INTERCOLONIAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2667, 26 April 1905, Page 46

INTERCOLONIAL.

MELBOURNE, April 18.

The Metropolitan Board of Works loan of £414,000, carrying 4 per cent, interest, was largely over-subscribed. It averaged £99 6s 7d.

The victim of the Tatura tragedy is believed to be William Skinner, who possessed about £200 in money. He had a horse and dray, the latter of which he sold on March Bat Murchison. The last seen of Skinner recently was after he had won heavily at a game in the two-up school amongst some navvies who were employed in the district.

Skinner mysteriously disappeared on March 4. The police have recovered his liorse. The dray was sold by a strange man to a publican, also portions of iron corresponding to those found in the bag containing the severed Jegs, also ti bloodstained axe and saw believed to have been used in cutting up the body.

* SYDNEY, April 18.

Sir J. Gr. Ward was entertained- by the New South Wales Ministers at dinner at the Hotel Australia. Speeches appreciative of the pleasant relations between New Zealand and New South Wales were made.

The weight of evidence taken by the .Federal Old-age Pensions Commission shows that the pensions, so far as New South Wales is concerned, did not encourage thrift, and did not reduce the charitable votes, while the method of distribution was cumbersome and costly.

Eighty Dowieites sailed by "the Manuka yesterday en route for Zion City.

The Lord Mayor's Bush iFires Fund has closed. The moneys remaining in hand will be distributed). H.M.S. Eurvalus has returned from

Hobart. In a full-speed trial she covered 22 knots per hour.

Fourteen of the crew of the Brynhilda, which put back through having encountered, rough weather on the New Zealand coast, have been arrested on a charge ©f neglecting their duty.

The Brynhilda men are charged with combining to neglect duty. The captain gave" evidence .that they refused in a body, declaring that the ship was unseaworthy and the rigging robion, and demanded a return to Ihe nearest port. The mate stated that at the time the men refused the weather was bad, and they were on a lee shore. Both the eantain and the mate

considered the vessel seaworthy. One of the accused gave evidence. He said the sails carried away because- the rigging was rotten. There was no spare rope aboard, and no life lines on the decks, which were full of water up to the rails. The ports were open, and there were no preventers on. They only refused ordinary work. If there had been danger they would have turned to. Subsequently the captain offered the. crew £1 a month extra if they ■would take the ship Home, but they declined. The case is unfinished.

BRISBANE, April 18.

Several more cases of sleeping sickness ai*e reported. The victims have been sleeping from two to four days. Dengue fever is still very prevalent, a»<i hundreds are absent from duty. It is estimated that 80 per cent, of the residents of the city have had dengue fever.