INTERCOLONIAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2728, 27 June 1906, Page 23

INTERCOLONIAL.

MELBOURNE, June Hu. The Governor of Hongkong has v ltten Mr Deakin promising to do all in hig power to stop the rebagging of Ann i lean flour and .selling it as Australian. Tha Customs officials at Hongkong have th« matter in hand. Mr M'Donald, of Queensland, thfc Labour nominee, has been elected Chair* man of Committees in the Federal House of Representatives, defeating the HOU4 duty Salmon by 28 votes to 21. June 21. Two fishermen named Johnson and Jelliei were drowned thiough tlie capsizing of * boat at Geelong. A cable has been received here from Amoy confirming the report of the attack by the Chinese at Tungan on Dr Home, examiner, and P. Eadie, canvasser for China for the Mutual Insurance Company. Sixteen armed bandits attacked the officers, and the fight lasted for an hour. Dr Home was stabbed in the lungs, abdomen, and head, and Mr Eadie received seven wounds. The Chinese sustained several casualties. Both of the wounded men are recoveiing. June 22. Frederick Doe, late manager of the Com> mercial Bank of Australia, was sentenced to three years for embezzling £1220 of the bank's money. Flags were hoisted on the Federal Buildings to-day in honour of the coronation of King Haakon and Queen Maud of Norway^

Mr Bent states that the Government ■wilY-haVe no money for local option polls until^ a new Licensing Bill is introduced. He 'complained that only £7000 out of £20,000 advanced from the revenue to assist the licensing fund in connection with previous local option polls had been returned. While a fanner named Griffiths was burning off a stump near Ihe old home of the Kelly gang a terrific explosion occurred. The stump had served the Kellys as a magazine, and a keg of powder had apparently been overlooked. The explosion was so great that a clock in the State school, a mile away, was thrown off the wall. June 23. Mr Bamford has given notice of motion in the Federal House of Representatives in favour of the nationalisation of the 6ugar industry. June 24. The Licensing Bill which will be introduced at the forthcoming session of the State Parliament contains 100 clauses. It provides for a 10 years' limit to the compensation section of the present act. The license fees are to be increased for compensation purposes. When hotels are closed' in a district the remainder are to pay sufficient fees to make up the compensation. The local option vote will be taken.^trienniaily, but cannot be used to reduce- the -statutory number during th© first 10 years. At the expiration of that period there will be complete local option without compensation. Clubs cannot sell drink while hotels are closed. SYDNEY, June 19. The wheelers at the Hetton colliery have struck for an increase of pay, and the wheelers and trappers at the Seaiam pit have given 14 days' notice. Half a million raooite are being packed ■weekly at Sydney for shipment. June 21. The Government is issuing a half million of 3£ per cent, funded stock. An improved mail service with the Solomons and New Guinea will be in augurated next month. The island ketch Mayflower was totally wrecked at New Ireland. The crew were saved. June 22. The steamer Guthrie collided with and sank the tug Waning in the harbour. One of the Warung's crew was drowned. The sheep brought by the Zealandiafrom New Zealand were landed in good condition. The sugar production in Queensland and New South Wales for the past reason was over 172,000 tons, and the bounty payments totalled £148,000. June 24. The police raided a Chinese gambling shop, which was guarded by wire entanglements and electric bells. Twentytwo people, including 19 Europeans, were arrested. A runaway train collided with another in Young street. Both were laden, and 6ix passengers were injured, four receiving rather serious wounds. Good rains have fallen all over the Commonwealth. A fatal case of plague is reported at, North Sydney. The victim worked in Balmain. A dastardly outrage is reported from Malong. Three masked men entered the shop of a man named Domeney, who lived on the premises. The men stabbed Domeney in the throat and forehead. H<> pleaded for his life, and told them where to find money. They bound and gagged him, and took £35. Shortly after their departure the shop was discovered to be in flames. Domeney was only rescued in time. The adjoining premises were completely destroyed as well as Domeney's. June 25. W. P. Crick has issued a writ against Mr Justice Owen claiming £5000 damages for the refusal of the judge to supply him with a copy of the report made by the accountant appointed to investigate Cricks banking a'ceount. Violent westerly gales are predicted in the Tasman Sea across to the west coa&t of New Zealand. The disturbance affects the' Australian Bight to-day, Bass. Strait to-morrow, and thence proceeds across to New Zealand. A man and his wife, residing at Glebe, nave been attacked by plague. ADELAIDE, June 20. William Calder, first mate on the 6hip Blackbraes, has been found auilty of the

manslaughter of Louis Francis Ledoux, late second mate on the tame vessel, and has been sentenced to six years' imprisonment with hard labour." Calder^ who had been drinking heavily, shot Ledoux in the latter's cabin on May 31. PERTH, June 22. The steamer Norfolk, which left Capetown for Albany, reached Fremantle under canvas la6fc Saturday. When 950 miles out she dropped her propeller, and did the rest of the journey under sail. June 23. The Norfolk left Durban on May 28, and encountered very rough weather. On June 10 her engines began., to race, and it was discovered that her propeller had broken off flush with the stern post. Every available bit of sail was Bet, and the vessel got under control. She, however, became unmanageable in a- gale on the 12th, and began lurching dangerously. Her foresail was blown away, and oil was used to calm the sea*. A new mainsail was set, but owing to the heavy weather she refused* to answer the helm. This difficulty was overcome by pumping out the tanks in the forepart of the ship and filling those at the other end. On June 15 and 16 gales were encountered, which threatened the flimsy makeshift sails, and the crew were to work putting bands on to strengthen the canvas, whilst others constructed two large sea anchors in case she was blown inshore. Every other precaution was taken to meet contingencies. On the following Tuesday night a fierce squall came up.- The vessel was .put, dead before the wind, and bowled along splendidly, until Thursday, when her mainsail was carried away. By joining the hatch coverings and odd pieces of canvas the vessel was again got under way, and by a liberal use of oil managed to reach the vicinity of Fremantle, when distress signals were hoisted, and tugs went out to her assistance. During th« -voyage » seaman named Christensen fell from aloft and was killed. A jockey named Perry was found guilty of the manslaughter of another jockey named Windsor, and was sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment. The indictment alleged that at the Bulong races Perry deliberately^ bored Windsor's horse, and caused him to fall, with fatal results. BRISBANE, June 22. Mr Suttor, the New South Wales Commercial Agent in the East, has arrived from China. He is impressed with the growing commercial activity of the Ea-st, , and the prospects of increasing trade with j Australia. The competition, however, is j keener than ever, though it will be the Australians' own fault if, by shutting their eyes to peculiarities, they fail to cater for the requirements of the Eastern people. Their trade then will gradually disappear from the commercial horizon of the Orient. It is, he says, a mistaken idea to think that anything will do for t^e East. PORT DARWIN, June 25. The charred remains o f two bodies were found near Pine Creek. The natives report that two black 6 were 6hot by Europeans, and their bodies burnt. Two men named Nolan and Turner have been arrested on suspicion. HOBART, June 22. At the annual meeting of the Chamber of Commerce the report stated that reciprocity with New Zealand would be prejudicial to all the best interests of Tasmania, as the articles included hops and potatoes, as well as others, from which the State was deriving a certain amount of benefit. It would, however, be advantageous to New Zealand if reciprocity could be established without Tasmania bearing all the responsibility of the position.