INTERCOLONIAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 3102, 27 August 1913, Page 25

INTERCOLONIAL.

1 MELBOURNE, August 19. i William Robbie, a pioneer, aged 91, recently died at Ballarat. He lived fcr years in apparent poverty, but after his death it was discovered that he owned property of the value of £30,000 He bequeathed £650 to relatives, and and £SO to the Ballarat Hospital. The balance of the estate goes to Scotland to found “ Robbie scholarships ’’ in chemistry. mathematics, and natural philosophy at Aberdeen University. ■ William Parker, surveyor, who is charged with wounding James Thomas Knox, acting town clerk at Footscray. with intent to murder him, has been found guilty and has been sentenced to death. August 20. The sales of wattle in connection with Wattle Day netted £l9lß on behalf of the women’s and children’s charities. Last I year only £BSO was collected. ! •" August 25. ! Mr Watt (Premier of Victoria) and Mr Holman (Premier of New South Wales) are conferring on the questions of irrigation, border railways, and the amalgamation of the Commonwealth and States savings banks. SYDNEY, August 19. Five taxi-cab drivers were taking a 1 spin in the Domain, when the car over--1 turned. One of them named Allshorn was ! killed, and the others were badly.injured. ! The late Mr W. Robinson, of Enmore, bequeathed £20,000 to the Prince Alfred , Hospital, subject to an annuity to his widow. i August 20. I Mr Joseph Crecr, an ex-member of the • New South Wales Assembly, is dead; I aged 82 years. j Advices' have been received that the I American-Hawaian Steamship line is I seriously considering the question of extending' its trade to Australia, in view of j the opening of the Panama Canal, j A fire broke out in the top floor of a i five-storeyed building in York street toi night. The three top floors were occupied j by Mr Read, a hat and umbrella maker,

hose stock was damaged to the extent of £IOOO.

The Colonial Sugar Company, at a pecial meeting to-day, confirmed the resolution to* increase the capital from £3,000,000 to £4,000,000 by issuing 50.000 new shares of £2O each.

August 21

A Crimean and Indian Mutiny veteran named Albert Heap died at the age of 80. Mr Heap witnessed the murder of his mother and sister in Nana Sahib’s massacre at Cawnpore. Of late years he had acted as gatekeeper a. 4 the Agricultural Society’s grounds. The Employers’ Federation has adopted a series of resolutions, including the abolition of wages boards, to be replaced by arbitration courts presided over by judges, and the abolition of all preference to unionists.

Bakewell’s Pottery, at Erskineviile, is closed down, owing to the extra cost of manufacture involved by the Wages Board award. Fifty men are out of work. The High Court, in a test case, ruled that a share of premiums is not profits, and cannot be taxed for income. The commander of the German gunboat Comoran has officially reported that Fal con Island, in the Tonga group, has dis appeared August 24. A fire destroyed a large portion of the works of Ritchie Brothers, railway rolling stock manufacturers, at Auburn. Six newly-completed railway carriages were also destroyed. The damage is estimated at over £35.000. August 25. Senior-constable Charlton, when assisting to arrest a man, was fired at by the prisoner at a distance of a few feet. A pocket book over the heart stopped one bullet and saved Charlton’s life. Another shot pierced his jumper and grazed his back. BRISBANE, August 20. As the result of an altercation Joseph M'Kunn, a lodger, shot Mrs Geary, a boardinghouse proprietress, and then himself. Both are seriously wounded. August 25. Mr If. Bartrop, a Methodist home missioner, when en route to conduct a service at Tarome, was thrown from his horse and killed. PERTH, August 19. The Sunday Times newspaper was fined 40s for publishing an unsigned article commenting on the late elections. The paper will appeal to a higher court, on the ground that the article was not published till the elections were over, though the returns were incomplete, and that though the Act provided that the manuscript should be signed it was not obligatory to publish the signature. August 25.

It is reported from Claremont that a man named Walter Surradge attacked his wife, who was sitting on a seat in the park, and cut her throat. A passer-by intervened, and after a great struggle dragged off Surradge, who then cut his own throat. The wife is dead, but Surradge will probably recover. He deserted his wife last year, and she obtained a maintenance order. Reconciliation followed, but the two frequently quarrelled.