AUSTRALIAN NEWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18687, 17 October 1922, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN NEWS

FEDERAL POLITICS. POLICY SPEECHES. Press Association —By Telegraph—Copyright SYDNEY, October 16. Policy speeches by the three Federal leaders are announced to be delivered in New South Wales during the next week. Mr Hughes will speak on October 23, at Chatswood; Mr Charlton on October 24, at Maitland; and Dr Earle Page on October 25, at Grafton. FEDERAL TARIFF. MELBOURNE, October 16. The Minister of Customs announced that on November 1 there will be a reduction in the duties on jams, canned fruits, jelly crystals, and other manufactured products containing sugar, proportionate with the reduced price of sugar. Tho Minister also made a statement justifying the duties on sulphur and superphophates. He explained that the price of the latter in Victoria was reduced Ss per ton last week, proving that the dutv did not involve a higher price for farmers. The Tariff Board had reported that Australia manufactured 462,000 tons of phosphates annually. The sulphur required was 46,000 tons, and the amount available was 32,000 tons. Though the American tariff banned all the farm products of Australia, some of the Australian primary producers were prepared to give a free market to American sulphur instead of establishing a great industry for Australia. ELECTIONS FIXED FOR DECEMBER 16. MELBOURNE, October 16. (Received Oct. 16, at 9.45 p.m.) Mr Hughes announced that the Federal elections will be held on December 16. A conference of the Country and Liberal Parties have agreed upon a working oasis to fight the forthcoming elections. It will bo submitted for ratification to the executives of both parties. AUSTRALIAN NAVY. ECONOMY PROGRAMME. SYDNEY, October 16. As a result of the Defence Estimates, which were passed on Friday, the personnel of the fleet will total 4000, as against 4843 last year. The ships in commission will number 13, against 25, the military permanent forces 1603, against 2495; tho citizen forces 31,000. against 118,400; the Senior Cadets 35,000, against 99,000; and the Junior Cadets nil, against 50,000. POLITICAL BRIBERY CASE, THE APPEAL DISMISSED. BRISBANE, October 16. (Received Oct. 16. at 9.50 p.m., _ • The Full Court unanimously dismissed the appeal by Sleeman and Connollv against their conviction for attempting to bribe Mr Brennap. BASIC WAGE CONFERENCE. MELBOURNE, October 16. (Received Oct. 16, at 9.45 p.m.) Tlie conference between the employers and the employees convened by Mr Justice Powers to discuss the basic wage has opened. Mr Justice Powers, in his opening address, said that though it had acted with the best intentions, the Court had not been doing justice to the workers who had not been petting tho full benefit of the Harvester judgment, which was fixed bv Air Justice Hirgins ns a basic wage. He stated that, taking the award from 1918 to the end of September, 1922, the losses for the four and a-halt years to the workers, going on the average of all the capital cities of the commonwealth, amounted to £SO 7s 6d per head.