AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 14894, 20 January 1912, Page 7

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

■>, ■ • \ By TeJes7»p>.—P«w ' AsiociatioH.— . ' ' .V-i" ■:..'■'..■■,■.■.;■.: ' :;;.,.; : ,i.;.'>v- :-■■.■;.. ■,'■■,.;'•'.- .... «r—-_ •., . ' - SYDNEY'S CROWDED HOSPITALS, (Received January 1?, 9.30, p.m.) , ;'";;;;' ' ■ ':' r Stokst, January 19,, . The overcrowded state "of the hospitals.ia causing a > great;, outcry. ■"'The' Chief Secret ; j tary,.Mr. Flowers/ under whose Depart-, merit the hospitals come, clainiß that the congestion is due to" the: neglect of past Governments. The present 'Government has been doing the best it could, but much , more iB necessary to meet, preying de«! mands. '..If.v ['.'■' .■.:? ;.:'"' w..- ')/. , , , , _____ i , ,i, .„ j. „, ;■/ NEW SOUTH WALES BANKING* -■" ■ (Becelved-January 20/ I.s ft.a.i .'•'** '.'.'.'.■ STOSJar/.' January; 19*:' 'The New. South T^aJ 6B JtiifU-— ixzg averages for the-December quarter shew^a/-drop, of 15s- per cent, in the proportion of cash' to, liabilities' as compared with the'- Sep-, tember ', quarter, v when .the proportion ofj cash to liabilities was excessive. T^&jfcotal. deposits 1 for^ ; the ri .-year -increased -by, '■:;■: £5,263,000 the advances foV the year in- ;' creased by £6.054,000, and' 15 per cent*.''"'''';'':'-'. ■.''■ ,'.. ; '' ■. '';'"'" : ";.. ''•;•■ ~' ~. : : IMPROVING COASTAL LIGHTS. MKLBOUiNE, January!l9. As a result of the ; recent ■■' report fay;; ' Captain Brewis (the navigation, expert , employed to report on the lighting of the Australian coasts), the Federal' 'Govern*, ment has ordered the commencement of work on the lighting of Bass Strait*. A PECULIAR EARTH TREMOR. Stdnet, January 19. An earth tremor was widely felt in the southern districts yesterday morning.. It was preceded by a heavy rumbling, , A peculiar feature was "the rapidity of the waves. There was no preliminary wave, and no damage is reported. _ .'. PROTECTION FOR ■■ ;■ LITERATURE, ...AND ART. .-...■. .. ■■/'. Melbourne, January 19. ; A number of leading artists and writer*. , r have memorialised the Federal Government asking it to amend the Ooypright Act by placing a duty of £5 on imported pictures, Md a duty of at least 35,1-3 per cent, on foreign magazine? and 6d novels, with a view to having this class of litera* ture printed in Australia. ■■'■:■-':■■■■■''"■ ll^{;r^-:'y'i;:^& NEW SOUTH WALES' INCOME TAX. Sydney, January 19. . A meeting" of business/;; men strongly, ; protested against the new" income tax, and decided to take steps to, secure radical amendment of the more drastic provisions, kiyy-:: ■•<■ ' "■;■": — SUGAR-CANE SURNED. - SvintfßY, January 19. i Fires in the canefields round Murwil* lumbah, in the north of New South Wales,, swept over 500 acres, and 3700 tons of valuable cane were destroyed.: Small ,: , Kanaka growers were. the -Chief,tt_f*l*«j ■ , and a number lost their Glomes. -: , ->,•,; ■1 -• * ' "; • ••• ■