AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

New Zealand Times, Volume LVII, Issue 2414, 21 January 1895, Page 2

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

By Telegraph.—Press Sydney, January 19. The lemon-growers of Italy are becoming formidable rivals to the local growers. Between the local seasons two or three hundred cases are received from Italy every third week, realising 22s 6d to 25s per case. Even at the most unfavourable part of the season the price rarely descends below 18s, which is a considerable advance on the price for Sydney lemons. The Daily Telegraph, which has advocated the Zone system on railways for many years, regards the introduction of the Zone system in New Zealand for the carriage of fruit, as a sudden transition on altogether too comprehensive a scale. It ■would have prefened to seethe experiment tried on some scale of graduation. jlr Cusack Smith, British Consul at Samoa, has arrived here on his way to England. According to the Samoan papers it is an open secret that Mr Smith is unlikely to return. The annual conference of the Seamen’s Union of Australia begins on Monday. Among the questions to bo discussed are— International federation of Unions; establishment of the headquarters of the Intercolonial Federated Union in Sydney; inducement of the shipping companies to adopt a uniform rate of pay for seamen arid equip their vessels better in the interests of the crews. ■ Meebouene, January 19.

Greener's firm of gun manufacturers in England has issued a writ against a local firm of gun makers, claiming .£IO,OOO damages for alleged illegal use of its name. In the Legislative Assembly Mr. W. A. Trenwith, one of the Labour members, moved that in order to prevent sweating in connection with Government contracts it was the duty of. the Government to prescribe a minimum wage, and state it in the contract. The motion was accepted by the Government and carried without dissent.