AUSTRALIA

Greymouth Evening Star, 28 November 1927, Page 5

AUSTRALIA

(Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.)

SYDNEY COUNCIL. SYDNEY, November 28. The Government assented to the Civic Commission Bill.

PAPUAN MURDERERS : RABAUL, Nov. 28. The death sentences on the Nakanai murderers'’ have "been definitely commuted to imprisonment for fifteen years. GOVERNOR’S PEDIGREE] MELBOURNE, November 27. • • Speaking at a Scotch luncheon, the Governor (Lord Somers) claimed that his pedigree entitles him to represent the British Tn general. He had respectively French, Irish and Scotch great grandfathers, and an English mother. NEW GUINEA MINERS. NEWCASTLE, November 8. Wireless advices from Bulolo state that a public meeting at Salamba passed a resolution advising all miners .to hold their gold and. not ship it to Australia, until the tax imposed on gold, entering Australia is removed. It was further resolved in favour of shipping gold to other countries than Australia. HEAVY RAINS. SYDNEY, November 27. Heavy rain caused the postponement of all race meetings and many other sporting fixtures, but the pastoral areas, particularly in the Western district, have greatly benefited. From all parts of the' State come jubilant reports of splendid rains and full rivers. In home, places there have been floods, damage to crops and losses of newly shorn Sheep. Several inches of rain has fallen since it started on Wednesday. Gosford had over seven inches.

ECONOMIC STATISTICS SYDNEY, Nov. 28.

The quarterly bulletin issued by the Commonwealth Statistician shows that the imports for the year ended June were valued at £1641,742,292. There were 29,991 unemployed in Australia during the September quarter, representing an unemployment rate of six decimal seven per cent. The September retail price index number for thirty towns for goods and groceries, showed an increase over July 1914 of fifty-six decimal nine per cent.

GREYCLIFFE VICTIM. SYDNEY, November 27.

Mr AVolff, a Greycliffe disaster victim, was on a holiday visit with his wife and son from Europe. They were to have left to return home on the day after the disaster. AVolff carried jewels on his person for better safety. When Mrs AVolff returned home on the day of the accident she found robbers had paid a visit to the house, but had failed to secure any booty. AVith the recovery of Woolf’s body, all the known passengers on the Greycliffe are accounted for. Th© list of dead now totals thirty-seven.

MOTORING PROBLEMS. SYDNEY, November 28. The numerous and ever-increasing number of motor accidents is causing a serious drain on the funds of public hospitals, which are pressing the Government for recognition of this special burden upon them. The Minister of Health, Dr. Arthur, * estimates that these accidents cost the hospitals £lOO,OOO annually. He proposes to take a portion of the main roads grant, raised by motor, taxes, to relieve hospital funds. The crowded condition of motor traffic has become such a pressing problem that the chief secretary is calling a conference to ’ discuss new regulations for controlling both vehicular and pedestrian traffic.