathy with the better market for Australian wheat in London (remarked the Sydflfcy MorningHerald on 10th August). Sussex-street merchants held a meeting during the day, and decided to leave butter prices as they are for the time being. The Melbourne Trades Hall Council had the question of the high prices of foodstuffs under discussion on Friday night, when the secretary of the Agricultural Implement Makers' Employees' Association (Mr. E. F. Russell) moved the following:— "That this council, representing the working classes qi Victoria, desires to' enter ite protest against the unfair tac- , tics adopted by the commercial people of , Victoria in unduly inflating the values of the necessaries of life; that this council furthermore requests our> Labour legislators to take such action as they consider necessary to prevent this imposition on those who are least able to bear it ; also that the workers be recommended to resort to co-operation." The motion was unanimously agreed to. What the delegate had to say, however, is of interest from the consumere' viewpoint. He stated that Victoria was now in the grip of capitalistic speculators. They were taking from the working classes their absolute right to live. There were combines in meat, bread, butter, and firewood. Instead of food being scarce it was plentiful ; but it had, been cornered in anticipation of high prices through the greater needs of the people when the American fleet arrived. The newspaper.3 said that supplies had to be obtained from other States. But the retail prices were as dear there as here. The workers, he suggested, should. proclaim a strike against the use of butter. They should ask their people not to take any butter at all. Mr. C. Anderson (secretary Butchers' Union) stated that meat had advanced 50 per cdpt. during the last three months Butter had gone up 100 per cent, in price, bread 25 per cent., vegetables 25 per cent., firewood 18 pcx cent., and coal 25 per cent. But wages had not gone up, and it was difficult for people, with families more particularly, to live. Syndicates were 1 cornering foodstuffs, and the council should enter a most emphatic protest against such action. Sussex-street merchants might have a very different tale to tell. At all events, the grocers, who are their clients, would much prefer to have cheap butter, the present retail price of about 2s per Ib. being prohibitive in respect to most homes.