AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9036, 20 April 1888, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

FIRE IN SYDNEY.

Sydney, April 19. The top storey of Pyke's large furni< ture warehouse in Pitt-street was completely gutted by fire this morning, and damage was sustained to the extent of £3000. The New Zealand Company had a risk of £500 on the buildings. TREATMENT OF FIRST OFFENDERS. Sydney, April 19. The Comptroller of Prisons, in lri§ annual report, which has been laid before Parliament, suggests that first offenders should be treated to a course of nine months' severe discipline, which should virtually be a system of solitary treatment, instead of being kept with other prisoners for a term of years, during which they form criminal associations from which they rarely manage to free themselves. CORONERS' JURIES. Sydney, April 19. The Estimates are to be brought down next week. The Government intend to introduce a Bill providing for the payment of coroners' juries, and to give coroners discretionary powers in empanelling juries of five, six, nine, or twelve. PRICE OF LAND IN MELBOURNE. Melbourne, April 19. A large frontage in Elizabeth-street has been sold at £1200 per foot. Scott's Hotel, with 60 feet frontage to Collinsstreet, was submitted to auction to-day, and passed in at £100,000. GOLD DISCOVERY. Sydney, April 19. There is great excitement in the Gundagai district over the reported discovery of a gold-bearing reef of extraordinary value in the vicinity. The exact locality of the discovery has not been allowed to transpire. PHYLLOXERA IN NEW SOUTH WALES. Sydney, April 19. An outbreak of phylloxera is reported from the Seven Hills District, near Parramatta. A QUICKPASSAGE. Melbourne, April 19. The s.s. Orizaba has beaten the record between England and Australia, having accomplished the passage from land to land in thirty-two days and three hours. THE SANITARY CONDITION OF MELBOURNE. Melbourne, April 19. The Royal Commission appointed to inquire into the sanitary condition of the city and suburbs has examined Mr. Crawford Barlow, an English authority, who recommended the adoption of the water carriage system of drainage. THE RABBIT PEST. Brisbane, April 19. Rabbits are spreading with great rapidity in the interior, and are now eighty miles north of the furthest point previously reached by them. THE RABBIT CONFERENCE. Sydney, April 19. The Rabbit Conference have discussed the disease which has been developed in New Zealand and co--founded with the chicken cholera. They have decided to obtain all possible information on the subject. ELECTRIC TRAMS. Brisbane, April 19. The Brisbane Tramway Company propose to substitute the Julien electric trams for the present horse system. THE FALL IN SILVER SHARES. Sydney, April 19. The Broken Hill Proprietary shares' are £310. The fall of prices on the Stock Exchange is estimated at £710,000. It is believed that the shrinkage of stock in this and other colonies yesterday amounted in the aggregate to a million and a-half. The market to-day shows a slightly improved tendency. Adelaide, April 19. The Broken Hill shares are £275 to £268, PHIL ROBINSON. Melbourne, April 19. Mr. Phil Robinson, the war correspondent of the Daily News, has arrived. '

SCENES IN THE NEW SOUTH

WALES PARLIAMENT.

Sydney, April 19. The question of appointing a Deputy Chairman of Committees, owing to the illness of the chairman, has given rise . to numerous rows. It has been settled by the appointment of four deputies, from which the Speaker has the power to select one, provided he does so alternately. NEW GUNS. Sydney, April 19. The Government have decided to purchase nineteen hydro - pneumatic breech-loading guns, at a cost of slightly over £60,000. The men to erect the guns have already arrived.' THE SALE OF H.M.S. HARRIER. Sydney, April 19. H.M.s. Harrier was purchased by the London Missionary Society for the New Guinea work. RUGBY FOOTBALL IN VICTORIA. Melbourne, April 19. Eighteen football clubs have formed a Rugby Union. SYDNEY MARKETS. Sydney, April 19. Warrnambool potatoes are dull at 50s. Onions are 655. New Zealand potatoes are 60s ; maize, 2s 4d to 2s 5d ; oats are . quoted at 2s 4d. The market is bare, and prices must decline on account of the low price ruling for maize. Bran is firm, at 8d to Bjd. Pollard is firm at 9d ; cliickwheat, 2s 8d ; milling sorts, 2s 5d ; cheese, 4d, loaf-size, sd. Local butter has advanced to Is 3d, but the advance is only temporary. Imported butter is 9d to lOd ; bacon, 9d to 9|d ; New Zealand hams, Is Id. AUSTRALIAN GRAIN MARKETS. Melbourne, April 19. The wheat market is quiet, at 3s sd. Flour is dull, at £7 10s, stone-made; oats, 2s 10jd ; English barley, 5s 2d; and Cape, 2s 9d; bran, lid; New Zealand oats, 2s lid to 2s 2d, in bond ; maize, 3s 3d. Adelaide, April 19. Wheat is firm, at 3s 3d for shipping parcels ; bran, 9d : pollard, lOd. SHIPPING. Sydney, April 19. Sailed : Janet Nicoll, for Timaru. THE WAIHORA. ' Sydney, April 19. Sailed : The Waihora, for Auckland. ARRIVAL OF THE KAIKOURA. _ • __ . Hobart. April 19. _ The s.s. Kaikoura arrived last evening. - She experienced severe gales after leaving the Cape. She has 140 passengers for Australia and New Zealand, in- ( cluding the English footballers and Sir Thomas Brady, the Irish Fisheries Commissioner, who brings 400,000 salmon ova for Tasmania, in good condition. •She leaves'early this morning for New Zealand. The Kaikoura has sailed for Port Chalmers. She has 92 passengers for l! f New Zealand. , i