INTERCOLONIAL. MELBOURNE, April 4.

Otago Witness, Issue 2665, 12 April 1905, Page 49

INTERCOLONIAL. MELBOURNE, April 4.

The mail dispute has been settled, subject to approval by Parliament. The Cabinet agreed to pay the Orient Company £120,000 as a subsidy for the carriage of mails.

Besides the Orient Company's offer, the Cabinet discussed the offer of the ScottFell Company, which was considered unsuitable. It is probable a weekly service ■will be resumed before the end of the month, and if Parliament fails to ratify the new contract the old conditions will be reverted to. The contract is likely to meet with considerable opposition, on the ground that the amount is excessive, the Labour party and a section of the general Opposition being strongly hostile to any contract above £110,000. The Postmastergeneral declines to give details of the contract or to state if any new conditions are involved.

SYDNEY, April 4,

The completed returns of the wheat yield for " the past season show 16,464,000 bushels, an average of 9.3. There are available for export 8,000,000 bushels, •whereoi.4^ millions have already been sent; away.

There has been useful rain ever practically Ihe whole of the State. Ten miles from Nambucca the prospects of winter grass and crops have much improved.

It is probable Keran will accept the liife Saving Society's offer to visit England. The offer is the result of a communication sent by Keran to the committee.

The sentence of death passej on O'Hara for the "murder of his wife has been commuted to imprisonment for life.