AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3508, 7 June 1921, Page 39

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Steady soaking rain fell throughout New South Wales last week. The price of the Melbourne Argus newspaper lias been increased to 2d. It is estimated that (he payment of the 1920-21 wheat pool will absorb £7,75 . The Profiteering Prevention Court- in Sydney has increased the price of milk by a halfpenny to Bcl per quart. A kinema picture theatre at Aloeman, Sydney, was destroyed by fire early this morning. The damage amounted to £30,000. The Sydney shipowners have issued astatement that a further reduction in freights is impossil 10. The ships will be laid up if the existing rates prevent business being done. The Overseas Shipping Association has reduced the rates of freight on sheepskins from Australian ports Ijjd to Ijhl per lb. A drop of 10s per toil on jute goods from India to Australia is reported. In consequence of (lie report of the Royal Commissioner regarding soldiers’ settlement in New South 'Wales Mr Bryant, a former Director, has been dismissed from public service. Members of the New South Wales State Orchestra have received notices that their services will be dispensed with from August 31. If a guarantee of £IO,OOO is forthcoming in the interim the notices will be ineffective. The manager of the new State butchery in Sydney says (hat a profit of £3O resulted from two and a-half days’ business. He claims that it lowered the retail price

of meat by 5d per Ib. The State is selling rump fillet steak at 9d and lOd per lb, against Is 6d and Is 7d, which were the prices ruling elsewhere. At the inquest on Harold Parsons, champion motor cyclist, who collided with a horse, being thrown on to ihe road and killed, it was stated that the- deceased was travelling at the rate of 85 miles an hour. He was testing the speed of a motor cycle. A big batch of new justices of the peace in New South Wales includes the names of 58 women. These are the first women to be appointed in the State. .Among them is the wife of the Minister of Motherhood (the Hon. J. J. G. M‘Girr). Tn the House of Representatives Air Considine moved the adjournment to consider the growing estrangement between America and Great Britain, which he said was due in part to the treatment of Ireland. The motion was negatived by 36 votes to 9. SUPPOSED SMALLPOX. Owing to a suspected rase of smallpox on the Niagara the vc-sel has boon quarantined at Sydney. The patient is a lady passenger from Vancouver. The passengers who were recently successfully vaccinated were released on Friday. The diagnosis of the smallpox ease at Sydney is indefinite. The patient is making good progress, but the vessel will be detained in quarantine for some days in case of developments. Sixty-six passengers will be released on Wednesday under surveillance. UTILISING XI PA PALM. Air A. Gibson is applying to the Commonwealth Government for die right to utilise the Nipa palm at the Fly River, New Guinea, for the manufacture of paper pulp. He undertakes to pay a sum of money into any bank as a guarantee to produce 500 tens of paper weekly and 3.000,000 gallons of motor spirit yearly. He promises to erect a plant at a cost of £300,000, also factories and wharves. AER<)PLANE SMASH. At the inquest on the victims of the aeroplane smash, when three persons (pilot Hubert Ross and two passengers, Miss Jessie Dorman and Cyril Harris) were killed by an Avro machine crashing in the back yard of a house at Port Melbourne, an expert in his evidence advanced the theory that the heel of Aliss Dorman’s shoe jammed the rudder bar, causing the machine to full into a left spin. Witness added that Aliss Dorman’s heel was almost torn off. GRAZIERS FACED WITH DISASTER. A deputation of graziers from the Central and Western districts asked Air Dooley (Acting Premier of New South Wales) to grant financial assistance to the smell graziers, many of whom were faced with ditaster owing to their limit from the banks having been reached. It was suggested that the amount advanced be repaid within three years with interest. The deputation also asked that the i-'Sociated banks be restrained from fort-el- eng. Mr Dooley promised Cabinet c-usulc re I ion.