AUSTRALIAN.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1248, 30 January 1896, Page 36

AUSTRALIAN.

Sydney, January 22. Mr Mitchell, farmer at Orange, was killed by lightning while taking tea, and his two sous were seriously injured. At the half-yearly meeting of the City BbUik the net profit was shown to be =£lo,ooo, to which must be added ,£3OBO from the.previous half year. A dividend of 5 per cent, was declared, and the sum of ,£3OSO carried forward. The chairman, in his address, stated that nothing special had occurred during the past six months. The directors were acting cautiously, and the business was quietly improving. There were prospects of a considerable amount of new business during the coming half-year. The bank was doing nothing but what was considered the safest kind of business. The report was adopted. There seems some probability of the Broken Hill Proprietary Company establishing smelting works at the old Port Waratah site, on the Hunter River. The steam collier Aldinga struck the Bellambe reef at daybreak, and became a total wreck. The crew are safe. Sydney, January 24. At the half-yearly meeting of the Commercial Banking Company, the report showed that the net profits for the six months were ,£53,960. A dividend of 8 per cent, was recommended, and .£l4-,700 carried forward. The chairman said that with the exception of .£17,000, not due, the whole of the deferred deposits, amounting to about nine millions, and mostly maturing in 189 S and the three following years, had already been realised, and 3i million had been paid during the last halfyear, but, notwithstanding that, the balancesheet showed greater strength over the liquid assets, totalling £3,230,000. The business generally had been well maintained, and there is every promise of greater activity. The report was adopted. After an oppressive day. a cool southerly sprang up to-night, bringing thunder and heavy rain. From the southern districts come reports that good rains have fallen, but the western districts say that the heat there has not abated. Sydney, January 25. Rebecoa Dean, sister ot the notorious George Dean, has been arrested at Marandera on a "charge of lunacy. She was found in a perfectly nude state behind her mother's house, building up a dry brick wall which she had pulled down the previous evening. She has been remanded for medical examination. The steamer Leveret, which was sunk by a collision at the Heads, has been raised and towed to a dock. All hands were shoving the vessel on the cradle when she collapsed and broke in half, falling on the bottom of the dock with a terrific crash. The employees had a narrow escape. Sydney, January 27. The Cape Colony Agricultural Conunismissioners—Mr Walter Halse, of Carnarvon Farm, Queenstown, Cape Colony, and Mr J. D. J. Visser, who have spent several weeks in Australia under a commission fiom the Cape Government authorising them to enquire into' and report upon the agricultural systems pursued in these colonies —have left by the Mararoa on a visit to New Zealand. The Federal Council appointed by the Wesleyans. Primitive Metiiodists and United Free Methodists is drafting a scheme of union for submission to the several conferences of the churches named in New South Wales. The Primitive Methodist Conference has already agreed to the proposed union. The Council states that after complete investigations into the numerical strength, finance and properties, no barrier to union exists. Believing that it is of vital importance to fix; the date, the Council recommend that the union be elf ected not later than the year 1900. The steam collier Aldinga, which struck the Bellambe reef, has broken up. l'he quarterly banking returns show that the assets are £48,419,000, an increase of .£152,000 as compared with last quarter, and the liabilities £132,057,000, an increase of <£321,000. Coin and bullion were held in the banks equal to Is 8.1-d in the pound of liabilities, which was the same as 12 months ago. Current accounts and deposits show a large increase, and advances a steady contraction. At the annual Conference of the Political and Labour Leagues, it was resolved to favour a plebiscite of the people to settle the tariff question.

Fully 25,000 people attended the Victoria New South Wales cricket match.

The Miowera, which left yesterday for Vancouver, has returned to port owing to an accident to her machinery. She sails again to-night or to-morrow. Melbourne, January 21.

