AUSTRALIAN NEWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22057, 13 September 1933, Page 7

AUSTRALIAN NEWS

THE PRICES OF PETROL. INQUIRY TO BE CONTINUED. CANBERRA, September 12. The drastic reductions in the prices of petrol will not affect the work of the Royal Commission which Is inquiring into prices and analysing the accounts of the various oil companies. Hitherto the companies declined to disclose the details of their operations. OPOSSUM SKIN CASE. CONVICTION QUASHED. SYDNEY, September 12. The District Court of Appeal quashed the conviction of Riley and Newman Limited, who were fined £4638 for having opossum skins in their possession. The judge held that the actual person doing the forbidden deed should be subject to penalties. Riley and Newman, Limited, wool and skin exporters, were fined £4638 for having in their possession 1561 opossum skins, opossums being protected animals. The skins were ordered to be forfeited. BETTING IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA. TIGHTENING UP OF LAWS. ADELAIDE, September 12. A report presented to the Government recommends the tightening up of the betting laws, the licensing of bookmakers, the creation of a board of five members to control totalisator pools throughout the State, betting in any place not specified for that purpose to be punishable by imprisonment without the option of a fine, and landlords to be held responsible for illegal betting, and “ nit ” keepers to bo placed under the rogue and vagabond clause of the Police Act. REVENUE FOR TWO MONTHS. SYDNEY, September 12. The Federal revenue for the first two months of the current year was £12,730,000, or £2,540,000 in excess of the expenditure. The New South Wales revenue for the same period, at £6,529,000, was £1,915,000 below the expenditure. MARAMA CRASHES INTO WHARF. CAUGHT BY A SOUTHERLY. SYDNEY, September 12. (Received Sept. 12, at 8 p.m.) The Marama, while berthing at the Margaret street wharf in a stiff southerly, was unable to chock her speed sufficiently, and bumped the end of the wharf, cutting through beams of concrete like cheese. The Marama was not damaged beyond having some paint scraped off. SYDNEY HARBOUR BRIDGE. WIRE SAFEGUARDS. SYDNEY, September 12. (Received Sept. 12, at 11 p.m.) The Government contemplates the erection of wire safeguards on both sides of the harbour bridge for the prevention of further suicides, of which tberp have been 31 since March, 1032.