AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17935, 31 October 1918, Page 7

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

By Telegraph—Pre«s Association—Copyright. THE NAVY DEPARTMENT. (Received October 30, 8.50 p.m.) MELBOURNE, October 29. Following; attacks in Parliament upon the Federal Government regarding tho report of the Royal Commission on the Navy administration and subsequent representations from the chairman of the Commission, Mr Watt stated that he had agreed to a request that the Hon J. A. Jensen, Minister of Customs, should be relieved of-the duty of administering the Customs Department until the completion of the investigations. These investigations refer to the purchase of the Shaw wireless works at Randwick for .-£55,000 by the Navy Department in 1916, when Mr Jensen was Minister of the Navy.

BANK AMALGAMATION. (Received October 30, 8.50 p.m.) MELBOURNE, October 29. ' A special meeting of the shareholders of the Colonial Bank of Australia agreed to its winding up prior to amalgamation with the National Bank of Australasia.

NEW SOUTH WALES POLITICS. (Received October 30, 10 p.m.) SYDNEY, October 30. Tlie Hon W. A. Holman is relinquishing the Treasury ship, to which the Hon J. C. L. Fitzpatrick ha.s been appointed .