PREMIERS IN CONFERENCE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12665, 19 January 1912, Page 5

PREMIERS IN CONFERENCE.

THE STANDARD. RAILWAY GAUGE. (Press Assn.— By Telegraph.— Copyright.) MELBOURNE, January 18. The Premiers' Conference decided to ask the Commonwealth to pay 3£ per cent, on transferred properties. There was a long discussion on the question of the standard railway gauge. ' , ■ (Received January 19, .8.6 a.m.) -- ' « MELBOURNE, Jan. I^. The Premiers' Conference has resolved in favor of the appointment of a conj: mittee of the leading railway engineers to report on the question of a unifortti gauge between capital cities and ; the conversion of ithe lines of New South' Wales. West Australia voted v against the motion, on the ground that v the" report would not likely view the differing claims of the various States, and thkt the Commonwealth would bring nearer a solution the question of securing uniformity. : ';£;■■' The question of the assistance given to immigranjts was referred to^ $he lieadsMtif the State Immigration Department, arioV it was further resolved to ask the Corns monwealth ' Government to, provicfe twenty-five ithousand assisted passengers — immigrant's — yearly, paying the cost of transportation on a uniform basis; "the States to select and place' the immigrants, with the right to supplement the number of assisted passengers allotted. The Conference appointed' Dr. Ashburr-^ ton Thompson a, Royal Cpminission to inquire into arid "report on the standardisation of the food products of the various States*. . \ ;