The bodies of two boys named Roche and Martin have been discovered in a sand pit in Middle Park. They had been missing' for a week, when they left on a stroll together, and it is supposed thyy were taking shelter from the rain when the pit collapsed. A deputation of operatives and millers waited on the Minister of Customs, and requested permission to grist in bond for }2 months. It was pointed out that, owing to the shortness of production, there was not sufficient wheat to supply the local demand, and tho millers were seriously handicapped in regard to the export trade. The shortage was estimated at 1,250,000 bushels. Tho Minister said the Government and Parliament were averse to gristing in bond, but hs promised to bring the ' matter before the Cabinet. Melbourne, January 22. In consequence of the alarming spread of rabbits and the complaints made of the ineffectual administration of the Destruction Act, the (Government have reapp unfed 20 inspectors dispensed with under the retrenchment scheme. Sixty police officers who are at present acting as inspectors have also been paid bonuses as an inducement to give special attention to the destruction of the pest. The Minister of Lands is asking Parliament to vote a sum of .£50,000, to be lent the shire councils at 3 per cent., for the purchase of wire netting to prevent the spread of rabbits. Melbourne, January 23.

The old-established firm of Geo. Webster and Co., one of the leading soft goods houses, has foundiit necessary to convene a

the usual banking facilities granted in the past, a result due more to want of confidence in Australian affairs generally than anything else, as the firm had borne an unsullied reputation. The principal creditor is the British Linen Bank. There are no local liabilities.

At the Supreme Court to-day in Chambers, Mrs Bessie McFadyean, of Wellington, obtained an order against her husband on the memorial of a judgment granted by the New Zealand supreme Court direotine him to pay £7B annually in a suit for judicial separation. McFadgean was formerly a station manager at Kaikoura.

At the annual meeting- of the City Mutual !' ire Insurance Company, the report showed that the net profits amounted to .£1223. A dividend and bonus of 10 per cent, were declared. There was added to the reserve .£2OOO, and carried forward .£147.'. The Chairman deprecated risky business being done by the larger companies, and said his Company was following a most conservative policy, and that the greatest care was shown. The Company was refusing all doubtful risks and reducing or cancelling others, which resulted in the losses for the year being reduced to less than 17 per cent. The premiums, he said, had been considerably increased, but owing to the extreme caution exercised the income had only slightly decreased. The report and balancesheet were adopted. The balance-sheet for the half-year of the Commercial Bank of Australia shows a net profit of <£loßo, after paying the extended depositors 4.1 per cent., and the preference share holders nil. The extended deposits amount to .£5,773,000. The Bank owes creditors other than extended deposit-holders .£2,015,000, while its liquidresourcesamountto £5,087,000. The half-year has shown an increasing inability to realise the securities, but the business of the new Bank shows an improvement in all lines excepting advances. The re-es-tablishment of confidence is shown by the increase in deposits. The Argus, commenting on the report, states that the truth should not be evaded, as the Bank will have to readjust the terms with the holders of extended deposits, both as regards the rate of interest and the dates of repayment of the principal. The paper considers that the revision should be attempted at an early date. At a meeting of the Royal Humane Society of Australasia the Queen's bronze medal for the swimming competition was awarded to James McLeay, and certificates to George Evans and Mary Johnston, pupils of the public school at Lake Takapuna, Auckland. Tbe Society's bronze medal was awarded to Duncan Macarthur and Antonio Bobbisch, Timaru, for rescuing persons from drowning, andtoClino MacFarlane, Wanganui. Melbourne, January 27. During last week the banks reduced their buying rates of exchange on London by 2s Gd per cent., and raised their selling rates by a like amount. Perth , January ?21. Heavy rains are reported from Cue, arid ten inches is recorded at Raeburne. Perth, January 22. At the half-yearly meeting of the Western Australian Bank a dividend of 17A per cent, was declared, and a 5 per cent, bonus voted on all salaries. The directors propose to increase the capital by the i-sue of fresh shares. Adelaide, January 21. William Rogers has been committed for trial on the charge of "salting" the Angipena goldmine. Fitzpatrick, another miner, who, according to his own confession, was induced by Rogers to assist in the " salting," gave evidence that previous to the Mining Inspector and a number of members of Parliament wdio were interested in the purchase of the property visiting the mine he and Rogers " salted " the shaft with rich stuff. Bags of samples obtained for the proposed purchasers were also " salted," and when the purchasers were obtaining samples from the mine witness slipped amongst the stuff rich ore which he held in his hat. Rogers promised witness <£so for his share in the business, but as he refused to pay witness " kicked up a row." The syndicate, consisting of members of Parliament, who purchased shares and were floating the mine, were to receive 10,000 promoters' shares Rogers is being tried on a second charge of fraudulently attempting to obtain 2000 fully paid-up shares by pretending that the " salted" stone —on the strength of •which the company was floated —was the genuine product of tbe mine. Adelaide, January 22. The authorities are investigating a strange case of alleged illegal detention of a Chinese girl, aged 1(5, by one of her own countrymen. Some neighbours climbed upon the roof of the Chinaman's house, and through the skylight saw the girl. She was almost naked, and in a filthy condition. The police were informed, and broke into the house. The girl stated that she had been detained in the attic against her will for 11 months. The Chinaman's version is that the girl came to the colony with a Chinese woman, who returned to China, and it was subsequently found necessary to restrict the girl's liberty. Adelaide, January 23. The Government intends to take action against Way Lee for the forcible detention of the Chinese girl found in an attic in his house. Adelaide, January 27. Miss You Ga, the heroine of Celestial romance, is a bright, intelligent girl, and speaks English fluently. When she was taken to the Government Offices the Executive was sitting, and the Governor requested to see the girl. She chatted freely with the

