COMMONWEALTH ITEMS

Southland Times, Issue 17607, 23 March 1914, Page 5

COMMONWEALTH ITEMS

COAL FOR THE XAVT. By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright. SYDNEY. March 20. Senator Miller. Federal Minister of Defence, states that after exhaustive tests, it has been decided that the Australian navy cannot use Australian coal owing to the large percentage of ash. clinker and smoke. They will have to us© Westport coal as in the past. In this connection the Sun published an article declaring that the battleship Australia's boilers had already been ruined by th© use of Australian coal, but this is officially denied. KILLED BY AN ENGINE. SYDNEY, March 20. Two men. William Eaton and the other 1 believed to he . Matthew Corbett, while crossing the railway line at Newcastle, were run over by an engine and killed. THE EXETER TRAIN SMASH. SYDNEY, March 21. At the inquest regarding the railway disaster one guard declared that th© speed was not more than four miles an hour. Other witnesses estimated it at fifteen to twenty. It was shown that the night was foggy, but that no fog signal was used, SYDNEY TRAMS. SYDNEY. March 21. Tiie Premier supplied the Assembly with a statement by th© Railway Commissioners showing that the tramway returns for the y©ar I HI2-I.* were. Earnings, £1.754,566; expenditure. £l,572.150. Interest on the capital invested is £214,652. and the deficit £52.456. The? estimated deficit for the year ending June 30 is £63,036.