AUSTRALIA.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12869, 22 September 1904, Page 3

AUSTRALIA.

QUEENSLAND PARLIAMENT. (Received September 21, 9.33 p.m.) BRISBANE, Wednesday. Parliament was opened to-day. The Governor’s Speech was as forecasted. LAND POLICY. SYDNEY, l^ednesday. The State Government will endeavour to carry closer settlement with freehold tenure this session. FEDERAL POLITICS. MELBOURNE, Wednesday. In the Federal House of Representatives, Mr Reid vigorously replied to Mr Wa'.son. and said that while he had been a sympathiser with a White Australia all his life, he had no right to try to make a white ocean in dealing with mail services. He also had no sympathy

with the contract clauses in the Immigration Restriction Act. The views of the leader of the Opposition were so mild that he might just as well be leader of this party as of that, but the Government had to look to the actual organisation of the great labour body of Australia, and to the paid organisers, who preached rank Socialism, destruction of private enterprise, and destruction of individual liberty. That was the tme inspiration of the power behind the leader of the Oppsition. The debate is likely to be a lengthy one, owing to the fact that a dissolution may result. Some estimates give the Government a majority of one, while others predict a tie.

ARBITRATION’ COURT. SYDNEY, Wednesday. The Arbitration Court ruled that strike levies could not be enforced as they did not come within the defini tion of subscription laid down in the Act.

RELIC OF CAPTAIN COOK. BRISBANE, Wednesday. A rough stone cairn discovered at Mount Saunders, near Cooktown, is supposed to have been erected by Captain Cook. One of the stones has the name Cook carved on it.

TASMANIAN PARLIAMENT. (Received September 22, 1.22 a.m.) HOBART, Wednesday. The Legislative Council passed an amendment to the Stamp Duty Bill imposing a threepenny tax on lottery tickets. SHIPPING. MELBOURNE, Wednesday. Sailed—Warrimoo, s.s., for Bluff.