AUSTRALIAN.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1775, 14 March 1906, Page 56

AUSTRALIAN.

NEW YORK, March 6. President Roosevelt, in a message to Congress, emphasises the recommendations made by the Joint Board of Army and Navy Officers on defence works at Chesapeake, Honolulu, Manila, and other harbours. The increased armaments of the United States ports will, it is estimated, cost 50,879,000 dollars. An operator on the Stock Exchange, New York, lost £200,000 sterling yesterday owing to a temporary slump in coppei*. NEW YORK, March 8. Owing to the employment of nonunionists, a foundry belonging to Ravitoh Bros., in New York, was partly destroyed by dynamite. The son of Senor John Bozuffi, an Italian banker in New York, has been kidnapped. Four thousand sterling is demanded as ransom. CAPETOWN, March 5. A gang of Chinese coolies, armed with sticks, tried to enter a farmhouse at Modderfontein. The owner fired at the gang, killing two. PEKIN, March 6. As ail outcome of the recent massacres in China, the Dowager Empress lias threatened the military authorities with severe punishment unless missionaries are protected. MELBOURNE, March 6. The slander action McArthur and Co. v. Sir William Lyne, Federal Minister of Customs, is based on the words—- “ What do you think of McMillan’s firm and David Storey’s firm buying hats from Anderson and compelling him to mark them inside ‘ Made in England ’ f” —allegedly uttered by Sir William Lyne to Senator Pulford in a refresh-ment-room of the Federal Parliamentary Buildings, in the presence of Mr Deakin and Senator Playford. MELBOURNE, March 8. The annual report of the Military Board states that the present scheme of reorganisation provides for a peace establishment of 25,500 in all ranks. The Board proposes to try at an early date a scheme for interchanging officers between Australia, Canada, and India. Eight thousand of the latest pattern of magazine rifle have been ordered. Eighteen out of the thirty-six automatic machine guns ordered have been delivered. It is stated in the report that the colonial ammunition factory is capable of producing eighteen million rounds for small arms annually. SYDNEY, March 6.

Mr David Storey, in a letter to the press, characterises the charge-,allegedly made by Sir William Lyne against his firm as monstrous, and absolutely untrue. He challenges the strictest inquiry, and in the event of the slightest, proof 'of having done as said Avill forfeit £IOO to Sydney Hospital. SYDNEY, March 7. The Methodist Conference discussed n memorial from the missionaries of Fiji, asking that they be recalled for home work owing to their inability to administer legislation. It was decided to defer the enforcement ot the Fiji Constitution until the next general conference has dealt with the subject. The Underwriters’ Association is advised ithat the German barque Ger-

mania, bound from Auckland to New York, was abandoned in a sinking condition in mid-ocean. No details are to hand. R. Ai’nst (of New Zealand) secured a place in the preliminary heats for the Sydney Thousand. SYDNEY, March 8. In connection with the action brought by McArthur and Co. against Sir William Lvne Federal Minister of Customs, Sir William Lyne denies making the statement in reference to Storey’s fii m buying Locally-made hats marked inside “Made in England.” The French Consul-General proposes to despatch the cruiser Catinat, now at Sydney, to the relief of the sufferers by storm at the Tahiti Island. He has cabled to Franco for instructions. - The Licensed Victuallers’ Association has decided to fight the no-license party at the next elections, and discard other issues. The barque Germania, which was abandoned in mid-ocean in a sinking condition, was bound from New York to Townsville, not from Auckland to New York as stated yesterday. The second-class cruiser Encounter {SBOO tons, 11 guns, built in 1903) has arrived from Plymouth. She replaces the Wallaroo (4000 tons) and the Katoomba (4000 tons) in Australasian waters. SYDNEY. March 9. Advices received here state that the Japanese famine affects three large ricegrowing 'listricis, with a copulation cf nearly throe million people. Recent London advices point to the fact (hat the Morgan combine has acquired an interest in tho Aberdeen Sh'noiug Line. Tho French Consul-General has been officially advised that the accounts* received of tho damage by the hurricane at Tahiti Island were greatly exaggerated, and that there is no need to despatch the Catinat with relief. The officers of the cruiser Encounter state that the rumours regarding the alleged faulty construction of the vessel arc without foundation. It was proved during tho voyage from Plymouth that the Encounter is a splendid sea boat. At the outset the engines were too powerful for the size of the hull, but modifications were made. HOBART, March 6. Tho Legislative Assembly has been dissolved. _ _ Tho general election will be held on March 29th. A deputation from the Women’s Christian Temperance Union asked the Premier to suppress TattersaJl’s sweeps. Ho replied sympathetically, but said it was purely a question of finance. It was either Tattersall’s or taxes, and a referendum would show that most people favoured Tattersall’s sweeps. HOBART, March 7. Giving evidence before the Tariff Commission, an ironmongery importer stated that he was compelled to purchase goods in America in preference to England on account of the lower freights, though the quality of the goods was the same and the English prices appreciably lower.