INTERCOLONIAL,

Otago Witness, Issue 2401, 8 March 1900, Page 13

INTERCOLONIAL,

MELBOURNE, February 27. j Simpson's furniture warehouse and twe ' other buildings in North Melbourne havi been destroyed by fire. The damage i; estimated at £6000. | The Postmaster-general has received i cable from the Premier of Canada (Sir W Laurier) protesting against the granting o the concession asked to the Eastern Ex tension Company, and adding that Canad; cannot share the responsibility involved ii granting the concessions. The Postmaster-general has also receivec a message from Mr Crick stating that hi is prepared to accept the suggestion o Victoria concerning the opening of office; — viz^, that the company pay so much pe] word instead of a fixed rental. | ' The Postmaster-general, in explaining the position of the cable proposals to ; deputation of Labour members, said then were three outside critics oi the Cap< route. There was Canada, which hac nothing in common with these colonies, a; she had a 14-line communication witl Europe, and was therefore more inde . pendent than Australia. Then there wa: New Zealand, who did not know what sh< wanted, and had stood aside from tin negotiations ; and Queensland, which had i bee in her bonnet against the Easterr Extension Company. All the other colo nies favoured the Cape cable. s February 28. In the centre of the Gippsland distric •f terrible bush fires are raging. At John stonville many sawmills were destroyed and £15,000 worth of damage done. Ove: il 20 homesteads were swept away in thi '■ Walihalla district. A man named Currai c and his wife perished in their efforts t< a save their home. A man named Daws ie with his family, took refuge on a burn »r patoh, enveloped in wet blankets ; bu being a blanket short, a lad named Trey s- volunteered to go back for one. Hi o did go, but perished in his attempt, i- March 1. i- The damage done by the bush fires ii y the Gippsland district is about £100,000 there were many narrow escapes from los i- of life. Some of the residents were com s, pelled\o stand in a creek for hours, jf Miss Coleman, the teacher, saved tin State school at Wadelock. She got tin younger pupils to a, placer of safety, an< it then burnt a strip round the building wicl s- enough to keep the flames from approach ing it. i, March 2. m The Gippsland bu&h fires have beei n checked by rain. 3- The Postmaster-general has receive* 3S communications from Canada, Queens [r land, and New Zealand protesting agains y the Eastern Extension Convpany's scheme

\- In addition the Minister has received a ' !- despatch from Mr Chamberlain enclosing c a report by the Pacific Cable Board, .which { g is also adverse to the scheme. In view of , i- these protests he has telegraphed to \- Sj'dney suggesting that no further steps c be taken in the matter at present. He c hopes personally to consult with Mr Lyne and Mr Crick next week. j March' 5. The Age says that the wheat yields in k some districts have proved disappointing. c So far as can be gauged from the railway deliveries, there will be a decrease of about 1,700,000 bushels compared with last year. l " SYDNEY, February 27. i c The Minister of Agriculture is comnrunia eating with the New Zealand Government ' to see whether grapes cannot be admitted into New Zealand under proper precau- : tions. ■ j n The Rev. W. H. Beale has been elected 1 president of the New South Wales Wesleyan Conference, and the Rev. Thomas .A damson president of the Victorian Conference. March 1. i On the 31st December the population of ' Sydney was 438,300. The birth statistics L " last year reveal 10.66 per cent, of illegitimates. March 2. A meeting of the Athletic Association decided to raise a fund to send Rowley, j tfie 100 yards champion, to ..the Olympia games at Paris. " ' j Mr Crick, referring to the Victorian o Postmaster-general's suggestion, indicated c 'his intention to conclude an agreement ! is with the Extension Company. Queensland ( and New Zealand protested without knowa ing the details. The best answer he could ' r . give them was that when it was con- 1 >f eluded they would approve and join in. :- With regard to Mr Chamberlain's despatch, a the report of the Pacific Cable Board n was made wit-out knowing the par- ; ticulars. He had cabled Mr Chamd berlain to the effect that, as it c was admitted the Pacific cable could v not be completed under three years, the ;s amended offer of the Eastern Extension v Company would immediately give reduced a ' rates to the Cape. No concessio.n was ° asked for till the completion of the Pacific cable. 'c j c March 5. { , A bridal party at Cooma were waiting in church for the bridegroom, who failed . i to appear. He was afterwards found dead l in the bush with a bottle of strychnine at i his side. j Mr Basil Thompson, the special commis- , sioner appointed to visit Tonga and explain , i the new Samoa Convention, has arrived. He proceeds to Tonga in a few clays. „ . BRISBANE, March 1. j The steamer Rob Roy broke her tail • shaft when within two days of the Solo- \ :t mons, and sailed back 600 miles before be- i L . ing picked up. I, March 4. :1 . Mr Philp, replying to Mr Lyne with c j reference to the Cape cable says : " The ! n ' Eastern Extension Company conceded re- ! o ductions merely with a view to averting ' 3) ' the Pacific cable competition. If granted they i !t would render the Pacific scheme impossible, j !t and the company would secure a monopoly w for all time, which would more than re;e; c compenso them for the proposed reduc- ; tions. It appears infinitely preferable to ' risk for a time vindictive action on t-he n part of the compairy, which you consider ), I probable, than lose the magnificent opporis tunity of securing an all-British cable under , i- State control. It would also prove a valu- ; { able asset as regards any tmreasonable inLe crease of rates by the company at the cxc piration of the existing agreement, d March 5. 'c | The proposed additions to the defence i- ( force total 4500 men. A' fire at Rockhampton destroyed five shops. The damage is estimated at n £7000. | } The Chamber of Commerce endorsed the d Premier's attitude in reference to the 5- Pacific cable. j it j PERTH, March 1. ' i. There are three cases of smallpox on the

_ """ ••<•;< —>■ '" ******TT!!1!!!j ' India — vi 2.% aMr Newbiggin (a saloon' passenger) and two coloured people. { • . ALBANY, February 28. , . The India has arrived, with a case of smallpox aboard. i