AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16459, 8 February 1917, Page 8

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

FLOODS IN QUEENSLAND. EXTRAORDINARY RAINS. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. BRISBANE. Feb. 7. Reports from St. George, 1270 miles west and south of Brisbane, stato that extraordinary rains have been falling there since February 1. All the country between St. George and Nindigully is inundated, and heavy floods are expected. DAYLIQHT SAVING ACT. MOVEMENT FOR REPEAL. SYDNEY, Feb. 7. Out of 52 municipal councils approached. 37 have decided to co-operate in the endeavour to repeal the Daylight Saving Act. TRADE WITH RUSSIA. COMMERCE BUREAU URGED. MELBOURNE. Fob. 7. A meeting «of business men passed a resolution asking Mr. Hughes to arrange for the establishment of a RussianAustralian Bureau of Commerce, with the object of fostering trade between the two countries. GOVERNMENT DEFEATED. DISSOLUTION ASKED FOR. ' ' • • . PERTH, Feb. 7. /• The Assembly of Western Australia, despite the absence of country members of the Labour Party, by 17 votes to 16, deleted the vital clauses of the .State Trading Concerns Bill. The Premier has asked the» Governor to grant a dissolution, '"i " " ■ IThe Liberal Government of Western Australia proposed to dispose of the State businesses started by the late Labour Government.; The Premier recently told a deputation from the Labour Federation that . x he opposed ; its proposal that the State trading concerns should not be disposed of, and he would not j alter his policy one iota.] POLITICAL QUARRELS. WHAT THE SOLDIERS THINK. (Received 11 p.m.) • SYDNEY, Feb. 7. The Australian official war corresponment, in a cable from France, describing the bitter winter weather, says:— "More bitter still in the thought we hear expressed on every side that . after < all ihese men have done, Australian politicians cannot sufficiently sink party gain or loss to represent whole-heartedly at the Imperial Conference Australian ideas of justice and right which the soldiers are fighting and dying for." COMMONWEALTH NOTE ISSUE. r MELBOURNE, Feb. 7. .The Commonwealth note -issue ■is £46,652,172. ■ The gold reserve is £16,149,307.