INTERCOLONIAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2589, 28 October 1903, Page 19

INTERCOLONIAL.

MELBOURNE, October 10. The House dissented with the Senate's amendment to make Bombala the capital by 30 to 10. The House is now discussing the question of the extension of the area of ihe territory.

c October 21. Mr Deakin has not received any communication concerning the alleged an- - nexation of Tonga. h I October 22. , j In the State Assembly Mr Toucher s moved a motion affirming the principle ii of the taxation of unimproved land c values. The Government intimated that , ! they viewed the motion as one of want , J of confidence, and the debate was acn cordingly adjourned. A Ministerial party was ■visiting the Victoria dock, when Mr Bent, State - Minister of Public Works, slipped and , fell down a ladder. He was removed to j a private hospital in an unconscious s ! state. He has recovered consciousness. 1 j The Federal House of Representatives ; ' passed an address to Lord Tennyson re3 gretting his departure, and paying a high • , tribute to his ability and tact. 1 j Lord Tennyson, in reply to Parlia- | ment's address, thanked the first Parliament ' ment for the kindness and consideration shown to him. He and Lady Tennyson had spent four truly happy years in Australia. ) ' In connection with the proposal of the I Union Steam Ship Company to improve ' ' the Canadian mail service for an addil tional subsidy of £25,000, Canada seems *> inclined to discuss the question, and has , a=ked the Commonwealth to agree to j share the increased subsidy. The Post1, master-general is not at present prepared 1 to negotiate, and will do nothing till the > ( new mail contract between England and 1 Australia is settled. October 26. Three of the Frenchmen who were picked up by the Cromarty had tickets » of leave. The majority admitted that [ they had been transported, but said that L their sentences had long since expired. ; SYDNEY, October 20. At the National Rifle Association meeting the King's Prize was won by Sergeant Sodeu, of Queensland, with 222. James Wilson, of New Zealand, ' was seventh, with 214, taking £7. 1 October 21. I Within the past few months close upon 100,000 acres have been sold for the purpose of closer settlement. A remark- , able circumstance is that Victorian syndicates are becoming the purchasers of these areas for small farms. Ballinger, of .Wellington, won £2 in J the King's Match at the Rifle Association meeting. The steamer Cromarty, bound from Ocean Island to Melbourne, picked up j a boat containing seven Frenchmen, bej lieved to be ticket-of-leave men, about 350 miles north of New Caledonia. The j men were fully armed. They had 1 suffered great privation and were much exhausted. They stated that while fishing off the coast they were blown to seaj i and had been in the boat 13 days. They had a small quantity of provisions, chiefly flour, which was damaged by salt ■ water. The Cromarty reported the mci I dent at the heads, and carried the men on to Melbourne. October 22. A .severe rainstorm and cyclone visited , Broken Hill. Over two inches of rain ' fell. The cyclone was severe at the ' • reservoir, raising a wave which was pre- ' I oipitated over the embankment. A number of building*, including the school- \ house at Stephen* Creek, were blown i 1 down. Many house? were flooded at ( Silverton. Washaway.s are interfering with the railway traffic. I An order has been received from I Manila for half a million wood blocks. j At the Rifle Association .neeting the Championship was won by Arblaster, of ' Parramatta, with 466 points. Ballinger j (Wellington) won £2 in the Dangar and £1 in the Hutton matches. October 23. In the Longfield Match of the Rifle Association Ballinger won £3, and Wilson and Purnell £2 each. October 26. Speaking at the Rifle Association dinner the Federal Minister of Defence said that there was no shortage of rifles. He hoped to place an order for another 5000. The Government intended to make their own ammunition, aud, if possible, to establish a small arms factory. . BRISBANE, October 23. The official estimate of the sugar output for the current year is 100,000 tons, an increase of 30,000 tons on the previous year. October 26. Mr Milne, ex-prc-ident of the Chamber of Commerce, has returned from his visit to London. He states that Australian credit is very low, and that it will be difficult to place any loans for some time to come. PERTH, October 23. The missing barque Milton Park, \ bound for Fremantle, was sighted over c 1 four months back in a raging hurricane halfway between the Cape and St. Paul's * Island. She is believed to have E foundered. HOBART, October 23. J The Ruapehu, when seven days from Hobart, sighted several icebergs 200 it high and one mile long. *" The clause in the Constitution Bill reduciug the Council to 15 members and the Assembly to 30 has passed. A In Lyttelton Harbour on Friday morning last there were 12 steamers totalling 57,287 tons, and four tailing vessels of 75* tons. This is a record for Lyttelton. ■