AUSTRALIAN NEWS

Otago Witness, Issue 3860, 6 March 1928, Page 30

AUSTRALIAN NEWS

RAILWAY AND TRAMWAY SERVICES SYDNEY, February 28.

The Premier (Mr Bavin) has taken steps to restore the privileges of the 1917 loyalists in the railway and tramway services. The Lang Government, by legislation, took away certain privileges of the loyalists and restored the seniority of strikers, so that thev now rank as if they had not participated in the 1917 strike. The Bavin Government believes that an injustice has been done to the loyalists in consequence of Mr Lang’s action. Mr Bavin said, seeing that the legislation passed by Mr Lang had altered the ■whole system, it was impossible to get back to the position which would have existed but for that legislation, without serious consequences, hut he would do the best he could.

A WARNING NOTE SOUNDED. HOBART, February 28. Sir Wallace Bruce, chairman of the Associated Chambers of Commerce, at th; opening of tile annual conference of the associated chambers, said: “ The burden of Government imposts in the Commonwealth as a whole is heavier this year than ’ at any previous time. During times of prosperity Governments should be as stringent as possible in the expenditure of loan funds. It is noteworthy that the two industries which represent the basis of our prosperity—wool and wheat—are among the very few industries which are not in receipt of direct or indirect assistance. During the 10 years 1916-26 the indebtedness of the several Governments of Aus tralia increased by £565,000,000, which represented an average of £56,000,000 per annum. It is indisputable that the regular augmentation of Australia’s wealth on such a scale has contributed materially to the briskness of trade' and industry in recent years. That such a rate cannot be continued indefinitely is evident to everybody who is seized of the position.” Sir Wallace Bruce added that many responsible persons and organisations throughout the Commonwealth had persistently sounded a warning note of the financial position, and the Governments were forced to act upon this recommendation, and this sudden curtailment was seriously felt in many directions. He appealed to the Governments to let their ex penditure be wise, not wasteful or nonproductive, the spending of money on which objects had been too common since the war.

THE ECONOMIC POSITION. SYDNEY, February 23. Sir Robert Horne, a former Chancellor of the Exchequer in Britain, who is now visiting Australia, has proved himself a keen observer, and his remarks on Australia’s economic position have aroused considerable interest. His latest remarks on this subject seem to be as applicable to New Zealand as they are to the Common- | wealth. i hope you will forgive me if 1 venture to direct attention to one or two j things 1 have noticed,” he said in Melbourne the other day. ** When I place rhe adverse balance of trade against the fact that Australia has a public debt of £1,060,000,000, of which £442,000,000 is owed outside Australia, even an adverse balance of only £11,000,000 is something that you should take notice of. Although it does not embarrass you now, it might do so in an awkward situation. The accounts of some of the Australian States reveal some very awkward figures of losses on State ventures, and many things the States have done on borrowed money have not fructified. Indeed, there are large sums of capital expenditure standing on the books which in an ordinary business would have been written off long ago. I do not suggest that this should cause you any pessimism, but it should in duce your financial leaders to consider where they are going, and what is the tendc/.icy of the country. In England our own record of expenditure has caused us the greatest embarrassment. When a State enters a venture with borrowed money it can never repudiate its debt, which becomes a millstone around the neck, and can be met only out of the earnings of the people. Our embarrassment in England has obstructed our merchants in their attempt to compete and sell goods in foreign markets. Australia’s wealth is indefinite, and there is no burden it cannot carry ulti mately, but you should not place yourselves in a position in which you would be unable to use your best assets You have great lands. which yield you grain and sheep which yield you fleeces. Do not place too great a burden on these great industries. I hope in your development you will be careful to preserve the bal ance between primary and secondary in dustries. I hope also that in your development you will never lose sight of the Old Country, from which we have all sprung, and that your good fortune and our good fortune will go forward together ”

HEAVY RAIN IN QUEENSLAND. BRISBANE, February 29. Heavy rain has fallen in North Queensland, and all rivers from Cairns to Townsville are rising. Falls ranging from 9in to 13in were recorded in 24 hours. The people in the vicinity of the Herbert River are moving to places of safety. Parts of Innisfail are flooded, and the railway traffic is dislocated. FIRE AT GILGANDRA. SYDNEY, February 29. Fire at Gilgandra destroyed five shops and their contents. The damage amounts to several thousand pounds. LEGACY FROM LANG GOVERNMENT. SYDNEY, February 29. The Assistant Treasurer (Mr Stevens) •nnounced that there would be no in-

