AUSTRALIAN NEWS

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXII, Issue LXXII, 26 May 1917, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN NEWS

PERTH, May 25. The \\estralian Trotting Association has decided"'to refuse jockeys' and EK?Uers' licenses to single men eligible for military service.

SYDNEY, May 25. At tha Child Welfare Conference the Commonwealth Statistician said that, though Australia stood next t# New Zealand for the lowness of the infant death-rate, still there was room for much improvement. Mr John Sulman advocated State motherhood endowment by means of a poll-tax on all adults excepting mothers.

A resolution was adopted urging the Government to take immediate stepe to check the waste of infant life through venereal and other preventible diseases.

Coincident with the intensely cold westerlies and record low temperatures, four elderly men dropped dead in the streets last night. MELBOURNE, May 25. The police raided a house at Fitzroy and unearthed enough dynamite plugs and fuses to blow up a street. The Federal Cabinet discussed the financial position. It is believed it is considering increases of the income and amusement taxes, and a reduction of the war profits tax, which has not yet been imposed. Mr Watt, after visiting the Henderson naval base, stated that the estimated cost, including accommodation for 2500 men, wireless, gunnery and torpedo schools, hospital and a pit to hoxd 1000 tons of oil fuel from which warships would be supplied by gravitation, would be £1,000,000. Mr Hughes states that the chief problem in connection with the proposal to build standardised snips in Australia is labor. Everything requisite can tie constructed here if th©. necessary labor is available.

A conference of the unions interested in shipbuilding will be called at the earliest possible date to discuss the matter.