AUSTRALIAN.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 12906, 20 February 1906, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN.

United Press Association—Per Electric Telegraph—Copyright. A SUCCESSFUL LABOUR FARM. SYDXEY. February 19. The Labour Commissioner reports that the levenue received from the Government casual lab-.Mir farm is highly satisfactory. PLAGUE-STRICKEX" RATS. Five plague-ftrieken rats hnve been discovered in Sussex street." ••\H - PEXXY POSTAGE. Tr.e " Daily Telegraph" in commenting on Sir Joseph Ward's advocacy of univer. sal penny postage. *ays it fears that at present Australia is not in a position to be able to afford the luxury. While Sir Joseph Ward may descant' on the blew. ings penny postage has brought Xcw Zealand, his Australian colleague to the P. stal Conference may be found voting against bis proposal. Received 11.9 p.m.. February 19th. A RHODES SCHOLAR. A son of Professor MacCallum has been selected as Rhodes scholar for New South Wales. A VIOLENT STORM. A violent storm is reported at ArmidaJe more than two inches of rain, falling in ah hour. The streets and many buildings were flooded. Several buildings" were struck by lightning, and a number were unroofed »a<l damaged bv the wind. THE WILLIS CASE. In connection with the hearing of the appeal against, the order of the Chief Judge in Equity that the evidence of W. X. Willi* should be taken on commission in South Africa, the affidavits included one by Mrs Willis declaring that her husband was engaged in South Africa ha selling horses that were sent from Sydney and did not intend to return here.

THE NEW HEBRIDES.

MELBOURNE, February 19. Mr Dentin states that so far" as he knows the discussion at the New Hebrides Conference in London related oniv to an endeavour :o arrive at an agreement in the method of determining land titles in the group. It fe extremelv unlikclv that a comprehensive determination arising out of it hns been nctuallv reached. RECIPROCITY WITH AUSTRALIA. Sir W. J. Lyne, in the course of an interview, said he noticed that Xcw Zea.. land was talking of the necessity of jurefereuiial trade with the Commonwealth. He supposed this «••> in consequence of a big slice of Tasmania being rut off from Xew ZealandV commerce with Australia. Evidently this was beginning to make New Zealand tbiuk. The matter had not yet come before the Cabinet, so he if unable to say whether Australia would be willing or not to enter into a preferential trade agreement with Xew Zealand.