crease in taxation this year. The Government intends at the end of the present financial year that the deficit left by the Lang Government will be funded, which means that a loan will be taken out to cover the deficit, the liability to be spread over a period of years. It is intended i the new financial year to alter die incidence of taxation. Investigations are now being made in this direction. An effort will also be made by the Government to reduce expenditure and bring about economies, but not at the expense of efficiency. SCHOOLGIRL MURDERED. PERTH, March 1. The shocking death of a 12-year-old schoolgirl, named Ivy Lewis, is reported from Darkan, 164 miles south of Perth The girl, who was missing all night, was found naked in the bush with her head almost shot away. A farm band named Jack Milner has been arrested on a charge of murder He led th e police to the place, where the body lay. THE TAMWORTH MURDER. SYDNEY, March 1. Cyril Matthew Thompson was found guilty of the murder of Frederick William Thorlev at Tamworth, and has been sentenced to death. Th e body of William Thorley, aged 40. a well-known shearer and rabbit-trapper, was found under a bridge at Anzac Park, Tamworth, on June 26 last year, with a gaping wound in the back of the head It was known that Thorley had over £2OO in an inside pocket of his vest when he entered the park, and it is surmised that the murderer waited for him from behind. were ripped from the vest, and the money was missing. The murderer, after committing the crime, apparently carried the body to the bridge and hid it underneath.

SPECTACULAR FIRE IN SYDNEY. SYDNEY, March 1. Fire following an explosion destroyed the timber mills of Tanner ar.d the Middleton Company, in Burwood road, Concord. The damage is estimated to exceed £lOO,OOO. The fire was oim of the most spectacular seen in Sydney for a long time. BIG FIRE AT NARROMINE. SYDNEY. March 1. Damage estimated at £12,000 was I caused by a fire which destroyed Lees’s j general store and Noulston’s motor garage at Narrominc. NEW SOUTH WALES • ELECTORATES. SYDNEY, March 1. The Cabinet Sub committee dealing with electoral reform has decided that it would be possible to reduce the number of State electorates from 90 to 84 by a rearrange- | ment of the electorate, and at the same I time give the country districts increased . representation. CHILD ENDOWMENT. HOBART, March 1. The Associated Chambers of Commerce of Australia defeated, by 15 to 14 votes, a resolution condemning the system of child endowment, which, in the motion, was placed along with unemployment insurance as a burden which, in the present state of trade and commerce, the community is unable to bear. THE COAL INDUSTRY. SYDNEY, March 1. Mr Hoare', president of the northern branch of the Coal Miners’ Federation, addressing the coal conference now sitting to inquire into the question of the coal industry and make suggestions for its improvement, demanded a Royal Commis' sion to inquire into further sweeping charges which he made against the coal owners. He charged them with making payments to a secret service fund not shown in the books, with heavy overcharges to foreign coal buyers, resulting in loss of export He also charged them with illegally evading the Federal Act, which fixed the price of coal Various other charges are made, which he claimed wen factors in bringing about the depressed condition of the coal trade. He said he proposed to show that many of the 1 owners were evading the law and getting rich quick by manipulating the companies’ books, cheques, and bank books 1 Addressing a meeting of the miners of i the Stockton Borehole Colliery and pressmen whom he invited to be present, Mr • Hoare, the president of the northern ■ branch of the Coal Miners’ Federation, stated that he received during the past 18 months amounts totalling £597 as payment for keeping the mine working. Mr Hoare said the money was paid to 1 him at the rate of id per ton on the out- > put by a man whom he met in the street in Newcastle. The man refused to divulge his name. When Mr Hoare said that he felt guilty in taking the money, the man said that he was getting a mere ” fleabite ”to what the others were getting. Mr ' Hoare said that he had not had to raise a hand to keep the colliery working, and that the money would be distributed among the wives and families of the members of the Stockton Borehole Lodge.

SPEED IN SYDNEY HARBOUR. SYDNEY, March 1. As a result of the Greycliffe disaster, the harbour speed regulations are being tightened up. Captain Wylie, of the Ulimaroa,. was fined £5 for exceeding a speed of eight knots within the harbour. Giving evidence in the, case, Harbour Trust officials said that they had been detailed to watch the vessel, and timed her passing down the harbour between two marked points. They checked the speed with their watches, and assessed it at over eight knots.

Captain Wylie gave evidence that he timed the vessel between the two points and found he had travelled the distance at a speed of exactly eight knots. Asked why, at a certain point, he did not follow the usual practice of swinging deep into the channel, he said he wanted to be sure he was within the regulations, as he had heard that a timing trap had been set for that day. The Magistrate, in inflicting the minimum fine, said that though Captain Wylie was mathematically faulty, he did not consider there was any wanton carelessness He took a lenient view of the case, because he did not think Captain Wylie’s breach could have culminated in any serious accident.

