AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16567, 16 June 1917, Page 8

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

... > * -■. ' —''• ' ■. - THE CAPITAL SENTENCE. ";-•'„. -u : TWO DEGREES OF MURDER. A. »a NX Cable. ' SYDNEY,* June 15. The Government is amending the Crimes ,- '•; Act by reducing the number of crimes "'■ ' punishable by death from fourteen to three ; or four.-'These- will include only crimes ... ; where life iis taken. In murder charges ,'; provision is made for a ; verdict of the ,'"" first or second degree, the first only carrying the death penalty. A Bill is also in " ' preparation to fix the retiring age of iV! judges at 70. oroBiASE nr food prices. *.;. y.., . ;">.;£• ■'■:/'■-, . ' < SYDNEY, June IS. ' The Government statistician states that " since July,, 1914, food prices have in- . creased by £1.1 per cent. BAKE TELLER'*. 1 DEFALCATIONS. (Received 10.30 p.m.) SYDNEY, June 18. A sentence of five years' penal servitude was imposed on Arthur Leggo, a teller in the Government Savings Bank, for embezzlement. [Leggo was charged last month with stealing £14,000, the property of the Government Savings Bank. A written statement by accused disclosed that the money was lost during two months in betting on horse-racing. At the Rand-1 wick meeting, he started with £4000 on the first day, and on the last day, in a final effort to recover, he ventured £7000,1 supporting his fancies in large sums. He | put £2500 on one horse, and in the end lost everything excepting £500, which ho handed to the commissioners when he made a clean breast of his defalcations.] VICTIM OP SUBMARINE. (Received 10.46 p.m.) SYDNEY. June 15. The Rev. Dempsey, formerly chairman of the Congregational Union, who went to tilt front as a chaplain, has died in Egypt from the after-reaulta of exposure when a ship on which he was travelling was ! torpedoed, MURDERER TO BE EXECUTED. ! (Received 10.« p.m.) SYDNEY, June 15. , ••■/ Cabinet has decided not to interfere with the sentence of death imposed on . Christian . Denzing. The execution will ' take place to-morrow. *;...%,« [The murder was committed in January, . tie victim being a child of 11, who was • :- outraged and strangled. A message pub- ' | jjj '■■ , lished ' yesterday stated . that the execution | /',' i had . been postponed at", the eleventh hour ' M | as the result of deputations to Ministers ! , !'. urging a t further investigation into < accused's mental condition.] :'. • ,;' ' ' * ,„ "i •