INTERCOLONIAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2087, 22 February 1894, Page 16

INTERCOLONIAL.

Press Association— By Telegraph— Copyright.

Melbourne, February 14. The action pending against the late committee of the South Melbourne Permanent Building Society to recover L 50.000 was compromised for LIOOO. A rich find of gold in the Dayleeford Rsef has been discovered at a depth of 20ft. Two men obtained 91b weight of gold in two hours. The glut in the wheat market continues. Good milling sold down to 2s 3d. February 15. A rich gold reef has been found at Corryong, in the north-east portion of the colony, near the Murray river. In one claim an ounce per dish is being obtained. February 16. The trial of Knox and Gent to-day for the murder of young Crancourt, whose father's shop they attempted to burglarise, resulted in Knox being sentenced to death, and Gent receiving three years as an accomplice before the fact. ' The Victorian Supreme Court has sanctioned application by the liquidator of the Federal Bank for an order directing the liquidator at Adelaide to hand over the surplus moneys. Tbe case againt Mackenzie, Drew, and Bouer, charged with defrauding Scheurer and Soutb, tbe Paris firm, has begun at Melbourne. Drew is the only defendant present. February 17. The newly appointed Bishop of Grafton is the first graduate of the Melbourne University raised to the episcopal bench. He is 37 years of age. Tbe defendant in the Speight-Syme case has moved the Full Court to upset the verdict, on the ground that the judge received the verdict on January 2, notwithstanding that the court did not sit on that day or at any time in January; further, that the court sat in the long vacation, beginning on December 20, which it is contended is illegal. The Premier has received a cable explaining that certain bills which had passed the Legislatures of more than one of the Australian colonies had received the Governor's assent, and, no disallowance by the Queen having been declared, the acts consequently came into operation. As, however, doubts recently arose as to the validity of some acts so passed, because they were not reserved for the Queen's asseat, it was deemed expedient to remove them by passirg a Validation Act in the Imperial Paihament. February 19. Among the Rotoinahana's passengers for tie Bluff are the delegates to the Postal C>u£(3ier,cc, with the exception of Post-nidhter-general Kidd, of Ne*7 South Wales, wao proceeds direct to Wt:lliogion. Th<* Customs returns for the year show thai-, notwithstanding the increase in duties, the revenue has decreased over half a million as compared with that of 1892. The imports were valued at L 13,283,000, and the exports at L 13.308.000. Febrnary 20. The Mercantile Bank cases against Sir Matthew Dw-ie*, F. Millidge, and T. B. Muntz have be<uo. The judge declined to grant; the application to have the defendants tritd sf paiately. The Premier is a\ er.se to a renewal of the mail contracts, even for a thoro period, unless the freight on meat, butter, and cheese ia reduced, and better accommodation for produce provided. The Cabinet has commuted the death sentence passed upon Bennett for shooting a boy under circumstances of great provocation to imprisonment for 15 years. The Gippsiaud Beet Suga* Company asked tbe Colonial Treasurer to grant a subeidy of LI for every L 2 privately subHcribed, and

