AUSTRALIAN CABLES.

Temuka Leader, Issue 4015, 24 February 1903, Page 1

AUSTRALIAN CABLES.

SYDNEY, Feb. 20. Another three thousand tons of wheat have arrived from San Franjisco. Cardinal Moran accompanied by a number of laymen visits the missions m Norfolk island, Tonga, Samoa; Fiji, New Hebrides, and Haw Caledonia in August next. A private cable message which has been received by the Wesleyan Missions Board from Fiji states that trouuie has arisen in Suva and the provinces through the testaments irom Namosi being burned on a lain. The Secretary to the Missions understands the message to mean that a number of testaments which hau been collected from the district of Namosi, where a large numberoj: people who are under the influence ot ana orders of their p rincipal ciiief had turned over from the Methodist Mission to the Roman Catholics, were collected and taken to the principal Catholic Mission at Naililili ana burned at the limekiln there. SYDNEY, Feb. 21. One hundred and sixty-two cases of tvphoid have occurred at Coonambele Five cases of scarlet fever also have been recorded. Ah Kin, found guilty of manslaughter, by stabbing a boy at Waterloo, has been sentenced to fou/r ■ytars' imprisonment. The Rev. Mr Nolan, missionary, at present in Sydney, gives his version of the burning of the Bibles. He says that the chief of the district of Matanitobua, with his people, was for some time disaffected against the-Go-vernment, having been strongly in favor of federation with New Zealand. He also had a disagreement with the native Methodist minister. The chief decided to, show his authority against the mission and the Government, by urgfng all his people to become Catholic. Mr Humphrey Berkley is at the bottom of the federation movement, and on his advice (as Mr Nolan happened to know from Mr Berkeley himself), Catholic priests were taken down to Namosi, and it was arranged that the people should become Catholics. It was during this week that the New Testaments and hymn books were collected. The Catholic Press, commenting on the news that the natives have become Catholics, regard this as feasible, but that genuine Bibles were burned they do not believe, but it is possible that Wesleyan literature was destroyed. Cardinal Moran has received no further information. than that 238 Bibles were burned. He would not approve of offending any of the Protestant bodies by such an. act as burning Bibles, and he did not think the priests had anything to do with it,bu ( t that it was probably the work of the converts. The chiefs had informed Bishop Vidal when, at Namosi that the Methodists were preying upon them, and doing them no good ; that their desire for a change of faith was the voluntary choice of the natives, and had blsen decided upon after holding several councils of the chiefs of the province. The Rev. Mr Lane, president of the Methodist Conference, said that Cardinal Moran's statement that the Methodists preyed upon the natives was a libel upon the missionaries. His opinion was that the- priests preyed on the natives. In the match between Taylor and Walker, best two out of three heats, Taylor won the first two right out, thehalf-mile (unpaced) in lmin 27 2-ssec, and the mile (paced) in 2min 26 l-ssec. The handicaps for the Sydney £IOOO cycle handicap are published. Taylor is at scratch.; Sutherland, New Zealand, and Walker, Victoria, have five yards each. Of other New Z'ealanders Forbes has ten yards, Burton 25 yards, Chalmers 35 yards, Randrup 45 yards, and Phmkett 90 yards. MELBOURNE, Feb. 22. The Mokoia arrived to-day. Sir J. G. Ward who was a passenger by her, was welcomed by Mr Drake, as representative of Sir E. Barton. In the course of an interview Sir J. G. Ward said that no doubt the recent press criticism in London had affected the New Zealand loan prejudicially. He did not think that the uneasiness in the money market would last long. There was nothing to justify the conditions now prevailing PERTH, Feb. 20. A ease of plague has occurred in the city, and another in Fremantle. PERTH, Feb. 21. The barque Solvelg, timber-laden, was totally wrecked on a reef near Cossack, during a heavy gale. The crew are safe, Three inches of rain. have fallen since Wednesday. BRISBANE, Feb. 20. Another case of plague is reported. HOBART, Feb. 20. Sir J. G. Ward arrived last night abd was met and welcomed by the Premier. , „„ ADELAIDE, Feb. 21. Three counterfeit coiners, Osborne, Williams, and Everest, have been found guilty. Osborne, who holds a bad record, has been sentenced to imprisonment for life, and the others to ten years' imprisonment each. ROCKHAMPTON, Feb. 21. A case of plague is reported here.