AUSTRALIA

Greymouth Evening Star, 13 September 1945, Page 6

AUSTRALIA

CROSSING TRAGEDY SYDNEY, September 12. A woman was killed, and eleven other passengers were injured when a fast stock tfain crashed into a bus at a level-crossing at Arthurville, near Dubbo, Western New South Wales, early this morning. Ambulances, doctors and police were rushed from Wellington, 16 miles away, to aid the injured, a number of Whom lay screaming on the track until taken to hospital. The bus was crowded. It was returning to Wellington from a .dance at Arthurville. COMMONWEALTH BANK SYDNEY, September 12. The general public interest would continue to be the only consideration of the Commonwealth Bank in exercising its increased powers, said the Governor of the bank (Mr. H. T. Armitage). He was referring, in the bank’s annual report, to the enlarged powers given to the bank by recent legislation. Mr. Armstrong said it was no new departure from central banking practice to expect the central financial institution of the country to follow the broad lines of policy laid down by the Government, for which the Government must take the final responsibility. The report stresses these points: Accumulated readily-spendable savings will be potentially dangerous to price stability during the post-war transition period. Continued restraint on spending is necessary to prevent the forcing up of prices of goods, in short supply. Further permanent increases in Treasury bill issues should be avoided. The policy of cheap money should continue because a rise in interest rates would make the problem of the public debt more -difficult, a disadvantage to people who had subscribed to war loans, and would aggravate the difficulties of the housing problem.

SALES TAX REDUCTION. (Recd. 11.45 a.m.) CANBERRA, Sept. 13. . Exemption from sales tax of a wide range of building materials and productive machinery was announced by Mr. Chifley. He also announced a reduction of the sales tax from 25 per cent to 124 per cent on many household appliances and furnishings. An amendment to peg the sales tax at 74 per cent, on coupon-rated clothing was also announced. ANGLICAN CHURCH. SYDNEY, Sept. 14. The Anglican synod passed legislation. severing the legal connection between the Church of England in Australia and the parent church in Great Britain. The legal tie between two churches will be completely cut after the new constitution, which, the Synod has passed has been., ratified by the dioceses of the churcn throughout Australia. The coadjutorbishop of Sydney, Bishop Pilcher, said the opponents of constitutional changes feared that the ancient doctrines of the Anglican Church were in danger in Australia. "We fear that the rites and beliefs put forward by the Roman Church at the Council of Trent are creeping back into the Church,” he said. CENSORSHIP CEASES. CANBERRA, Sept. 14. Publicity censorship of cablegrams and radio broadcasts ends to-day. Announcing this, the Minister oi Information (Mr. Calwell) said:_ "Ihis means the total cessation of an forms of publicity censorship.” The censorship of material for publication internally by the Australian Press was lifted on August 15.

' DETAINEES’ COMPENSATION (Rec. 12.35 p.m.) CANBERRA, Sept. 14. Payment of compensation to eight of 16 persons detained by the military ,authorities because they were believed to have been associated with the alleged subversive activities of the Australia First Movment has been recommended by Mr. Justice Ciyne. His renort on the 16 detained persons was tabled in the House of Representatives. ' . He found- that the arrest of the sixteen persons was justified, but detention of eight of them was not justified. He recommended the payment oi compensation ranging up to £7OO. He emphasised that the eight persons were not entitled to compensation as a matter of law as their arrests were justified. However they were entitled to a public declaration that they were in fact wrongly detained and were not disloyal. Reviewing the formation oi the movement, Judge Ciyne said, generally it unis hostile to the Jewish race. Some of the members, though keen advocates of Australian nationalism, did not want an independent Australia and were not hostile to Britain, or America or friendly to Japan. The original aims of the movement might be regarded as legitimate, but behind the movement’s ostensible aims there were activities by certain members calculated to prejudice the Australian war effort. Some of the members had a marked admiration for Japan.