EMPIRE OUTPOSTS.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume IV, Issue 429, 7 August 1915, Page 5

EMPIRE OUTPOSTS.

AUSTRALIA. METALS REQUISITIONED. SMELTING OPERATIONS EXTENDED. (Received 7. ,10.25 a.m.) -Melbourne, Aug. 7. Senator Pearce on behalf'of the Imperial Government has requisitioned all supplies of mqlyblenite, wolfram, and scheelite, which are of vital importance for war purposes. The British authorities have fixed the price at 55 - per unit for wolfram and 105 - for molybdenite. Mr. AV. M. Hughes has conferred with the representative of the Amalgamated Zinc Corporation with the view of extended smelting operations so that- Australia will be able to deal with all her owrt concentrates and establish subsidiary industries. MACHINE GUNS FOR AUSTRALIANS. (Received 7, 10.25 a.m.) Melbourne, Aug. 7. In the Federal House, the Minister of Defence (Senator Pearce) in reply to the question regarding the supplying of more machine guns to the Australian troops, said the matter was being considered. The difficulty was that al| ihd English and American factories weye working at the highest pressure for the Allies. The Munitions Committee, however, is considering local titpnuiacture.

BIG CAMPS ABANDONED. LOCAL CAMPS SUBSTITUTED. (Received 7, 10.25 a.m.) Melbourne. Aug. 7. A new scheme of recruit training is to be adopted, involving the breaking up of the present big camp and forming a number of smaller ones. All troops in future will be organised in infantry battalions, and thousands of men under a headquarters staff. and each Colonel solely responsible for his own camp. SPINAL MENINGITIS. AT LIVERPOOL AND VICTORIAN CAMPS. (Received 7, 10.10 a.m.) Sydney, Aug. 7. Owing to the outbreak of cerebro spinal meningitis, from which three deaths have occurred at the Liver pool camp, recruits are not beinj: sent to the camp for the time being The first death from the same disease is now reported at the Vic torian camp. ENEMY CONTRACTS. Melbourne. Aug 6. A special Commonwealth Gazeth declares a number of contracts chiefly with mining companies f<>i the supply of metals and concen trates, to be enemy contracts. It also declares the following to L. enemy companies Kirchner C.>in panv, Tudor Accumulator Company Voldi Steelwork. Folk Stadelmam Company, Aberwan Company. Ex port and Import Compnni Proprietary Limited. WOMEN S EMPLOYMENT IN NATIONAL SERVICE. Sydney. Aug. G. A meeting of the National Council of Women dec ide < I to approach the Federal Government to take a r-rn sus which would put the energies oi women in tabulated form, with a view to their employment in national service. It is considered that they could help the nation in many ways if organised. ALIEN ATTEMPTS TO ESCAPE. Sydney. Aug. 6. William Henry Damman was committed for trial on a charge that, being an alien enemy, he left the Commonwealth without the permission of the Minister of Defence. Frederick Dietz was committed for aiding and abetting Damman by purchasing a ticket wherewith he travelled to Auckland. Meantime the censor intercepted a letter showing tfhat Darnman intended to escape to America. The Nev.Zealand military authorities arrested and returned him to Melbourne. AT LAST (Received 7, 10.10 a.m.) Sydney, Aug. 7. As the result of the actions of some of the members of the the police have been empowered to arrest disloyal street speakers. The Federal Premier (Mr. Andrew Fisher) states that preference of employment in the Government service will be given to returned soldiers whether they are members of industrial unions or not. The official estimate of the wheat area in New South Wales for this season is 4,460,000 acres, or 110,000 above that of the previous season; and of oats 1,324,000 acres, an increase of 211,000. In view of the inroads on labour through the war and the anticipation of a bumper harvest, the New South Wales Government is taking steps to organise the available labour. A conference of Ministers of Agriculture at Melbourne has been arranged. The price of biscuits will be increased in Sydney by Id. per lb after the 10th instant.