also to remit the duty on machinery. The Treasurer promised a remission of duty and to grant a bonus for every ton of sugar produced, but refused to give a subsidy. Sydney, February 14. A deputation requested the Postmastergeneral to bring before the Postal Conference tbe insertion of a clause in the mail contracts prohibiting the employment of coloured labour on the mail steamers. Despite the opposition of the Government, a motion in favour of making polling day at the general elections a public holiday wag carried by 51 to 9. The Shearers' Union will probably invite several members of the New Zaaland Parliamentary Labour party to visit New South Wales and address meetings in various centres during tbe forthcoming election campaign. The following documents were found among the effects of Redfern, who shot Mr Paisley, Mayor of Burwood : — " After 10 years' service my resignation was read in silence. When I twitted Mayor Paisley about it he replied : •If I led off, would all have followed suit in your praise ? ' That points decidedly to the spiteful kind of man he is. I swore Burwood should suffer. It took me from then to early February jto make up my mind what form my vengeance should take, when I decided to leave them without history for their whole existence from March 1874 to February 1894 Revenge is sweet, though bought with burning leaves o£ books or blood." _ February 15. A bill has been introduced in the Legislative Council making it a penal offence to incite infants to bet or borrow. The bill is drawn on similar lines to Lord Herecb ell's measure which passed tbe House of Lords in 1892, with the exception that the local bill provides against verbal incitement, while Lord Hsrechell's measure limited incitement by document. Archdeacon Green, of Ballarat, has been elected Bishop of Grafton. February 16. A bill has been introduced into the New South Wales Assembly by a private member providing flogging as a punishment for burglary, pocket-picking, confidence men, and larrikins. The New South Wales Attorney-general, Mr Barton, advised the Governor that he did not think it necessaiy to reserve the Electoral Bill for the Queen's assent. The Governor has received a cable from the Secretary of State for the Colonies informing him tbat the bill should have been reI served, and has cabled for further details. I Two deputations waited on the Premier in connection with the unemployed. One suggested that a quarter of a million should be provided to carry out village settlements, while the other wished to get £2,000,000 to settle people on the land. Sir G. R. Dibbs replied that the Government would certainly not find the money asked for, and pointed out that most of the trouble was due to agitators. The trades and labour councils bad done much good, but they were much to blame in the matter of strikes, as councils should have urged the men to accept lower wages if they could nob get the standard wage rather than that men should leave their employment altogether. Referring to village settlements, he said the Government was promoting legislation to deal with the matter. The Colonial Treasurer of New South Wales states that the imports last year show a decrease of L 2,669,000 compared with the previous year. February 19. The naval authorities state that H.M.S. Orlando will continue to be the flagship, and that the Crescent is merely to bring out relief crews, and returns Home with the time-expired men. The Postmaster-general (Mr Kidd) is not opposed to the Pacific cable, but he cannot support Mr Sandford Fleming's schemes, which he considers are impracticable. Any practical idea, he says, will have his warmest support and assistance. Referring to Mr Mackenzie Bowell's statement that the conference to consider the Pacific cable question will be held in June, Postmaster-general Kidd says that his Government know nothing about it. It waß, however, understood that the conference would be convened for the sole purpose of discussing matters relating to the Pacific cable and the Vancouver mail subsidy. He does not think that the New South Wales Government are likely to agree to combine questions of general trade with politics, which are now sought to be introduced at the conference. February 20. The Rev. Mr Dunn, one of the Presbyterian ministers who visited New Zealand to inspect the village settlements, speaking generally, said tbe settlements were not such a success as they should be. He attributes the selection of poor land and the absence of self-reliance among the settlers as the chief causes, and goes on to say: "There is a great tendency to rely on the Government in various directions. This remark applies specially to the settlements in the north, those in the south being in better condition owing to the superior land." Cyril Haviland, secretary of the School of Arts, has bten convicted on a charge of embtzzling large turns belonging to the society, and sentenced to four years' hard labour News has been received that heavy earthquake shocks were experienced in New Caledonia at the end of January. A number of houses were wrecked, and one completely overturned. The telegraph wires snapped. The populace became panic stricken" A tidal wave which followed indicated that there had been a submarine eruption. The ground rocked violently. No similar phenomenon has been recorded in the history of the colony. The sum of L 165 has been awarded to the policemen engaged in the recent encounter with burglars, the reward rangiDg from L 5 to L 25 per man. Tbe ex-secretary of the Hunter River Building Society at Singleton has been arrested on a charge of embezzlement. The defalcations are alleged to amount to some thousands. Brisbane, February 15. The Full Court has quashed the conviction of Mongin on the charge of being concerned in the Mount Morgan gold robbery, on the ground that tbe conviction was secured on the wrongful admission of evidence with

regard to a statement made by the prisoner to a detective. Word has been received in Brisbane that the natives at Cornwallis Island are starving, owing to the destruction of food supplies by storms. Relief has been sent from Thursday Island. It is expected that the output of sugarnext season from Queensland will show an increase of 25 per cent, on the previous season. February 19. The brigantine Burough Bell, bound from the Solomon Islands to Sydney, was" wrecked at the Chesterfield group on January 30. The crew reached Mackay after being seven days in the boats. They were reduced to a mouthful of water morning and evening per man. February 20. Very boisterous weather has been prevailing for some time, but is now abating. Mr Wragge reports that the storm centre is passing from south to south-east, and he predicts that heavy weather will be experienced between Newcastle, Lord Howe Island, Norfolk Island, and the North Cape of New Zealand.