IN AUSTRALIA

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLV, Issue XLVIII, 16 December 1914, Page 5

IN AUSTRALIA

1 1 R1ZE COURT CASE

SYDNEY, Dec. 15. A board lias been constituted to administer* the Wheat Seizure Bill. Proclamations have been issued' authorising increases in the prices of bread and beer.

_ The Prize Court is hearing an application by the Commonwealth Government • to have the ship Zambesi and her cargo, captured by the warship Encounter off Rabaul, declared a lawful prize. The petitioners' claim set out that the Zambesi was a British-owned vessel under charter to the Pacific Phosphate Company; that on August 6th the master received through the agents of the company, and on behalf of the Kaiser, orders to proceed from Naur a Island' to Eaba.nl, with an agent of the Kaiser carrying important telegrams in relatio nt otlie war,' and on- arrival at Rabaul to hold himself and his ship at the disposal of the German Government. Respondent declared that at the time of the departure from Naura. the agent of the charterers of the Zambesi and her captain were not aware that war existed between Great Britain and Germany. The captain of the Zambesi gave evidence that- he was not aware of the war until the officers of the Encounter came on board. Other evidence, including the of exGerman officials at Naura, supported this. At the time of the capture the German agent 011 board gave one of the Zambesi's crew a bundle of telegrams to throw overboard, instead of their being handed to the Encounter's officers. I The case is unfinished. | UNFOUNDED STATEMENTS. | MELBOURNE, Dec. 15. Mr Fisher, on behalf of members of Parliament, cabled to the British Government regarding the stories of mutilation of males in Belgium by the Gei'raans. He received the following reply: "Am informed by the Embassy that the Belgian .committee* of inquiry has no evidence regarding any such ■reports." The reply was received by Parliament with cheers. PENSIONS BILL. IN FEDERAL HOUSE.

(Received 10.20 a.m.) MELBOURNE, This Day.

The War Pensions Bill was read a second time. It provides pensions for soldiers and sailors partially or totally incapacitated arid pensions for dependents of sohjiers meeting "death at the front. DUTCH PRIESTS AT FREEMANTLE (Received 10.20 a.m.) FREM ANTLE, This Day. I Three Dutch priests, members of St. Joseph'* Missionary Society, have arrived and are proceeding to New Zealand. They Sate • that 20,000 Belgian soldiers axe- interned in Holland arid six thousand British. There, are lA- million refugees, who are costing the Government £50,000 daily. Dutch feeling is strongly anti-German on account of the atrocities in Belgium.