CABLE NEWS.

Feilding Star, Volume V, Issue 1254, 6 August 1910, Page 3

CABLE NEWS.

AUSTRALIAN ITEMS.

(BY ELECTMC TELEGRAM!— COPYRIGHT.) [PEK FHBBB 4881' lAl'luN 1 FEDERAL POLITICS. -Melbourne. August o. Till' Arbitration Hill whs amended making it optional for the Judge of the Court to order [preference for unionists instead or mandatory. The House carried a clause in the Arbitration Hill which removes the restriction on the application of the funds of organisations to political purposes , . (Received August (J, 9- : i-"> a.m.) Melbourne, August (>. The Arbitration Bill was passed through its Committee stages. An amendment providing that no lawyers or specially paid officers be permitted to conduct cases in Court without the consent of all parties, was carried. GERMAN SQUADRON'S CRUISE. Sydney, August 5. A German squadron, consisting of the first-class cruiser Sekarnhorst and the cruisers Xucrenberg, Emden, and Cominoran is at present cruising amongst the islands of the. Pacific. (Received August t>, 9.35 a.m.) AX AWARD AND A SORRY .JTDGK Melbourne, August i>. Judgment was delivered in the Fedefal Arbitration Court on the application for an amendment of the boot trade award. The President said it j was proposed to omit reference to the scale of wages for apprentices. He was sorry, but he was coerced by an ordei of the High Court. . Provision for -i board of reference, being beyond the powers of the Board, was regretfully struck out. He was compelled to reduce the number of apprentices who might be employed to one for every three journeymen, owing to the sweeping away of safeguards provided )>v the age basis. After the delivery of the judgment, employers and employees met m conference, and agreed to certain variations of the award. The chief variation was the waiving of payment of an increase as from last April, substituting the present date for the increase. OFFICERS FOR INDIA— A J. A DAVIES. Five selected officers from the citizeus"~rorces are to be sent to India, where they will be attached to the Indian army for experience. THE RICHMOND DISASTER. At the inquiry into the Richmond railway disaster, Signalman Ball stated that Signalman McDonald, ol South Yarra, igiave him the impression that he had confessed to the mistake being bis.