AUSTRALIAN NEWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20591, 14 December 1928, Page 10

AUSTRALIAN NEWS

RAINS IN QUEENSLAND. FURTHER FALLS EXPECTED. (United Press Association.) (By Electric Telegraph— Copyright.) BRISBANE, December 13. Splendid rains have fallen oVer a largo section of the drought-stricken area in Queensland, but a considerable portion of the dry belt has not yet received rain. Further falls are expected. DISASTROUS FIRE AT MUU-EK. SECOND WITHIN A FORTNIGHT. SYDNEY, December 13. The second disastrous fire within a fortnight broke out at More® eaily this morning. An hotel and nine business places were destroyed. The owners of some of these were also victims of the fire on December 3. As the result of the two lire® half of the town is now destroyed. HOUSE IN RANDWICK RANSACKED. FOUR MEN WITH REVOLVER. SYDNEY, December 13. (Received Dec. 13, at 5.5 p.m.) (Four men accosted a young man in the suburb of Randwick. One brandished a revolver and ordered him to lead them to his home, where they held up his brother and two sisters. After ransacking the house they decamped with a sum of money. WHEAT IN NEW SOUTH WALES. ESTIMATED YIELD FOR SEASON. SYDNEY, December 13. (Received Dec. 15, at 5.6 p.m.) The Department of Agriculture estimates the New South Wales wheat yield for the current season at 48,000.000 bushels. PROLONGED DROUGHT. MELBOURNE, December 13. (Received Dec. 13, at 5.5 p.m.) Mr Gill, a member of tlie Anthropological Society, declares that a scarcity of water, following a prolonged drought, ha« been responsible for hundreds of aborigines. dying in Northern and Central Aus tralia. The Federal Government should afford succour by taking the natives to permanent water supplies for a time, and distributing flour and provisions, NEW SOUTH WALES INCOME TAX. EXEMPTION CLAUSE DEFEATED. SYDNEY, December 15. (Received Dec. 14, at 0.16 a.m.) The Bavin Government wa s defeated today on.a clause in the Income Tax Bill, the Opposition' carrying an amendment against'the Government by 38 votes to 37, raising the exemption from £250 to £3OO, GOVERNMENT SAVINGS BANKS.

r -SYDNEY, December 13. (Received Dec. 14, at 0.15 a.m.) The new Government Savings Bank in Sydney, which has frontages'to three main thoroughfares, and cost £1,500,000, was officially opened to-day by the Premier (Mr T. R, Bavin) in the presence of a big crowd. Mr Bavin described the bank as the second largest savings bahk in the British Empire, and he stated that the deposits amounted to £70,000,000. The material used in the constinotion is largely polished granite, and the interior banking chamber is most beautiful, besides being one of the largest in the world.