AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XL, Issue 11438, 1 December 1915, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

United Press Asssociation—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright. Received Dec. 1, 8.40 a.m, "

~ . .Dec. 1. ' in^the^Se- oomraandtne >3e^ Australian Division it is not serious. Colonel Holmes has taken over the commaml,

Unenlisted farmers are garnering the crops for those who have enlisted.

Unfortunately the shortage of sugar has come at a time when the jam factories require extra supplies to deal with the fruit crops. Advocates for wet canteens are seizing upon the recent disturbances to urge the need for beer in canteen camps. They urge that the men compelled to go outside to secure supplies, with the result that they drink much more than at their disposal in the camps.

£45,000 raised in connection with the Allies’ Day has already been cabled to London for distribution in France, Poland, Servia, and Montenegro. A tragedy occurred at Temora. Douglas Hastie quarrelled with his daughter and fired a revolver at her, which missed, but the girl dropped from fright. He father, thinking he had killed her, immediately fatally shot himself.

The South Coast Waratahs, the first of a number of route marches arranged to commence at various points of the State, left Nowra fifty sti’ong.

Melbourne, Dec. 1. The eouft-niSi'tial sentenced twenty soldiers, who recently escaped from the detention cam]?, to a hundred days’ imprisonment. A meeting of both Houses of the State Parliament discussed the recruiting scheme for a new force, which is stated to consist of thirtysix battalions. Twelve have been allotted to New South Wales, twelve to Victoria, four to Queensland, four to Soutn Australia, throe to Westralia, and one to Tasmania. The price of bread will be reduced from 9d to from Thursday'.

Adelaide, Dec, 1. The Government Statistician anticipates a record wheat yield of twenty-seven and a quarter million bushels, of which over twenty-two million bnshelsjwill he available for export.

Sydney, Dec. 1. The State population at the Ist of June was 1,868,751, an increase of 11,648 over the previous year. Births during the year were 54,715, and deaths 18,363.

Hobart, Dec. 1. Mr Jensen announced that he was willing to give the Tasmanian Government five years contract for five thousand tons of oil yearly at £8 to £4 per ton if the Government would take over the work of the Latrobe shale deposit, ’and added that in every probability the department within few years would require ten thousand tons yearly. The Department to erect an oil tank at Devonport and use its own oil ship building in England.