AUSTRALIAN NEWS

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1536, 7 August 1901, Page 50

AUSTRALIAN NEWS

MELBOURNE, August 2. A letter lias been received from Mr Maclaren, in which h e states that ne hopes to include in his team J. Gunn, the Notts bowler, and McGahey, the Essex batsman, if Ery cannot come. He is confident. the team will be representative, though he does not think it will be up to the Australian in bowling. In the Commonwealth Senate Senator iKeating moved that the Government should immediately acquire the - Bass Straits cable, which could be acquired for £70,000, the original cost. The Postmaster-General deprecated forcing the hand of the Government in the matter. The debate was adjourned. A discussion has taken place in the Senate as to what s hould be the qualifications of the High Commissioner in London. The Government holds that a man of good social standing, gifted with a diplomatic mind, should be selected, rather than one well up in commercial and produce knowledge MELBOURNE, August 3. The Labour party in the Federal House of Representatives raised a tempest ever old age pensions, which formed a plank in Mr election mani* festo, and was affirmed in the Governor* General’s Speech. Members accused the Premier of loading his programme with measures which he had no intention of proposing. Mr Barton said nothing could be done until the end of th e bookkeeping period. As thS shelved th© question for anything from five to ten years, the Labour members became angry, and wished to force a division. Mr Barton declined to accept any instruction to prepare a Bill immediately. ' In' order allow time for the excitement to cool the debate was adjournedm SYDNEY, August 2. After an all-night sitting of the State Legislative Assembly, the motion of censure on the Government isoved by the Hon. C A. Lee was negatived by sixtyone votes against twenty-eight. The Address in-Reply was adopted on the voices.

SYDNEY, August 2. Monsignor Kelly, Rector of the Irish College at Rome, has been appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Sydney, with right of succession to the Archbishopric. The first payment under the old-age pensions scheme in New South Wales was made yesterday. _...• Mr A. B. Joske, a resident in xrji for twenty-three years, informed the “Daily Telegraph 5> “ that the de«ire for federation with Australia is pretty general in the islands.” He considers federaticn with New Zealand out of all reasonable reckoning, as Sydney is naturally Fiji’s, best trading port. In the absence of an alliance with Australia, he thinks • the white residents m Fiji should be allowed to select the eight unofficial members ’of the, legislative body who are now selected by gtreet. He eulogised Sir G. T. OBixens work .in the. grou gY I)NE Y, August 3. Last night the police made a raid on thirty-five persons

The President of the Board of Health has received private advices of the bonic plague having reappeared at Noumea. Precautionary regulations are being enforced against vessels from New Caledonia.

' BRISBANE. August 4. In a billiard match between Roberts and, Memmott, 4000 up, the former conceding 1450, Memmott won by 994. In a second match, Roberts versus Weiss, the play being on similar terms to the game with Memmott, Weiss won by 1412.