INTERCOLONIAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2997, 23 August 1911, Page 25

INTERCOLONIAL.

MELBOURNE, August 15. The Government is considering pro- ' posals to have only day sittings of Parliament. August 16. | The Council of the Victorian Employers’ Federation adopted a protest against the Federal Attorney-general (Mr Hughes) continuing as president of the Waterside Workers’ Federation, in which ' capacity he directed members to refuse to handle non-union sugar. Such action tended to cause a general strike in contempt of the Arbitration Act, which he, as Attorney-general, should endeavour to uphold. An officer who was recently in charge of immigration work in London states ' that if arrangements can be made to ■ bring them out to Australia there would be no difficulty in securing 50,000 immigrants this year. There are dissensions in the Victorian State Ministerial party over the Prefer- ' ential Voting Bill, pointing to the likelihood of an early general election. August 17. The members of the Chinese Mission Church, being dissatisfied with the selection of their new minister, have boycotted the church. August 18. Mr Tudor states that the Government will require £250,000 to modernise the quarantine system in the Commonwealth j owing to the neglect of the matter since I it was taken over from the States. He ! proposes to send a doctor on a tour of the world to inspect the systems in vogue elsewhere. August 19. The State Cabinet has decided to ask ' the Commonwealth and the other States to join in holding an Empire exhibition in one of the principal capital cities, in either 1912 or 1913. The Acting Premier denies that a political crisis is looming. | August 21. i Mr Fisher favours the proposed Empire Exhibition, and suggests it be held in 1914, when the Science Congress meets in Australia. A Greek engineer named Hiropedes visited a gunsmith and asked to be shown a revolver. He tested it on a target, . then placed it in his mouth and blew ■ out hib brains. | A swag-man named Conolly committed \ suicide by placing his head in front of | a train. J The price of the 21b loaf will be raised from 3d to 3j,d on Saturday, j SYDNEY, August 15. * The High Court upheld the appeal of

the agent of an English firm against ft second income tax assessment. Giving evidence in >. ..lection with the shearers' case, the manager of the Qolde-brough-Mort Company's station said that generally the tendency was to go for the plainer-bodied sheep. Wrinkled sheep were less prolific, and stood the dry seasons badly. August 16. A seven months' old child died to-day as the result of being pecked on the head by a rooster, its skull being fractured. During 1910 the value of the producte of New South Wales manufactures and works was £17,058,268 —an increase of 16 per cent, on the previous year. In 10 years the number of factories has increased by 44 per cent., the number of persons employed by 51 per cent., the output of the factories by 84 per cent., and the amount of salaries and wages by 76 per cent. During a discussion in the City Council on the question of supplying band music for the city parks, Alderman Meagher argued that the disgraceful scenes at football matches were due entirely to bad music, which enraged the public and caused them to riot. At the inquest on the bodies of John Colquit, a half-caste, who murdered his wife and then committed suicide, and Mrs Colquit, the coroner stated that the careless delivery of a posted letter from the wife to the husband instead of to his brother led to the crime. Heavy arrivals of butter have ended the famine.in that commodity. A test for the deflection of steel rails between the Lithgow (locally made) and the imported article gave exactly the same results, indicating that Messrs Hoskins are making a satisfactory article. The Board of Health is recommending the Government to place a sum of money on the Estimates for a Government crematorium. August 18. Before the Royal Commission which is at present inquiring into the alleged shortage of labour it yas stated that carpenters were busier now than at any period since 1882. It has been stated before a wages board that the cost of groceries during the last two years in Australia has risen from 7£ to 10 per cent. The Full Court held to-day that tho Pure Foods Act requires milk to be of the prescribed standard whether it is otherwise by the default of the vendor of not. An earthquake was recorded at 8.44 yesterday morning. It was too severe for the seismograph to measure the extent of the waves, and was probably not far distant from Australia. A similar tremor was recorded in Melbourne. August 19. The Moderator of the Presbyterian Church attributes the lack of students offering for the ministry to the want of home piety, materialism, and the inadequate salary offered. When young men saw what the average income in the ministry was they hesitated, and many resolved to enter commercial or other pursuits. The Special Commissioner's report on the telephone system states that be found it very unsatisfactory in many respects. The most serious defect is the bad line construction. He advocates running the business on strictly commercial lines, and deprecates centralisation in Sydney and the suburbs. He also declares that the salaries paid are disproportionate to the officers' responsibilities. The continued dry weather in the northern tablelands and the north-west is causing anxiety as to the wheat crops. The name of Bishop Frcdsham, of North Queensland, is prominently mentioned in connection with the vacant Bathurst See. Dr Frodsham has intimated that it is not likely he will accept the see if offered. August 21. The Cabinet has approved of the Board of Health's recommendation for the establishment of a State-aided crematorium. The sum of £SOOO will be

placed on the Estimates for the erection of a crematorium and chapel. Forty-two boys of«the Young Australian League are passengers by the Moeraki en route for America. They are reciprocating the visit of a number of American boy 6 who visited Australia two years ago. Good monsoonal rains have fallen in the eastern States. They have been particularly heavy on the coast. NEWCASTLE, August 16. The Miners' Federation has resolved to withdraw from the Political Labour League. .. ADELAIDE, August 15. At the City Council meeting the Mayor (Mr Cohen) reported that his mission to England in connection with the claims of Adelaide to be raised to the dignity of lord mayoralty had been futile. The Colonial Secretary (Mr Harcourt) informed him that the Imperial Government had decided not to grant additional lord mayors. The South Australian Government has given £SOOO to the Maweon Antarctic expedition. August 18. The Government of South Australia intends to establish State brickworks and timber and firewood vards. BRISBANE, August 15. The Irish envoys were welcomed on their arrival by the Attorney-general and a large parliamentary party. Subsequently the Mayor tendered them a civic welcome in the Town Hall. August 16. Two men named M'Donald and Feakin quarrelled, and Feakin shot M'Donald dead. He pleads he acted in self-de-fence. August 21. Mr Batchelor and Senator Pearce returned from England, via Russia, Siberia, and Japan. They express satisfaction at the results of the Imperial Conference. FREMANTLE, August 16. The Grand Opera Company are passengers by the Mooltan, which has arrived here. Included in the company are many stars. PERTH, August 15. For the year ended June the State-

owned hotel made a profit of £1687, compared with £2355 for the previous year. The decrease is attributed to the falling off in local trade. August 19. It is stated that the attempt to connect tbd Russian who was arrested with " Peter the Painter " has been given up, but the authorities decline to state whether they are still trying to connect the man with the Hcundsditch affair.