THE COMMONWEALTH.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCIV, Issue 14656, 25 January 1912, Page 5

THE COMMONWEALTH.

NEW SOUTH AVAIES. LOOKING TO NEXT ELECTION. Press Association —Ry Tel.—Copyright. SYDNEY, Jan. 24. ?Jr Wado, in addressing the Liberal conference, said lie had no fear of the general election. The Liberals' prospects were brighter than they were a year ago. He condomnod the Government's taxation proposals. The country, ho said, had embarked upon an era of unprecedented extravagance, and so long as the Government was in paw-er it would be a danger and a menace to the prosperity of the State.

A BUILDING BOOM. A report presented to the Master Builders' Association states that the cost of the buildings completed in Sydney and suburbs last year was £3,825,000. Many others hare been partially built. The demand for bricks is so great that builders hay© to wait weeks to get their orders filled. INTER-DOMINION CADET MATCHES. MELBOURNE, Jan. 24. The Commonwealth Government has accepted Canada's invitation to send a dozen Cadets to participate in a series of competitions about August next. THE NEW CABLE LINE. SOUNDINGS SURVEY. Received 12.5 a.m., Jan. 25th. SYDNEY, Jan. 24. The greatest depth obtained by tho Iris in tho survey for tho new oablelino. was 2700 fathoms. Soundings were taken at intervals of twenty miles in a zig-zag line. Tho bottom temperatures proved to be normal. Samples of tho sea bottom showed that it consisted mostly of globigerina coze. PACIFIC PROBLEMS. LONDON, Jan. 24. Dr. Miller Magvriro, in a paper read before tho Royal Colonial Institute, on "Tho Nev,- Pacific," dwelt on its growing 'importance. A feature of Australia's future export trade would be the development of business with Asia and North America. He referred to tho emptiness of Australasia and tho American territories in proximity to tho over-crowded East. He believed tho Japanese could capture the Phillippines as easily as tho Americans defeated the Span.ards. The Yellow Maj) had not received fair treatment in any part of the Pacific, henco Australia was apprehensive, and had adopted an obligatory military sen-ice. Owing to the many strategic points in the Pacific it was imperative that the Empire' should maintain a superior navy.