INTERCOLONIAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 1731, 24 January 1885, Page 10

INTERCOLONIAL.

(Reuter's Telegrams.)

Melbourne, January 15. At a imieting of boot manufacturers held last night it was stated that 200 bootmakers who bad been out on strike had resumed work at the old rates.

Melbourne, January 16.

Mr Service recently udtU'eseed Mr Stout regarding the Conferouce of Premiers which it is proposed shall shortly be held, and inquired whether he would be able to attend such a Conference if held at Melbourne or Hobart early in February. Mr Stout has promised to give a defipite reply nßxt week. Ia toply to a letter addrosaed by the general HPcretary of the Free Church of Scotland to Earl Granville, with reference to the New Hebrides islands, the Foreign Secretary states that he considers the agreement entered into wif-h France regarding those islands to be still in force.

The National Mortgage and Agency Company reports of the local markets as follows : — Wheat, in fair demand," at 3s 8d to 3s 9d. Malting barley dull at 43 4d to 4b lOd. New Zealand oats : Feeding sorts slow of sale at 3s to 4d ; milling ditto, 3s 5d to 3s 7d, and the market dull. New Zaaland oats, under bond, 2s 8d to 23 lOd. The market for kauri timber ia quiet. v In older to test the truth of the confession made by the convict Barnes, that he had mur dered the late J, B. Slack, who was believed to have committed suicide, the body has been exhumed, and on examination it was found that the bone of the throat had been broken, loading to the belief that the deceased was strangled, and that his throat was then cut. Melbourne, January 20.

3<\ W. Reichelt, tho Dunedin insolvent, who was arrested here, has b6en discharged from custody. Tho Melbourne manager of the National Mortgage and Agency Company of New Zealand (Limited) reports of the local grain market as follows :— Wheat, 3s 8d to 3a 9d, market quieter ; malting barley dull, and prices irregular — to-day's quotations, 4a 3d to 4s lOd ; New Zealand oats. — feeding sorts, 3s to 3s 4d, no improvement ; milling oats steady, but not in active demand, 3s 5d to 3a 7d ; New Zealand oats (under bond), 2s 5d to2s9d/

Stdney, January 15.

Commodore Erskine, who has been Bupersaded in the command of the Australian squadron by Admiral Tryon, haß been appointed a commodore of the first class, and his promotion was acknowledged to-day by a general salute from the warships in the harbour.

Sydney, January 16. • Dr Quinn, Roman Catholic Bishop of Bathurst, died suddenly to-day. New Zealand wheat, par bushel, 2s ?d; New Zealand oats, 2a 8d; maize, 4a lOd; snsar (Company's No. 1 pieces), per ton, £26.

Sydney, January 19. The Bmallpox outbreak is increasing here. Several fresh cases have recently been reported.

Hobabt, January 15,

A conference between Victorian and TasIranian Ministers with a view to establish a mutual .customs tariff is now being held here, but it; is dpubtfu} whether any agreement can be arrived at.