AUSTRALIAN NEWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20312, 21 January 1928, Page 11

AUSTRALIAN NEWS

THUNDERSTORM IN MELBOURNE. TRAFFIC SUSPENDED. (Press Association —By Telegraph—Copyright-). MELBOURNE, January 20. A spectacular thunderstorm preceded by vivid lightning and loud claps of thunder was experienced in Melbourne. So intense was the downpour of rain that the streets were inundated within a. few minutes, and traffic was suspended. Considerable damage was done to the contents of houses and shops in the low-lying areas, where the water in places reached a level of more than 2ft. The storm passed in 13 minutes, but in that time 75 points of rain were recorded. The suburban electric train service was disorganised owing to the overhead gear being struck by lightning. SAVINGS BANK DEPOSITS. REFLECTION OF PROSPERITY. SYDNEY. January 20. Sir Alfred Meeks, a prominent business man, on his return from England, said that the business men with whom he had conversed in London expressed surprise that. Australia did not make better known the fact that her deposits in the savings banks showed a greater prosperity than any other country. The deposits aggregated about £200.000,000 in about 4,000,000 accounts. That was a record, he said, which no nation in the world could equal. Dealing with Empire trade. Sir Alfred Meeks said that he observed that there was a better feeling developing in regard to it throughout the British Isles. He had noticed that the people were becoming more prone to buy British goods.—A. and N.Z. Cable. RAIN IN NEW SOUTH WALES. MANY TOWNS INUNDATED. SYDNEY, January 20. (Received Jan. 21, at 0.15 a.in.) He<-wy rain, accompanied bv terrific thunderstorms, deluged th e south-westren and central western districts of this State The downpour was so heavy that stock were drowned in all directions, and many towns were inundated. A cyclonic storm also struck Melbourne, lightning causing heavy damage. An electric train entering Spencer street station was struck by lightning, and the whole suburban electrical system was disorganised. In addition, many houses were flooded by the torrential downpour, and several houses were struck by liehtning. Luckily, there were no fatalities.