AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 20 June 1924, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

BRITAIN AND THE COMMONWEALTH. BY CABLE—PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT MELBOURNE, June 19. In the House of Representatives attention was drawn to a cable message regarding certain utterances of the, New Zealand .High Commissioner, in which be made reference to the grave unrest existing in Australia in (regard to the abandonment of the Singapore proposals as to the political relations betAveen British and the Commonwealth Government. ‘Mr Bruce, in replying, said that Sir James Allen’s utterance had been a general statement, and he did not think Sir James intended it to be understood that he was giving expression to Canada’s opinion. FEDERAL DEBTS. MELBOURNE. June 19, Dr. Earle Page, Federal Minister of Finance, tabled a return sliOAving the total indebtedness of the Commomvealth at March 31 last amounted to £968,484,740. .Of this the Commonwealth’s share was £417,606,099. and the States (including loans by the Commonwealth to the States amounting to £56,390,011) totalled £550.878,641. The State’s sinking fund totalled £16,053,539, and the Commomvealth’s £2,190,040. Dr. Earle Page says that a. check has now been imposed on loan raising by the Loan Council, which consists of the Treasurers of the States and the Commonwealth. —Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. STEAMER SUBSIDY REFUSED. MELBOURNE, June 19. Mr Bruce stated that Cabinet had refused a request for subsidies for a proposed direct service of steamers between Australia and China.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. CHEAPER WATER AND SEWERAGE. Received June 19, 10.50 a.m. MELBOURNE, June 19. Cabinet has approved of a recommendation to reduce, the general sewerage rate from lOd to 9d, and the water rate from 9d to 71.