AUSTRALIAN CABLES.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXIX, Issue 10671, 21 January 1911, Page 4

AUSTRALIAN CABLES.

[By ■ Ei.KtnrKir Tklk.,;:il- v- -Cofii.mn: (Per Press Association.) CATHOLIC EDUCATION. Received January 20. at l".i'.f p.m. . : Sydney, January -'. The". Catholic Education _ C->.:■■••■ ■■ has concluded.. It wa; ivso';vi_--i ::...: '. was the duty of the Slate to ec- ■.'.:■:' the children were t-urrounded ■ by religious influences: that Catholics demanded their schools to be reeenipensed so far as tht-y carry out the work of secular teachii:;i in accordance with the State standard; that State bursaries be open f< r '-ompi-tition to the pupils of every school in the State. A central cornniittc... was formed to safeguard Catholic rights in the matter of education.

A COMMERCIAL BROTHERHOOD . Melbourne. January 20..

Mr,Tudor'has made an important alteration '.n concessions of preference t-o goods.of British manufacture. Hitherto preference was allowed on all goods shipped from a British port or. 25 per centum of which British'labor had. been employed. The Minister, after obtain-ing-the views of a r.urr.b-.r of interested British association-, decided to adopt from' July Ist tho Canadian system, which .stipulates that preference' shall apply only to imported finished articles in addition to having one-fourth their value produred by British labor.

BETTER ADMINISTRATION REQUIRED. Svdnc-v. January 21. The Rev. Mr Boyd, New Hebrides missionary, has declared that the condition of the natives is worse than when they went to the islands sixteen years ago. He attributes this to recruiting and sly gr,og-solling. regarding which he repeats his charges against the French settlers. The condominium,- he says, has failed to bring about better administration.

WESTRALIAX POLITICS. Perth, January 21. The Council Ims passed the Redistribution of Seats Bill. SATISFACTORY OUTPUT. Received January 21, at 9.35 a.m. Sydney, January 21. Last year's output of the Barrier mines is valued at £2.433,000, compared with £2,082,000 in the previous year. THE REFERENDUM. Sydney, January 21. The annual report of the Political Labor League supports the Federal Government's referendum proposals. THE GAOL-BREAKERS. Sydney, January 21. Denmead and Mace have been .committed' for trial on charges of gaolbreaking and entering. OBITUARY. Sydney, January 21. Bev.. Albert Pearse, veteran Sonth Sea .Islands missionary. NEW ZEALAND NOT WANTED. Sydney, January 21. The Sydney Morning Herald states that the Commonwealth is negotiating with Canada for a Vancouver service excluding New Zealand. If a satisfactory subsidy is arranged, private enterprise will supplv three new vessels of 10,000 tons each. MURRAY WATERS CONFERENCE. Melbourne; January 21. The Murray Waters Conference had another long sitting without coming to any definite conclusion. BANKING RETURNS. Received January 20, at 9.10 p.m. Brisbane, January .20. The" net' profits of the Queensland National Bank last year were £46.174, whereof £41,000 were carried to the ■contingency'.account, £20,000 to depositors' repayment fund, and £SOOO to the reserve. A further 9d in the £ was written off original deposit receipts, making 4s 6d so repaid. (The foregoing figures are.obviously inaccurate.) Received January 20, at 10.40 p.m. Sydney, January 20. The half-yearly meeting of the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney was'held to-day. The profit for the year is ,£152,564. A 10 per cent, dividend" was declared, £40,000 added to the reserve, and £37,565 carried forward. The City Bank dividend is 4 per cent. £IOOO is added to the reserve, and £IOOO written off premises account.

FISH FOR AUSTRALIA. Received January 20, at 9.10 p.m. Sydney, January 20. Mr Dannevig's (the fisheries expert) report claims that the trawling experiments were highly satisfactory, and proved that fish were so abundant in some localities that they could be easily delivered at central" depots at a very low fate. TROUBLE IN BUILDING TRADES. Melbourne, January 20. Mr Justice Higgins convenes "a compulsory conference under the Federal Arbitration Act to discuss'the trouble m the building trades in the various Stated. SURVEYORS' CONFERENCE. Hobart, January 20. The Interstate Surveyors' Conference is sitting. New Zealand is represented. QUEENSLAND'S LITTLE BILL. -...Brisbane, January 20. Queensland claims from the Commonwealth £540,000 in the shape of ten years' interest on transferred properties. . -