AUSTRALIAN NEWS

Grey River Argus, Volume XXXIX, Issue 6986, 11 February 1891, Page 2

AUSTRALIAN NEWS

♦ [BYKLEOTRIO TJKLEGRAPH.— COPYRIGHT.] [PBR PRESS ASSOCIATION.] (Received February 10, at 12 30 a m.) „ Sydney, February 9. The intercolonial Labor Conference has opened its sittings here. Victoria, New Zealand and Tasmania are not represented. A soheme is being drafted for an Australian, federation of labor which will.be submitted to another conference in Ballarat in April. The .scheme provides that each union shall retain the self government of its own particular affairs, and federate in order to facilitate mutual cooperation where necessary for the common 'welfare. -■:■■■ .-::■..::■•. (Received February 10, at 10 10 a m.) Sydney, February 10. Mr Eddy, Chief Commissioner of Railways, and Hon R. White, M L C, have left on a visit to New Zealand. Melbourne, February 10. There is considerable dissatisfaction among the federated seamen and other unions, respecting new shipping articles, and trouble isl'kely to arise. Adelaide, February 10. The Collonial Treasurer has decided to allow the balance of the loan to remain on the London market until the 14th Inat. Brisbane, February 10. An extraordinary tide visited Cairnes and Townsville and the low lying parts of the last mentioned town were very much flooded, J- ■ •'; ■.■■-■ The Shearer's Union is very much exasperated over. . the. : importation of free shearers from Victoria and New South Wales into Queensland. At a meeting of shearers at Barcaldine, about 350 miles weat of Rockhampton, it wan decided to procure rabblfa and turn them loose on the. banks of the Barclay and other rivers. Several owners who employed free shearers have been threatened that their stations will be burned. (Received February 10, at 10 20 a m.) Hobaxt, February 10. The Attorney-General is drafting a constitution for submission to the Federal Convention. It will probably be modelled on tha ol Amerioa, as the Canadian con--1 stitutlon is considered too far advanced for the present. Under the proposed constitution each colony will become a province and elect its own senators and members of the House of Representatives, arid be presided over by a lieu>. governor. The Senata is to consist of an equal number of members from each province, and provincial representation in the House of Representatives to be one member for every 20,000 inhabitants. The constitution provides: that; the general governor ahall be appointed by the Imperial Government. The powers of the Federal Parliament will probably include the imposition of taxation (the question of a Cu&toma' tariff being left to the Federal Government) and administration of defence, postal, telegraphs, marriage, oommerce, divorce, coinage, bankruptcy, quarantine, and federal Bnpreme court.