AUSTRALIAN

New Zealand Mail, Issue 934, 24 January 1890, Page 27

AUSTRALIAN

(per press association.) Sydney, January 16. The following are the current quotations for the principal silver shares : —Broken Hill Proprietary, L9O; British Broken Hill, L 6 17s ; Ceutial, Ll2 12s 6d; Norths, L2 10s 6d ; Souths, L 7; Block 14, LlO ; Block 10, Ll 5 17s 6d ; Junction, L 8 6s. In the Macleav district miles of country are under water, and at Glen Innes the railway bridge has Deen washed away, causing traffic to be Buspeud<.d. Arrived—Lubeek. from Samoa. Affa’rs are quiet,, but a good deal of illfeeling is manifested against Colonel Coetlogan, the British vice-consul. A public meeting has been held, at which it was resolved to petition Sir JThurston, the High Commissioner, to j*. m ve him. It is reported that Coetlogan is- to be promoted to tho

i position of Consul in New Caledonia. There sro great Bigus of discontent in Tonga, and the small price given for copra, through no fault of the Government, tends largely to increase the prevailing dissatisfaction. The natives are quite unable to pay taxes and are seeking various means of relief. Sydney, January 17. A conference of delegates from the various Railway Employes Associations throughout Australia meets here in August next to consider a scheme for the federation of the Associations. The vineß in this colony have been almost totally cleared of phylloxera. At a meeting of the Steamship Owners’ Association, it was decided to ascertain the views of all steamship companies in Australia on the subject of amalgamation. It is understood the Union Company will bo included. Owing to the directorate of one company being in London, it is expected three months will elapse before the opinions of all can be obtained. If replies are favourable to the project, a committee will probably be appointed to inquire into the possibility of devising a schema for amalgamation. The Committee of the Association, generally spoaking, is in favour of it. The cooks and stewards have submitted to the steamship owners the revised rules and regulations adopted at the federal meeting in October. One point is exemption from liability for tbe loss of plate belonJ’ n r to veßSel - 8 - The owners consider' an important principle is involved in this claiiH: Certain consessions for overtime ard ie 9^ ir p • The local committee for the uU lon has submitted a scale for an increase of wages by 10s to LI per month for various classes of cooks and stewards. The owners have arrived at no decision as yet. The wharf labourers have also passed new rules, which they are about to submit to the steamship owners. No definite information is available, but it is understood an increase ot Is per day is involved for the men employed by the day, and a much larger increase for permaneut hands ; also, some rearrangement of overtime. New demands are male as to payment for spell time. At the wool sales to-day five thousand bales were offered, aud four thousand were sold. Continental purchasers operated largely. Inferior to good greasy, 8d to lLyi ; superior, la ; inferior to good average washed, 13d to LBd ; inferior to good scoured, 15d to 20HSydney, January 18. The hull of the s.s. Centennial, which w,a ß euuk in the harbour some months ago, has been sold for L 350. Sailed —Tekapo. Sydney, January 20. Sailed—Asbleigh Brook, 8.5., tor tho Bluff. The Daily Telegraph, referring to Lord Onslow’s remarks on Imperial Federation at Dunedin last week, predicts that Lord Carrington will not advocate Imperial Federation when he returns to England. He may advocate retention of the Imperial connection, but he knows more than the Earls of Onslow and Kintore of Australian public sentiment, and it is believed that this knowledge has taught him that no scheme of Imperial Federation will be acceptable to Australia. Sydney, January 21. An influential society has been formed here for tbe encouragement of cremation. The weather reports from the other colonies show that the heat is intense in Melbourne and Adelaide. Two deaths occurred in the latter city yesterday from this cause. News from Noumea says that a Government proclamation has been issued, under which every convict in each particular section is made responsible for the escape of convicts. By this means it is thought convicts will find it more difficult to get away. If a convict escapes every prisoner in his section will be deprived of special allowances. As a further safeguard, persons leaving the colony will be required to give 48 hours’ notice. Melbourne, January 16. Sailed Mararoa, for the Bluff. The Earl of Kintore, Governor of South Australia, and Lady Kintore arc passengers by her. Ai rived Manapouri, from the Bluff. Owing to an accident to her engines, which were disabled on the third ray out, she did nut call at Hobart. Melbourne. January 17. The l eader estimates that the cereal

yield for tbe season will be as follows % —Oats, 4,400,000 bushels, being art average of 22 bushels to the acre ; malting barley, 90,000 bushels, being an average of J 6 bushels to the acre ; other sorts of barley, 400,000 bushels, being an average of 20 bushels. Ihe hay crop is estimated to yield 720,000 tons, being an average of I*so tons lathe acre. A block of offices in Queen-street; was burned out this evening. The damage is estimated at L 2500. At the wool sales to-day §6400 bales were disposed of. Competition was brisk. Greasy sorts ruled up to washed, to Melbourne, Jauuary IS. Arrived—Schooner W. F. Wilymann, from Wanganui. Melbourne. January 20. Two fishermen were capsized in a boat in Port Phillip, and one named Page was drowned. Bailey, the other, was rescued after he had been clinging to the boat 94 hours. Pie underwent terrible sufferings, and his position ha critical. A city loan of L 1,000,000 will shortly be floated. Melbourne, January 21. The death is announced of Monsignor Fitzpatrick, Vicar-General, aged 80. The deceased priest has been about fifty years in the colony. Adelaide, January 19. Mr J. G. Ramsay, formerly Chief Secretary, was horribly burnt by the explosion of a lamp in a railway carriage, and died shortly after the accident. Adelaide, January 20. The barque Gleurosa is ashore at Cape Banks. The crew were rescued.