AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 9188, 13 April 1910, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

;By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) .Per Press Association.) Received April 13. 9.11 a.m.

SYDNEY, April 13. Mr Justice G. B. Simpson, senior misne judge, has retired.

The Miners' Wages Board's award for tho Stockton borehole mine fixes the prices for cleaning and filling coal behind the screen at lOd per ton and makes tho working time underground eight hours, exclusive of half-an-hour for crib. The award has caused great disappointment amongst the miners. They claimed a rate of 2s 7d a ton and eight hours from bank to bank. The opinion is expressed amongst the miners that the Borehole men will not work under the award, and this will mean troube in the other pits. A member of the Miners' Federation said : "We thought we might get something which would make us view tho Wages Board in a favourable light, but this settles it."

MELBOURNE, April 13

Giving evidence in the Arbitration Court u n the question of marine stewards' wages, the providore of the Union Company 6aid second stewards of the Company, who looked after" the saloon bar, got from £4 to £5 a month as a result of the system of pooling tips. On the steamer Oonah, where ten shared in a weekly division, the tips ranged from 9s to 23s 6d per man. The timber-stackers' strike continued. A considerable number of free laboureis have been put on and are working under police protection,

PERTH, April 13.

Large quantities of the Pericles' cargo are being recovered. Tho steamer Una secured a thousand boxes of butter and a quantity of tallow. It is believed the wreck is 'breaking up. Steps are being taken to locate the sunken rock.

FREMANTLE, April 13, .Arrived. —Mooltan. Received April 13, 10.5 a.m. SYDNEY, April 13.

The weather is fine for the elections. -The morning papers predict that if the voters do their duty the Liberals will hold their own if not gain ground. On the other hand Labour is splendidly organised, and very confident. In most electorates there will be a straight-out fight, the Independents being less numerous than in previous elections. The referendum on the finance question complicates the issue.

The Herald advises voters to ■ say "Yes" to both the financial agreement between the States and Commonwealth and the transfer of State debts, while the Telegraph advocates "Yes" to the agreement and "No" to the transfer. The Herald, in the course of an article supporting the Government, says.—"Upon the Liberal electors of New South Wales is to-day thrown the onus of showing that the Newcastle strike received no public approval." By steamer from Wallis Island comes news of a rebellion. The natives, armed with rifles and spears, marched to the King's residence and fired several shots through the windows without doing much harm. The King was surrounded by a body of native women, and this fact is stated to have saved his life. The rebels nominated a successor to the throne. Matters were so serious that the safety of the French settlers was imperilled, and the French Commissioner cabled for assistance. The French warship which is expected sopn will visit the Island. Besides Arnst, 27 others are entered for the big handicap. Two other entries are expected. The majority of /rowers are hard at work training. MELBOURNE, April 13. The average yield of oats last season was 20.60 bushels, compared with 26.50 the previous season. ADELAIDE, April 13. Experiments by Victor Nightingall proved the great value of light rays in destroying vegetable diseases and pests, including eelworm. The system is to be tried on a large scale.