AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXIX, Issue 3646, 24 January 1899, Page 2

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

An interesting appeal against the Taxation Commissioners was decided at the Adelaide Court. Mr Leppiuus, a siiaredealer, appealed against the payment of tax upon £3078, an amount lie received in return for shares he held in the Ivanhoc Goldmiuing Company when tho company was disposed of. He claimed that the tax was only payable upon the annual profits, and that the amount concerned could not be regarded as such, as it was merely a return of capital invested. The Court upheld this view, but there is likely to be an appeal to the Full Court. 1 ; The sum of £2500 having been recently voted by the Now South Wales Parliament to supplement tho funds raised to establish an Eddy Orphanage, the committee of railway men who have tho matter in hand are exerting themselves, to give practical effect to the object in view.' At a meeting held in the Railway Institute, Sydney, it was staled that together with the Government subsidy the amount now available was £5042. • ■

Writing on .the question of flowers at funerals the “ Sydney Daily Telegraph says:—-We find that sometimes as much as ten guineas is paid for what are called subscription wreaths in Sydney and Melbourne; but it is not often they , roach that figure here. : Neither is the practice so general here as it is in Melbourne. Money seems to be spent much more freely in the southern capital in this way than it is here. In this colony the custom has been advancing by leaps and bounds for some years past , until now it is almost: tho principal part of the florists’ business. Tho number made up each year for some time past reaches"to thousands. ‘ During the last four or five months, however, there has been a slight falling olf in the number. This is attributed to some extent to the edict which'was issued by the Bishop of Maitland. s Considerable "•surprise was occasioned by the cabled announcement that Sir Horace Tozor, Agent-General of Queensland, in seconding, at a meeting of the Anti-Sugar Bounty League, in London, a rcsohition expressing disappointment at the 'failure: of the Brussels Conference to secure the abolition of the sugar bounties, took advantage of the opportunity,'to say that “tho inaction of the British Government had created an unpleasant impression and had augmented the separatist element in Queensland.” Tin’s statement would load people to believe that separation from the Old Country is- a “ live question ” in Queensland. ” Tho Brisbane “ Courier ” clearly indicates ■ tho •'contrary in tho following ' emphatic remarks': When the AgentGonoral talks of a separatist feeling in Queensland wo simply laugh. He can-, not be. referring to local separation, because North, Centro and South are equally concerned in the abolition of an iniquitous, bounty system, and any other variety is conspicuous by its absence. The Tozor imagination has: got on top at an'awkward juncture—that is about ' tho explanation. Sir Horace lids mis- • represented the .colony and- done himself no good. ■ Wo want ho such slips made at the world’s centre; and tho Government would f do- wellVto; advise > him that' actual facts’ and not figments of his imagination should bo used; by our Agent-General when; ho addresses meetings in future;” .Tho'Postmaster-General of. Queensland-' has completed ■ final ■ arrangements ’ with the A.CJ.S.N. Company by which a three-Weekly mail steamer service costing £SIOO yearly is established betweenTownsville and the Gulf ports,' cali ing at Cooktowu, Thursday Island,sNvirmantdu,' Georgetown, and Burkctowm. There will -also be an overland mail ccr/iee from thoterminus of the Cairns - tab way 'at Marccba to CroyJei, tlicnce by rad to Normanton at a cost of ,£3300. : ■ ;i, ,

The revolt of tho suburban-.councils against the increased assessment for the support of tlie firo brigades- (says the. Sydney ' Morning Herald ’.’) ■ .merely, voices the old familiar cry of the property-owner for more assistance from the general public. Tho lire brigade service of Sydney will cost £24,000 for maintenance next year, a sum which in comparison to : that expended elsewhere is dangerously meagre. It is expended solely for the benefit of property-owners within the reach of tho brigades’ operations; those who have no property to protect. or who live outside that , radius get no value for it whatever. Yet the municipalities pay but one-third,: the other two-thirds being provided by the Government and thei insurance companies. The third subscribed, by the Government represents a : contribution from people the majority . of whom can hope to .derive. little or ,no‘ benefit from tho brigades. That contributed by the insurance companies. conies' from those householders whose properties are insured. It has to 'he included in the premium on their risks, ■ which' means that thoso who don’t insure secure a certain amount of protection at. the expense of those:who do. Some of the,sub-, urban municipalities think' that this should bo increased, and the uninsured property of their:ratepayers bo accorded more protection by the G overnment and the section who support insurance companies. By rights it should he the other way about. The tax upon the general public and the persons who provide at ■ their own expense against loss- from fire is already disproportionate, and should bo .readjusted so as to make the owners of -uninsured property bear more* of the burden which legitimately belongs to them. Tho Adelaide' Chamber of Commerce recently dealt with a long i letter from, the Albany Chamber in protest against, a: proposal that English'" mail steamers should call at Fremantle instead of Albany. The "Albany people state that the, proposal, which, by the way, is not immediately threatened, though there is a vclause in the agreement with, the steamship companies in which it may be broyght about, is wholly aud solely a po.litica.l move. The letter pointed out that it would involve a delay, of a day or a day and a half in the delivery of English letters in the eastern colonics, and a day in tho circulation of letters from the eastern colonies in Perth and on the goldfields. The Adelaide Chamber was therefore ■ urged to use its influence against the proposal, if it were definitely made. It was decided that the Chamber could not interfere at present in what was a. political question, but if it was found that any proposed change would involve groat detention of mails for South _ Australia,, the subject would be dealt with.