AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LIII, Issue 5953, 25 March 1880, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

[Br Tsiißgbaph.] (Per b.b. Rotorua vi& the Bluff;) ' ■ • VICTORIA. The action of Government in not meeting Parliament .until. May .11 'is condemned,as unconstitutional. J The Ministerial Presscontend 'Oh the oiher hand that it is uafcjeis to xnect before the measures are prepared. ..It is; probable that! the payment of members:, will be the first question to’ be Solved:' The present difficulty is to determine in form, or to what'.extent--payment, shall ho- continued. Efforts were made to get opponents for the Several Ministers, but the attempt failed, all; being re-elected unopposed excepting Mr Cuthbert, who is certain of return. Government baa authorised Major Bar: good, ah old Volunteer officer, intimately, acquainted with Victorian: defence; to give evidence before the Imperial Royal Commission onnational defence. . TheLand> Tax' Court will be re-organised. Mr lining having ‘disposed of all appeals, it 18 - prpbable that the, business will be transferred to the County Court Judges, .

A Boyal Commission, comprising the Chief' Justice, the other judges and eminent barristers, has been appointed to frame the linos; of a new Judicature 'Bill similar to.the English measure. . •• ' ... . It has been resolved to establish a company in Melbourne to export every description of food salable • tyrfcjUaib '''<tonßmaptton'--whidi' reauires to be frozen previous to transit. , ,'ihe Chiqf Harbour Master advises,Government that there necessity for the Australian Colonies to; search the • Crozets for the survivors of the JKnowsley-Hall, as the Oomus. has been ordered there. If a provision depbt is established the sealers will probably carry off the provisions. The islands might be visited periodically by men-of-war from the Cape station. . ■■■■■■■' ■■ Mr Duffy* Minister for lands, states that the Government measures'are conceived. 'in such a spirit of moderation, and conciliation that if the Council rejects them, it . will render the House obnoxious to the whole community. , ' There is little , doubt, that. Mr Alexander Young, liberal member for Grenville,, will be unseated, as he 'was a'Government contractor at the date of election. .The seat then goes to a Conservative. The foundation stone of the new Anglican Cathedral at Melbourne will be laid on April 13. ; America requires 70,000 feet of space at the Exhibition. If granted, it will be necessary to erect,a fresh building. The Minister ,fpr Education is Energetically endeavouring to include gutter children in the benefits of the Act.

HEW SOUTH WALES. The Council has agreed .to reconsider its determination not to' proceed with the Stamp Duties Bill, but it is quite possible that itwill decide to re-introduce: its amendment to remove the ambiguity complained of. v; -' The Metropolitan Water, Sewage.Bui has nearly passed through the Assembly. The second reading of the Education Bill has passed the Council, . ; The Associated Colliery. Masters m ...New.!, castle have resolved to reduce the price of coal on April 12, and alto to reduce the miners’ wages to 6d per; ton. It.is impos; sible to tell at present what the outcome of this measure will be, the miners not having following is the captein’s story about the Ghftudemagoro expedition:—The_vessel was fitted'out at the expense of the Marqma De Boys, ip : , France.,, It w#» ; ongipahy intended to sail from Havre, but the French Government objected, and ‘ultimately 83 xmmigiants embarked from Dutch territory, sailing on Sept. 14. They took an enormous amount of machinery for distillery purposes and sugar refinery, add an - incubating machine; also stores for twelve months. The person in charge -was an American named M'Ldughlin. The expedition split into two parties, and one, seventeen in number, landed on the island of Ganelin, 240 miles from Now Ireland. While lying at Liki Liki Bay, in New Ireland,/a BUOcession of storms arose, and , tympg lost all her anchors the ship was forced to come to Sydney. ;th addition to the Chandernagore two more steamers are cdmmgmut. One, called Port Breton, oL 1250 tons, which sailed from Barcelona* on Jan. So, with. 750 Spaniards, and a small steamer, shout 350 tons, called Gefrill. will follow shortly, also from Barcelona* . -_ ■, > Trickett telegraphed to Hanlon to meet him in England in July, and if the reply had been satisfactory Trickett would have left Sydney by the next Suezmail.

' QUEENSLAND. The steamer Agnes was totally wrecked on Naraohie bar. She grounded while crossing the bar and was driven on the beach. H She las insured in the New Zealand, South British and Transatlantic, chiefly in the latter. . : SOUTH AUSTBAIIA. There is some prospect of Government pro. nosing to undertake the construction of |o railway from Palmerston to the reefs in the Northern Territory. The chief Warden of the Territory urges them to call tenders for a will bo reduced.