INTERCOLONIAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2975, 22 March 1911, Page 24

INTERCOLONIAL.

MELBOURNE, March 14. (Received March 15, at 1.17 a.m.) Mr King O'MaJley intends to establish brickworks within the Federal Territory for the manufacture of bricks for the. Federal capital buildings. March 15. A man armed with a revolver entered th* Elizabeth street branch poet office and threatened to shoot the postmistress unless she handed him the contents of the till. He started to climb the counter, when he noticed another woman at the telephone box, and bolted. March 16. Amongst the passengers by the Arawa is Mr Samuel Turner, F.R.G.S., en route for New Zealand on a mo-untaineearing expedition. During the voyage he put up a world's skipping record to keep himself in climbing trim. March 17. The entrance examinations to the military college are completed. The successful candidates include 10 New Zealandeirs and 30 Australians. Another message says that though only seven out of 12 New Zealand candidates passed the entrance examination, the Military College has made arrangements ior three more New Zealand cadetships. March 19. In connection with St. Patrick's Day celebration.. Lord Dudley was presented with an addierw stating that- hix generous advocacy of justice to Ireland had placed Irishmen under a lasting obligation to him. Lady Dudley was presented with a diamond brooch. • A girl at Bendigo was charged with behaving in an offensive manner in a public place. She appeared in court dressed in male clothing. For three months she had posed as a boy, and worked in various employments, for a time as a policeman's assistant. The court decided to give her a chance, conditional on her assuming proper clothing. SYDNEY, March 14. Mr Walter" Be van, a barrister, lias been appointed Solicitor-general.-The office has been revived in order to relieve Mr Holman, who will be Acting-. Premier during Mr M'Gowen's absence at the Coronation. Mr Carmichael has been investigating the manner in which visiting sailors are fleeced, and has determined on better police supervision, a shipping office, and

the establishment of a sailors' savings bank March 15. During the recent severe gales at the Solomon Islands the Government steamer Pelama was driven ashore and totally wrecked. The - crew escaped. The schooner Leveueuwa was also wrecked on the Island of Santiana, but the crew got safely ashore. The storms did consider, able damage to the group. A carpenter named George Fraser, a recent arrival from New Zealand, attempted suicide by shooting himself. He then jumped into the harbour. He was taken to the hospital, where a bullet was found embedded in his head. The Methodist Conference, after discussing the temperance question, declared in favour of State option. In connection with the cablegram stating that Mr William Redmond was visiting Australia to collect funds for the Home Rule propaganda, Cardinal Moran is advised that Mr Redmond goes to New Zealand, not to Australia. A rich gold find is reported from Gundagai. One hundredweight of stone yielded lOOoz, and another parcel of 901 b dollied 120 oz. March 16. There have been further rich finds of gold at the Long Tunnel mine, Gundagai. The prospectus has been issued of the Australian Marine Fibres Company, with . a capital of £165,000. It proposes to convert the large deposits of the marine plant Posidonia Australis, at Spencer's Gidf, into a marketable fibre suitable for cloth-making and other purposes. March 17. The Methodist Conference entered a strong protest against opening the Royal Show on Good Friday. The floods in the Eden find Bombala districts have done great destruction to the crops. Bombala is isolated. Mr Thomas Walsh, an ex-sergeant in the 87th Regiment, has just died at Newcastle, aged 97. He served under General. Pollock in avenging the massacre of Pollock's division in the Khyber Pass (Afghanistan), was through the Sikh (Indian) and Crimean (Russian) wars, also the Indian Mutiny, and was a member of the 70th Regiment when it took part in the Maori war. March 18. The following item is supplied by the Commonwealth cable service : During Februarv the following British subjects left the United Kingdom :—For Australia, 3966: for Canada. 7295; for New Zealand, 503; and for South Africa, 1915. The Australian figures show .in increase of 90 per cent, for the first two months of the present year. March 20. It is reported from New Guinea that Mr Q. Richards, a well-known settler, and also several natives accompanying hdm were murdered by the natives of Huon Gulf while engaged in trading. BRISBANE, March 16. The Agent-general reports that there are more immigrants offering than he can find steamer accommodation for on the four vessels that have been specially engaged to take out men to build the State railways. BRISBANE, Ma.rch 17. Two men who were working in the Mount Cuthbert mine stole horses and took to the road. They stuck up a number of people at the point of the Tevolver. There is great excitement, and everybody in the district is arming. A terrific cyclone is raging at Cairns. The telegraph wires are down, and many buildings have been destroyed. In other buildings the roofs and verandahs have been bodily removed. The damage is estimated at over £IO,OOO. LAUNCESTON, March 15. A cloud-burst on the northern slope of Mount Victoria cut a gorge a mile in length and a chain wide down to bedrock, denuding a dense forest, and exposing a reef showing indications of good gold. FREMANTLE, March 18. Two Customs officers have been recommended lor dismissal on account of laxity

of duty in allowing Chinese to land in connection with the case in which a Chinese storekeeper and interpreter were implicated. The methods employed included the use of faked birth certificates.