INTERCOLONIAL. MELBOURNE, October 20.

Otago Witness, Issue 2902, 27 October 1909, Page 23

INTERCOLONIAL. MELBOURNE, October 20.

It was announced in the Senate to-day that the Government had accepted tho offer of the Lord Mayor of Sydney of between £35,000 and* £40,000 from the Dreadnought Fund for the erection of a naval college. The cost of the college is expected to be within the amount offered. October 21. The Senate has read the Capital Sit* Bill by 17 voted to 12. October 22. The University Senate, by 1& votes to j7. rejected a prono.-al to make university education fiee to all classes by thfe abolition of fees. October 22. The Clarion published a series of articles and cartoons severely attacking the Citizens' Company in connection with. Jts amal<£tmat.ion with the Mutual Life. The claim of the Mutual Life and Citizens' Company *ets out that the National Mutual Life Company, by Us duly authorised agents, fabely and maliciously, for the purpose of injuring the plaintiffs* lni'-ine.f>s and increasing its own business, published the articles complained of a* being published by the Clarion. The National Mutual Company, while paying £300 into court, denies all liability. October 24. The Federal Treasurer has asked the Imperial Mint for authority to send out £200,000 worth of florins, shilling*, sixpences, and threepenny pieces as the first instalment of Australia's coinage. In the meantime arrangements are beingmade- to withdraw £100,000 worth of the. present silver currency.

OctobeT 25. The Hospital Sunday collections realised 3J7372,. beating those of the previous year by £300. Twenty thousand people were present at, the finals in £he Australian band championship. The Ballarat City and Prahran Bands tied for the championship prize of 200 guineas. ' SYDNEY, October 19. The underwriters have been advised that the EdenmoTe, which went ashore at Stronsay, Orkney, while on a voyage from Hamburg, is a total wreck. Very little of* the cargo has been saved. ' October 20. Ti&e Sing- has been sentenced to death for the murder of May Phillips on September 11. , / October 21. At the laying of the foundation of the South Sydney Hospital to-day £632 was collected, whereof the Syrian residents of the district, contributed £550. They also guaranteed £100 annually for the upkeep of the 'hospital. 'At an inquest on the body of a -boy •who had been shot with a pea rifle the coroner stated that no less ttean 31 persons met their deaths lastr year in New South Wales from a similar cause. Noumean advices state that M. Puget, editor of the France-Australe newspaper, was elected . Censulrgeneral, defeating M. Begaud. The election has a peculiar significance, as it gave the people an opportunity of expressing themselves in favour of the colony obtaining the right of self-government. Speaking at the master builders' picnic, Mr Bennett, of New Zealand, gave Sydney the palm for fine buildings, but, be said, New Zealand could run rings round them in some things. They could wipe the flcor with them in football, they had sent men to show them the way down the Parramatta River, and they had sent a team of athletes to Brisbane who showed them a clean pair of heels. October 22. The president of the Industrial Court, in fining a number of northern colliery proprietors for breaches of the engineering award, said that the defendants' attitude towards fhe new act had been very obstinate. They had fought it with great deliberation ever since it came into operation. October 24. The French Consul has been advised that tbe Governor of New Caledonia has (prohibited the importation o£ potaifcoes from New Zealand, Victoria, and Tasmania. Potatoes arriving from the other 'Australian States must be accompanied by a certificate of soundness. October 25. !A syndicate has secured portion of the site of Hordem's old Palace Emporium for the purpose of building the largest theatre in Australia and one of the finest in the world.