Governor and Ministers. She states that she was sold in Canton for 103 dollars, and accompanied her purchaser to Adelaide. But Lhere is a reverse side of the picture. Way Lee, at whose house she was found, is one of the most respected Chinese merchants here. His account is that the girl was not bought bu 1 -. adopted, the money paid to her mother being an advance of wages. He adds that the girl is of a wayward disposition, and this is borne out by the statement of several ladies with whom she was brought into contact. Way Lee, at the request o2 the girl's foster-father, took charge of her until she could be returned to China. Accordingly he detained her and kept a careful watch over her, because he was afraid she would run away and contract a European marriage. Such a catastrophe would, under the Chinese law, make it necessary for her foster-father to have his head removed by the public executioner. The desire to avoid this unpleasant consequence was the reason of the girl's incarceration. Brisbane, January 24. The half-yearly report of the Queensland Bank shows the net profits to be ,£'!3.ootJ, which, with the profit of last half-year, makes ,£49,000 available. After paying a dividend of 3 per cent., a sum of .£36,900 lias been carried forward. Brisbane, January 27. Mr W. P. Reeves has abandoned his intentention of going Home by this route, and returns to Adelaide, where he joins the Messageries Maritimes Company's Ville de la Ciotat, leaving on Ist February. Coolgardie, January 22. The sale of the London Mine was completed yesterday, when a cheque for £27,000 was paid to the lucky prospectors, who had already received a deposit of £30,000. Last night, after the payment, Davies, one of the prospectors, was garrotted and robbed of bank receipts of the value of £30,000. Hobart, January 22. A sensational leap from the mail train running between Hobart and Launceston, made by a young girl named Brown, travelling in a compartment with a man named Davidson, a member of a firm of engineers, is reported. The girl fell asleep, and Davidson alleles' he took a nip of cough mixture containing peppermint and aniseed, but when the girl awoke she believed the smell that of chloroform, and tried to attract the attention of passengers in the next compartment. Failing to do so, she dropped from the window. Tho girl was found uninjured, except for a few bruises. Davidson was taken into custody, but it is generally believed the girl is labouring under a hallucination. Hobart, January 24. Sir J. B. Thurston, Governor of Fiji, is a passenger by the Tongariro, which has arrived at Hobart from London. Hobart, January 25. The Sjuadronhas compled its evolutions in Norfolk Hay, and returned here. The flagship, with a couple of attending vessels, visits New Zealand. IjAUNG'kston, January 27. A fire at Burnic, on the north-west coast, has destroyed five buildings, including the Union Steam «hip Company's offices. Albany, January 27. Sir Joseph Benals, ex - Lord Mayor of London, has arrived here on his way to Coolgardie. Thursday Island, January 24. The steamer Chilka, bound from Calcutta to New Zealand, is outside awaiting a pilot.