FEDERAL CUSTOMS REVENUE. CANBERRA, March 1. The revenue returns for eight months of the current year show a drop in the Customs revenue of £900.000 compared with the previous corresponding period. The Minister of Trade (Mr H. E. Pratten) attributes this falling off chiefly to the bad season. He points out that chiefly luxury lines are affected, and claims that this affords convincing evidence that the policy of protection in Australia is gradually becoming more and more effective. NAURU PHOSPHATES. • CANBERRA, March 2. < The production of phosphates at Nauru during the year ended June 30, 1927, amounted to 594,825 tons, according to the annual report of the British Phosphates Commission tabled in the House of Representatives. The .report shows that no sales were made to foreign countries. Australia bought 78 per cent, and New Zealand 22 per cent. The sales realised 780,000 tons. The assets of the commission are valued at £3,730,0C0. The liabilities include £1,440,000 owing to the British Government, a similar amount to the Commonwealth Government, and £548,704 to the New Zealand Government. LONE SAILOR TURNS BACK. SYDNEY. March 2. Finding the lot of a lone sailor too difficult in rough weather, Mr Frank *Wade has returned to Sydney. He may make another attempt to reach New Zealand later if he can find a suitable companion. DECREASED CUSTOMS REVENUE. SYDNEY, March 2. The decrease of £900,000 in the Customs revenue for eight months of the current financial year was the amount by which the receipts fell short of the estimate for that period. The actual decrease was £431,000. THE COAL MINING INDUSTRY. SYDNEY, March 2. At a conference held for the purpose of discussing the coal mining industry, the president of the Northern Colliery Proprietors’ Association produced figures showing that 47 stoppages in the coal trade in 1927 cost the miners in wages £439.246. For the years 1920-1927 inclusive, the miners sacrificed £5.976,343 through strikes, the highest for one year being £1.399.000 in 1923. In the two following years the figures were £976.009 and £946.000 respectively. Th e coilference discussed the miners’ suggestion in favour of collective contracting. One of the owners representatives gave instances where this had been tried and found unworkable, because every wanted to be bosses.

THE INVERELL MURDER. SYDNEY, March 2. Mrs Hoey was found not guilty on a charge of murdering her husband. Norman Hoey, a shearing contractor, was shot dead on October 14 while sitting in his motor car in a street in Invcrell. His wife was later charged with murder, and in a statement to the police said she had been living apart from him for three years, and as she did not receive justie. in the court when she sued her husband for allegedly trying to run her down in a motor car recently, she had shot him to protect herself.

INCOME TAX EVASION. MELBOURNE, March 2. An action has commenced in the High Court in respect to the shortage of income tax paid by three brothers named Abrahams. The Taxation Commissioner claimed that one brother, Alfred, m a, return in respect of income for the year ended June 30, 1927, understated the amount of his income, which he alleged to be £3214, whereas it was £35,358 In 1925 he stated that his income was £3506, whereas it was £38,054. The commissioner claimed that the evasions of tax amounted to £10,221 in 1924, £9543 in 1925. and in 1926 it was £7792. He claimed the penalty of £5OO allowed bv law, and treble the amount in each case, which amounted to £83,168. The brother Louis owed £76,631. Mr Justice Starke remarked that the penalties on the pleadings would amount to £266.000, to which had to be added £lOO,OOO which the three of them - would have to pay in tax. One of the brothers, Emanuel, had stolen out of the country, and could not be traced. The defendants admitted the truth of the commissioners case, and had paid a, sum of £500,000 m satisfaction.

Mr Justice Starke expressed surprise that the Crown had compromised with the taxpayers. Ho considered that the pleadings and the defence alike disclosed a conspiracy, and that there should have

been a prosecution under the Crimes Act Judgment was reserved.

On warrants issued on an information sworn by Mr R. J. Birch, senior investigating officer of the Taxation Department, on August 15, 1927, 18 constables and 20 taxation officials conducted raids on the Small Arms Company, Elizabeth street the city residences of the company’s solicitors, and those of other persons believed to be associated with the company Safeopening experts, with oxy-acetylene apparatus, accompanied the party, and in two instances their services were required to open safes and the strong rooms. Eight motor car loads of documents were seized in the raids, and these are being examined by a special staff of taxation officers. The declaration of Mr Birch was to the effect that he had been investigating the company’s taxation returns, and he believed that many of them were fraudulent, and that an attempt was being made to defraud the Commonwealth.

