AUSTRALIA.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCIII, Issue 10560, 21 January 1895, Page 5

AUSTRALIA.

<►—

[Special to Pbicss Association.) ITALIAN LEMONS. SYDNEY, Jan. 19. The lemon growers*©!: Italy are becoming formidable rivals to the local growers between' the local seasons. Two or three hundred cases nre received from Italy every third week, realising 22s 6d to 25s per case. Even the most unfavourable part of the session the price rarely, descends below 18? i, which is a considerable on the pirioa for Sydney lemons. THE ZONAL RAILWAY SYSTEM. The Daily Telegraph, which has advocated the zone, system on railways for many yeais, regards the introduction of the zone ;system in New Zealand for the carriage <»£ fruit as a sudden transition altogether on too comprehensive a scale. It would hav o preferred to see the experiment tried on a ome scale of graduation. The innovation,Jaowever, will be watched with interest. , SAMOA. Mr Cusuck Smith, the British Consul at Samoa, hhs arrived here on his way to England. According to the Samoan papers, it is an open secret that Mr Smith is unlikely to return. / THE PYLADES/,, Admiral Bridge has received a cable message, stating that the Pylades left Singapore for Australia yesterday. CONFESSED. The two girls Conolly and Moran have confessed that they concocted their stories about the wholesale child murder in order to obtain their release frpin the Parramatta Industrial School, of which they were inmates. < THE SOUTH SEA HURRICANE. The steamer Victoria had a trying time of it during the Fiji hurricane. A report from-Santo, New Hebrides, states that on Jan. 9, the wind blew with hurrioahe force, and did a good deal of damage to property there. THE AGENT-GENERAL. Jan. 20. The Premier’s recent statement auent the duties of the Agent-General ■ having been regarded in London as to imply the retirement of Sir Saul Samuel, Mr Reid explains that he did not wish to infer that the present Agent-General would be superseded at an early date, but what he meant was that in the natural course of events Sir Saul Samuel must aOdn retire, being an old man, and would shortly be entitled to a pension. NEW AUSTRALIA. The Hauroto has on board thirty-one “New Australians,” who proceed by the steamer Rimutaka from Wellington en route for the settlement in South America. A SHOCKING TRAGEDY.; A tragedy ia reported from Adnmstown, near Newcastle. A girl named Eleanor Turner, aged twelve, tho adopted daughter of Mrs Gray, while washing crockery broke a cup. Mra Gray upraidod the girl for her carelessness, whereupon the latter gave a saucy reply. Mrs Gray in a fit of auger seized a large table knife, which she hurled at the girl. Tho knife struck the girl in the region of the heart; killing her. Mra Gray has been arrested. .

THE CONFERENCE OS:.y>EEMIBES. HOBART,’ Jan. 20, The Hon E. J. Seddon has cabled regretting; his inability to attend the conference of Premiers, and states that the Post-master-General will probably bo present. INCOME TAX RETURNS., The Income v Treasurer are dissatisfied with a number of the assessments as furnished. Many have under-stated their means,- while others have furnished no returns at all. The Treasurer ' contemplates proceeding against offenders. He considers that the Government has lost .£3OOO per annum by the repeal of the Dividend Tax and the substitution of the Income Tax. RECIPROCITY HOPED FOE. ADELAIDE, Jan. 19. The Colonial Treasurer, replyiug to a deputation asking for the reintroduotion of free duty on produce taken to Victoria for the purpose of being gristed .in bond, said he regretted he had no power to grant the request. He hoped the time would come when the border duties would be abolished, and when they could rejoice in freetrade among all the colonies. SMALL-POX. PERTH, Jan. 19. The steamer Clonourry has arrived at Fremantle from with throe cases of small-pox on board; RICH QUARTZ. Jan. 20. The Lake View mine has'crushed two hundred tons of stone, which yielded five hundred ounces of gold, and has enough stone of the same quality at grass to keep the battery going for many months. LORD BRASSEY. • MELBOURNE, Jan. 19. Lord Brassey, the new Governor, is expected to arrive in the colony in September. HEAVY DAMAGES. The Greeners, a firm of gun manufacturers in England, have issued a writ against a local firm of gunmnkers, claiming .£IO,OOO damages for alleged illegal use of their name. BANK OF VICTORIA.

The Bank of Victoria has declared a half-year dividend at the rate of 5 per cent per annum on preference shares and 2£ per cent on ordinary shares, and carried forward .£7OOO. VICTORIAN PARLIAMENT. In the Legislative Assembly, Mr W. A. Trenwith, one of the Labour members, moved that in order to prevent sweating in connection with Government contracts, it was the duty of the Government to prescribe a minimum wage, and state it in contracts. The motion was accepted by the Government, and carried without dissent. The Land Act Amendment Bill and Referendum Bill have been discharged from the Order Paper. The House meets specially bn Monday to deal with the railway rates on the motion for a reduction by 20 per cent. . NEW ZEALAND HARBOUR BOARDS. Jan. 20. The Argus, referring to Harbour Board defaults, says New Zealand enjoys an unenviable distinction alone amongst the colonies in having had two big defaults in borrowing for public purposes, and for the credit of the rest of the colonies should mend her ways.