AUSTRALIAN AFFAIRS

Evening Star, Issue 18051, 19 August 1922, Page 4

AUSTRALIAN AFFAIRS

BUDGET PROPOSALS. MELBOURNE, August 18. In the House of Representatives the Commonwealth Treasurer estimated tlie expenditure on invalid and old age pensions for the current year at £5,457,000, this being due clijpily' to Die increase in payment from 10s to 15s a week. - As part of the Civil Service reform it is proposed to remove' all public servants in receipt of over £5lO annually from the operation of the Public Service Arbitration Act. The Government does not see any method of reducing the/ salaries of public servants without a grave injustice being done. Legislation is foreshadowed placing the Commonwealth Shipping Line under independent control. CARDINAL PRINCIPLE RECOGNISED. MELBOURNE, August 19. Tho taxation exemption proposals are expected to apply to returns of ipcome recently sent in. DESTRUCTIVE FIRE. SYDNEY, August 18. A fire at tho Hydro Majestic, at Medio w,, caused damage estimated at £40,000. The fire started ih Die early hours of the morning, and, fanned by a terrific gale, soon got out of control. It destroyed the famous corridor in the Art Gallery, and finally left half the building in. ruins. SYDNEY, August 19. Tho Hydro Majestic Building’s contents were insured for £50,000. THE GOOSE AND THE GOLDEN EGG. SYDNEY, August 19. A conference of the iron trade’s representatives decided to adopt the New South Wales Labor Council’s ‘‘go slow” scheme in tlie event of the employers securing an extension of the working week from fortyfour to forty-eight hours. [A cable this week stated' in effect that owing to the Broken Hill Proprietary’s steel works shutting down, owing to excessive costs of production, Die raw material for fencing wire and wire netting was being imported.] SPARRING FOR.' WIND. MELBOURNE, August 19._ Mr Hughes, at a meeting of the National Party, said the Government would tolerate no more censure motions or obstruction. His Ministry was prepared to face the electors after the Budget had been passed, unless the tactics he complained 1 , of •were discontinued.