INTERCOLONIAL. MELBOURNE, February 14.

Otago Witness, Issue 2399, 22 February 1900, Page 16

INTERCOLONIAL. MELBOURNE, February 14.

Owing to want of support, Mr HigginSf has abandoned his no-confidence motion. The general manager of the Eastern Ex* tension Company has informed the Post* master-general that his board has agreed t'j the modifications of the Cape cable scheme recommended by the Premiers' Conference, subject to certain slight amendments. Formal notice of not lesa than six months will be given to enable the company to open its own offices simiil--taneouely with completing the cable. The question of lifting the Roebuck Bay cable is to be left to the Westralian Government and the company to settle after the completion of the Cape cable. The manager states that the reduced rates come into operation Mithin three weeks after signing the contract. February 15. The Audit Commissionei's report gives the total debt of Victoria, funded and unfunded, to the Ist of July l as t at £48,803,000. The Government take over -all existing cyanide agreements in the colony. The rates for using the process at present vary from sto 3 per cent. TheJaovernment intend to make the rate 2£ per cent. As soon as the cost to the Government (£20,000) has been repaid the patent rights will be waived. February 16. The man Rahalley has been sentenced to seven years' imprisonment for attempting to poison a wedding party near Ballarat. Jealousy is supposed to have been tho reason for the act. The racer Seahorse was given gentle work on the tan at Flemington. He moved as if a bit sore and weary. This is probably due to the sea voj-age more than anything else. SYDNEY, February 13. News from the Solomons states that tho British Commissioner punished the headhunters of Rubiana. Two chiefs concerned in the recent murders of traders were killed. February IJ-. The mysterious murder at Grafton hag been cleared up. It will be remembered that a lad named M'Farlane was found with his head battered in by a fence rail. His companion was a lad named Murphy, who stated that the two had raided a melon patch, and that the alleged owner had chased them. Murphy has now confessed that he murdered his companion. Murphy and M'Farlane quarrelled after taking the melons. One accused the other of inducing him to steal them. Ihe Premier thinks that the objections to the Cape cable are quite unreasonable. The Pacific cable is not in any way jeopardised by the offer of the Eastern, Extension Company. It relieves the Government of a very heavy subsidy, and materially reduces the tariff. Certainly if the Pacific route cannot justify its own existence there can be no great argument for laying the cable at all. Mr Crick, in a speech, .said that if the Pacific cable could not stand fair competition lie did not see why it should not go to the wall. That a Government cable, supported' by Canada, England, and Australasia, and having all the Government business as a monopoly, could not compete against a private firm was against common sense. February 15. News from Noumea shows that the Emile Remmf struck a sunken rock which was uncharted. The captain had his wife and child aboard. All the ship's company left in the boats. They were without food and water for nearly 20 hours before they were rescued. February 16. A conference of Australian Freetraders decided to form a Freetrade Association, the prime object being to secure the return of Freetraders to the Commonwealth Parliament. Trouble is looming in the coal trade. The men are seeking to have the selling price raised with a corresponding increase of the hewing rate. There are mutterings about a general strike. February 17. News has been received from Dutch New Guinea of the capture by the natives of three officers of the steamer General Pel. Four went ashore to"take photographs, and of these one only escaped, and he was badly wounded by arrows. February 19. The doctors report that there is no case of plague on the vessel from Mauritius. ADELAIDE, February 15. . Mr Copley, a member of the Assembly, and Mr Guthrie, a Labour member, hauled down the Union Jack bearing the emblem of the colony at Government House, on the ground that the Queen's regulations only; permitted the use of the flag when the Governor was on shipboard. The private secretary requested the Chief Secretary to! invoke police action. BRISBANE, February 13. The dredge Manchester^ bound fvo'tf

Glasgow to Lyttelton, has passed Goode Island. . A family named Wake, living at Jondaryan, have been poisoned through eating a peach pie. It is supposed that rthe dish contained spirits of salt, which Qiad been left in it after it had been repaired. The father and the two children •are dead, and the others are in a critical condition. February 14. Mrs Wake and another child rendered ill through the eating of poisoned food are dead, whilst the remaining four children are in a very bad condition. It is now believed that a quantity of arsenic fell into a bag of flour from which the bread .was subsequently baked. CHARTERS TOWERS, February 19. . Two men named Raleigh and Tear quarrelled over the war. Raleigh fired five shots from a revolver, killing Tear. PERTH, February 14. Mr Parker, Q.C, has been despa.tch.ed to* England to watch the Commonwealth Bill through the Imperial Parliament.