MYSTERIOUS EPIDEMIC. t MELBOURNE, March 1. f A mysterious epidemic has occurred ( among young children at the brown coa] ! mine settlement at Yallourn. Seven 1 deaths hav e occurred within a fortnight, 1 and six other children have been sent to the hospital The first symptoms are simi- ’ lar to those of gastric influenza. The 1 cause is unknown. 1 I MURDER IN VICTORIA. MELBOURNE, Februaty 27. A prosperous farmer named Martin i Ryan was found dead in his motor car in his garage, shot in the back of the I head. The police are convinced that he was murdered, and that the motive underlying, the crime was to obtain possession of a will which Ryan was known to have made several days before. EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS. SYDNEY, February 29. There is much heartburning in Pro testant churches over the forthcoming Eucharistic Congress and the procession with the Host through the streets to oe held in Sydney. The Methodist annual conference, now in session, lengthily and warmly discussed and adopted a resolution declaring the procession an affront and a challenge to a very large proportion of the community, and asking the Government to disallow it as offensive and subversive of the recognised attitude of the Government in with holding its patronage or assent from any distinctly sectarian propaganda. I Other Protestant churches are also up ’ in arms against allowing the procession. A DREARY DEBATE. CANBERRA, March 3. After two weeks '■he dreary debate finally ended by the application of the gag. Mr Charlton’s censure motion was defeated by 40 votes to 19 on a purely party division. AN ELECTRIC STORM. MELBOURNE, March o. A storm, accompanied by vivid lightning, in the city caused considerable damage .owing to flooding at St. Kilda. The water is pouring over the road in cascades, and is 3ft deep at Glenferrie. The water is reported to be 4ft deep in low-lying parts, and running through the trams. Shops suffered severely Other suburbs also report heavy falls of rain and damage by water. Some buildings were unroofed. AUSTRALIAN COAL INDUSTRY. CANBERRA, March 3. Mr Bruce announced that he has no intention of appointing a Royal Commission to investigate the charges by Mr Hoare against the coal owners. COMMODORE HYDE PROMOTED. LONDON, March 2. Commodore Hyde, in command of the Australian Navy, has been promoted to Rear Admiral. STATE BY-ELECTION. SYDNEY, March 4. At Walsh Island F. Morton (Nationalist Party) has been elected for the Wollondilly seat in the State Parliament, rendered vacant by Sir George Fuller accepting the Agent-generalship. COMMONWEALTH LOAN. LONDON, March 4. ' A second Commonwealth of Australia underwritten £8,000,000 loan, carrying 5 per cent., has been issued at 98, repayable in 1945-75. The second loan came as a great surprise to the Stock Exchange, but it is not alto gether unwelcome, as it is generally assumed that this is an issue reported as likely to be placed on New York. The prospectus says that the loan is issued by the Commonwealth on behalf of itself and the States of New South Waies, Victoria, and Queensland. The proceeds will be used for developmental works, the settlement of migrants from Britain, and the redemption of securities.

THE ULIMAROA HELD UP. SYDNEY, March 2. The Ulimaroa, which was scheduled to sail for Wellington at noon, was held up over trouble with the cooks. The steam er’s cooking staff asked the Huddart, Parker Company to add a cook and a sculleryman to th e ship’s complement, in addition to filling the position of second cook, who left yesterday. The company declined to accede to the demand. The Federated Cook’s Union thereupon sent

an ultimatum that the second cook would not be signed on unless an additional cook and a sculleryman were added to the staff.

At the h< ur fixed for sailing no cooks were aboard, and over 200 passengers, including Sir Robert Horne, who were informed of the impasse, left the ship. They returned at 3 o’clock to find the position unaltered, and again left. As a result of the cooks’ attitude, the company has given the crew 24 hours’ notice. It is- feared in shipping circles that the trouble may imply an extensive hold-up of shipping on the part of the union concerned. March 4. The Huddart, Parker Company has arranged to pay off the crew of the Ulimaroa and refund the passengers their money. The cargo will remain in the vessel in the meantime, as it is not known how long the ship will remain idle. The secretary of the Marine Cooks, Bakers, and Butchers’ Union, states that the Ulimaroa will not b e manned by members of the union. He added that the union’s original claim was for two extra cooks in the galley, the present complement of which was three cooks, but in order to assist in getting the ship away on Friday the union reduced its demand to one extra cook.

The claim, he says, is not a sudden one, as it has been on for some time, and correspondence had passed between the owners and the union The dispute concerned only the Ulimaroa Th e union takes the stand that, in view of the exceptionally bad conditions under which the men have to work, the claim for extra men is amply justified. k The registrar of the Commonwealth 1 Arbitration Court has notified the Newcastle Trades Hall that he has convened a compulsory conference to b e held in connection with the dispute.